Phone Call from Home

This moment of ecstasy was interrupted by a call from Kelsey’s phone.

“Ohh.. That’s my dad’s call”. She immediately knew from the ring tone she had saved his number with.

They pulled out of each other’s embrace and she got her phone from the table then picked the call instantly and spoke in their native language.

Her adoptive father who lives in a country called Amberland (where she grew up) gave her news that he discovered two men that he suspected one to be her biological father but he’s still investigating quietly.

He asked if it was possible for her to travel down and was a little concerned about her Monday resumption at the new job she told him she just got.

She was confused at the news her father just gave her but promised to book the next flight home.

Apparently, Kelsey’s adoptive father Pappy Alan was the one that found her at sea strapped to a life jacket 15years ago. She had become white all over, cold already and unconscious. He was in his fishing boat so he quickly jumped into the water and rescued her into his boat then radioed the emergency for help.

He checked her pulse and was grateful she still showed signs of life. He tried everything he could do to get her warm and the emergency arrived within 20minutes. They asked the fisherman a few questions about her but all he knew was she was floating at sea when he rescued her. The response team sprung into action immediately to try to resuscitate her and put her on the emergency response speed boat to the main hospital in town.

As soon as the fisherman got to shore, he dedicated someone to sort out the fishes in his boat and then immediately moved to the main hospital to check the little girl. He was allowed entrance when he showed the tag that the rescue team had given him while at sea with him.

The girl was in a coma and he stood outside her ward day and night praying for a miracle for this innocent child. The doctors said she suffered a massive blow on her head which led to complications and her chance of survival was 50-50.

While she was in the hospital, the police did a lot of investigation on the possibility of a boat mishap in the territory but could not find a trace and the case became a mysterious one.

This innocent child who was 7 years old at the time woke up two weeks later and she suffered a unique type of amnesia that she couldn’t recollect her name, her past, and events that led to her mishap.

She spoke in pure English and it was difficult for the police to trace her parents and where she lived as she could not recall anything. It was also as if there was a powerful cabal that masterminded the attack that caused her accident as all information to aid investigation was completely wiped out.

She was such an intelligent and beautiful-spirited girl that every staff of the hospital and even detectives loved her and provided all she needed. She liked to draw and read books so she was given lots of kids’ storybooks to read and art materials to draw and paint while she fully recovered at the hospital.

The fisherman was a childless widower so he requested to adopt her and he got approval after going through the required processes.

He enrolled her in school immediately the doctors certified her okay although the amnesia continued. Her level at reading helped the school board to determine the class to put her in as she was exceptionally intelligent and it was a mystery how she forgot her past but was still sound academically. She got the best grades in all her classes and represented the school at various events and came out first.

The fisherman didn’t know her name so he gave her Kelsey meaning ship-victory as she conquered death at sea. The girl saw a father-figure in him so she called him Pappy Alan as his name was Alan KingFisher.

In the community, Pappy Alan was known as Alan-the-fisherman but ever since he adopted Kelsey who was an adorable child loved by everybody, people started to call him by the name his daughter calls him - Pappy Alan. This was how his status changed from a childless man to the father of the most adorable girl in the neighborhood and this earned him great respect and favors.

She later got admission into the best Universities in the U.S and Pappy Alan sent her to the school that gave her a full scholarship out of all the top offers.

While she was growing up, he had opened a bank account for her where he saved up all the financial rewards that she had gotten from school, different people, and from the sale of her art paintings.

He gave her a bank card so she could have unhindered access to her cash while overseas and he knew she would handle her card and cash well as she was a very decent, prudent, and extremely cautious girl. He was, even so, sure that she would work hard and multiply the savings on her card.

Although Pappy Alan was poor, he trained Kelsey very well and ensured she did not lack anything such as good food, quality education, comfortable shelter, good home training, toys, books, etc. He even took loans at times to take her to children's festivals. He also made extra efforts to help her pursue her passion for art painting.

He never left her to wait at neighbors’ homes and he daily closed from work just before school closes so he could pick her up as soon as the school bus stops at their doorstep. He accompanied her on playdates to her friends’ places and was always available when her friends came over to play with her too.

He did all these to avoid any form of assault or abuse on her as she was his only treasure and all he had after he lost his wife and baby during childbirth many years ago. So, he guarded her jealously when she reached puberty, he taught her sex education and gave her reasons why she had to keep herself safe from unscrupulous guys.

He also enlightened her on how to practice good personal hygiene.  He paid for her taekwondo classes so she could learn self-defense in case she needed it in the future. Pappy Alan also always motivated her to aim for the top telling her the sky should be her starting point and not her limit.

Pappy Alan wasn’t educated but Kelsey taught him how to speak good English, read and write. She was not a problem child so she gave him a blissful fatherhood experience.