Bonnie Jack

by Ian Hamilton

  The board might be a different story. When he announced his retirement, there had been some minor resistance from a few members, but mainly they went along with it. What would they do if Jack reversed his decision? He imagined that a few members were capable of digging in their heels and invoking the twenty-year limit. The only sure way for him to stay on with his image and legacy intact was for the board to ask him to serve for another year, or better yet, a few more years.

  Jack had allies on the board but he’d never been a glad-hander or a backslapper, and he’d never felt the need to become close friends with its members. His attitude had always been to let the company’s bottom line speak for him. Who could he call? Which of them might be open to the idea of his staying on? Which of them might be prepared to make the case for his remaining to their fellow board members?

  “What are you thinking about?”

  He stepped back from the window, startled and unsure for a second where he was. Anne stood in the bedroom doorway. “The day ahead,” he said.

  She nodded. “It’s just past seven. Have you ordered coffee yet?”

  “I’ll do it now.”

  Half an hour later, Jack drove the car out of the hotel parking lot and pointed it in the direction of Edinburgh. They hadn’t had much further chance to talk as they took turns in the bathroom and bedroom while the other ate toast and drank coffee.

  As they cleared the last of the roundabouts and turned onto the highway that would take them to Edinburgh, Anne finally spoke. “Have you thought about how you’re going to introduce yourself to your brother?”

  “I can hardly think of him as that yet. He’s a stranger.”

  “A stranger who you’re going to inform is your brother.”

  “That’s my intention, but I thought I’d try to ease into it.”

  “Easing into it may make for some initial awkwardness.”

  “I don’t mind that. I’d prefer initial awkwardness to me just blurting it out.”

  “Either way, it will come as a shock to him.”

  “If we believe what Moira told us.”

  “You don’t?”

  “I wonder if we’re putting too much stock in her memory,” Jack said. “What if Harry and Georgina do know I exist? Maybe my mother did tell them about me.”

  “Moira is all we have to go on until you sit down with Harry.”

  “And one more thing. I’ve been thinking about her story about our mother being pregnant when she left me,” he said.

  “You don’t think it’s true?”

  “It’s possible, but who’s to know who the father was? She said it was McPherson, but what if someone else fathered Harry and Georgina and that’s the real reason she left?”

  “You called him McPherson.”

  “What?”

  “You just referred to your father as McPherson.”

  “What else do you suggest? I’m not calling him Dad.”

  “Fair enough,” Anne said. “Maybe Harry can shed some light on this. And speaking of him, I wonder if there will be any physical resemblance between the two of you. You and Moira obviously don’t look like siblings, but maybe it will be different with him. It’s logical that there might be some similarities. We should have asked Moira if she had any photos of him or Georgina.”

  “It’s a bit late for that now.”

  “She might even have had some photos of your mother,” Anne said.

  Jack’s brow furrowed. “If she does, they’re of no interest to me. And Harry and Georgina will get the same answer.”

  “Can I ask why?”

  “You just have,” Jack said.

  “And?”

  “I don’t want to talk about it,” he said with a firmness Anne knew was his way of telling her to stop pursuing the subject.

  She turned away from him and looked out at the countryside. They had driven past several small towns, and the highway was now flanked by lush green fields. “It’s so pretty here,” she said.

  “Pretty, but poor,” Jack said. “Their biggest export for decades has been people.”

  Anne didn’t reply and continued to look out the window. Jack’s bad mood was beginning to get on her nerves. He had obviously decided to remain negative about Moira and dismissive of his mother. She wasn’t about to argue with him just before meeting his brother, but neither did she want to talk about the failings of the Scottish economy.

  They didn’t speak again until an hour later, when they reached the outskirts of Edinburgh and Jack needed her to direct him to Drummond Street. A good navigator, she got them to a parking spot near the coffee shop shortly before ten. “Do you want to wait in the car or go right in?” she asked.

  “There’s no point in waiting. Besides, I could use a coffee.”

  “Are you sure you want me to come in with you? Might it be better for you to meet Harry on your own?”

  “I want you there.”

  “Then let’s go,” Anne said, opening her door.

  They approached the Brava Coffee House rather tentatively, stopping to look through its large plate-glass window. Inside they saw six square tables set against the wall, another ten smaller round tables spread across the floor, and a service counter close to the door. Most of the tables were occupied. Anne scanned them, looking for a man sitting by himself. There were several, but none of them resembled Jack or matched her idea of how an executive with an insurance company would dress.

  Jack opened the door and went inside. “I’m meeting a man named Harold Montgomery,” he said to the woman behind the counter. “Do you know if there’s anyone here by that name?”

  “I know Harry. He isn’t here yet.”

  “Then we’ll wait,” Jack said, and turned to Anne. “Coffee?”

  “A double espresso,” she said.

  “And I’ll have a black coffee.”

  “Sugar or milk?” the server asked.

  “Just plain.”

  “Find a table. I’ll bring the coffees to you when they’re ready,” the woman said.

  Two of the square tables were available, one near the window and the other in the rear of the shop. Jack led Anne towards the one at the back, which had four chairs. He sat so he had a clear view of the door. Anne sat next to him and then positioned her chair so it faced the same direction.

  “It’s convenient that the woman knows him,” Jack said. “I was worrying about how we’d recognize him.”

  Anne smiled. “Jack, I’m quite sure he will have researched you and has some idea how you look. And even if he didn’t, the Red Sox cap is a dead giveaway.”

  A few minutes later the woman brought two cups to the table. She put them down, began to leave, and then came to a stop after a couple of steps. “There’s Harry now,” she said, turning towards Jack and Anne. “He’s the dapper one at the door, in the grey suit.”

  Anne blinked in surprise and glanced at Jack, expecting a similar reaction. His face was impassive. Doesn’t he see the similarities? she thought. Harry was slightly shorter and slimmer than Jack, but he had the same square jaw, the broad brow supported by thick black eyebrows, and the same wide-set eyes.

  She expected Jack to get up to greet Harry. When he didn’t move, she rose from her chair and walked towards him. “Hi, I’m Anne. We spoke on the phone yesterday.”

  “Hello. Very pleased to meet you,” Harry said, and then looked past her towards Jack. She saw him frown. Was he seeing the family resemblance?

  The server squeezed past them. “Same as usual, Harry?” she asked.

  “That’s fine, love,” he said.

  “Come and join us, please,” Anne said.

  Jack stood and extended his hand. “Mr. Montgomery.”

  “Harry, please.”

  “And I’m Jack Anderson.”

  “I know who you are. It’s an honour to meet y
ou.”

  “Hardly an honour,” Jack said. “Have a seat.”

  The two men sat across from each other, with Anne stuck uncomfortably between them.

  “You’ll have to excuse me if I appear nervous,” Harry said. “Your call yesterday came out of the blue, and as I said to your assistant, this is quite unconventional.”

  “Anne isn’t my assistant,” Jack said, and then waited as the server placed a cup in front of Harry.

  “She’s with a headhunting firm?” Harry asked.

  “No, she’s my wife.”

  “This becomes even more unconventional,” Harry said, glancing at Anne.

  “Tell me, Harry, how long have you been with Caledonia?” Jack said quickly.

  “My entire career. I joined the firm directly out of university.”

  “Are you an accountant?”

  “I am, but that was my second degree. My first was in communications.”

  “That’s an unusual combination.”

  “I wanted to go into public relations, but when I graduated there weren’t any jobs in that field, so I went back to school and took accounting. Who was to know I’d end up being able to combine the two disciplines?”

  Jack nodded and sipped his coffee. Anne could see his discomfort and guessed he was buying time as he figured out what to say next. Small talk had never been his strong suit. Harry didn’t look any more comfortable as he glanced rather absently around the coffee shop.

  “Are you married?” Anne asked.

  Both men looked surprised. Anne didn’t know if that was because of the nature of her question or the fact she’d spoken at all.

  “Aye, I am, and quite happily, for more than twenty-five years,” Harry said finally. “We have two children, Alastair and Ellen. They’re both away at university.”

  “Are they following in their father’s or mother’s footsteps?” she said.

  “Neither. Alastair wants to be an architect and Ellen is pursuing a career in medicine,” he said. “My wife, Barbara, is a schoolteacher. She had hopes that Ellen would follow that career path, but since she was ten, all our daughter wanted was to be a doctor.”

  “How wonderful that your children know what they want and have been able to pursue it,” Anne said. “Was education encouraged in your family?”

  Harry glanced questioningly at Jack. When all he got in return was a curious stare, he said, “Very much so.”

  “Do you come from a large family?”

  He shook his head. “I have one sister.”

  “Does she have children?”

  “One daughter,” Harry said, sounding slightly confused. “Although I don’t understand —”

  “Harry, you’ll have to excuse my wife for asking such personal questions,” Jack interrupted, leaning closer. “But the thing is, I wanted to meet you for an entirely different reason than the one Anne gave you on the phone yesterday.”

  “This isn’t about a job?”

  “It isn’t, and I apologize for the subterfuge.”

  “Then what is it about?”

  “Anne and I came to Scotland to piece together my family tree,” Jack said.

  “What does that have to do with me?” Harry said.

  “I think you and your sister are part of that tree.”

  “Are you serious?”

  “I couldn’t be more serious. I think we’re related.”

  “Well, that’s a bit of a shock,” Harry said, and then frowned in a way that reminded Anne of Jack. “But as nice as that might be, I’m not aware of any Andersons in our background.”

  “Anderson is my adopted name,” Jack said. “My birth name was McPherson. Moira McPherson — who I don’t think you included when you said you have one sister — is my sister as well. I believe we are brothers.”

  Harry reached blindly for his cup, almost tipping it over.

  “I’m sorry to spring this on you, but your existence was a shock to me as well,” Jack said. “After many years of not acknowledging my past, last year I finally began to come to terms with it and managed to track down Moira. Anne and I came to Scotland to visit her and she told us about you and Georgina. I didn’t know about you until then, and that was only yesterday.”

  “You’re Jack McPherson,” Harry blurted.

  “You know about me?”

  “Of course I do,” he said, staring across the table.

  “Moira seemed to think you didn’t.”

  “Moira and my mother were estranged for nearly all of Moira’s adult life. She has no idea what went on in our house,” he said. “When I said I have one sister, I was quite deliberately excluding Moira. We’ve had our issues. I don’t think of her as part of the family anymore.”

  “Your relationship with Moira doesn’t interest me, but your — our mother does. Are you saying she spoke about me?”

  “She did, especially later in her life, and most often to Georgie. She desperately wanted to know what had become of you.”

  “Did she make any effort to find out?”

  “Not directly. She was housebound, and she wouldn’t have had any notion where to start,” Harry said. “But I’ll tell you what she did do — she ignited Georgie’s interest. My sister has been looking for you for years.”

  “Well, here I am.”

  Harry shook his head again. “I’m having trouble believing this.”

  “Moira told us that our mother was pregnant with you and Georgina when she left McPherson. Is that the story you were told?”

  “Yes.”

  “When were you born?”

  “March fifth, 1935.”

  “That fits. So it seems that in addition to Moira, I’ve acquired a brother and another sister as well.”

  “Georgie is going to be thrilled.”

  “Has she really been looking for me?” Jack asked.

  “She has, but I don’t know about the details. You can ask her yourself when you meet her.”

  “Where does she live?” Anne asked.

  “Here in Edinburgh, in the Stockbridge area. I live in Leith. We’re only a ten-minute drive.”

  “Moira thought she was in Bearsden.”

  “She was until her husband left the country and she was forced to sell the house.”

  “Why did he leave?” Jack asked.

  “I’ll leave it to Georgie to tell you that story.”

  “When can we meet her?”

  “I’ll call her as soon as I get back to my office,” Harry said. “Where are you staying?”

  “In Troon.”

  “For any particular reason?”

  “Only that it’s close to Prestwick Airport and Irvine.”

  “It’s not very convenient if you intend to spend time in Edinburgh.”

  “What do you suggest?”

  “Take a hotel in Edinburgh. We have good corporate rates at several of them. You could return to Troon for your luggage and be back here by mid-afternoon.”

  Jack looked at Anne. “What do you think?”

  “It makes sense to stay here.”

  “Shall I book you a hotel?” Harry asked.

  “No, thank you, I prefer to do it myself,” Jack said. “How will we stay in touch?”

  “Call me at the office when you get to Troon. By then I’ll have spoken to Georgie. Knowing her, she’ll want to see you right away. Are you free this evening?”

  “Yes, we’re available.”

  “Fantastic. Maybe we can organize a wee family dinner tonight.”

  “That sounds like a plan.”

  Harry looked across the table at Jack and then turned to Anne. “When I spoke to you yesterday, I never would have imagined this. It’s like something out of a film.”

  “Except it’s real.”

  “Or surreal.”

 
“Only because it’s so sudden. Jack corresponded with Moira, so they had a few months to adjust to the idea before they met. This was just dropped on you. I think you’ve handled it very well, given the circumstances.”

  “It’s hardly bad news.”

  “That is true,” Anne said, smiling.

  Jack looked at his watch. Anne knew it was a signal that he wanted to leave. “If we want to get back here this afternoon, I think we should start making tracks,” he said to her.

  She stood up and the men followed suit. No one moved at first, all of them unsure of what to do next. Then Jack thrust his hand towards Harry. “I’m pleased about the way this went,” he said.

  Harry nodded as he took Jack’s hand. They shook for ten seconds, neither of them wanting to be the first to let go.

  Anne turned to Harry and held out her arms. He withdrew his hand from Jack’s and stepped towards her. She wrapped her arms around him. “We are a family that’s big on hugs,” she said.

  12

  It took them a while to disengage at the coffee shop, and there were a few minutes of awkwardness on the sidewalk before they went their separate ways. Finally Jack and Anne were alone in the car, heading back to Troon.

  “That was something special,” she said. “I don’t think it could have gone any better.”

  “It went well enough,” Jack said, and then looked at her. “Thank you for making it easier for me to tell him. The questions you asked about his family provided the perfect segue.”

  “Thank you, sweetheart,” she said with a smile. “But I’m happy we won’t have to do this again.”

  “Yes. Thank God Harry is going to tell Georgina. It was more stressful than I expected,” he said. “Tell me, what did you think of Harry?”

  “Do you mean aside from the fact that you have the same chin, forehead, and eyebrows?”

  “Was the physical resemblance really that obvious?”

  “Anyone could see it,” she said. “What did you think of him?”

  “I was pleased that Moira’s story matched his account, and his birthdate is consistent with the timeline,” he said. “As for what kind of person he is, it’s too soon to tell. He seems decent enough. At least he has an education, a career, and a stable family life. I’m not so sure about his sister. I was a bit perturbed by what Harry said about her husband’s behaviour. Why would he leave his wife in such a bad situation?”