When Kevin arrived back in Australia on the following the day, his best friend, Brett, went along with Kevin and I to lunch at the local shopping centre. Brett and had I decided on our lunch and were sitting at the table while Kevin, thank God, was still at the counter deciding what he was going to eat.
Brett and I were discussing the whole sordid story when my phone rang. It was the DNA lab. My heart started to pound as they asked me to identify myself. Though I was a nervous wreck, I also had the disconcerting feeling of being in a fog, as if everything were happening in slow motion.
The lady on the phone told me that they were sorry to have to inform me that my brother could not possibly be the father of the child, as he had four mismatches. Two mismatches is a negative; four means there is no way he could be the father.
I was shaking like a leaf. I thought I was going to lose control. I wanted to burst into tears. I wanted to scream. I wanted to protect Kevin at all costs. I also wanted to kill Gertrude. I hated her so much.
As I was taking the call, my eyes locked with Brett’s. He knew immediately what was going on, and he held my hand. When I hung up, we were gripping each other’s hands, and I was shaking. Brett told me to hold myself together and be strong for Kevin. We quickly decided that we could not tell Kevin about this phone call in the shopping centre and that we had to get him back to my place as soon as possible.
By the time Kevin returned back with his lunch, Brett and I had composed ourselves. I excused myself to go to the ladies’ room and rang my mother, who was devastated, but as usual, she calmed me down. I promised I would ring her back as soon as Kevin was told this dreadful news. My brother had suffered and grieved months for a baby that was not even his. All I wanted was to get on the next flight to the UK, find Gertrude, and kick the hell out of her.
On my return to the lunch table, I could have been nominated for an award as Best Actress. Brett did well, too. He had been a very good friend to Kevin throughout this terrible ordeal.
Kevin said he wanted to go shopping. Brett and I looked at each other. I said I needed to get back home, as I had some urgent work to do. Brett and I had hatched a plan before Kevin returned to the table: We would arrive at my place, and once there, I would invite them in.
I remember walking back to the car, trailing behind Kevin. I felt guilty knowing something that was so relevant and important to his life, and that he was still in the dark about it. I knew in his heart, he was praying that the baby was his. He had come to love and adore her so much.
When we pulled up outside our house, I invited them in. I looked at Kevin directly and told him he needed to come in. He knew I had the results.
We walked in down the long hallway in deathly silence. As soon as I reached the lounge room I turned to him and said, “I’m sorry, darling. You are not the father.” He collapsed. Brett and I held him for about 5 minutes, all three of us sharing this tragic moment, hugging and crying.
Eventually we calmed him down. We rang Mum and Dad, who talked to him and tried to help him cope with his loss. We decided that Kevin should ring Gertrude’s father and tell him the results. When he did, Gertrude’s father was shocked and furious with his only daughter. He conveyed his deepest apologies to my brother and was very concerned for him.
Eventually of course, he took his daughter’s side.
I still cannot believe that after all Gertrude put my brother through, she would try to threaten us with assault and many more horrendous acts. I deleted her number from my phone and blocked her email address so that she could not contact me. I wish that had been the end of that saga, but unfortunately, much more was to come.
