33). A Needle in a Haystack.

It was after my sister died about a year and a half....... I was driving my car and for some reason it just had a mind of it's own that day.

I ended up at the driveway of where she used to live. That's same driveway where I last saw her. I pulled up in the driveway and knocked on the door. This lady came to the door and I said, I'm really sorry to bother you, but my Sister used to live in this house and I'm trying to find Mike and see if there's anything of my sister's that's still in this house. We were so afraid to go to that house after she passed away I don't think anyone went there. We were all just way too heartbroken.

The woman said, No, I'm sorry. Mike does not live here anymore but if there's anything that is here that was your sisters it would be out back. Everything is in the garage. She pointed in the direction of the garage and I walked over to it.... Hoping I would find something with her handwriting on it... Anything....

I was surprised at what I did find. It was a pile of wood from the re-modeling project that the new home owners were doing and I just started moving stuff with my feet. It was all too heavy to lift... I just kept slowly moving piles of scrap wood pieces until I could see the bottom of the garage floor. Then I saw this black book. It was big..... It looked familiar... It was my Grandmother's scrap book. I could not believe it. It was old and had torn pieces of paper around the edges of it. I set it aside. I then found a phone book with all kinds of numbers in it that was Mikes. I set it aside. Then there was some old bills in my sisters name. I set them aside. I picked up every little scrap piece of paper I could find. I ended up with a little bag of stuff. Nothing much but just papers. I wanted to see her handwriting one more time. I just needed to put closure on that house and I really just wondered what happened to all of my sister's belongings. My Grandfather's Cadillac, My Grandfather's Desk, My sister's jewlery box, My sister's anything..... There was nothing... except these little pieces of paper and the scrap book.

I told the woman Thank you for letting me take a little time to look.
I had no idea what I found until later..........

I took everything over to my Mom's house. I took each piece of paper and looked over everything. I opened up her little yellow phone book and looked over the names of the people that were in it.... I looked at the scrap book and saw little clipping of old new papers articles about my Grandmother's family. I loved it!

There was nothing other than that really...... But then....!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I looked at the phone book again. I noticed a name. The name was Greg La ---
I blinked and looked again.
Yep it was Greg La ---

Something about that name was so familiar... I could not even put my finger on it. I just knew I had heard it before somewhere. I knew there was something so familiar about that name. I put the bag of little papers away and did not look at them again for months.

My Mom called one day and said, Bring that little bag of goodies you found at Sherry's old house and bring them over. So I drove out to Howell and opened the bag and dumped out everything on the table. That little phone book came flying onto the table. I opened it again and saw Greg's name again! Who is this Greg I kept asking myself. No other name in the entire phone book looked familiar.

Then it hit me........ I knew exactly where I heard that name.

Tina was pregnant when she was really young by a guy named Greg. She told me the story of her daughter Nicole and how she never saw her father Greg, or her Grandmother since she was born. Nicole was about 15 at the time. So she had not seen any of her real father's family since she was 15. I started freaking out. How the heck is Tina my girlfriend and...... how in the heck did my Sister's scary friend Mike know Greg?

I told my Mom and she said, " Kathy, ONLY YOU"......... So....... I came up with a plan...
I came up with plan to see if My Father could finally stop driving around Redford looking for Mike. I was afraid of what he would really do if he did find him. So....... I talked with my Mom and told her what I was just about to do.....

She loved it.... It was the only way to see if Mike was still alive.. My Parents needed to know!
I needed to be the one to help them out of their daily nightmare!
I wanted my Parent's happy again.
Not that I would be happy if I had heard anyone had died.... But that guy..... I guess I had to admit I had other reasons for wanting him gone. I wanted my Mom and Dad to be happy again. I wanted them to stop looking for him when they were on that side of town. They were looking for a needle in a haystack!

So I picked up the telephone and dialed Greg's phone number. Not knowing who was going to answer but.... I picked up the phone and when the female on the other end said hello.... My Detective abilities kicked in. I was on a mission for my parents happiness and I was going to make this work!

So this is what I did...

I said Hello my name is Kathy Wilson and I found a wallet with from Mike G. In the wallet there was this phone number for Greg. So I was wondering if there was any way you could get in touch with Mike so I could return his wallet. I found it at the restaurant on Telegraph Road.

The Woman on the other end of the phone said, I'm sorry my son Greg is not here right now he won't be back until the middle of the week, but I'll make sure I ask him. Can you please call me back next week. I said, " That would be perfect". I explained to her that I was at my Mother's out in Howell and that I would be back at my Mother's the same time next week. She said, alright, Kathy. Thank you for calling I'll be sure to pass along the message. She kindly said. "Goodbye", and I said Goodbye to her and Thank You.

That whole week it was crazy....... I talked to Tina everyday...
I did not tell her that I had talked to the Grandmother of her daughter's Father.
I was so freaked out about it and I just think it probably would have freaked her out too....
I was not going to tell the Grandmother anything about Tina or Nicole. I was just trying to find out if Mike G., was alive! Not only that, how in the world was I going to explain to Tina that I was doing it for my Parent's sanity!

I drove out to my Parent's house the following week. My Father was at the kitchen table doing crossword puzzles just like he loved to do.

My Mom was in her room looking at her pretty pen collection.

I took the phone book that I found out in my sisters garage and opened it to Greg's phone number. I dialed the number. Greg's Mother answered. I said, " Hello Mrs. -----
This is Kathy, I spoke with you last week about the wallet I found." She said, I'm sorry Kathy, I talked to my son Greg and she told me Mike G. Recently died of a Drug overdose..... I could not believe it.... I could not in my wildest dreams believe it. I know my eyes were wide open and I was speechless. I thanked her for the information and told her Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. I probably was stuttering.

I hung up the telephone and told my Mom...... Mom..... He died of a Drug overdose. Mike G. Died... She went running out into the living room and told my Dad the news. They were jumping up and down like kids! I think they were happy they no longer had to drive around looking for him, and........ maybe he got what he deserved. I know they blamed him for my sister's death. I know it for a fact!

Then............ I felt guilty for lying to Tina's, daughter's Grandmother..... The one she never knew...

So...... I picked up the phone and called her back.
I said Mrs. ---- this is Kathy again. I had to call you back because you don't even know this but you helped my family so much today with the information you just gave us, that I had to call you and tell you some information that I know about your Grandaughter Nicole. I think I could just hear the silence. I quickly explained that Tina was one of my best friends and I acutally have gotten to spend many years with Tina and Nicole and that, Nicole is absolutely beautiful. She was tall and beautiful and she was doing great in school. The Grandmother loved my honesty and said something to me that I will never forget. She told me when Nicole was a baby she only saw her a few times, but remembered that she had big hands and beautiful lips, and that she always would look for Nicole in crowds of people hoping to see her one day. I said, well..... Tina has no clue that I called you, it's all so freaky I think and if you want me to, I'll tell Tina the story about the wallet and the reason we had to call you and let her know that you want to see Nicole. She loved it.... She loved it so much, I bet she was doing the same dance in her living room, like my parents were doing in their living room. One was jumping for a life she had not seen in so many years, and the other I was watching them jump around for the life they just wanted gone, gone, gone..... It was a very sur-real moment. I surely felt like a detective and a God Send at the same time.

Then I made the Phone call to Tina........................... She said, " Kathy, ONLY YOU!"

Nicole and her Grandmother and Nicole's father did meet.............. AFTER ALL THOSE YEARS!

© Kiki LaFleur-Wilson

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