Chapter 12 #3
I took the photo
and stared at it. Jacob had blond hair and an easy smile. Kristen was
very lovely with long, dark brown hair and pale eyes, although I
couldn’t tell the exact color. Zach was a cute kid… as
far as kids go. I didn’t have much experience with them, but he
had the same dark hair as his mother and chubby baby cheeks.
Randall handed me
another one. “This is when Zach was three years old.”
This was a photo
of whom I immediately recognized as Randall holding the toddler as
they posed for a toothy smile at the camera.
“ I cared
for Zach on the first mission trip that Jacob and Kristen took after
he was born. They didn’t want to bring him to the jungle, and
their trip was only three months long. They had no qualms about
leaving him with me though… Zach called me ‘Uncle
Randall’ and I was more than happy to do anything to help out
my dear friends.”
Randall and I
took a moment to look at the other pictures, and I watched as Zach
got progressively older. Randall told me that Jacob and Kristen made
another trip to Brazil when Zach was five and, when they returned,
they had told him that they felt he was old enough to go on the next
one. They even talked about other missionaries having their entire
families there, and he’d have plenty of other kids to play
with.
“ I was not
keen on that idea. I knew Zach was their child, but we had grown
extremely close, as sometimes Jacob and Kristen would be gone a few
months at a time. But, it wasn’t my place to say anything, and
I dreaded the day that they would take him away on a trip.”
By the tone of
Randall’s voice, I had a feeling this story was not going to
have a happy ending.
“ But they
took him?” I guessed.
“ Yes…
when he was seven. And they were never heard from again.”
My body jerked
because I wasn’t expecting that. I turned halfway on the couch
to face Randall, and his face was so sad. “What happened?”
“ No one
knows. I spent considerable resources trying to find them, but it was
difficult. Most of the tribes moved often, going deeper and deeper
into the jungle as the rainforest was harvested. I sent a couple of
expeditions with no luck. I then contacted every church and
missionary organization with pleas for people to keep their eyes
peeled. Nothing… not a single thing could I find out about
them. Of course, I had feared the worse… that they had been
killed by the Indians.”
Taking a deep
breath, Randall stood from the couch and turned to look down at me.
“My life moved on, and my broken heart healed. I still kept
fresh contacts with missionary groups, sending written requests for
help, but after a few years, I gave up hope. I assumed they were
dead.”
“ But
they’re not, are they?” I asked because now I was
starting to understand what the miracle was.
Randall gave me a
small smile. “Sadly… Jacob and Kristen are dead. Killed
by dengue fever. I was contacted by a Catholic priest by the name of
Gaul a few months ago… right before I contacted you…
who has been ministering to the Caraica tribe that live in the
northwest portion of Amazonia. He lived his entire priesthood in the
rainforest but unfortunately suffered a terrible broken leg. While he
was convalescing in a hospital in Sao Paolo, he learned of my search
for the Eastons. Another priest had apparently visited him and just
in a random discussion, the other priest had asked Father Gaul if he
had any knowledge of the Eastons.”
“ And he
did,” I butted in, because I was starting to get excited.
“ Indeed…
he had been working with the Caraicans and he said that there was a
white man living there as one of the tribesman, who was twenty-five
years old and went by the name Zacharias.”
“ Jacob and
Kristen’s son is alive… after all these years,” I
said with awe.
“ Yes…
Zach is alive and has been living with the Caraican tribe. But I want
him to come home. He’s my godson and the closest thing I have
to a child. I want him to have a different life.”
Shaking my head,
I couldn’t imagine the implications of this situation. An
American child having first been raised here, then spending eighteen
years living in abject poverty and in an entirely strange culture,
now coming back to live in a modern world?
My head was
spinning.
“ I need
your help, Dr. Reed. I want you to travel with Father Gaul to Brazil,
and I want you to bring Zach home. Then I want you to help him
acclimate. You’re the only one I’ve found that has the
skill set to do that. He needs someone that understands the cultural
differences and how to learn them. I need you to help civilize him.”
“Zach’s
not happy to be here,” Randall said, breaking into my memories.
I give him a kind
smile. “He’s not, but let’s give him a chance. He’s
been acclimating well, and I think he’s even found some small
joys in his time here.”
At least, I think he
enjoyed his time with me… when he was fucking me so hard I had
rug burns on my knees.
“I want to
invite you both to stay for as long as you like. I know you have
several months off from your teaching post.”
“I do, and
I’ll stay for as long as Zach wants to, or for as long as I’m
needed.”
“How hard has
it been on him?” Randall asks.
“Actually,
he’s adjusting amazingly well. He remembers a lot of things
from his childhood. Certain foods, words, and customs. He got lost
the other day when he went out on a walk and recognized that a police
officer was someone you could trust. The officer brought him back to
my home. He’s smart, inquisitive, and soaks things up like a
sponge.”
“Excellent,”
Randall says with pride. “I’d expect no less of him,
though. He was such a bright boy.”
“You might
need to give him some time though. Some space. He’s very angry
with you for taking him away from the Caraicans. His plan is still to
return.”
Randall’s
smile fades a little. “I understand. I won’t pressure
him.”
“That would be
good. He can be a very stubborn man,” I say with a smile.
“Tonight will
be very casual. I’m having my niece and nephew over. They’re
close to Zach’s age, and I figured it would be nice for him to
have some friends he can pal around with.”
“Sounds
lovely,” I tell him. “Now, I think I’m going to
take a shower, if you don’t mind, and then we’ll just see
you for dinner at seven.”
“Thank you,
Dr. Reed,” Randall says, his voice thick with emotion. “For
bringing my boy home.”
“You’re
welcome,” I tell him, but honestly, he’s wrong to think
that Zach has come home.