Page 63 of Destiny Reclaimed
Chapter Seventeen
Jack walked up thesidewalk toward Mr. And Mrs. Tebon’s home. Gabriela followed him.
He hadn’t slept a wink last night. Who could have with the information he’d recently learned about himself and his family? With as much as he practiced his spiel for Gary, apprehension still coiled in the pit of his stomach. He’d heard through the grapevine that the veteran did not return home as the same man who’d left for war. That wasn’t uncommon for soldiers, but in Gary’s case, he’d heard the guy didn’t recall hardly anything about his time in Vietnam. Perhaps, he was the lucky one. On more than one occasion, Jack had wished he didn’t recall anything he’d seen over there.
A soft touch to his arm drew his attention. “It’ll be fine. We’ll just talk to him. See if he offers anything up. We won’t press him yet.”
Yet.That was the keyword. Eventually, they’d have to grill the poor man if they wanted to get things back on track—wanted to force Arthur to travel back in time to give him and Gabriela a chance to correct history.
Jack rapped his knuckles on the weathered, wooden door.
“Coming,” Mrs. Tebon’s soft voice rang out from inside the home.
The door flung open and the kind woman’s gracious smile instantly stretched. “Jack.”
She glanced over her shoulder. “Walter, Gary, Jack Cornelis is here!” Her enthusiasm rang. It was no secret it was he who helped carry her son to the evacuation chopper.
Mr. Tebon rounded the corner into the entryway. His hand was already outstretched. “Come in,” the man said as they shook hands.
“Good morning,” Jack said, then gestured toward his guest. “This is my friend, Gabriela.”
He could see the wheels turning as the couple eyed her. His guest’s crow’s feet were a sure sign she was a number of years older than him so it wouldn’t be a surprise to him if they wondered why he’d be dating someone that age.
The steps creaked, and they all glanced in that direction to find Gary descending them. Physically, the stocky man looked normal. Appeared to have healed well. But how was his mental health? Were the rumors he’d heard about Gary suffering from traumatic amnesia or some sort of other mental disorder, true?
“Jack, good to see you.”
Good to know he at least remembered him. “You, too.”
“Let’s go into the living room,” Mr. Tebon said as he gestured toward the arched doorway.
“Can I get you some coffee?” Mrs. Tebon asked. She was exactly as he remembered from when he and Marvin hung out in high school. Always making sure they were taken care of in terms of food and beverage. Coffee sounded good, but what he’d give right now for one of her homemade peanut butter cookies.
“I could go for some more,” her husband replied.
The plump woman shot off toward the kitchen as the rest of them entered the living room. Jack and Gabriela sat on the loveseat as Gary and his dad sat on the rocker recliners opposite the cocktail table from them.
Jack wiped his sweaty palms on his pant legs. “We came by to see how you’re doing, Gary.”
The man nodded. “I’m well.” His gaze drifted to the window then back. “They tell me I owe you a thank you.”
