Not until much later, when he had his anxiety under control, did Gene find his way to the bathroom to shower and get ready for bed. Once he was settled in bed, Gene retrieved the comic book from his backpack and turned to the note on the last page. The elegant handwriting, so unlike Gene’s messy scrawl, made Gene wonder what type of person would write something so beautifully. Upon reading the note, Gene realised it was a poem. A romantic at heart, Gene was touched by the passionate nature of the poem. He had yet to experience romance, so Gene often daydreamed about falling in love. But with no friends and no opportunities to meet anyone new, Gene didn’t expect to meet the man of his dreams any time soon.

Gene read the poem once more, imagining the writer had written it to him:

From the day we met

Until the day we die,

You are my light,

You are my love.

You touched my soul,

You captured my heart.

There will never be another.

There can only be you.

Ziggy

Sentimental warmth touched Gene. Would he have a poem written for him one day? Gene would like to think such romance would befall him. Lost in the dream of falling in love, it occurred to Gene how the book had come into his possession. If it had belonged to him, Gene would never have given it up. So why had the old man dropped it off? They had been his son’s, the man had said, and he no longer needed them. Did that mean all the books were his son’s? Gene couldn’t imagine the man reading Calvin and Hobbes. It made sense that the book belonged to his son. But that didn’t explain why it was in the box. Was Ziggy his son? Or was Ziggy another person? Was the owner of the book dead? The more Gene thought about it, the more questions he asked. Who was Ziggy? They was the real question. It would be almost impossible for Gene to answer any of those questions, yet his curiosity continued to grow.

Was it possible to find any answers? The only lead Gene had was the name Ziggy. If that was his real name, then finding him could be possible. It was a long shot, but why not try? With time to spare and curiosity enough to make an attempt, Gene’s sudden obsession took hold. Even if he never found out, it would be fun trying. There were now feelings Gene had long forgotten bubbling inside him. Excitement Gene had not experienced in years surfaced and gave him a sense of adventure, like a kid going on a treasure hunt.

Gene put the book in his backpack and made plans to research ways of finding Ziggy for the following morning. It was a hare-brained scheme, but one he looked forward to. Snuggled down into bed, Gene whispered goodnight to his Pa in heaven as he began his plans for the following morning.

*

Up early, Gene helped his siblings ready for school. Their mother left for work long before any of them were ever up and Gene was grateful not to have her there. This also took the pressure off from Paul, who, before Gene had been forced to stop working, had been responsible for getting them all ready. Sally had never been a morning person, only ever forcing herself up early for her job. Before their father had passed away, John had been the one responsible for the morning routine, allowing Sally the luxury of sleeping in.

“Your mother works hard looking after you all,” John would tell them as he got them all ready. “Sleeping in is a small luxury I’m happy to give her.”

The morning help from Gene still didn’t deter Paul from being a smart mouth and making everyone’s life difficult. No matter how much Gene tried to get his siblings to cooperate and help each other, it always fell on deaf ears. It frustrated Gene not being able to communicate with his family. Yet, it had always been this way. Because he was so many years older and had spent more time with their father when he was alive, Gene had nothing in common with his siblings.

Once everyone was out of the house, Gene made his way into the city. As he walked, he received a call from Ted.

“So how did it all go?” Gene asked.

“You didn’t get my message last night?” Ted replied.

“Obviously not, so…”

“A boy—Madden. Perfectly healthy, as big as a bear cub and dry as an overdone turkey.”

“Good thing you got him out when you did. How is Mary?”

“Great. Tired. I wanted to ask if you would open and close the shop for the two weeks once Mary gets home. This time it’s taken a lot out of her and she needs me to be there to help.”

“Sure. I could do with the extra money, and the work is easy enough.”

“It won’t knock you about working the six days a week for two weeks?”

“No, I’ll be fine.”

“If it is too much, tell me straight away and I’ll work something else out.”

“Ted, it’s for two weeks. I think I can manage that. Do you want me to come in early today?”

“No, I need to get a few things done this morning. Come in this afternoon, same as usual. I’ll go over everything with you then.”

“Hey, Ted, before you go—if I wanted to find someone but only had their first name to go on, how would I go about finding them?”

The line went quiet for a moment before Ted replied, “I have no idea.”

“Okay, well thanks then, I’ll see you later.”

Gene pocketed his phone. With no idea how to find a missing person and plenty of time on his hands before his shift started, Gene considered going to the police station, but thought better of it. In the end, Gene decided visited the city library and asked there. His thoughts were to look at old newspapers in the births section. How many babies called Ziggy could there be? However, the librarian suggested trying the Birth, Death and Marriages Office. When Gene mentioned the university books, she suggested the university. But without knowing a surname, his search would prove difficult. Gene asked if universities had yearbooks, and the librarian could not tell Gene for certain whether they did, although she believed they did not. Although Gene knew the university books had never belonged to Ziggy, that didn’t mean he hadn’t attended.

If they had yearbooks, Gene knew he’d only have to find the one from five years back, six at the most, given that was when the man’s son had graduated. There was a chance Ziggy and the man’s son had gone to university together. Once Gene had a surname, it wouldn’t be difficult to track the man down. The city university located on the same street as the city library was a rabbit warren of buildings. Grateful for the many signs, Gene located the library and found the counter where he could make enquiries. When no one appeared, Gene glanced around, hoping to catch the eye of anyone who might help. With most people distracted with their own business, Gene reluctantly walked off towards the computers to do his own search.

Surprised to find there was a section dedicated to yearbooks, Gene wrote the location and excitedly headed that way. Unfortunately, when Gene reached the yearbooks, they were not what he was expecting. They contained the history of the university itself. After flicking through them, Gene was disappointed to find that they revealed nothing. With a big sigh, Gene made his way back to the front of the library.

As he passed a break in the shelves, Gene spied an attractive young man sitting at a table, alone, studying with the aid of a large number of books surrounding him. Everything about him, from his messy blonde hair to his oversized grey pullover, track pants, and pink-tinted cheeks unexpectedly drew Gene to him. It wasn’t like Gene to believe in love at first sight, yet there he stood, staring at the man across from him in awe.

Gene didn’t know what came over him. It was as if he’d been struck by lightning. Before he realised it, he was standing across from the young man, mesmerized. The confidence in his approach was something Gene was familiar with. He took on a persona where his fears were forgotten and his motions where faster than his thoughts. Many times, Gene’s ability to forget his awkward nature meant he could approach people without fear. But this confidence often gave Gene false hope.

The man’s head was bent down as he read, and among the books scattered around the table, Gene spied a notebook with “Dylan Cooper” written across the top. Under his name were the words “if found please call” and a mobile phone number. Gene made a mental note before interrupting.

“Excuse me, but could you help me?”