《Seeds of Fate》 Three Sisters The funeral. Good God, the funeral. Jack did not know how he was going to get through this. Davinia Rothman, the lady who had been a mother to him for twenty-five years, was dead. Attending the wake was the most dismal time of his life, surrounded by a throng of Davinia¡¯s relatives and business associates, many of whom he didn¡¯t even know¡­ A lady with curly black hair and a long, aquiline face approached him. She introduced herself as Leah, Davinia¡¯s cousin or something like that. He was barely even listening to her. ¡°It was always you. You were her favourite. That¡¯s what she said.¡± As if Jack needed Leah to tell him that¡­! Did she honestly suppose he did not already know? It was all he could do to force a smile in return. Davinia¡¯s photo hung on the wall above them, looking down at them imperiously¡­ the face he had loved most of all. Her bright green face, framed with her long red hair. The light shining off her long, green nose. Her piercing blue eyes seemed to scan the scene below her. Her green face had been the result of her experiments. She was an accomplished surgeon in the field of gynaecology and had always been determined to find a cure for breast cancer. It had become deadly serious for her when she became riddled with breast cancer herself. The experimental cure she found was in the form of the green mask made of synthetic cells. Once fused with her face, it had halted the spread of the cancer cells for years, but sadly not forever. If only he could have helped her discover a full cure¡­ Still, her work had made her famous. He had always glowed with pride for her. Now he felt cold and empty. Lost without her. At the funeral, she was not there to oversee it, so he had been at the back while her blood relatives took all the front rows in the synagogue¡­ A strange man, perhaps some distant relative, approached him now, dressed all smartly in a black suit. He was asking Jack to come into a side room ¡­ ¡°Is this really the time?¡± said Leah sharply. ¡°I am a lawyer and legal matters cannot wait,¡± said the strange man unctuously. Jack followed the lawyer numbly into a side room. ¡°You are Mr John Rothman, nee Lilywhite?¡± said the lawyer without preamble. ¡°Of course,¡± muttered Jack. Perhaps Leah was right. He did not need to be dealing with a lawyer¡¯s nonsense right now. ¡°You are the sole inheritor of Miss Davinia Rothman, although her relatives contest it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure they do.¡± The lawyer shuffled through a sheaf of papers. ¡°You are her adopted son and you never moved out¡­ you were certainly not a genetic dead end.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± said Jack sharply. ¡°There have been ah¡­ investigations into her clinic. You were employed there, I understand.¡± ¡°Yes, I was.¡± ¡°And you were a sperm donor there?¡± That felt like an insulting personal question coming from this lawyer. ¡°What business is that of yours?¡± ¡°It is my business¡­ there has been investigations as I have said and it turns out that the only sperm used was your own. It has come to light that your sperm was used instead of sperm from anonymous donors or the patients¡¯ husbands. Your sperm was all that was circulated for the hospital chain¡¯s national supply. Your sperm was all that was exported to other countries! Your relationship with your adoptive mother was strange and creepy and she obviously had made strange plans around you¡­ It could very well be that you have fathered two hundred thousand sons and daughters.¡± Jack was stunned. This made no sense¡­ No, he couldn¡¯t take it in, especially not today.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. The lawyer thrust a folder at him. ¡°Thousands of your offspring have already reached the age of majority. They¡¯re going to sue to know your identity. Us lawyers will have a field day. Keep in touch¡­¡± The lawyer laughed and strode off, leaving Jack reeling.
00O00 Back home in the house he had shared with Davinia, Jack lay back on the sofa, trying to calm himself and get his thoughts in order. He had first known Davinia when he was seven. She had been his mother¡¯s gynaecologist. She always said she loved him as soon as she saw him and wished he was hers. How well he remembered that day¡­ He was in the waiting room with his mother and Davinia strode in. She had had a pale, normal face then. The sunlight had glinted off her red hair that rippled and bounced as she turned to them. When she first saw him, she grinned from ear to ear and her blue eyes shone. She became a family friend as well as a physician at that point and she certainly adored him. She had joked that his parents should sell him to her. When he was eight, tragedy had struck. His parents had been killed in a car accident and he was left alone¡­ but not alone. Davinia had adopted him. He had become closer to her than he ever had been to his mother¡­ When he was ten she had suffered from breast cancer and he had been terribly afraid. He had dreaded another bereavement ¨C dreaded losing her as well. But then she had put on that green mask that became stuck on her face and halted the spread of the cancer. That had been all he wanted. Not to lose her. He could not bear to ever move out and leave her¡­ but now at thirty-three he had lost her and was alone. She had finally succumbed. He thought of Davinia now as he closed his eyes. He thought of how she would have comforted him. She would have put her arms around him at this point or maybe rested his head in her lap as he looked up into her smooth and shiny bright green face. What would she have said? ¡°What¡¯s eating you, Bubi?¡± ¡°What was that lawyer talking about? You using my sperm for two hundred thousand patients? That the anonymous donor program wasn¡¯t real? You using my sperm instead of the women¡¯s husbands?¡± She stroked his cheek. ¡°Don¡¯t you trust me, Jack? When I have a plan, don¡¯t you believe in me?¡± ¡°Of ¨C of course I believe in you¡­¡± She tapped her long green nose. ¡°Then you know what I did was for the best. I want to make the world a better place. Talk to our beautiful babies.¡± He woke up with a start. He had just dozed off, but in his dream, Davinia had seemed so real. Suddenly he felt a surge of anger. How could she leave him in this mess? He thought about the folder the lawyer had given him and opened it. Inside there was a pile of details of grown up children all wanting to contact him. In this file, they were all eighteen or nineteen. If they were his, then some were conceived when he was just twelve¡­ He thought back to when he first began puberty. He and Davinia had discussed it openly. She knew that the onset of puberty was different for different boys. He had been about twelve and three quarters when his puberty began. She had been firm that his sperm not be wasted. ¡°Your little swimmers come from you, Bubi,¡± she had told him. ¡°They each have your genetic code ¨C your blueprint. Each one is potentially your child. None of them should be wasted.¡± So she insisted that each time he masturbated, he deposit the sperm into sealable cups as samples for her to study and later when he turned eighteen, to possibly use as anonymous donor sperm¡­ she did not say she used his seed every single time! He thought of Davinia. She had always called the children born from her fertility clinic ¡°our beautiful babies¡± and kept baby pictures of them. She had a huge photo album and a wall covered with the pictures. He rushed over to look at the wall once again. Was it his imagination, or did all the babies have a striking resemblance to him? What was the theory? That new-borns look like their biological fathers at first so that the fathers will instinctively care for them? The babies who had now grownup wanted to contact him. He opened the lawyers file and leafed through the papers. A couple of his children referred to their YouTube accounts. That was something he could check out immediately. One girl, a certain Maria Flores Garcia, had made a video appealing to him directly. He was immediately struck by how she resembled him, with a pale, oval face, hazel eyes and thick, dark hair. She said that her mother was Mexican, but nothing else about her personal circumstances. It was clear she was a cat owner, because her cats kept poking their heads inquisitively into the video and mewing. ¡°It would be lovely if you would contact us,¡± she said earnestly, tears shining in her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sure none of us want money or anything¡­ I just want to know you!¡± His heart went out to her. He must contact her first. There were other YouTube accounts from his offspring. One of the profiles caught his eye ¨C that of a young lady who used a photo of herself in fancy dress as her avatar. She had painted her face green, probably cosplaying Miss Martian or Gamora or a character with green skin, but he felt a pang at how this reminded him of Davinia and an urge to hug her tight to comfort himself. He clicked on her video about the anonymous sperm donor who had sired her. Her name was Kat. She was an extremely beautiful young woman, with snapping brown eyes, pale, porcelain skin and long auburn hair tied back in a ponytail. She was a perky young lady. ¡°I¡¯m really excited that you might be watching this, Dad,¡± she said, grinning into the camera. ¡°I¡¯m thrilled to have so many brothers and sisters. Look at us! A whole army, desperate to meet you! I¡¯ll love you forever if you let us know you.¡± A number of his offspring had added their video replies. One in particular piqued his curiosity. A gorgeous young lady with long blond hair, named Kristen. Her appeal struck a chord. ¡°I ¨C I need to know you Dad. I know we all do¡­ but in family photos I used to try and draw you in with crayon¡­ Don¡¯t you want to know me?¡± Her voice trembled and tears shone, bright as diamonds in her blue eyes. ¡°Aren¡¯t you glad to be my Dad?¡± He gazed back at her, taking in her freckled nose and cheeks, her dark blue eyes, her glossy light red lips that quivered with her emotion. A desperate scheme formed in his mind. He could talk things over with these three daughters and swear them to secrecy until such time as he decided to officially reveal himself to all his children. He contacted Maria anonymously by private message and agreed to meet her at her house with some information while her mother and grandmother were there with her. She would invite Kristen and Kat to be there too. Maria responded very enthusiastically... The moment of truth was coming! Sorrows, Joys and Memories Jack did not think he could face going back to the clinic the next morning ¨C indeed, he could barely face breakfast. It was a fine October morning and outside, the sun was bright and the falling leaves were golden brown, but it brought Jack no joy at all. As he sat at the table, he remembered the first time he and Davinia had breakfasted after she had stuck the green mask on her face to slow the spread of her cancer. He had only been ten at the time, but he could remember that morning as if it were yesterday. Davinia had cooked bacon, eggs, sausages and tomatoes for the both. They sat at the little table facing one another as they ate. The sunlight streamed in through the windows and shone off her green nose and cheeks and glinted off her fiery red hair. She took a mouthful of crispy bacon, causing her green cheeks to bulge. It was weird to watch the face he loved most so freakishly altered. ¡°To think I never tried pork until I was nineteen,¡± she said, mouth still full. ¡°I really like the taste. Watch me savour the flavour.¡± ¡°That was because of Grandma and Grandad¡¯s religion?¡± said Jack. He had no problem with calling Davinia mom, but it still seemed odd to call her parents ¡®Grandma and Grandad.¡¯ She smiled. Her lips were now a very dark green, almost black. ¡°That¡¯s right, Bubi. In all honesty, I think children should be left to make up their own minds about what religions ¨C if any ¨C work for them.¡±
00O00 Jack felt tears rising. He looked at the table blinking furiously. To no avail. Two large teardrops fell onto the tablecloth. If there were only some way ¨C any way ¨C he could speak to her again. He sat on the sofa, trying to compose himself. He thought back to that day again¡­ In the evening, they had cuddled together on this very sofa and he had told her just how fearful he had been of losing her. How well he still remembered¡­
00O00 She had hugged him tightly to her. Her red hair obscured his vision. He felt the warmth of her maternal embrace and at the same time, he felt the cool, unnaturally smooth feel of her green cheek and smelled the sweet, musty odour that hung around her now. ¡°Oh my darling boy, mommy¡¯s not going to leave you.¡± His tears made the front of her blouse damp. She rocked him and stroked his hair. After a while she spoke. ¡°Look at me, Bubi.¡± He turned his gaze upwards and focused on her shiny, green face. ¡°See what I have done? See my face? I invented a way to slow cancer so that we can stay together. I have a new, green face. I call it ¡®the Mask of Life.¡¯ That¡¯s why I will live to take care of you.¡± ¡°I love your green face.¡± She grinned and they rubbed their noses together. The smooth tip of her long, green nose felt cold and slippery. She gave a soft sigh of contentment. ¡°I want to invent more new things,¡± she said, her blue eyes bright with tears of happiness. ¡°I want to revolutionise fertility and give joy to other women ¨C joy like you¡¯ve given me.¡±
00O00 As he sat on the same sofa twenty-three years later, Jack pondered this once again. Davinia had wanted to bring joy to other women. The same joy she had experienced by being his mother. Had she been saying that she wanted to give other women children just like him? His own biological children? The fruit of his own loins? And had that meant making him a father fifty thousand times over before he was eighteen? And a father of two hundred thousand now? He must search for the answers.
00O00 At Maria¡¯s house he was greeted cordially enough by Maria¡¯s mother, Gabriela. However, he could tell she was uneasy. As she led him into the back room she kept shooting him furtive looks with her dark eyes. She was probably in her early forties, so she had been an adult when she had Maria¡­ but he had been a child. It made him uncomfortable to think of it. How must it feel for her? Maria leapt to her feet as they entered the living room and gazed at him, her hazel eyes (so like his own) wide. She was tall for a woman and pale like him, whereas her mother was small and brown. There could be no doubt that he was her biological father. Gabriela¡¯s eyes flickered uneasily from father to daughter. ¡°You get to know each other now?¡± she suggested and then made a hasty exit. ¡°D-Dad?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m here,¡± said Jack and then hastily added something that sounded a bit more profound ¨C ¡°You¡¯re the first of ¨C of my children I¡¯ve visited. I did not know until yesterday that I had fathered a lot of children.¡± Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°You wanted to see me first?¡± ¡°Yes, but can this be our secret? Kat and Kristen are second and third. I may have two hundred thousand sons and daughters¡­¡± Maria ran up to hug him. He smelled the sweet smell of her shampoo. ¡°Of course it¡¯s our secret. I¡¯m number one!¡± She smiled at him. ¡°Oh yeah, I want you to see another of my videos,¡± she said. She pointed at a basket lined with a blanket. Inside lay three tiny kittens, fast asleep. ¡°I¡¯m looking after baby kitties. I¡¯ve told my viewers how much to feed them and how to wipe their butts to make them poop.¡± She picked up a kitten and held it next to her perfect face. He reflected once more how Maria did look like him, although her nose was shaped somewhat like her mother¡¯s. ¡°You have to keep looking after them until they¡¯re six weeks old or find someone who will. They can¡¯t feed themselves ¡®til then.¡± Jack thought it cute that his daughter was so maternal. He thought of how Davinia was delighted each time she delivered a patient¡¯s new-born baby. Had they all been his? Every single one? He remembered how she would grin widely and how her green face seemed to shine¡­ Kat and Kristen arrived soon after and he hugged them both, one after the other. How long would it take him to hug every one of his kids? ¡°Heyyy,¡± said Kat, grinning into his face as she hugged him. ¡°I knew you¡¯d answer me, I just knew it,¡± said Kristen, her voice trembling a little. ¡°Of course,¡± he said soothingly. Her dark blue eyes shimmered with her tears. She really was a beautiful girl. He felt profound regret that he had not been part of her life as she grew up. Was it a comforting thought that at least he had a lot more children still in their mothers¡¯ wombs? Maybe about ten thousand of them. His three fine daughters stood to attention as he confided his fears in them. ¡°After losing my mother a lawyer showed up at the funeral and sprang all this on me¡­ I had no idea my sperm was used so much. I thought it would be used occasionally and even then, only when I turned eighteen. If it had, none of my kids would be grownup now. I¡¯m trusting you three to keep this a secret until I can find out exactly what¡¯s going on.¡± Maria glanced at Kristen who nodded, her blue eyes bright. ¡°You can rely on us, always.¡± ¡°I think we should start by looking for clues, Dad,¡± said Kat comfortably. ¡°It¡¯s like a real mystery to solve, you know?¡± ¡°I have a clue,¡± said Maria. ¡°Another video¡­¡± This video was on an old fashioned video tape. Maria shoved it in an ancient video player connected to an old TV and flicked through the channels. ¡°Wow, very twentieth century. Perhaps a museum would bid for this TV?¡± said Kat. A picture swam into focus. It was of Maria¡¯s birth. Jack had seen so many births already that none of it phased him, although Kristen and Kat looked on with wide eyes as Maria was born in a hot slippery rush. And Davinia was there as the obstetrician, to gather the screaming baby into her arms and talk soothingly to her. ¡°My precious baby, I love you so much. You are the first of many¡­¡± she cooed to the bawling Maria, her green face looking quite radiant with happiness. ¡°There now¡­¡± she spoke soft words of endearment in German and then in Yiddish. Jack had come to understand both languages perfectly since she became his mother. She said that she loved Maria as much as she did her Bubi ¨C what she always called Jack when he was little. She also cooed that she would have many more proud moments like this. She looked really sad in the moment she had to hand the screaming bundle to Gabriela. ¡°If only I never had to let her go¡­¡± Her dark green bottom lip quivered. ¡°You have a truly perfect daughter, Gabriela. I made sure of it. That¡¯s my gift to you. I know she¡¯ll make you happy and you¡¯ll never feel alone again¡­ She ¨C she¡¯s just so like him. Like the donor I mean. New-borns look like their biological fathers¡­ it¡¯s nature¡¯s way of telling us who they are.¡± Seeing this footage of his mother being so emotional made Jack ache with a painful mixture of love and terrible sadness. At that moment, he wished more than anything that he could just run home and be in her arms and have her comfort him. ¡°Wow, the doc really loved you, Maria,¡± said Kat. ¡°I mean, she could barely let you go.¡± ¡°It¡¯s sweet,¡± said Kristen. But Jack¡¯s mind was racing. His mother had known Maria was his and she had been planning to repeat the moment of being the first to hold a new-born baby that he had fathered. ¡°Are you OK?¡± said Kristen, gazing at him. ¡°I ¨C I think we should all go and look over another clue,¡± said Jack shakily. ¡°But that was definitely a start.¡±
00O00 The four of them went back to Jack¡¯s house ¨C now only Jack¡¯s house. ¡°Woo! Nice place! Very fancy!¡± said Kat, grinning as she looked around. ¡°Like being in a magazine.¡± Jack switched on the HDR TV screen. He played some footage of an event Davinia had organised ¨C a meetup for her patients to whom she had given children. There were different types she organised, depending on the age of the children. This event had been for the four year old children and their parents. It had taken place just last Summer in a field with a bouncy castle and ball pond set up. Davinia was there, mingling happily with the crowd, her ruddy hair glinting and the sun shining off her green cheeks, her grin as broad as a watermelon. Did she know then that the cancer was about to kill her? If she was in pain, she had certainly never shown it. ¡°The kids all look like you, Jack,¡± said Maria, stroking her cheek pensively as Jack himself sometimes did. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s remarkable,¡± said Kat. ¡°Normally you could single Jack out in a crowd, but he does look like the kids, just like he looks spookily like you. And that¡¯s even though you look mixed¡­¡± Davinia had played happily with the children, at one point lying back in the ball pond while one of the climbed on her. She stood and lifted him in her arms, her long red hair dishevelled. ¡°That little boy really looks like you, Jack,¡± said Kristen. She was right. He looked exactly like Jack had done when he was little. Davinia gazed at the little boy intently. ¡°God, I love you so much I wish your parents would sell you to me,¡± she said, her voice trembling with emotion. Exactly what she used to say to Jack before she adopted him¡­ ¡°You wanna be my mom?¡± asked the little boy. ¡°You are my family already, little Bubi,¡± she assured him and kissed his forehead. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to them¡­¡± The three girls oohed and awwwed. ¡°It¡¯s because he reminds her of you,¡± said Kristen, although Jack had worked that out for himself. He happened to know that Davinia had felt a powerful emotional need to help rear the little boy whose name was Chris. She had told him about it the next day. How well he remembered her words¡­ ¡°I just miss the old days so much. When you were my little Bubi. Those days were so special.¡± She bit her dark green lip. ¡°I really want to raise another little son.¡± Jack had reacted with bemusement at the time. Chris already had a mother and father who had not been agreeable to the idea of their son living with Davinia part of the year. She had kind of sprung the idea on them¡­ And Chris had had a father who was supposedly his biological father. Supposedly¡­ This topic had been bothering him. ¡°That little boy was supposed to have been conceived with his father¡¯s sperm, not with mine. Same goes for a lot of the children there. Think about that¡­¡± Kat looked a little pale. ¡°It¡¯s a really weird form of cuckoldry then, isn¡¯t it?¡± Maria flicked a strand of her long dark hair away from her face. ¡°It¡¯s clear your mom wanted to spread your amazing genes and she wanted to raise one of your children. She got emotional around us, I can see that. It¡¯s like ¨C she wanted there to be more of us, no matter what.¡± ¡°The lawyer wants to blow the secret wide open in an embarrassing court case,¡± said Jack. ¡°I¡¯m afraid¡­ For a start, what will those cuckolded fathers do?¡± Kristen gave him a sharp look. ¡°You are afraid of what they''ll do?¡± He nodded. Clues and Precious Memories Jack¡¯s three daughters looked at him, concerned. Jack thought he had better explain. ¡°The lawyer said he was going to stir things up in court. He wants to do it through legal channels and in a way that will get publicity. It¡¯s going to be painful for a lot of people. Not least the fathers who thought that their own sperm would be used and not donor sperm.¡± Kat narrowed her eyes at him. ¡°What could your mother have been thinking? Really?¡± As it happened, the prospect of talking about her made Jack feel better. Anything to feel closer to her again. ¡°She was always ready to defy people for me,¡± he said eagerly. ¡°Even those closest to her.¡± He began to tell his daughters about the first time he met his new grandparents, twenty-five years ago¡­
00O00 Immediately after the funeral of his original parents he had been very fragile. Each night he would go to sleep in Davinia¡¯s arms. She rocked him and assured him that they would be together forever. Giving himself over entirely to loving her was such a relief. She was his rock to lean on. On the morning they were scheduled to visit her parents he awoke at dawn and snuggled against her, her long red hair tickling his ears. The birds were singing loudly outside the window. He sat up and looked down at the long, pale face on the pillow, (this was before her cancer) framed by her long red hair that lay loose around her. He leaned close, almost brushing the tip of her long nose with his cheek. She was breathing gently. Then her eyelids fluttered and her eyes opened and she gazed blearily upwards. Then her blue eyes focused on him. She smiled. ¡°Morning Bubi.¡± She sat up and put her arms round him and kissed him. ¡°I¡¯ll get you some strong, sweet tea, mom,¡± he said eagerly. ¡°Oh Jack, you¡¯re such a treasure.¡± He knew exactly how she liked tea now and it was something he could do quite easily. She had wrapped a silk dressing gown around herself when he arrived back in the bedroom. Jack thought that she looked rather like a great bird lady from side-on, with her long, beak-like nose and the dark gown wrapped around her sort of looked like folded wings. He sat beside her as she sipped her tea and she put her free arm around him and gave her small contented sigh. ¡°Your new grandma is strict, but you¡¯ll do fine,¡± she told him. ¡°They have a big garden. It¡¯s like the countryside. Tati ¨C My Dad ¨C likes to grow vegetables as a hobby now. Everyone gets on with my Dad.¡± ¡°I¡¯m excited to meet him,¡± said Jack grinning. ¡°My boychik,¡± she said fondly. He had noticed that when she was feeling emotional she spontaneously used German or Yiddish words which are often very similar to each other. In her household, they had spoken both these languages. She used the Yiddish word for ¡®Dad¡¯ to refer to her father, but did not use the Yiddish for ¡®mom¡¯ simply because she loved her dad more. That she said ''my boychik'' to Jack meant she loved him more as well. It had to mean that. Jack hoped it did¡­
00O00 Davinia¡¯s mother Ariella was a formidable old lady. She had silver hair, but reminded Jack somewhat of Davinia in her looks. She greeted him politely and suggested that he go and see the garden with Davinia¡¯s father, Abe. They whiled away a pleasant half hour gathering radishes and other vegetables. Abe was very agreeable, easy to talk to as well, although his accent was a bit heavy. Suddenly Jack heard Davinia yelling from inside the house. ¡°Grandpa, what¡¯s happening?¡± exclaimed Jack. ¡°Best not worry about it, Jack,¡± said Abe mildly. ¡°Stay out of it and let it resolve itself.¡± Back in the house, Jack could tell that Davinia and her mom had been arguing. Davinia¡¯s pale cheeks were flushed pink and she was glaring at Ariella. Jack would not have wanted her blue eyes fixed on him with that expression! Fortunately she gave him her usual tender look. There was a feeling of tension in the air as the four of them sat at the table, Jack squeezing in beside Davinia at one end. Ariella was at the opposite end. ¡°I can lead the brachah rishonah. Though everything else I do displeases you, mother,¡± said Davinia and her voice seemed to bite. Abe looked from Davinia to her mother apprehensively. ¡°Don¡¯t start in front of the boy,¡± said Ariella wearily. ¡°He¡¯s my son ¨C I get to decide what he hears and keep that in mind,¡± said Davinia coldly, but she squeezed Jack¡¯s hand in reassurance. Davinia¡¯s voice was curt as she recited the Hebrew grace and her bad mood persisted throughout dinner. She turned to Abe. ¡°I¡¯ve made a small breakthrough in my cancer research, Tati. There¡¯s hope. If I only had more funding¡­¡± she gave a wry smile. Then she rounded on her mother. ¡°If I actually cured cancer tomorrow, would that be as big a deal as religion?¡± ¡°We¡¯re very proud of all you¡¯ve done, dearest,¡± said Abe.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Davinia grinned at him. ¡°We¡¯ll continue to make you proud, my boy and I. I¡¯ve a feeling we¡¯ll change the world someday.¡± Afterwards she went with Abe and Jack into the garden where she played with her son, pretending to be a witch swooping down on him. She grabbed him and they laughed as they rolled around in the grass and then feeling silly, they rubbed their noses together. ¡°Is everything¡­ alright?¡± asked Jack as he gazed into his mom¡¯s shining eyes. He had not forgotten her quarrel with Ariella. ¡°Oh Bubi, it¡¯s nothing you should worry about. With my mother ¨C it¡¯s part religion and part getting her own way. She thinks I should have stayed in her religion and then got married to a wealthy Jewish man¡­ and then she questioned my decision to adopt you and I told her off. I think I¡¯ve heard the end of it. Just a moment, you¡¯ve got dirt on your face¡­¡± She licked her finger and then wiped the dirt off his cheek. ¡°Anyway, my love for you is unlimited. And forever. I don¡¯t care who I have to upset in order to make that clear. My mother ¨C or anyone at all. Someday, maybe I¡¯ll find a way to reshape the world for you.¡± Jack felt a strong upsurge of affection for her. She did love him and nothing was going to upset that. ¡°I love you,¡± he said and kissed her on the very tip of her long nose. She grinned her watermelon grin and kissed him back. It was at that point that he realised he loved this unique and wonderful person more than anything and that he loved everything about her ¨C her strength, her intelligence, her love, her temper, her red hair and her big, bony nose; indeed, everything that made her who she was. Losing her was completely unthinkable. That evening he enjoyed playing with her in their private indoor swimming pool much more than he had enjoyed the visit to her parents. They played a game called Escape the Blob. The board game Escape the Blob has a number of different smiley face pieces called Swamp Hoppers and the Blob piece is a huge female blob that tries to catch them and keep them inside her. Since she doesn¡¯t have a mouth, her intentions are unclear. Does she want to imprison or take care of them? Davinia had a swimming cap on that concealed her long red hair and threw her long nose into greater prominence. Jack smiled. He loved Davinia so he loved her look. ¡°I¡¯m the Blob. Here I come!¡± Davinia raised her arms in the air and slowly lunged after Jack as he laughed and splashed around in the shallows. She scooped him up in her arms. ¡°Got you, you sweet little hopper.¡± She kissed him on the forehead as he giggled madly. ¡°I wanna go in the deep centre,¡± he said, pointing towards the centre of the circular pool. ¡°I guess I¡¯m ready for the wave machine too.¡± Davinia gave him that stern look of hers. ¡°You¡¯re not going in the deep water until I¡¯m satisfied you¡¯re a strong enough swimmer.¡± ¡°Please may we have the wave machine on, mom? Please?¡± He gave her a beseeching look. ¡°Can those eyes get any bigger?¡± She sighed. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll switch the wave machine on, but I¡¯m keeping hold of you.¡± When the waves were on, Davinia picked him up and waded into the deeper water. Then the waves arose and swept them both into the shallows, Davinia¡¯s arms tightly around her son. ¡°Aua!¡± Davinia was washed up into the shallows in a sitting position. The force of the wave had wrinkled her swimming cap. Her arms were still wrapped around Jack who was giggling madly. He grinned into her face. ¡°Again! Again! See mommy? It was fine with your arms around me.¡± She sighed. ¡°Alright. You¡¯ll always be fine as long as you¡¯re in mommy¡¯s arms.¡±
00O00 The girls had been listening to Jack¡¯s story intently. ¡°I like that story,¡± said Kristen. ¡°And Davinia was right to defy her mother for you.¡± ¡°If she had actually obeyed Ariella, then basically none of us would be here!¡± chirruped Kat. ¡°What¡¯s to regret?¡± ¡°Oh God, yes. I¡¯m so glad my mother had fire in her. I would not trade the past twenty-five years for anything.¡± Jack felt cold and shuddered at the idea of being looked after by anyone except Davinia. In this investigation into her strange deeds he could retrace her footsteps and keep thinking about her. That would stop his grief crushing him. It had to¡­ Aloud he said: ¡°We should check her lab first and go over her old notes. That¡¯s a good starting point.¡±
00O00 Back in the gleaming, sterile lab, Jack wondered what the future of the practice could be? What would be done without his mother¡¯s genius? Kat leafed through Davinia¡¯s cancer notes. ¡°The lawyer wants to drag her name through the mud in court? She¡¯s done more against cancer than all other researchers put together, I guess. First, she invented the Mask of Life that slows breast cancer and then she found less drastic ways of slowing every type of cancer. Thanks to her research over the past decade, it¡¯s possible to slow incurable types of malignant cancer so that you still have a good life for up to thirty years ¨C and without even having to wear a mask you can¡¯t take off.¡± Maria was checking through the file on sperm donation. ¡°If the lawyer makes up stories about her, he may want to look in here to find stuff out and then he¡¯ll add or take away from the truth¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡± Kristen was flipping through the notes on sperm vials. ¡°She also invented a type of tamper proof sperm vial. If anyone else tampered with the sperm samples the vials would self-destruct. That way it would always be the sperm she put in. Clever.¡± Maria turned to Jack. ¡°She made you put your sperm in special cups How often?¡± This was sort of embarrassing, but Jack told them how it worked¡­
00O00 At the onset of his puberty when he was twelve, Jack discussed what he was experiencing frankly with his mother. They sat on the couch while she listened intently. By this time she had contracted cancer and had put on the mask two years previously. She assured him that what he was experiencing was natural and this is when she insisted that his sperm not be wasted. She asked him what sort of girl he found attractive and he blushed and admitted that he liked red-heads. Davinia gazed at him, the expression on her shiny green face difficult to read. ¡°Your sperm is part of you, Bubi, so it¡¯s precious. It should not be wasted.¡± ¡°What will you do with it?¡± ¡°Just keep it in storage - for now, but I want to keep it safe. I don¡¯t like the idea of even a single potential child of yours, being lost, you know? In theory just one ejaculate from you could be used to make a lot of babies. Your babies.¡± She gave him instructions on how to get his seed into the special cup in the privacy of the bathroom, using images of red headed ladies. He leafed through the magazines, wondering who would be most exciting. He found an image of a girl who played Mary Jane in a live action version of Spider-Man. She really was beautiful, but what was she missing? He did not love the actress, but surely that wasn¡¯t necessary for this¡­ Suddenly Jack had a thought. How would the red haired actress look with a Mask of Life on? He tried hard to imagine Mary Jane with a bright green mask permanently fused to her face and then the loving thoughts for her came¡­ Davinia was pleased with how much sperm he produced. ¡°This is absolutely wonderful,¡± she said, when she had diagnosed the quantity of seminal fluid, the sperm count and mobility. She was grinning from ear to ear. ¡°So many men don¡¯t have a high enough sperm count or their swimmers are lazy. And it varies, how many vials a single ejaculate can fill. We must collect as much as possible from you, darling, so we¡¯ll always have a record of how well you¡¯ve done. And I¡¯m sure we can do better still.¡± She made up a rigorous exercise schedule and rules for his diet, of the kind she had compiled for sperm donors, but these were tailored specifically to Jack. An important part of it was stress management. ¡°I kept telling the guys I employed to be sperm donors, they shouldn¡¯t let themselves get stressed out because that alone is enough to reduce their sperm count. But would they listen to me?¡± She shook her head. ¡°Honestly, what did I pay them for? But you, Bubi, you listen to your mom.¡± Davinia knew how to make exercise fun and recreational to reduce stress. They played a game in their swimming pool, trying to catch little robotic tadpoles that were pre-programmed to swim briskly around. ¡°Gather up all those little swimmers, Jack! I¡¯m timing you!¡± Jack swam after them as his mother called out words of encouragement. ¡°Bravo!¡± said Davinia, when Jack had gathered them all up. ¡°But watch out for bandits who want to steal your little swimmers.¡± ¡°Bandits? Are there bandits here, mom?¡± She grinned and tapped her long, green nose. ¡°How about me?¡± She chased him around the pool, finally catching him. She was a big woman - over six foot in fact, so still bigger than him. She gathered Jack up into her arms and kissed him on the cheek as he laughed. ¡°I¡¯ve got you now, Bubi, so I guess I own your little swimmers.¡± ¡°You have a weird sense of humour, mom.¡± ¡°Do I?¡± She pulled a weird face. ¡°Definitely.¡± Feeling silly, they rubbed their noses together.
00O00 At that moment, Jack¡¯s reminiscing was interrupted by the sound of crashing downstairs and the voice of the lawyer from the funeral wake¡­ ¡°I¡¯m gonna ransack this crummy lab until I¡¯ve got the evidence I need against that witch, or my name ain¡¯t Billious Unction, qualified lawyer.¡± Enter Margaret The gloating voice of the lawyer carried up the stairs: ¡°The witch used him as breeding stock. To what end, I can¡¯t imagine, but we¡¯ve got the evidence, haven¡¯t we?¡± Then another voice could be heard. It was a woman¡¯s voice, the voice of Lucy who had been one of the nurses. ¡°I¡¯ll say, Bill. My twins are his biological children. That¡¯s how we know. After she died, I got him to agree to give me a blood sample and secretly did a paternity test.¡± Davinia had treated Lucy at some point ¨C she generously offered free treatment to all her staff. Lucy must have become suspicious and then carried out her own investigation. They were about to come up the stairs. What could Jack do? He tried desperately to think of what his mother would have told him. He imagined her standing beside him, the sunlight streaming through the window glinting off her fiery hair and shining off her green nose and cheeks. ¡°Remember our defences. I¡¯ve installed a sprinkler system to use against intruders, Bubi. And don¡¯t forget that I¡¯ll always be here for you in some form.¡± Of course! If there was a break-in on the ground floor, then there was a button to activate a sprinkler system right here. Long tubes would poke out of the ceiling below and squirt a white, frothy foam on them. He pressed the button. The spurting of the sprinkler system below was not loud enough to be heard. The tubes which sprouted from the ceiling would extend and spray the sticky, viscous matter out, but they did so silently. But they must have done it, because Bill and Lucy could be heard yelling. ¡°Eurgh! What is this muck?¡± Yelled Bill. ¡°Has Jack¡¯s white, sticky stuff come my way again?¡± cried Lucy. Maria turned to Jack, curious. ¡°You¡¯ve sprayed them with something, Jack?¡± ¡°Your grandmother¡¯s invention,¡± said Jack. ¡°Talking of which, she invented something else. I hope it works.¡± He hurried to the freezer in the back of the room and hauled out a huge wooden trunk. He opened the trunk and there lay a mannequin with a bright green face and long red hair. He flipped a switch and it reared to its feet with jerky, insect like movements. It was dressed in a white garment, that could have been a nightdress or a shroud. ¡°Oh my God! That thing is so freaky!¡± squealed Kat as Maria let out a vehement exclamation in Spanish and Kristen drew a slow breath. ¡°It¡¯s programmed to walk down the stairs and recite a pre-recorded message, that¡¯s all,¡± said Jack, unable to think of anything more reassuring off the top of his head. The automaton lurched down the stairs and they heard the echoing sound of Davinia¡¯s recorded message: ¡°How dare you disturb my rest! Get out or I won¡¯t let you leave!¡± He put a hand to his mouth to stifle a laugh. His mom had always had a great sense of mischief and humor.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Lucy screamed and Jack immediately felt bad. He hadn¡¯t wanted her to be really scared¡­ There came the clicking sound of her running as fast as her high heels would let her and then the voice of Billious Unction; ¡°well there¡¯s no profit to be made here. But I¡¯ll be back.¡± Jack turned to his daughters. ¡°The lawyer means what he says.¡± ¡°Not much of a lawyer then,¡± said Kat smirking. ¡°He did warn me that he would be bringing this to court. A lot of my kids want to know me. I¡¯m glad the three of you do, but all 200,000? What are the odds that they would all be as great as you? Very small.¡± ¡°Not even that,¡± said Kat comfortably. ¡°Even though we were all shot from the same gun barrel.¡± ¡°Even so, it would be lovely if they knew¡­ I remember how I felt,¡± said Maria, biting her lip. ¡°We know exactly how they feel,¡± said Kristen. ¡°Doesn¡¯t everyone have a right to know where they¡¯re from?¡± ¡°They do, but all this getting out would mean a whole lot of trouble.¡± Kristen narrowed her lovely eyes and scratched her freckled nose. ¡°Yeah¡­ that¡¯s fear talking.¡± Jack realised he had to placate Maria and Kristen quickly. ¡°We can visit any number of your brothers and sisters in a flash and gauge what their feelings are.¡± The girls all agreed. Jack gathered up the file of details and as they left, Kat looked over the automaton Davinia had made. ¡°Like a monument to her? It said what she would have done.¡± Jack gently touched its green cheek. ¡°Yes. If only she had left us with instructions. She¡¯d know what to do.¡± As the girls were all staring at him, he decided not to hug and kiss the mannequin and instead set out with them to find another of his daughter¡¯s ¨C Margaret ¡°Maggie¡± Jameson.
00O00 Maggie was a swimming teacher and it just so happened that she was teaching a class of kids who were also Jack¡¯s biological children by sperm donation. Parents who were considering sending their kids to her class were allowed to watch one session. In the swimming pool building they were struck by the smell of chlorine. Kat bought a soda from a vending machine which she proceeded to slurp noisily as they traipsed upstairs to the observation balcony. Maggie was a fine looking young woman, with clear coffee skin, a chic elfin hairdo and fine features. She called instructions to the kids in her robust voice which carried easily throughout the building. The kids in the pool were all exceptionally cute¡­ it was certain that they were all her half-brothers and sisters. Margaret looked about twenty, so she must have come from one of his early loads. The kids in the pool were all about seven or eight, so they came from a much later load. Davinia had kept him hard at work, spanking to produce the necessary sperm¡­ Nowadays Jack had nowhere to put his loads, and that felt really weird and disconcerting. Margaret continued to call instructions in her strident voice. Jack felt a thrill of foreboding. If Margaret knew about him then her class likely would as well and these events would really snowball¡­ Kat finished her soda. Only a daughter of his could burp prettily! ¡°I think we¡¯d better talk with her afterwards,¡± she said, pointing at her black sister by the pool. ¡°She might put two and two together if she saw you.¡±
00O00 The girls went to greet Maggie by the pool as Jack watched from the balcony high above. ¡°Oh God, the kids are just like us,¡± said Kristen, her voice trembling. Maria nodded. The kids were of all complexions ¨C porcelain, freckled, tan, brown and black ¨C and were all perfectly beautiful as they were. ¡°Y¡¯all wanna know about swimming lessons?¡± asked Maggie in surprise. Kat shook her head, her long red hair rippled and bounced. ¡°Not really, sister. We¡¯re also the children of the mysterious Rothman donor, but I suppose you can see that. We¡¯re really stunning, as are you. What would you tell our donor if he were here?¡± She was carefully avoiding looking up at the balcony, presumably so as not to give Jack away. ¡°Ya really wanna know?¡± asked Maggie. ¡°Exactly what I¡¯d say if he were here? I¡¯d say what ya bin at? We all want to know you, so why keep it secret?¡± Kat nodded. ¡°You want to take it to court?¡± ¡°Uh huh. A lot of us have pooled our money to get a lawyer.¡± ¡°Well we know about the lawyer,¡± said Kat. ¡°Don¡¯t we just!¡± Said Kristen. Maggie shrugged. ¡°A lawyer¡¯s the proper way of doing it. Trying to find out ourselves is a bit sneaky. But some of us have tried.¡± ¡°Do you have any clue who it might be?¡± asked Kat warily. On the balcony, Jack waited on tenterhooks.