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Chapter 14 – The Lost Son

I'm Isaac Renauld.

My parents and I had arrived at Henry's Cafe where we made an appointment with Fez 15 minutes early. I haven't talked to them since earlier. I'm doing them a silent treatment. Yes, I know that silent treatment is bad and toxic. I know that they are my parents, and they just arrived last night from Birgham. They want to chat with me as it is normal between son and parent, but right now I don't want to communicate with them at all. I feel deceived by them. I still remember what happened yesterday afternoon that made me who I am today.

"Yeah. Dad, Mom, I already spoke to Ferris. And he agreed to meet you tomorrow afternoon," I tell them over the phone.

There was an answer from Dad. "Okay, thanks, Ike. What did he say?"

"Yeah, he's a little surprised but fine. He's agreed to meet you. Do you guys want to go straight to the cafe tomorrow or do you want to sleep over here tonight so the next day I can take you to the meeting place?"

"Euh, we wanna go with you, is that okay?"

I smile. "Yes, that's okay, Dad. It'd be better if you guys sleep over here first for tonight. Let me ask my assistant to go and pick you up, he will drive you here. You'd better be ready in an hour."

"Alright."

"And, uh... since I have granted your request, now it's your turn to explain to me why you guys want to meet Ferris. To be honest, Dad, I'm quite surprised, what's weird about our faces look similar, so what? Why do you guys seem so curious about our resemblance? There's nothing strange, just a mere coincidence, I believe."

Dad was silent for a long time. "But we feel it's no coincidence, Isaac."

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

"We've been hiding this all along. Now it's time you knew all about it. Our family's dark secret."

My turn to be silent for a long time. I'm trying hard to learn Dad's words, which I can't grasp at all. "What do you mean, Dad? I don't understand at all."

"Isaac ...." Dad was silent for a long time. "You have a twin brother."

Hah?

"We made a big mistake before, Ike. You know, we used to be poor. We couldn't stand the economic pressure, especially when two babies had to be sufficiently nourished... so we let off one of you... w-we... we put him in the orphanage." Dad said slowly.

Wh-what the...

Dad continued over the phone, "Really, we wouldn't do that if we weren't forced to. But we didn't know what to do anymore.... Isaac... it was our biggest mistake. After we realized that what we did was wrong, we looked for him. We searched desperately for him after we learned that your brother had been adopted by another family. Even your grandfather who finally found out about our situation helped to look for him as best he could. .... But nothing. We've never been successful so far. I don't know where he is now, whether he's alive or not, we don't even know. But your mother just saw Rutherford's picture yesterday. And she was immediately convinced that he was your brother, Isaac. So we asked you to introduce us to him."

I'm speechless. No. It's not true, right? Are they kidding??

"Sorry ... sorry Ike, we're hiding this. Just now we're getting you to know about this .... We don't want to hide this from you, but we don't know where to start. We've made a really stupid mistake that will haunt me and your mom forever, and we are suffering for it."

"Yes, and you deserve it!" I screamed spontaneously. "You are stupid parents who had the heart to throw away their child! What was wrong with you guys?! Didn't you have brains?? How could you do that???"

"We had to do that, Isaac. Our economic problems forced us to do that ...."

"That's not an excuse! There's no reason whatsoever that can tolerate your stupid actions!! And you regret that, hah, you guys suffered because you couldn't find him until now, yes that's what you deserved!! Then why are you looking for him now? It's been 24 years old, why are you looking for him? To apologize? To ask him to return to being your child? Have you ever thought about how he feels?! He will only get hurt, Dad! He's been living his own life all this time, and then you want to come all of a sudden into his life and claim to be his biological parents! You don't want to make another stupid mistake, do you???"

Daddy didn't comment.

And I continue again. "Then what's the use of me? I was left ignorant all this time, never knowing I had a brother. If I had known all along about your stupid story, I would have helped look for him long ago! Even if that Rutherford was my brother, I'd already have investigated that! But what can I do now??!"

"Please, Isaac. We don't want to hear your anger at us, we have suffered enough from our own mistakes." Dad said slowly.

I took a deep breath. "You guys come here quickly," I said flatly.

And when they arrived a few hours later, I ignored them. I greeted them as needed and offered them food and drink. Just like that. There was no more chat between us. They seemed so sorry, they tried to talk to me, but I remained cold and then my silent treatment began. Until right at this moment. Yes, I still need time to accept this shocking fact. Let them also realize that they are not only guilty of my twins, but also of me by hiding this fact!

I took a deep breath. Glancing at my watch, still five minutes from the promised time, Fez had not come. I saw my parents had been silent and awkward. Ah, what do I care?

All I care about is that I hope Fez isn't my twin, although I now suspect he is, after hearing that dark history. But well, I hope that the resemblance between Fez and me is just a coincidence. Don't let him be my twin brother. Don't let me or my parents find my missing twin brother. It doesn't mean I don't like the fact that I have a brother, I'm excited to know that, really I am excited. Can you imagine, all this time I was lonely as an only child, I wanted to feel having a sibling. But what makes me think more is what my brother feels. What would he feel if he suddenly found out about himself being abandoned by his biological parents? Of course, he would feel hurt.

So instead of that, it's better for us never to meet my twin brother, I just don't want to see my brother get hurt. He should continue to live his own life and find his happiness... whoever and wherever he is.

I looked around. The cafe that afternoon was not too crowded, only a few people were enjoying their meal and some were discussing. Perfect. I don't have to worry that our conversation will be disturbed by the surrounding circumstances. Then I saw that Fez had finally come. He looked around. So I straightened up and waved at him. He immediately looked at me, smiled, and walked over to our table.

Still, with a broad smile, he greeted my parents politely. "Good afternoon, Mr. & Mrs. Renauld. Sorry, am I late?"

I caught a glimpse of the surprise in my parent's eyes when they saw Fez. But then Dad stood up and held out his hand to Fez. "Hello, son. We arrived earlier. Please be seated," said Dad.

Fez welcomed Dad's hand warmly, and after shaking hands with Mom and greeting me, he sat down next to me.

We ordered food, and as we ate, Fez made small talk to my parents. He was sympathetic, like the Fez I had always known. That's enough! Why are they doing this? It is much better to just tell Fez what they meant by calling him here. I watched the hopeful expressions on my parents' faces. They stared at Fez like they were staring at a rare diamond they so wanted to own, but couldn't afford. Then I looked at Dad for a moment. Dad realized I was watching him, and as if he understood the meaning of my gaze, he frowned and shook his head slowly.

Ah, jerk. Then what's the point of this meeting if you fail to find out if Fez is your child? We are already here, you guys decided to abort your mission? I swear, I don't understand their way of thinking!

So I ventured to speak up. "Fez, you must be curious, why did my parents ask you to meet, then why didn't you ask?" My question made Fez look a little surprised. While dad even looked panicked and reprimanded me.

Fez raised an eyebrow. "Isn't making small talk a form of courtesy?"

I snorted. "Forget manners for now. There are things they should have asked you. Questions that were never answered because they were too afraid to ask. And let me represent them."

I realized my tone did not sound pleasant. What can I do, my mood is really bad due to the surprise I just heard last night.

"Isaac! Enough!" said Dad.

But it doesn't stop me. "They want to know... your background, Fez. They think you're my twin," I said flatly.

"Excuse me?" said Fez. That seems to be all that can come out of his mouth right now.

And I turned to my parents. "Dad. Mom. Enough of the small talk. Let's get to the point.  I'm tired of seeing you only look at Ferris with a hopeful expression, without taking any further steps."

Dad took a deep breath, while Mom looked nervous.

"Sorry, what did you mean by that, Ike?" asked Fez.

"They'll explain it to you, Fez," I replied.

"Yes. Ferris," Dad finally worked up the courage. "We apologize profusely, if it turns out that our suspicions were wrong. We did suspect that you were our child, that you are Isaac's twin brother...."

I can feel Fez tensing up. He didn't say anything, just looked at my parents alternately. But a moment later he smiled slightly. "Hmh, how is it possible, Mr. Renauld? I admit, Isaac and I do have a physical resemblance. But… there are few humans who look alike in this world, right? And besides, I have my own family, I have parents who love me," he said.

"It's true. But... but you two are so much alike! So we asked you to come here... just to prove...." Mom stopped.

"Prove what?" Fez waited for Mom's words to continue.

"To prove that you are our lost child. Our son whom we have been looking for for more than twenty years..."

 

Chapter 15 – Abandoned Child

Hey. It's still with me, Isaac. When those beautiful pearls of word came out of Mom's mouth, I could see the anxiety radiating from Fez's body language.

"I-I don't understand. I don't understand at all. How could you lose your child? And what is your reason for thinking that your lost child is me?" said Fez.

"Because you two are so alike! And do you doubt the instincts of a mother?" Mom asked in a loud, trembling voice, almost rebuking. I don't know why Mom suddenly stepped on the gas. Dad immediately calmed her down.

Fez stared deeply at Dad and Mom, also looking at me, taking turns. Then he said, "Strange day, isn't it? Suddenly I met a husband and wife who, for no apparent reason, mistook me for their child."

I watched Dad look at Fez like he was stringing words together in his mind. After a long time, he spoke softly, his voice trembling. "In the past, we lived in Stockbort, and we were very, very poor. We have no money at all. At that time, my wife, Evelyn was pregnant. We think... if we are still capable to support only one child. But it turns out that two babies were born. For several months, we tried to survive and try as hard as possible so that our two children could eat. But in the end, we could no longer live such a hard life. I want to put our two children in an orphanage... then improve our lives, find regular jobs so I can support my family, and take them back so they can be with us again. But Evelyn went against my will. She could not part with his two sons. So after talking about it at length, with heavy hearts... we let one of our sons go. We put him in the orphanage. And that is our first child. He was healthier, stronger, and less fussy. Our thoughts... when he grows up, he will understand why we did this to him. We had to.…"

He continued with great difficulty holding back his emotions. "A few months later, our parents found us suffering in poverty, and because they probably couldn't bear to see us and their grandchildren like that, they helped us. They scolded us all over when they found out we had let off one of our children at the orphanage. We intended to take our son back. But what happened is... our child has been adopted by someone else! We regretted that... plus the orphanage didn't want to reveal the identity and address of the family that adopted our child. After that, we never stopped looking for our son's whereabouts. Also with our parents, who made every effort to find our missing child. We'd love to find him... just to see him and make sure... if he's okay! And if possible… we want to take him home, back home, to our family."

Fez snorted. "Hmmh, what an embarrassing story. Very embarrassing. How could you abandon your child?"

Hmm, I 100% agree with you, Fez. This is an embarrassingly stupid story. What happens if the press finds out about this? Where can I put my face, moreover, this stupid story involving this person, the leader of the standings? Huh, it could be a scandal.

Fez continued. "You're leaving an innocent baby at the door of an orphanage in the middle of the night? While he still has biological parents who are supposed to take care of him and protect him."

I was surprised and looked at Fez. Midnight? Who said that?

Mom also looked at Fez in surprise. "How did you know… that we put him at the door of the orphanage in the middle of the night?"

Fez flinched. He stammered in response, "Uh, I was just guessing. Is it really like that? I had a hard time accepting and understanding your story earlier. I couldn't believe it, especially when you say you used to be so poor. I thought... I thought you were related by blood to Elliot Renauld, the late FP racer?"

Huh. Of course.

Dad was silent for a moment. "Yes, he is my father. But, in the past, he and I often argued, we never get along."

"Then you decided to just let go of your son. Threw your children away into an orphanage. Couldn't you give the child to your parents? Let your parents take care of your baby. No matter how bad your relationship with your parents was, they couldn't reject their grandson, right?" said Fez sharply.

That's what I've been thinking since last night. Why, why, and thousands of other whys. Unanswered whys.

"Back then we were very young, naive, and stupid. I also just realized why I didn't do what you said before," replied Dad.

Oh God, what kind of stupid answer is that??

Fez snorted in annoyance. Ha-ha, even an outsider like Fez was irritated by the stories and stupidity of my parents in the past. It's embarrassing.

"So? Now what? Do you still think I'm the poor baby in your story earlier?" asked Fez grumpily.

Mom replied, "My instincts tell me so..."

"Do you even know your son? We just met and you immediately thought that I was your son! You don't know me at all!"

Mom was silent for a moment. "I... still remember clearly... My son has a birthmark on his left thigh ...," she said with a faint smile.

Fez looked shocked in disbelief.

"Isaac himself... had a birthmark on his right thigh. Right, Ike?" Mom asked.

I don't have to answer that.

Mom smiled faintly and continued. "Yes, our two children are indeed compact.... Then as I remember... our missing child had two moles on his chest and behind his right ear. I still remember it clearly, because before he... was placed in that orphanage... I hugged him and kissed him all day long," said Mom, sobbing.

Mom continued, "And... I put him a necklace with the letter 'F' pendant, his initials...."

Oh. That necklace. A very small toy necklace, about the size of a baby's neck, with a letter pendant on it. The one I have has a pendant with the letter 'I', according to my initials. As far as I can remember, my mom once told me to keep the necklace. I don't know why Mom asked me to keep it, and it turns out this is the reason. Because that necklace is the only thing that connects me and my twin brother. The only silent witness who can prove that that person and I are brothers. And... what, my twin's got an 'F' pendant? What's his name? Why does Fez's name also start with an F?

Fez stared at Mom silently. "His initials?" he repeated.

Mom nodded and smiled. Her cheeks were wet with tears. "Yes... Frayne... our child's real name."

Frayne? Such a good name. Is that my twin brother's name? Huh, isn't it funny, I just found out the real name of my twin brother. Who is wrong?

I watched Fez silently bowing his head. He supported his face with one hand, as if reluctant to meet the eyes of the two people sitting in front of him. After a while, he was silent, with visibly shaking hands he reached into his shirt pocket and took out a necklace, and placed it on the table. "Is this the necklace?"

Oh my God, it looks exactly like the necklace I have! And the necklace that Fez took out had an 'F' pendant on it! I couldn't hide my surprise. So... Fez is? Oh, God.

I saw my parents gasp when they saw the necklace that Fez had shown earlier. Dad stammered, "Yes… yes, that is the necklace we gave our son! So, it's true that you are...."

Fez interrupted, "No! I can't believe any of this. Indeed, I-I have all the characteristics you mentioned earlier. I even have that damn 'F' necklace. But this is all just a coincidence! You can't be my parents! I can't believe all of this nonsense!"

Mom took the necklace that Fez put on the table and examined it. The more she examined the necklace, the more tears flowed. She shifted her seat and approached Fez. Then she touched Fez's cheek and looked into his eyes closely while continuing to rub Fez's forehead, eyes, nose, and cheeks. "Oh... Frayne... it's true that you are my son, Frayne.... Believe me, we are your biological parents, son ...," Mom said, sobbing.

While Fez just kept quiet and looked deep into Mom's eyes. Fez was silent for a few moments, then looked away. "Enough! I'm sick of all this. I want to go home," said Fez, jumping up and intending to leave us immediately.

"What's your blood type, son?" Dad suddenly asked, holding Fez back.

Fez stood silent. No answer.

"B? Isaac's blood type is B. If it is true that your blood type is also B... then you are indeed... our son. Or, what if we take a DNA test just to be sure? What do you think, son?"

Fez took a deep breath, "I'm B. But to be sure... we'd better go to the hospital. A DNA test is the best way to find out the truth of all this."

 

Chapter 16 – My Rival, My Twin

And the four of us waited nervously on the couch in the hospital waiting room sometime later. No one talked.

If that's true... that Fez is my brother, then what will happen next? What should I do? What can I do for him? He must feel hurt by James and Evelyn, so what could I do as his brother? I looked up and found Fez standing against a wall, not far from us, lost in thought. His face had been pale ever since.

The doctor who handled the DNA tests for Fez and me finally showed up. The four of us immediately surrounded the doctor and asked for answers from the test results.

As soon as the doctor said that our DNA matched each other, Evelyn burst into tears. Her cries sounded relieved but also happy. James cried silently, while Fez stood frozen and silent. He remained silent when my parents - his parents - hugged him and apologized to him.

Fez squeezed his eyes shut. Evelyn kissed him longingly and still said sorry, but Fez still didn't move. Not hugging Evelyn back, his mother. Fez opened his eyes when Evelyn asked, ".... Did your adoptive parents... did they always do good to you ...? They took good care of you, right?"

Fez seemed to force himself to smile, then nodded. He looked away as if trying to avoid eye contact with Evelyn. When our eyes met, he let go of the hug and walked over to me, the person he had to accept as his twin brother from then on.

Now we were standing face to face, looking at each other, but not a single word came out of our mouths. I opened my arms wide and we hugged.

God, this is the brother I've been dreaming of! Me, who during my childhood and youth, often imagined having an older brother... now it has come true? Have a twin brother, who turned out to be one of my rivals on the circuit! The person I admired for his accomplishments and who became my role model... turns out he is my brother! Is this, the brother that I should have had long ago? He's so real, he's right in front of me and I can hug him tightly. Nothing in this world can describe how happy and lucky I am to be reunited with my only sibling, the person I was conceived with. The person who became my rival on the track... and also the person who was my inspiration and role model. Thank God.

But what about you, Fez? Are you hurt by James and Evelyn? Are you hurt by me too? How do you feel after reuniting with us, your biological family?

I let go of his hug with a smile, took a distance to look at him, and tried to find what he was feeling through the light in his eyes. But Fez smiled back and said, "Hi, Ike."

***

A little later, we all visit Fez's adoptive parents together, who live in the upscale Highgate area.

Gale Rutherford and his wife, Phedra, are such low-profile couples. They were friendly and warm when they welcomed us into their home. But that friendly face faded when Fez introduced the three of us as his biological family.

Gale and Phedra look shocked. They seemed lost for words and were only able to look at James and Evelyn's faces with shocked and confused expressions. While Fez looked nervous and restless.

Well, I understand, Fez, you've always been Rutherford's only child, the only favorite child. Never once in your life have your biological parents come to visit you and meet your adoptive parents, right?

James tried to break the tense atmosphere, "Maybe you both are surprised, why did we suddenly come to see you two, Gale, and Phedra. But we have come here with good intentions, we just want to get to know you both, and if possible it would be nice if we forge a close relationship like our own kin. Because after all, it is you both who have contributed to caring for and educating Ferris until he grows up." James took a deep breath.  "We are truly indebted to both of you," he continued.

"Well, James," Gale said. "I'm sorry, I'm just confused, how did you meet Ferris? Since when did you two know each other?"

Fez replied, "They are curious because my face is similar to Isaac, Dad, Mom. Yes, in short, they found me. We just met today."

"Wow, this is surprising ...." Gale commented.

Such an awkward moment. Huh.

"There is a reason why all this happened. But for me, the most important thing is how to keep other people from knowing this. Keep it a secret, this is only between the six of us. Because I think if this gets leaked out... journalists will start chasing us, getting as much information out of us as they can. We should make this private, don't you think? Since this kind of situation never happens in Formula Prime racing. Can you imagine if this blew up and go viral in public? Imagine if this news about our family in masses headlines .... Ferris Rutherford and Isaac Renauld, it turns out that they are twins! Their facial resemblance is finally revealed! Blah blah blah blah... they will review what happened and how it happened. I'm just imagining it would have quite a bad impact... Moreover, Daddy Gale and Mommy Phedra are not young anymore, you don't want to feel the ferocity of the press when they looking for news, do you? This is privacy, we're not going to let outsiders know everything about our family right? What do you think?" Fez said at length.

Good point, Fez. I agree with you, I don't want to always be chased by the press. "I agree. We're keeping this a secret." I said.

My parents, as well as Gale and Phedra, also nod in agreement.

"Okay, we can all agree that this is best kept quiet," Gale said. "But... apparently what people said about you guys are true. Isaac, you do look a lot like Ferris. Not obvious just by photographs of you two, but after meeting you face to face today, I was amazed to realize that you two do look a lot like each other!"

I flashed a smile. "Then, if you are willing, the two of you can treat me like your own son. I am very happy because I can finally meet Ferris again, plus I can have another pair of parents. Isn't our family blessed? We're now a big family, you know."

Gale returned my smile sympathetically. "Ah. Ferris, Isaac, may I speak to James and Evelyn? There are some things you guys don't need to know. Parental things. So ...."

Fez looked away as he stood up. "Come on, Ike. I'll take you around the house."

I followed Fez, although I was wondering what our parents were going to talk about. Parental things, Gale said, does he intend to scold Mom and Dad about their mistakes years ago?

Fez showed me around his house. A comfortable and nice home, thankfully Fez grew up in a nice, humble family like Gale and Phedra. If only... if only Fez was adopted by a less harmonious family, I don't know what his fate used to be.

I looked at Fez who had not said much. Flat facial expression, I want to know what's on his mind. Then I try to talk to him. "You didn't look surprised when Dad and Mom said you were their child."

"Who said that? I am shocked."

"No, I mean, did you already know that you weren't your current parents' biological child? Because if you have no idea about that at all, I think you'll be even more shocked …. It's just my opinion though."

Fez was silent for a moment. "I already know that I'm not Rutherford's biological child. I've known about it for a long time."

"So..."

"Back then, when I was in 8th grade. I was wondering why my blood type was different from Gale's and Phedra's. I asked them about this many times, and in the end, it was as you can guess. They reluctantly told me that I was an adopted child. Who are my biological parents, where are they, what are they like, are they still alive or not, I don't think about it anymore because, after all, I feel very content with the love of Gale and Phedra."

Even though I feel sorry for you, Fez, at least I'm grateful because your adoptive parents were very kind to you.

"How about you, Ike? Have you known for a long time, that you have a twin?"

I laughed cynically. "I just found it out last night. Just last night James and Evelyn told me about it. So you don't have to wonder why I was cold to them. Can you imagine, how sick they are! How many decades has it been, why are they only now admitting that to me? Why didn't they find you long ago, Fez? This shocked me to death."

"Well, it might be hard to tell you about everything. But not as hard as letting me go." Fez smiled wryly.

"You must be heartbroken."

Fez laughed. "I'm just not used to it. Plus still in shock, too. At first, I thought our resemblance was just a coincidence, Ike. I've never imagined that I have a brother. A twin brother."

"I was also surprised, Fez. But I'm glad to know you're my brother."

"Did you ask the reason why they didn't tell you long ago that you had a twin?"

I looked at Fez, then I shook my head. "I'm sure that wouldn't be a reasonable answer. Like the reason why they had to let you go …. Their reasons didn't make sense."

Fez sighed. "Well, if they kept me instead, I probably wouldn't have met Gale and Phedra. Gale and Phedra are good parents. They adopted me because they said I looked like their long-dead child. So they gave me the same name as their son. Ferris."

"Oh, so they have a biological child?"

"Yes. He died young because of an accident, he was only 24 years old."

"Such a pity .... May he rest in peace."

"After the death of their child, they wanted to have another child, but unfortunately Phedra was sentenced to no longer be able to have children because she had a miscarriage before. So they decided to adopt a son from an orphanage... and that lucky boy was me."

Indeed, you were lucky. "Then after this, do you have any plans?"

Fez shrugged. "The only plan is that I will make you even further behind me, and eat my car's smoke," he said, grinning broadly.

I chuckled, then punched his shoulder. "Haha, just give it a try if you can!"

"Of course I can! I bet your car will be exploded in just around two or three laps, I won't be surprised if that really happens. Your car sucks, brother."

"Fine, you can bully me while I'm still in Purvance. But ...." I smirked. "But not for next year. Please keep it private, okay, I've signed a contract with Glauber starting next year."

Fez's eyes widened. He looked at me in disbelief. "You're in Glauber next year?"

"Yep."

"You mean, are you the third driver?"

"Oh no, I filled the position after Fabio Ortolani, do you think I still have to be the third driver? You know this year is the last year for Alvarez."

"Erm. Okay. Well. Congrats. I just heard about this. A day full of surprises."

I smile. "This is such a huge opportunity for me. I know what I'm capable of, and I think I deserve it. You're joining a powerful team like Forrier, while I'm in Glauber. Two equally strong teams! I hope we can compete fairly. Wouldn't it be great if we could stand on the podium together, Fez?"

"Yes, yes of course it will be fun," Fez replied. "As long as I'm always on podium 1, while you're on podium 3," he said again, grinning broadly.

"Hahahahaha! It's you! We'll see!" I replied.