The Last Option
Chapter Fifty-Three: Attending Pending Matters

Having taken care of little Nathan and assuming responsibility for his upbringing made Bernard see things differently. Committed to his well-being and having the crusade ahead of him to get what was rightfully his, he understood the importance of family, and although he was not the child's family by blood, he felt they were already one. He saw himself as a father and protector, and realized the commitment that meant.

When he left Marshall with Margaret, he did so without saying goodbye to his family, upset that they had opposed his relationship with her, and especially because of her request that he leave the Navy and not pursue a military career. The reason for Margaret's request was her fear of losing him as she had lost her brother, and he understood her, deciding for her. At that time Bernard felt very sad about having made the decision to leave, and even more so without saying goodbye, despite Margaret's pleas not to leave things like that, because no one better than her understood the importance of family, and also the pain of losing it as she had suffered. Anthony did not agree at first either, but later accepted her decision, thinking his daughter could not be stuck in that remote city taking care of an old fool like him in the future. Only he said goodbye to them that spring morning, being the only one who knew their intentions. And days later he too went on his way, leaving behind a stormy past of loss and pain.

Bernard always had some remorse in his heart for what he had done, but he did not regret it, because he considered the years with Margaret had been the best of his life up to that moment. It was only now that he was faced with the commitment of caring for the baby and what it meant for his life that he understood the importance of having a supportive and caring family. With Margaret he felt they would not be a real family until they had children despite the great love they felt for each other, and the pain came back into his life as he remembered he could not have her with him; to him they would have been a perfect and loving family.

He thought about his grandmother's efforts to support him and his brother after the loss of their mother to cancer, and he finally realized that what he had done might have caused her great pain, apart from the one she felt for having lost her daughter, and so he decided to take care of that unfinished matter in his life. He would go and apologize to his beloved grandmother, and also, in a way, to his brother, because being younger than him it would have been like abandoning him and not taking care of him, as any older brother would have done.

As for his plans, he would take the opportunity to let Camilla know that he would give everything for the family, which at that moment was little Nathan, hoping she would understand and support him when he revealed to her what he planned to do to obtain the Hicks fortune.

In his heart he hoped it would be so, for he did not want to lose her too, and if she would not accept it then he would dedicate himself with every second of his life to win her back and make her feel that she was the woman he loved and with whom he wanted to spend the rest of his life.

At first he had thought of going only with Camila, but considering he was going to somehow reconcile with his family, Bernard decided to take little Nathan with him and introduce him as his son, since he was the reason why he was coming back after so many years. He thought it would be easier to make peace with his grandmother and his brother.

The flight from New York to Little Rock had been uneventful. Although the city of Marshall, in Searcy County, had a modern airport, they couldn't replace direct flights from New York, and Bernard decided not to use it to get there. Instead he rented a car to drive the nearly one hundred miles from Little Rock, planning to admire some of the scenery during the two-hour drive between the two cities. That was one of the things he liked that Camila didn't know about him: road tripping whenever he had the chance.

"I hope it won't be exhausting for the baby," he said, once he told her how long the trip would take.

"Me too," Camila said, smiling. "It's no problem for me; I also like to travel by car. I hope Nathan won't get bored."

"On the way we will pass through other cities and have many new things to see. I don't think he'll get bored."

Without realizing it, the two-plus hours of travel passed quickly, and they were entertained by the scenic drive to their destination. Ahead of them they could already see the Ozark Mountains and the fertile valleys of the county. Although they couldn't see it from there, the Buffalo River flowed a few miles to the north, surely as the great host, along with the charming city of Gilbert, of tourists who camped, fished or traveled the river canoeing or kayaking, among other activities. "What a beautiful landscape!" Camila said, seeing everything through her window and with Nathan asleep on her lap. "It's a pity we're almost there, I would have liked to see all this a little more."

"Don't worry," Bernard said, "you will have the opportunity to admire this beautiful landscape for as long as you want."

"I hope so."

She smiled and brought her face close to Bernard's, who kissed her briefly on the lips without distracting his attention from the road. They turned their attention back to the landscape, and could see a small group of elk grazing nearby, who upon seeing the car, despite being accustomed to the daily traffic of vehicles in the area, retreated warily into the woods.

It was approximately five o'clock in the afternoon when they entered Marshall. Bernard immediately looked for a place to stay, but Camila couldn't help but ask Bernard about his family, and why they weren't staying with them. "We don't know how they'll receive me," he answered, wandering the main streets aimlessly. "Maybe they're upset with me. Or if they're not, they may not have room in the house. You never know."

"If they don't have room in the house then we will go to look for lodging. Apparently there aren't many options."

"I tried to rent the Horton House, which is a couple of miles from here and near the Buffalo River, a really beautiful place with all the comforts, but it wasn't available."

"Maybe God doesn't want us to stay anywhere else," she said. "It's your family, I'm sure they'll be glad to see you after all this time."

She caressed his face with her free hand. Little Nathan, who was already awake, was watching everything around him attentively.

"Or do you have doubts about seeing them again?" she stopped stroking his face and took his hand.

"If so, I wouldn't be here. I've made up my mind, but I don't want to rush things. Maybe I'd better see them tomorrow."

"No," Camilla said in a soft but firm voice. "It's better if you face everything at once, Bernard. If you want, Nathan and I will wait for you in the car, and when you think it's convenient, we'll go out to meet your family." Bernard sighed deeply.

"We'll go right now to what was my home until four years ago. Let's get this over with."

Bernard had left Interstate 65 and taken Center Street; after a few minutes' drive he came to a conjunction with Church Street and continued down Centro until he came to another conjunction, this time with Peach Street, which he took and drove down for a few seconds until he stopped in front of a large two-story house on his left. He turned off the car's engine and stared at the house for a few seconds. In front of them, a girl about eight years old on a bicycle came down the street, stopped in front of the house and stared at the car. Bernard also stared at her, intrigued.

"Do you know her?" Camila asked, seeing how the two of them were scrutinizing each other intently.

"No," Bernard replied. "When I left there was no small child in the house. Maybe she doesn't live there."

The girl got off the bike and left it in front of the house, quickly entering it.

"Well, I think she does live there," Camila said, smiling.

"Well, we'll see who she is then."

Bernard got out of the car and walked to the house. He paused on the porch for a few seconds before deciding to go ahead and ring the bell. The girl opened the door a crack and stared at him again, expressionless in her face. "Hi!" Bernard greeted her. "I'm looking for ma Lucille, I haven't been here for a few years, and I'd like to know if she still lives here. She lives here?" The girl nodded.

"Okay. Could you call her, please? Tell her that Bernard has returned."

At that moment footsteps were heard approaching inside the house.

"Who is it, Candace?" asked an old woman who approached the door and finished opening it. The shock of seeing Bernard again made her put her hands to her mouth and suppress a cry of surprise. "Hello, ma," Bernard greeted. "How are you?"