Amazed - Chapter 1

Saturday November 9th 2002
1956 local
Harm's apartment

Harm is sitting on his couch, a file in his hands, the little table in front of him covered by papers.

There is a knock at the door. Trough the peephole, he sees a young woman, wearing the uniform of the Air Force Academy. He opens the door.

Harm - Good evening!
The woman - Good evening. Are you be Commander Harmon Rabb Jr.?
Harm - Yes, it's me. What can I do to help you?
The woman - If you could spare some time, I would like to talk to you.

Harm opens the door wide.

Harm - Sure. Take a seat and tell me what you want.

Harm removes some papers from the couch and they sit down. She hesitates a minute.

The Woman - Well, it's somehow... very personal...
Harm - You could begin by telling me your name.
The Woman - Oh, I'm sorry. Of course. My name is May McCall. I'm a junior at the Air Force Academy. But everybody call me May, or Birdie.
Harm - That's a good start so far.
May - My question may surprise you, it's quite in the past. When you were in 12th grade, did you meet a girl by the name of Sandra McCall?
Harm - Surprising indeed! Sandy... It was like... 20 years ago? I must admit I haven't thought of her in a long time. McCall... Are you related?
May - She is... well... was... my mother. She died three months ago.
Harm - I'm really sorry to hear that. Please accept all my sympathy.
May - Thank you Commander. Were you her date at Prom Ball that year?
Harm - Yeah. But why are you asking that?
May - I have one more question.
Harm - Go on.
May - Have you that night... been... involved... with each other?

Harm turns slightly pale.

Harm - Do you really want to know? Why?
May - Please, Commander, could you answer? I'll explain everything.

Harm blushes.

Harm - Well... yeah... The backseat of my car was rather comfy...

May pulls an envelope out of her pocket and hands it to Harm.

May - I never knew who my father was. Mom never wanted to tell me. She was always telling me he had nothing to do with us. On the birth certificate I have, there is no name written for the father. After her...death, I had to go through all her papers, and I found my real birth certificate, and all her diaries.
Harm - I saw her write her diary quite often. But why are you telling me all that?
May - Three reasons: I was born on February 14th 1982, exactly nine months after Prom night, and in that envelope, you will find my real birth certificate, with the name of the father, and extracts from her diary of the weeks preceding and following the Prom Ball.

Harm takes the envelope, his fingers slightly trembling. He looks at the papers, growing paler every second. His eyes go from the papers up to May several times.

May - In her diary, mom says you never saw each other again.
Harm - That's true. I went straight to Annapolis right after graduation day.

Harm watches May.

Harm - You look a little like her... the shape of the face...
May - That's what I've been told. But looking at you, I believe I took my eyes from you.
Harm - Yeah. I see them in the mirror every morning.

Harm and May look at each other a long time, not daring to say a word. May's hands are shaking, and Harm is unable to move. Finally, he speaks.

Harm - Why did you came? And why now?
May - When mom knew she was pregnant, her parents kicked her out of their house. If it wasn't for the kindness of her grand mother's sister, she would have been homeless, and I probably wouldn't be here. Aunt May died when I was two and she left us the house. Since then, it has been only mom and me. Sometimes, she had a... friend. No more. I have asked her questions about my father, when I was a kid, but I never could get an answer. So I stopped asking. The only... detail I can remember is when I told her I would go in the Air Force and become a pilot. She had a little smile. I guess she knew you wanted to be a pilot.
Harm - All year long, I hadn't stopped talking about going to Navy Academy and become a fighter pilot like my father and grand father before me.

May seems stunned by what he just said.

May - So, I have a grand father, and a great grand father who are pilots! I have... a family!

Tears wheel up in her eyes.

Harm - Actually, my grand father died during World War Two, and my father was reported MIA in 1969, during Vietnam. I've learned since then that he died in 1981 in Russia. And that he had left another son, Sergei. I think he was also born in 1982.

He smiles.

Harm - As if it was planned, he is a pilot, too, but he flies helos in the Russian Air Force.
May - So I have an Uncle Sergei. Is that all?
Harm - No. my mother and my grand mother are alive, as well as my step-father.
May - Is one of them called Sarah? Mom said once that she named my after the two women that had been the most important people in her life.
Harm - My grand mother's name is Sarah. But we call her Grams. Mom is Patricia, Trish.

May - I think we will have to run some DNA tests, to certify I am your daughter.

Harm - We'll do that. But for me, there is no real doubt. Your mother was not really the kind of girl to... get involved with many guys. She was my girlfriend during all of Senior year, and Prom evening was to be the most beautiful night of our lives. If you were created then, I guess it really was the most beautiful night of our lives.

May wipes away the tears running down her cheeks. Harm opens his arms to her.

Harm - Come here.

May leans into Harm arms and he hugs her. May sobs softly. Harm caresses her back with his hand to calm her.

Harm - May, there's no reason to cry.
May - It's so extraordinary that you believe I'm your daughter. Just after mom's death, I went to see her parents, and they said they didn't knew her, that they never had a daughter. Without looking at me, they kicked me out, just like they did for mom. I had almost lost faith. I said to myself you wouldn't want of me either. It's my roommate who convinced me to meet you. She made some research to find you. She gave me everything she found two weeks ago. And I came as soon as I could.
Harm - You did the right thing. I must admit tough I'm shocked. To find out that I have a daughter, and that she's all grown up is not easy. I have no kids, I mean, no other kids. So I absolutely don't know how to be a father.
May - Well, I never had a father. So we're going to learn together. What do you say about it?
Harm - All right. You think you could call me by my first name? We're not going to stick to Commander and Cadet McCall!
May - I think...
Harm - What?
May - I think I would prefer to call you dad. I never called anyone dad, and somehow... I miss it.
Harm - I would be delighted if you call me dad. Dad... it's quite strange!

Harm and May smile to each other. Harm hugs May, and she puts her head on his chest.