Chapter Four
“Mr. Matthews, I'm sorry that I called on such short notice, but your dad doesn't give me much notice before he comes into town,” Gwen said.
“Please, call me Semaj. Mr. Matthews is so formal,” Semaj answered.
She giggled. “I'm sorry. Semaj it is then.”
The two of them were inside Semaj's car on their way to a meeting with his biological father. As he drove, Semaj tried to calm his nerves at the prospect of actually seeing him face to face.
Earlier that morning, he'd just stepped out of the shower and heard his cell phone ringing. When he answered, an excited Gwen was on the other end. “Mr. Matthews, your dad is in town. If you are up to it, I can take you to see him,” she'd said.
“What are you talking about? I know what you told me yesterday, but I haven't had a chance to check your story out. I'm certainly not ready for a family reunion with this guy.”
“I thought you said you believed me. What do you mean you need to check my story out? Look, I have no reason to lie to you. I just thought that you wanted to know who your father was and get a chance to meet him.”
Semaj tightened the towel around his waist and sat on the edge of his bed. “I do believe you, but I just felt that I needed more proof, that's all. I mean, you have to admit that it's a lot to take in all at once. How long is he in town? Maybe you can take me to meet him next week.”
“He's going to be here for about a month, I think, but today is the only day that I can take you to him. His schedule is tight, and this is the only day he's going to be free during his entire visit.”
“How can he be too busy for you? I mean, didn't you say that you are his cousin? I'd think he'd make time for his family. He must be one of those celebrities who's gone so Hollywood that he's forgotten where he comes from.”
“That's not it at all. The fact is that whenever he's in the area he makes time to see his relatives, who are here, but he's not here on vacation. He's working. I got a call this morning from his publicist, and she told me that he's free today. Look, if you don't want to go, that's fine. I just assumed that this was important to you.”
Semaj sat thinking for several seconds. Although he'd told Gwen that he planned to check out her story, the truth was that he didn't need to. He knew in his heart that the story she'd told him was absolutely true, regardless of how totally unbelievable it was. During their meeting the day before, Gwen had told Semaj that she'd found out about him from an older family member who'd since passed away. There had always been rumors in their family that her famous cousin Wayne James had a son “floating around out there somewhere,” as they put it. The story had been passed around with whispers within the family for years, but no one had confirmation of it. After hearing the story from her Aunt Sarah Mae, Gwen decided to find out if it was indeed true.
Her original motives had not been noble. She'd hoped to locate the son, and then sell the story to a tabloid newspaper for thousands of dollars. With that in mind, she'd spent hours researching in the library and online until she'd put the pieces of the puzzle together. Her first big clue was a marriage license she'd found proving that her cousin Wayne had married when he was only eighteen years old. Then she did a search for the woman he'd married and discovered that she'd died in a tragic house fire. She'd told Semaj that she realized this was the same fire that he'd been taken out of by an unknown hero. At that point, Gwen was convinced that the stories she'd always heard as a child were definitely true. She then began a search for the baby who'd been listed under the name of Wayne James, Jr. She'd hit one dead end after another when searching for him. She'd even contacted a reporter and tried to sell the story with just the limited information she had, but they were not interested.
Shortly after that, Gwen met Rip at a party in Sand Poole Manor. The two of them hit it off almost immediately. One night while sipping wine in his apartment and chatting, he told her about his cousin Semaj who was looking for his biological father. As he talked, Gwen realized that the story had eerie similarities to the long lost son of her cousin. Her only issue was that the names didn't match. After meeting Semaj, the two of them came to the conclusion that his grandparents had been responsible for changing his name and had given him their last name. For that reason he'd never even known his mother's married name.
“Mr. Matthews, are you still there?” Gwen asked.
“Um, yes, I'm sorry. I was just trying to decide what to do. You've given me such a huge amount of information in such a short time.”
“I know that, but I believe that we waste time sitting around thinking about what we are going to do in our lives. Sometimes you've got to just jump in and sink or swim.”
“It's just all so fast. If it's the reward you are concerned about, don't be. I know I told you that I needed proof, but I believe you. I'll go ahead and pay you the money.”
Gwen grinned. “Well, that's great, but that's not why I'm calling. I honestly would love to be there when you finally meet your father. I understand if you need more time, but it may be months or even years before he's back in town.”
“You know what, Gwen? You're right. I have been secretly dreaming of this day as long as I can remember. I mean, I always told people that I didn't care who my father was and that I didn't want to meet him or find him, but it was all a lie. It's been my strongest prayer.”
As he drove to Gwen's apartment, Semaj excitedly imagined what it would be like to finally meet his father. For years, he'd watched him on television and admired him as an actor. He could hardly believe that his dad wasn't just any Dad, but he was the man known as “America's Favorite TV Dad.” On his TV show, Wayne James was father to three rebellious teenage sons. Each week, he managed to solve their problems with wisdom, love, and faith. Semaj admired the relationship that his character had with his sons. However, Wayne's fatherly wisdom did not come from a staff of writers or end on television. In his personal life, he was also the father of five sons. Semaj had heard him tell a reporter once that he had dreamed of being a father since he was a young boy, and although God had not blessed him with a wife, he'd blessed him to be able to adopt. Over the course of several years, he'd adopted each son individually and often told people that he planned to adopt more. His sons ranged in age from four years to seventeen. Semaj grinned as he dreamed of finally having real siblings.
He'd just pulled up to Gwen's building when he noticed his phone ringing and suddenly remembered his appointment with Ellen. He reached for it to answer, then realized that he did not know how to explain to her what he was about to do. Instead, he opted for allowing the phone to roll over to voice mail; then he turned the ringer completely off.
“Pull around to the back of the hotel,” Gwen told him as they pulled into the parking lot. “We can't go in the front entrance. We'll have to take the service elevator up to his room.”
Semaj did as she instructed and tried to stop his hands from shaking. His whole world seemed to be moving in slow motion as they stepped off of the elevator and walked the short distance down the hallway. He felt like a little kid as he stood waiting for the door to Room 734 to finally open. Inside, he was screaming,
My daddy's in there. Daddy, Daddy, open the door, Daddy.
Finally the door opened, but it wasn't his dad looking back at them. Instead, it was a huge man who resembled King Kong. His face, his build, and his whole body mimicked a gorilla. Semaj felt frightened just to be in his presence.
“Hey, Doug,” Gwen said, and smiled at him. “We're here to see Wayne.”
Semaj watched in awe as King Kong's face spread into a wide grin displaying perfectly white teeth.
“Hey, Gwen, I was hoping you'd come by today. Who's your friend?” Doug asked.
“Um, this is Semaj. I hope Wayne doesn't mind, but I brought him along to meet my famous cousin.”
Doug stepped away from the door and opened it wider. “I'm sure it's cool. You guys come on in.”
They walked into the beautifully decorated suite, and Semaj looked around. He found it hard to believe that he'd been brought there by a girl who lived in the projects, while her cousin lived such a lavish lifestyle. He found it even harder to believe that this cousin was his dad.
Doug offered them a seat in the living-room area of the suite, then excused himself to go get Wayne. Semaj sat next to Gwen and clasped his hands tightly in his lap. Nervously he bounced his knee up and down.
“Relax, Semaj,” Gwen said; then she reached over and held his knee down with her hand.
“Now that I'm here, I'm wondering if this isn't a big mistake. I mean, what am I going to say to him? âHi, you don't know me, but I'm your son.' This is crazy.”
“What's wrong with that? The truth usually works best,” Gwen answered.
“Like I said, it's crazy. I've changed my mind, Gwen, I'm leaving.” Semaj stood up to leave just as Wayne walked into the room.
“Gwen, it's good to see you, Cuz.” He greeted her with a warm smile and a hug, then he turned in Semaj's direction. “Who's this?”
Turning around, Semaj looked into his eyes while resisting the urge to rush into his arms and hug him tightly. Instead, he extended his hand. “I'm Semaj Matthews.” He searched his face to see if the name sparked any indication that he knew who he was.
“Oh, yes, Mr. Matthews, I've seen you on the local news. You have quite an impressive following here in Atlanta. It's a pleasure to meet you.” He shook Semaj's hand, then took a seat in a large chair. “Please sit down and make yourself comfortable.”
Semaj slowly sat down while staring in Wayne's direction. “It's a pleasure to meet you also,” he said.
Wayne smiled, then turned his attention to Gwen. “So, Gwen, how is your mom doing? I hope I get a chance to see her while I'm here visiting,” he said.
“She's doing great. She had to work today, or she would have come over with me. I think she plans to come when she gets off this evening.” She glanced over at Semaj, who was still staring awkwardly at Wayne. “Besides, I brought Semaj along, and he really needs to speak with you about something important. I thought it would be best if there were not too many people around. It's kind of personal.”
“Personal?” Wayne looked over at Semaj “We've never met. What type of personal business could you possibly have with me?”
“Well . . . I . . . um . . . Gwen told me . . . well . . . It's kind of hard to explain,” Semaj stammered.
Confused, Wayne looked back and forth between the two of them.
“He's your son,” Gwen blurted out.
“He's my
what?
My sons are back in California with their nanny. What's this all about?” Wayne asked.
“Your son. He's your son. The one from your marriage, the one that's been lost for all of these years,” Gwen said.
Wayne shook his head. “I've never been married, you know that, Gwen. If this guy told you he's my son, he's a con artist.”
Semaj cleared his throat and finally spoke. “My mother's name was Allison Matthews. She died in a house fire when I was a baby, and I was sent to live with my grandparents.”
“Is that supposed to mean something to me?” Wayne answered. “I have never been married, and I don't have a son. Now I'm going to ask you both one more time, what is this all about?”
Semaj could tell by the tone of his voice that Wayne was quickly becoming agitated by the whole conversation. “I'm sorry. Gwen told me . . . Well, it's not important what she told me. I apologize. Obviously, we've made a big mistake.”
“Gwen told you something?” Wayne bellowed. “What exactly did Gwen say?”
“Never mind,” Semaj said, then stood up. “Gwen, let's just go. I told you this was a waste of time.”
Wayne stood up as well. “Gwen, are you guys trying to run some kind of scam on me? I know that you are in between jobs right now, but if you needed money, all you had to do was ask. I've always helped you in the past, and I don't mind helping you, but I will not tolerate things like this.”
“No, it's not a scam at all,” Gwen insisted. “I've heard stories all my life about your long lost son and your first marriage. So I did some research, and I found Semaj and brought him here to meet you. This is not a scam, I swear it.”
“I've heard those stories too, but unlike you, I know better than to believe every rumor that I hear at a family picnic,” Wayne huffed.
“Aunt Sarah Mae told me everything,” Gwen said.
“How dare you bring my late mother into this!” Wayne yelled. “I don't know what you think she told you, but I have never been married. I do not know anyone named Allison Faye Matthews, and this man is not my son.”
“But . . .” Gwen began to speak, but was interrupted.
“Gwen!” Semaj yelled unexpectedly. “I said, let's go. This is a colossal waste of time.” He turned to face Wayne and looked him straight in the eye. “Mr. James, I'm sorry we bothered you. I promise it won't happen again.”
Without another word he stormed out of the room and rushed down to his car without waiting for Gwen. He started up the engine and was about to drive away when he saw her running through the parking lot after him.
“Semaj, wait!” she yelled.
He turned off the engine and lay his head on the steering wheel while he waited for Gwen to get into the car.
“I'm so sorry about this,” she said breathlessly as she climbed into her seat. “I was positive that my research proved that you are his son. Please forgive me. I'm sorry I put you through this.”