Closed Reunion

[Martine Kinnek]

Life had perhaps been a touch unkind to Martine. She had suffered a number of ways and fixing that suffering was no easy task. She had a lot of dreams and passions but those took second fiddle to the far more important point of getting her family back. The choice at the time had been sensible by authorities she had been stuck spiralling downwards and had needed to go to her own parents for help, but it had resulted in losing all that she held dear. And only some of which she'd gotten back, but it hadn't stopped Martine from looking. She had gotten her eldest son back and was just keeping on looking for the others. Every time she got close she would send a letter and get nothing back.

Martine's family had connections which enabled her to find out where her youngest son was, and it was too in reading an english magazine that she had spotted the name, that she was sure he had been given, the surname at least. She had written a letter explaining who she was and that she was looking for her son, if this boy's birthday was the same, then perhaps he was right and was welcome to come meet her, if not he could just ignore. She ran the risk of the boy wanting to ignore regardless, but she held out hope. Maybe one day he would come and visit her, in her modest home and maybe she would get her lost son back into her life. ​

 

[Casper Kinnek]

Casper wasn't sure what he thought of the magazine article. He'd been selling his paintings for a little while now, taking a few commissions over break, when a journalist had approached him. He'd been covered in an art magazine: 'New Gay Artist Splashes into Scene with Fantastical Fantasy Landscapes'. Uncle Abner had been absolutely smothering him, he was so proud. Casper was sitting on the couch, flipping through the magazine to look at the other articles, when a knock on the door stirred him.

Cas set the magazine aside and went to answer the door. Uncle Abner had just stepped into the room when Cas opened the door. His heart leapt into his throat when he saw his adopted mother standing there. Casper started to say something, but before he could get a word out she had slapped him- hard. He stumbled backward, a hand to his face and his eyes wide. She started screaming at him, telling him he was a disgrace, what would her friends think, they should have left him to rot.

Casper didn't have time to counter her argument as Abner had pushed past him and was confronting the woman. Cas didn't stick around to listen to the argument, instead rushing up to his room. He slammed the door, tears in his eyes. Of course. Of course. Any time something even remotely good happened, life slapped him in the face- sometimes literally.

He had just sat on his bed when an owl arrived at his window. Sniffling, rubbing his face, Cas walked over to open the window. He took the letter, with unfamiliar handwriting, and sat down to read it. His heart dropped into his toes. This was a joke. Was this a joke? It couldn't be a joke. Casper darted to his desk and snatched up his phone, speed dialing Linden. Casper bounced impatiently, cursing when it went to voicemail. Cas hung up and dropped his phone, snatching a clay figurine he'd been making from the desk.

Casper scribbled a note to uncle Abner- swearing he'd be back soon, dropped it on the bed, before aparrating just outside of the address given in the letter. Caspers heart was pounding in his chest as he walked up to the door. His face was still red from where his adopted mother had slapped him.

He knocked on the door, shifting nervously on his feet. He nearly jumped out of his skin when a woman opened it. He stammered, unable to really say anything, a blush rushing to his cheeks. He just shoved the little clay owl out in front of him as an offering, biting his lip.

 

[Martine Kinnek]

Since Martine had yet to get a message back from any of the owls she had sent (which really weren't that many) she didn't expect anything to come from it. She had just continued to go about her life, her eldest already completely grown up and doing something with his life, which made her so proud and her family still working to locate her daughter which was proving to be even more difficult. But Martine wouldn't give up. She had come in from a rather long early shift, there had been a new start on the cleaning team, and Martine had helped her a lot. She had made coffee and was finding the items to make a hearty breakfast when she heard the door go. It was early in the day, just after seven in the morning, no one should be coming to her yet. She put down what she'd taken out of the pantry and headed to the door. She opened the door and was greeted by the face of a boy that was familiar and yet had a red cheek.

Martine looked at the little clay owl that he was offering out to her, and it clicked, "Oh, are you Casper?" she said in rapid german before remembering that this boy had spent time in England. "Casper, right, born on the 24th of June 2038," she had the owl clay figurine in her hand but was reaching out slowly with her hand. "Look at how you've grown," she couldn't help but say before she was stepping towards him. "I'm going to hug you now, sweetie," ​

 

[Casper Kinnek]

Casper could barely breath, his eyes darting down as she took the figurine, speaking in an odd language, before looking up again. He nodded slowly as she said his name and birthday. He didn't mean to, but his eyes welled up with tears as she mentioned how much he'd grown. A thousand questions flooded his mind, but he couldn't find his voice if he tried.

She reached out for him then, stepping closer and saying she was going to hug him. The tears fell and Casper almost collapsed against her. He just felt so tired. He almost hugged her back, but he was almost sure he wasn't allowed to, so they just hovered awkwardly just away from touching her.

 

[Martine Kinnek]

Martine was a little surprised by how he didn't hug but seemed to collapsed against her, tears clearly streaming down his face. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, glad for the step which put her at a little higher position, meeting his height better. She let one hand settle on the back of his head, the softness of his hair against her palm. "It's so good to finally see you again," she knew he wasn't hugging back but wasn't bothered holding him regardless and know that maybe with time he would hug her back. "It's okay, I've got you," she told him softly, assuring him softly, it was too early for much of this, but she couldn't be happier to have him finally back in her life, to finally see him again. ​

 

[Casper Kinnek]

Casper let his fingers gently touch her back. "But... why did you let go?" He asked softly, his voice breaking. He just... he had to know. How could she leave him alone for so long, only to ask him back now? Was it that article? Did she just want him for the fame he was starting to acquire in the art scene? He probably should have pulled away, but his face still hurt from where his adopted mother had slapped him. He couldn't help but love the feeling of her hand on his hair. It just felt... nice.

 

[Martine Kinnek]

Martine gave a little sigh, "That's a very long story," she told him, she let him pull away from her and then wanted to keep her arm around his shoulders and then wanted to bring him inside. "Why don't you come inside, I'll make some tea or coffee and then I can tell you everything?" she offered, waving her hand inside of her house, "If it helps, I never stopped trying to get you back," she assured him, it wasn't much and without the wider story of what had happened was perhaps meaningless. ​

 

[Casper Kinnek]

Cas almost protested as his mother pulled away, swallowing hard. He lowered his eyes to stare at his shoes. This was going to be bad, wasn't it? He couldn't shake the feeling that this was going to go wrong somehow, that she would kick him out again when she realized what a failure he was. He rubbed the back of his neck, not really looking at her, his shoulders slumped. "I... yeah, okay," He finally agreed, letting her lead him inside. He was too nervous to look around. He sat down on the couch, hovering on the edge of it so he could make a quick escape when she inevitably changed her mind.

 

[Martine Kinnek]

Martine knew this needed to be taken slowly, that rushing into the stories over what had happened would be fruitless and pointless, but it was what he'd be curious about and she wasn't going to lie to him. She knew that likely because of her actions his life had been difficult. She guided him inside and then got them both something to drink. She placed it down in front of him and then summoned a chair so she could sit by him, just not on the same couch. "What do you remember about your dad?" she asked trying to figure out what he did and didn't remember, he'd been young at the time, and it would be a good place to start with what had happened to his dad, because that had been the catalyst of all this. ​

 

[Casper Kinnek]

Casper took the drink she offered, but didn't sip it, just holding it in his hands and staring at the liquid. He considered her question. "I... I don't know," He offered softly. "I... I bounced around through a lot of homes," He explained. "I don't... remember any stability before ten." He sighed. "I just- everyone always gave me back. Or passed me over. But eventually, um, this couple, the Becketts... they took me in. But... it was all for their reputation, they said I was their legacy, I had to be a doctor or a lawyer or something respectable and I would get a wife and kids and a nice house,"

Casper rubbed his cheek unthinkingly. "They kicked me out at thirteen because I wouldn't stop drawing," He sighed. "Luckily, the mans brother, Abner, he took me, I've been living with him, his twin daughters, and the other boy he adopted, Stan. I... Aunt Kara, his wife, she died not long ago, he's been... such a mess." Casper was rambling, he knew he was, but he felt so nervous he couldn't stop. "I keep trying to stay out of the way, I just- I don't belong anywhere. I never have," He dropped his hand, looking away, his eyes welling with tears again. "My adopted mother- she saw the article, she showed up just before I got your letter... she slapped me, just... started screaming that I was an embarrassment, a failure, all those fun things... Uncle Abner was still fighting with her when I left to come here,"

 

[Martine Kinnek]

Martine wasn't sure what she expected as an answer to the question, but she got far more than she had thought, she had asked a simple enough question and hadn't thought Casper would be in a position to want to tell her everything, but he was. She was thankful he was willing to be open and honest with her. Thankful to hear this story now, because as hard as it was, she knew it would be better to hear at the start than at the mid point. It was horrible all he'd gone through and she knew it was her fault. Her eyes filled with tears and she reached out a hand for his. "I am so sorry all of that happened to you, I never....you were never....goodness how I failed you," she couldn't find the right words. She sighed, "I never meant for you to be in the system as long as you were, I tried to find you and get you out but it was a struggle, you vanished quickly and they wouldn't let me get the necessary information." Martine told him.

"When your father died, I'd just had your sister, I was a mess, likely a little post-natal depression, and the love of my life was dead, I was trying to juggle kids and grief and, I wasn't handling it well. You were taken from me, and rightly, because I wasn't caring for you like you needed me to, but that was my wake up call. I got help from my parents, managed to get Basil back, and I searched for you and your sister....I just...could never find you," she couldn't look at him, knowing how she had failed him. "I should've been a better parent. But I wasn't, I should've been quicker to find you, but I wasn't. You do not have to accept my apology for my shortcomings, but Casper, I am deeply sorry, and will forever regret the part my decisions made which led you to be taken from me." ​