Phone Call: Gaby & Napoleon When: Sunday morning, 9am
“S-Napoleon? I’m sorry for calling you so early. Did I wake you?”
"Of course not. What's up? Everything okay?"
“No one respects timezones, that’s what. I had a phone call about an- Nora stop it- an hour ago from a man who says he is my uncle and he would like to get back in touch with me. I swore at him and hung up the phone. But now I feel guilty.”
"A random phone call from a random man claiming to be your family out of the blue? I'd hang up too. Did you get a number or name? We can probably look into it. See if it's for real."
“Both. I know who he is. He just- I think it is my father’s brother. My birth father. When he died, the authorities in Berlin looked for his brother to look after me. He said he wouldn’t. So to call me now is... weird? Is that the term I want?”
"Rude? Inconsiderate? Fucked up? I could go on. He didn't have time for you when you needed him, why even entertain the notion of reconnecting?"
“Do you think I should have listened to what he wanted to tell me? I can’t imagine it is anything good.”
"I don't know, on the one hand it could be important. On the other, fuck him?"
“Heh, you would think if he needed to talk to me it might have been done much sooner. I wasn’t expecting it. I never thought I would speak to them again.” [...] “Scheisse! Mindy! I think they have heard you.”
"I think the girls agree that you should just ignore the whole thing and probably let them chase squirrels." [...] "Are you really okay? Family can be... jarring."
“Nora nearly caught one yesterday. I am a little worried about what will happen the day she does. And I am- I- I am not sure? I always knew he was out there, but never expected he would reach out. After all, I am an adult now. I am lucky he is not doing what your mother does, though, I suppose.”
"She'll probably not know what to do with it, I wouldn't worry. But the difference between my mother and your uncle is that she's earned the right to drive me insane. Not just waltz into your life years later with some flimsy excuse. You don't suppose he's going to try ask for money, do you?"
“I hope not. It is not as if I won the lottery.”
"Even if you had, he'd get fuck all. If you want to hear him out, it's one thing, but the man is clearly only out for himself. He's not about to be a burden on you. We know a Russian who is good at hiding bodies after all."
“I will think more on it- I just needed to talk it through. I- thank you.”
"Of course, any time. Really, any time." [...] "How about we take the dogs out for a hike today? I'll pack some lunch for us all."
“Are you sure? You didn’t have plans?”
"Nothing that I'd rather do, it's Sunday, who makes plans on a Sunday?"
“...thank you, Napoleon. See you around two? That way you can go back to
sleep if you would like.”
"Two is fine, I'll pack up some dog treats too. Don't you worry about a thing."