“So he stayed with us through our pregnancies and then just decided to leave? Is there a way we can talk to him? To face him?” Teagan asks.
“Of course. I can talk to my papà and see if he’d be willing to reach out to Hamish and talk to him about Colin. Give me a few minutes to see if he can come down. I know he’s working from home today.” Sebastiano says to us.
“This means that we have nine other siblings. Who may not even want to know who we are.” I sigh.
“And a shit bad father who kept this from everyone.” Cillian adds.
“What if they know?” I say to him.
“If they know and haven’t tried to contact us, fuck them.”
I nod as Sebastiano comes back into the room.
“So my papà said he’ll make the phone call and come down.” Sebastiano says as he joins us again.
“Why don’t we have lunch while we wait.” My mam says.
We all get up and help make lunch, sliced corned beef and cabbage sandwiches. They’re delicious and moist, definitely something I could eat everyday. After about an hour, Enea joins us in the room.
“Are there anymore sandwiches?” he asks as Fiorella hands one to him and he takes a bite.. “Grazie. I think we’re going to need these at least once a week.” He chuckles as he finishes his sandwich.
“I’m sorry it took me so long. I got a hold of Hamish McGregor. After explaining who I was and who my family is, he agreed to talk to me. I asked him if he knew of either of you and he said no. And before you ask, sì, I do believe him. I then asked him about his son, Colin. He said Colin has the North-West Highlands territory and the North Ayrshire territory. When he was with you, Teagan, he had the County Clare Territory. In 2000, he lost the County Clare territory to his brother, Wallace.”
“So that’s why he left us? That was the year Cillian turned one.” Teagan says.
“I think that’s why and he wouldn’t have been able to just come back to see you. According to Hamish, Wallace forbade Colin from coming into his territory. To this day they’re still not talking. And if Hamish knows why? He’s not going to tell me. As for Fiona and Callum? I don’t have a reason he left. Except that maybe his wife found out and threatened to leave him.”
“But that would mean that she knew about me and Callum. And he chose to leave us.”
I can see that my mam is struggling with all of this. Moira nods at me and we both sit with my mam.
“He’s a coward.” Teagan says softly as she sniffles.
Cillian and Fiorella sit with her.
“If you want, I can arrange for you all to meet with Hamish. I didn’t tell him about any of you because I didn’t know what you wanted to do. If you want me to talk to him again, I will. I can even call him now and put it on speaker so you can all talk to him. You tell me what it is you want.”
“What do you think could happen if Hamish finds out about us?” my mam asks.
“He’ll probably want a DNA test first. Which is easy enough, we’ve already done one on Callum and Cillian so we just need Colin’s DNA. And the boys aren’t children, so he can’t touch any of you legally. The rest will be up to you and what you want.”
“I think I’d like it if you’d call him.” Teagan says.
My mam nods. “I don’t mind that. I’d like him to know what his son did. Even if it turns out that they don’t care.”
Enea nods and calls Hamish. He explains about putting him on speaker and that there are people here that want to talk to him. After a few minutes, Hamish agrees.
“Hello Hamish. My name is Fiona Campbell. I know—knew your son, Colin.”
“And I’m Teagan McNamee. I also knew your son, Colin.”
“And how did you both know my son?”
“I met Colin in 1998 in Ennis. I spent two years with your son and one day he left and I never saw him again.”
“So you’re telling me this because you’re angry twenty-five years later about a man you spent time with?”
“No. I’m telling you this because we had a son.”
