Desert Heat (Complete)

{Dorian’s P.O.V.}

One month later

I was sitting in my office at the firm working on bonus checks since I had fallen behind, and Allie was in her office with Lacie going over new duties that Lacie would be in charge of. As I was signing the checks, my phone rang,

*ring ring ring* *ring ring ring*

“Hello,”

“Mr. Shaw, Adam Lennox,”

“Mr. Lennox, have you found anything?”

“I have, I was able to find out the identities of your wife’s parents, and her official birth certificate based on her birthday,”

“And?”

“Her father’s name was Tae Hoon Park and her mother’s name was Suh Jung Lee,”

“Wait, why are their last names different?”

“It doesn’t appear that they were married,”

“Okay, that makes sense. What else did you find?”

“I was able to pull DMV records for both of them and got their full birth dates. Mr. Park was born on September 22, 1973, and Ms. Lee was born on January 27, 1975,”

“Huh? Her mom was only 19 when she had Allie?”

“It appears so, Mr. Shaw,”

“Anything else?”

“That’s all I was able to find. Their records don’t go that far back because it appears they were both here under green cards living in the U.S.,

“Is there a way to get those records?”

“Unfortunately, no since that would fall under the immigration; however,…” he paused for a second. “…I was able to find the funeral records for her mother and who paid for the service,”

“Who?”

“The name on the receipt is Tae Gon Lee, my assumption is that he is your wife’s maternal Grandfather,”

“Is he alive?”

“He is, believe it or not. Based on what you told me, I figured he would be living in Korea, so I actually reached out a friend who works at the U.S. Embassy there, and he says that Mr. Lee and his family moved to the U.S. in 1999,”

“Wait, are you telling me that my wife’s family was in the U.S. when she was still a child?”

“Yes, that seems to be the case. I have his current information if you would like to have it,”

“Yes, please,”

“Okay, I will send it over with everything that I found. You should receive a fax within a few minutes,”

“Thank you, Mr. Lennox. When I receive the files, I will wire you the rest of your payment,”

“I hope you and your wife find the answers you are looking for,”

“Have a good day,” I hang up and go to the fax machine. When the files come in, and I confirm the information Lennox told me, I wired his final payment. When that was all said and done, I take the files and go to Allie’s office. As I’m heading in, Lacie is leaving,

“Hi, Dorian,”

“Hi, Lacie, is Allie in there?”

“Yeah, we just finished going over some changes in the schedule for the rest of the month. I’m heading out to find birthday gifts for Deacon and his brothers, and neutral baby gifts for Evelyn for us to take next week when we go visit them. I will see you at home,”

“Okay, be safe,” she waved and left. I went into Allie’s office and she was just leaning back in her office chair spinning around. “Baby, how do you not get dizzy doing that?” I ask her.

“I do, but I don’t care,” she says and giggles. “What can I do for you, oh sexy husband of mine?”

“The P.I. called,”

“And!?” she immediately stopped her chair and sat up straight. I sit in the chair in front of her desk and give her all of the paperwork. She reads everything carefully and sees a copy of her parents’ driver’s licenses. When I look closely at it, Allie looks a lot like her dad. She keeps flipping through the pages and lands on the final page that shows her grandfather’s address, “Wait, what?” she picks it up and reads it again. “My grandfather lives in Los Angeles?”

“It seems that way, baby. The P.I. said that he and his family have been in the states since 1999,”

“1999!? I was only five then! You mean to tell me that my mom’s side of the family has been in the U.S. since I was a child, and they never bothered to look for me!?” Allie was in complete shock.

“I don’t know, baby,” We just sat there for a few minutes while Allie took in all of the information. She read through it several times and became fixated on the phone number that Lennox found. It was the home number to her grandfather. “Allie, do you want to call?”

“I don’t know. What am I supposed to say?”

“First let’s make sure it’s the right people,”

{Allie’s P.O.V.}

I had my phone in my hand and had the number punched in. I stared at it for another minute or two before finally mustering up the courage to hit call. When the line connected and started to ring, I felt like my heart was going to jump out of my chest, then I heard someone answer,

“Yobosaeyoh?” (Hello?) I heard a womanly voice

“Ah…Ahn…Ahn nyeong hasaeyoh, hokshee, Lee Tae Gon ssi daek mahjahyoh?” (H-h-hello, is this by chance the residence of Tae Gon Lee?)

“Nae, maj-ayo, nuguseyo?” (That is correct, who is this?)

“Hokshi jega Tae Gonssirang iyagi halsu-iss-eulgayo?” (Can I speak to Mr. Tae Gon?) I ask. This was totally a long shot.

“Jigeum ahn gyesineunde,” (He is not here right now) she replied, and I immediately pouted.

“Jaegah geu saram ahnae indae…” (But I am his wife) she added. Wait, if she was his wife, that meant she was my grandmother.

“Ah nae, hokshi yeong-eo halsu-iss-eoyo?” (Ah, yes, by chance do you speak English?)

“Yes, I do,” she replied. “What can I do for you?” she asked.

“I’m sorry to bother you, but I was wondering if, by chance you and Mr. Lee, had a daughter, by the name of Suh Jung, that was born in 1975 and died in 1996?” there was no response. I looked at the phone and the line was still open. “Hello?”

“I’m sorry, I’m still here. How do you know my daughter?”

“I um…”

“Who are you?” she asked.

“My name is Allison, and I believe that your daughter, Suh Jung, was my birth mother,” again there was no response. I could hear breathing on the other end.

“How did you get this number?” she asked.

“My husband hired a private investigator, and he found your information,” I said honestly. I wasn’t going to lie to her.

“Well, this quite a surprise,” she said with a not so friendly tone. “What do you want?” she asked.

“I wanted to see if it would be possible to meet and speak in person?”

“Why?” her response was cold and uninviting.

“I have some unanswered questions that I was hoping you and your husband could answer for me,” again, I was met with silence. I got the strangest feeling this wasn’t going to go as planned.

“When did you want to meet?” she asked.

“Um, is this weekend okay? My husband and I live in Las Vegas, so we can easily drive,”

“Yes, that is fine,” her answers were short. “I assume since you have our number, that you also have our address?”

“Yes,”

“Fine, does Saturday work?”

“Yes, Saturday works perfectly. Is the afternoon okay? Say at one o’clock?”

“Yes,” she replied and hung up. That didn’t give me a warm feeling. I put the phone down and Dorian just looked at me.

“Well?” he asked.

“I think they’re the right people, but the woman on the phone, is potentially my grandmother, but she didn’t sound so motherly, and she just hung up without saying goodbye,”

“But they are willing to meet you?” I nodded.

“Saturday, one o’clock,” I replied.

“We will leave Friday night then and drive. We can have Brandon drive us,” I nodded. I had the strangest feeling this wasn’t going to be a happy family reunion.

Friday night came faster than I expected it to, and we left right after dinner. Brandon drove the entire way. Now normally, I would sleep during road trips, but I was so nervous that I wasn’t able to sleep. Dorian tried everything to put me at ease, but nothing worked. He even offered s*x, but I wasn’t in the mood. So, we sat in silence the entire five and a half-hour drive.

When we got to the hotel that was a few miles from the address we had, it was almost one in the morning. We only got one room with two queen beds since we didn’t plan on staying long. Normally Dorian and I would sleep naked, but since Brandon was in the room with us, Dorian wore sweats, and I wore a tank and some spandex shorts. Brandon wore his boxers.

Dorian and Brandon were passed out, but my nerves were getting to me so badly, I couldn’t fall asleep. I sat up in bed and hugged my knees and kept thinking about how the meeting with my grandparents would go. Would I get the answers that I was seeking? Would they accept me? Did they ever try to find me? Did they ever wonder about me?

“Allie?” I looked over and saw that Dorian woke up. “Baby, are you okay?”

“No, I’m nervous. I have all these scenarios running through my mind, and I can’t seem to shut them off,”

“Come here,” he said and pulled me under the covers. He pulled me impossibly close him and just held me. “Try to sleep, baby, you need to rest. It’s not going to do you any good to overthink this,” I nodded and let out a deep sigh. Dorian cradled my head and softly brushed my hair, and I found myself dozing off. I finally gave in to my exhaustion and fell asleep.

The next morning, Dorian, Brandon, and I went out to eat brunch, at a small café. I wanted to stay in the area, so we weren’t late for the meeting. Dorian and Brandon were getting a little annoyed with me, because of how anal I was being, but this meeting was important to me, and they knew it. I never thought I would see the day that I would speak to my grandparents, or at least one set of them anyway. After I forced down some of the food that we ordered, we took the rest to go and headed for the house.

The drive was quick, and when we pulled up my jaw dropped, the house was huge, and it was beautiful. The outside was a creamy grey, and it was framed with lush greenery on either side. Each side of the front yard was a mirror image to the other,

“Yo, this house is pretty nice,” Brandon said as he put the Tahoe in park. Dorian and I got out, and we both had to admit, the house was very nice. I stood my ground at the edge of the sidewalk and just stared at the house. I was starting to have second thoughts about all of this.

“I can’t do this,” I said out loud and turned around to get back in the Tahoe, but Dorian grabbed my hand and pulled me back.

“There’s no turning back, baby. We’re already here, so we might as well get this over with,”

“I don’t know what I’m going to say to them, Dorian,”

“The truth, tell them you want answers. You said you needed closure, right?” I nod my head. “Then let’s get your closure. Whatever happens, I’m going to be by your side the entire time, and so will Brandon,”

“That’s right, Gizmo. I’m behind you 100%,” Brandon said and put his hand on my shoulder. I let out a deep sigh and nodded my head. I walked hand-in-hand with Dorian, and Brandon followed behind. We got up to the front door, and Dorian rang the doorbell. After a few seconds, the door opened and we were met with a petite Korean woman that looked to be in her early sixties,

“Yes?” she asked.

“Hello, my name is Allison, I called a few days ago to speak with Mr. Lee,”

“Oh, yes, you spoke with me,” she replied. s**t, that means this woman was my grandmother. “Come in,” she said and let us in. “Please remove your shoes,” I bent down, and took off my shoes, and put them to the side neatly, and so did the guys. We followed her into the living room where a much older Korean man was sitting in a tall armchair. He looked to be in his late sixties,

“Welcome, my name is Tae Gon Lee,” he said and shook Dorian’s and Brandon’s hands, but not mine. I bowed my head in respect because I didn’t know what else to do.

“Mr. Lee, it is a pleasure, my name is Dorian, this is my wife Allison, and our driver Brandon,” my grandfather looked down at me completely expressionless.

“Would you all like some coffee or tea?” my grandmother asked.

“Coffee for me please,” Brandon said. Dorian and I passed. After a few minutes of awkward silence, my grandmother came back and sat down in the love seat on the other side of the armchair while Dorian and I sat on the couch across from her. Brandon stood behind Dorian and me and sipped his coffee.

“So, tell me, why are you here?” my grandfather asked very seriously. I honestly had no idea what to say to him. “Are you going to say something or are you here to waste our time?” he said in a very cold tone.

“Jaesong haeyo, ginjang haess-eo geulaeyo,” (My apologies, it’s because I am nervous).

“Ginjang? Geujjok meonjeo yeonlag hasyeossjanh-ayo! Malsseumhaseyo! (Nervous? You contacted us first! So, speak!) he shouted.

“I just have a few questions I would like answered,” I tell him. Dorian’s arm is around my waist holding me tight. My grandfather’s cold attitude it pissing him off, and I can tell he’s trying to keep it together.

“What kind of questions?”

“Is it true that you didn’t want me when my parents died?” I asked.

“It is,” he replied without any hesitation. Even though I already knew this, hearing from the horse’s mouth stung a lot.

“May I ask why?”

“Nuh cham igijeog-iguna,” (You are one selfish person) he said to me while gritting his teeth.

“Mworago yo?” (Pardon me?)

“Neega musun gwonli eetdago yeogi natana!?” (What gives you the right to show up here!?) he shouted at me. I didn’t know what to say to that.

“Jeongmal algoship-uh?” (Do you really want to know?) my grandmother asked with venom in her voice.

“Nae,” (Yes,) I replied.

“Neega gajeunghagi ddaemun-ida!” (Because you are an abomination!) she shouted at me.

“You should have never been born!” my grandfather shouted. Because he said it in English, Dorian and Brandon reacted.

“Mr. Lee! Allie is your granddaughter!” Dorian shouted.

“Granddaughter! Please! Her bloodline comes from the poor, we don’t want that in our family!”

“What do you mean Allie comes from the poor?” Brandon asked.

“Her mother, my daughter was betrothed to a wealthy young man, their marriage would have brought our family millions, but Suh Jung fell in love with a poor person, someone who came from nothing. He had no family and no money. She became pregnant right out of high school. So, she and that street trash fled here to America so she could give birth,”

“So, you’re saying that because my wife’s birth father was poor, you’re calling her a mistake!?” Dorian exclaimed.

“Because she is! She is dirty and her b***d is dirty!”

“Mr. Lee, I would watch what you say about my wife!!” Dorian shouted and stood up. I grabbed his hand and to make sure he didn’t lose control. I had heard enough anyway.

“Do not threaten me in my house!” Mr. Lee got up in Dorian’s face and Brandon had to intervene.

“Dorian stop!” I shouted and grabbed his arm.

“Yeobo! Eereojima!” (Honey, don’t do this!) Mrs. Lee exclaimed and held her husband back. “Dangjang naga!” (Get out now!) she shouted at us.

“Dorian, let’s go,” I tell him and push him towards the door. Brandon takes him outside before he completely loses his temper. I look back at Mr. and Mrs. Lee, “Gwichanhge haeseo jaesong habnida, dubeon dasin yeonlag haji anhgess seubnida,” (I’m sorry for having bothered you, I will never contact you again,) I bow my head, grabbed my shoes, and showed myself out. I kept my composure and went out to the car barefoot. We all got in, and as soon as Brandon pulled away from the house, I broke down and cried. Dorian picked me up and cradled me,

“Allie,” he held me close and let me cry. I had never felt so unwanted and humiliated in my entire life.

“Gizmo, what did that old hag say to you anyway?” Brandon asked from the driver’s seat.

“She…called me an…abomination,” I replied and kept crying.

“She called you a what!?” He shouted. “Oh, f**k no! I’m turning this car around!”

“Brandon!” Dorian shouted. “They’re humans! We can’t attack them even if we want to!”

“They insulted Allie! Her own grandparents called her a mistake and abomination! What the f**k!?” Brandon exclaimed.

“I know that! You don’t think I want to tear them to pieces? But we can’t! Let’s just go home. We got what we came for, we got answers,” Dorian said. I could feel him looking at me while my tears kept falling. “I’m sorry, baby,”

“Don’t be, I half expected them to reject me, but I didn’t think they would be that mean about it,” I whimpered.

“What can I do to make it better?”

“Just hold me,” Dorian squeezed me tight, and I leaned against his shoulder taking in his scent. Although I had the closure I wanted, I didn’t expect to be called a mistake or abomination. Whatever the case, that chapter of my life is now over, and I was ready to move on. But first, I needed to figure out a plan to get Heather to come out of hiding.