CHAPTER 43

PHILIP'S POV

Philip looks around his Late Birth Mother home, Mary and Dave had taken him to see his Grand Father who was still alive.

They looked so shock, All the family members had come around, When they heard, He was going to come around.

"He looks so much like His Mom." Philip could hear the whispers.

He scans through the frames on the wall, looking for a clue of his Birth Mom.

Philip turns his Head, When he hears his Grand Father, Josh, clearing his throat.

"Thank you for bringing him here." Josh directs his words to Dave and Mary.

Dave nods his head towards the Man, While Mary gives Josh a light smile.

"Her burial will hold Next Month, You could come." Philip nods as his Birth Mom sister, Jane, tells him.

He's still scanning the room for anything.

"We didn't know, He has grown into a young Man." Philip turns towards his uncle who was talking to Dave

Jane and Philip's gaze meets once more, He notices She's been staring at him for a while.

"If it okay with You, I could show you some of her pictures." Jane tells him.

Philip smiles as he looks over at Mary, Who approves of it.

He stands up and follows her to a room,

"This was I and your Mom's room, When she was little,

You know she was a bright little girl, She really never liked being controlled, She always wanted to be free."

Philip looks at Jane's face as it lits up talking about this Late Mom.

"You really looked so much like her." Jane says as she gets him Rachel's album.

He opens it,

First He saw her baby picture, He smiles, He looks up at Jane who was already sitted on the bed.

"She was beautiful, You and Her look so much like " The words slips out.

" Don't flatter me,

You should have seen her growing up, She looked like an Angel." The smile never leaving Jane's Face.

Philip smiles as he continues flipping the Albums slowly.

He has so many questions, but Clearly they were all still grieving His birth Mom.

"Come sit down with me." Jane taps the bed gently.

Philip looks at her, contemplating if it was a good idea, then he goes over

"Your Mom, She reached out to me once, after she found out she was pregnant with you."

Jane takes the Album from Him, as she opens a particular place and shows it to me.

Jane points at the Picture "This was the last time I saw her, before she was even pregnant with you, Jane had run away with her Lover." Jane looks away from Philip this time, As Philip scans the picture, looking for any disturbed emotion,

All he could find was just a young happy child.

"Things were rocky at home I must tell you, You know Home wasn't our safe space,

Our Parents didn't provide that for us.

Jane had to run away with a Girl she was inlove with, Our Parents didn't approve of

It." Jane turns her gaze back to him

"When we found She was pregnant, We were all shocked, She couldn't leave with Herself." Jane closes her eyes as she heaves deeply.

"Years later, She reached out to me, and opened up to me, that she was so young, She could have kept you, if things just played out differently." Jane hels his hands this time. This time there was tears in her Eyes.

Philip eyes falls down to their hands clamping together,

" I don't blame her, She did what she had to do." His tone breaking. He had to breathe in, He wasn't ready to tear up here

"Did you ever come to know my Father?" Philip asks her

She swallows the tears

"Last, We heard, He died in jail."

Philip looks away, as He turns to the Album and keep flipping the pages.

"She gave me something, to give to you, if you ever showed up."

Jane tells him.

Philip looks up at her, he didn't know how to respond to that .

"This is her Lawyer number." Jane writes it out on a sheet of paper and passes it to me.

Philip collects it, with his hands shaking, He stares at the number.

"What should I do with this." He asks as he glances at the number.

"When you call the number, You will get to know everything." Jane reaches out to his hands again.

" This lawyer is your Mom's lover."

The words rings in his ears, All the answers to his questions he has, is all in his hands.

He looks at his Aunt as he takes her gently into an hug.

He hugs her affectionately, Jane returns the hug as she laughs out loud.

"We have to get back to your Parents." Jane tells him.

Philip looks over at the Album, not knowing how to ask if he could keep it,

He didn't want to come of selfish, Rachel was also their child, sister and Family.

"You can keep it." Jane takes the Album and hands it over to Him.

"No, I can't, it fine." Philip tries being adamant

"Philip, You should have it, Rachel had always lived in us,

Her Memories will always remain with us." She touches him gently on the shoulder.

"You need this album more than us right now, You need to know that despite her choices, She meant well." Jane says as she hands him the Album again.

Philip scans through her eyes, He could see the pain her eyes, The frustration in Her.

" You must have really loved her? " Immediately the words came out, He regrets it.

Jane looks at him with tears coming down through her left eyes,

" She was my best friend, I looked up to her so much, I wanted to be where ever she was."

"I am sorry, for making you remember the past." Philip feeling bad.

"Don't Apologize, C'mon let's go out there, So you can meet the rest of the family." Jane tells him .

Philip clings onto the Album like he was holding on for his dear Life.

He goes out, as he sees the whole place gathered by his uncle's, his children and his other Aunt's.and her children. He has nephew and nieces, his own age and above.

He looks at them, at Mary and Dave,

his Eyes wanders back to Jane who smiles warmly at him, as she returns her focus to her one year old child.

"There was more to this Story, He looks at the number once more, He was going to find out."

A smile spreads out on his face.