San Francisco Secrets

 By Laurel D. age 12

#7 Attic Surprise

Seven-year-old Andrea Rose Carter leapt up the stairs. “Mitch, where are you?” When she got to the attic she saw Mitch intently looking at a couple of papers. “Whatcha doin’, Mitch.”

“Nothing.”

 

“Do you have time to help me with Taffy for a bit?” Andi pleaded. “Sure.”

*

 

(Ten years later) It was a gloomy rainy day at the Circle C Ranch, and seventeen-year-old Andi Carter was staring at the ceiling. What should I do? She pondered. Then she had an idea, she was going to go up to the attic to see if she could find any of Mitch’s dime novels. She looked around. Now where are those dime novels? She opened a big wooden dusty chest, hoping to find one of Mitch's novels but all that was in the chest was a hidden handkerchief with two faded papers inside. One of the papers was half written about an orphan named Paul and the other was a picture of Chad when he was around six years old. She wondered if it was the papers that Mitch

was looking at a long time ago. Probably not. Mitch would not be interested in a paper about an orphan who lived in San Francisco, but then again she probably should ask him if he was looking at those papers when he was seventeen. She read the paper about the orphan. It was actually quite interesting. The paper was about an orphan who needed a home. The paper had a large square cut out of it about the size of the picture of Chad. She decided to go get twenty-seven-year-old Mitch.

Mitch was in his room reading a dime novel.

 

“Mitch. Do you have a few minutes? I found something in the attic I want to show you.” “Yeah.”

She bounded up the attic steps with Mitch at her heels. Upon reaching the chest, she grabbed the poster and gave it to Mitch.

“Is this what you were looking at forever ago?”

 

“I completely forgot about this. I was trying to solve a mystery about ten years ago. I think I was seventeen then. One time when I was in San Francisco I saw this advertisement for an orphan that you could adopt. He looked like Chad but his name was Paul. I thought he might have been a relative, but I didn't know how close or anything. Uncle Benjamin and Aunt Lydia had three kids before they had Daniel, but they all died when they were young. They had a kid named Paul Benjamin Carter, but like I said he died. We never saw him because we didn't live close. Aunt Lydia had been so heartbroken that she let the people at the hospital deal with the funeral stuff. The hospital even put him in the casket. Aunt Lydia and Uncle Benjamin never even saw him after the hospital staff said he had passed.

“So you don't think he actually died?”

 

Mitch shrugged. “It was hard to get any information. I gave up pretty quick.”

 

 

 

***********

Twenty-seven-year-old Paul Benjamin Greer walked along the San Francisco college cobblestone sidewalk, glad to get some fresh air so he could get back to studying about mental health. Hopefully he would be more helpful to his father and his mental health office with more information in his brain. He wandered over to the little graveyard beside the campus. After a while he spotted three small and beautiful gravestones. Three children had died all at young ages. They appeared to be siblings because they all had the last name Carter. He was about to move on when he noticed the middle one's name. Paul Benjamin Carter. Did someone have the same exact name as him? Not possible! He knew he was adopted, which meant he got his new parents last name. That opened up lots of possibilities. I've got to find some answers. My birthday is exactly the same as his. Am I him? Am I a phantom? Wide eyed with horror, Paul jogged back to the college.

 

***********

 

Andi and Mitch came up with a plan. When Mitch went back to agriculture college Andi would go back with him, with the ridiculous excuse of wanting to see Kate and the kids. Riley would try to convince everyone that Andi needed to see her brother longer than the short time he got for Christmas break.

So with wide eyes, and puzzled expressions everyone said goodbye to Andi and Mitch as they left for the city

 

Andi dreaded most.

 

*

 

 

“Paul, I have a client who needs counseling. Would you sit in and give your advice when needed?” “Yes sir.” He walked into his fathers office and saw a distraught woman. She needs Jesus. He sat down

next to his father, Dr. Anthony Greer, ready to begin the counseling session.

 

The lady looked up in surprise. “Chad?”

 

“I'm sorry, what did you say ma'am?”

 

“Oh, never mind. I must have been mistaken.” she replied. “So, Mrs. Carter, can you tell us about your situation?”

“Well, my husband and I have lived in New York for a while. My first three children passed at young ages due to sickness.“

Paul sat wide eyed listening intently.

 

“Daniel was finally born but he was unruly. He recently was put in jail, being accused of stealing goods out of a mercantile in Fresno California. My husband had a brother who died a while back but his family ranches out there in Fresno. They accused Daniel of making his cousin fall in a gully while on her horse. I don't know what really happened, I'm just glad Andrea is alive. But after she got well enough, she accused Daniel of all sorts of nasty things. Her brothers got the sheriff to put him in jail. I'm so depressed. I don't have any children alive and well. Ohh, Greta, Paul, Ruth. They are all gone and Daniel…”

The woman burst out sobbing.

 

Is this my real mother? Paul felt like he was going to faint. In a loony bin? Why does she think I’m dead?

 

Why was I adopted? Am I really her son? Paul's mind raced with questions.

 

“What's even worse,” The woman continued. “My husband put me in the loony bin. Also, you are the only counselor he could decide upon, and you live all the way across the nation. I don't even get to see my husband.

“Ma’am.” Paul asked. “Where were your children buried?”

 

“San Francisco. My husband's sister who lives here helped us bury the first and last child, but a nurse at the hospital wanted to help us with Paul. He said that he had passed and that he would take care of getting him in a casket. He also said the disease Paul had was very contagious and that we shouldn't open the casket which had a lock on it. I didn't even get to say goodbye to him.”

******

 

“Where should we start?” Andi asked Mitch as they got off the train. “How about Aunt Rebecca’s?”

“Sure.”

 

When they arrived Aunt Rebecca was delighted and told them she wanted to stay but had to go to a women's society project. “Andrea, you should come with me. You need to get involved in these things just like Melinda does.”

 

Andi shot Mitch a pleading look, but before he could say anything Aunt Rebecca had her sent up the stairs for a new dress and summoned the carriage.

“Andrea, you are going to love doing women's society projects and meetings.” Aunt Rebecca said as they were on their way to the meeting. Andi just groaned to herself. I came here to solve a mystery, not to go to meetings.

“Today we are going to help people in the loony bin. They are ones who are mentally ill. I think Benjamin’s wife Lydia was in the loony bin recently because of the grief Daniel had caused her.” Aunt Rebecca mused.

When they got there they were instructed what to do by a mental health doctor named Dr. Greer. “We are going to have some women come in here and you will then give them the charity baskets we

prepared and let them discuss their problems with you. When they discuss their problems with you it will take a load off their shoulders and should improve their mental health.” Dr. Greer instructed.

Andi could not wait to get out of there. Just then Chad strutted in.

 

“Chad? What in the world are you doing here at a women’s society meeting in San Francisco?”

 

Andi reddened. This guy was definitely not Chad he was probably around 5 '11 not 6' 3 like Chad, and he looked slightly younger.

“Excuse me ma’am, My name is actually Paul.” Andi gaped “Is your name Paul Benjamin?” “Yesss.”

“Are you adopted?”

 

“I'll talk to you later, for now I need to help my Father.” “Dr. Greer? You don't look anything like him.”

“That’s because I am adopted,” he whispered.

 

During the meeting Andi slipped outside to speak to Paul. “First of all, What’s your name?”

“Andi Carter… I mean Andrea Carter.”

 

“Are you related to someone named Lydia Carter by any chance?” Paul questioned. “Yes. She is my Aunt from New York. Just wondering, how old are you?” She asked. “I am twenty seven.”

They discussed and figured out how everything happened. Paul got sick when he was four and was sick for almost a year. Then a nurse told his parents that he had passed and gave them an empty casket to bury. Then he was going to secretly sell him to the chinese. But when the Chinese would not take a sick child, he decided to put him up for adoption.

 

********

 

 

Andi quickly jumped out of the buggy and ran into the house while Aunt Rebecca was

 

following. “Andrea Rose Carter. You are seventeen years old, that is plenty old enough to act like the young lady that you are!” Aunt Rebecca exclaimed.

“Mitch?! Mitch?! Come quickly!” Andi squealed as if she was a child. “What is it, sis??” Mitch bellowed through the hall.

Andi ran to the living room and plopped on an overstuffed chair.

 

“Mitch, I saw Paul and he told me the whole story of how he was adopted,.......

 

Andi told Mitch everything Paul had told her. Paul was reunited with his biological parents.

 

Andi and Mitch’s plan worked perfectly.