Chapter 122: Chapter 122 The DNA result RAPHAEL
I brought the bouquet of flowers to my nose.
Hmm.
It smells nice.
Julia’s going to like this.
We were meeting up today at the beach and I was excited as hell.
My heart soared when I saw her on a flowery dress.
“Julia.” I called as I ran up to her. “Here, I got you this.”
She stared at me and then at the flowers.
“You’re so dumb. How many times do I have to tell you that you have to recite a poem when giving me flowers.“
I gulped. “I tried to learn some poems but I can’t remember what I memorized.”
She scoffed. “Wow.”
“I’m sorry. I will make sure I...”
“Don’t. I’m breaking up with you, Raph.”
I frowned. “You’re breaking up with me because I couldn’t recite a poem?”
“So?”
“But...but it isn’t reasonable.”
“Fine. I’ve been seeing someone else. Is that reasonable enough for you?”
“What? You’ve been cheating on me?”
“Why are you surprised? Did you actually think I would stick to someone like you. Oh Raphael, you’re all shades of childish and immature coupled with the fact that you’re poor...I deserve better, don’t you think?”
My breath got stuck in my throat. “But I...I really love you.”
“I don’t need it.” She turned around to leave.
I took a step to stop her but then I decided against it.
I stood there and watched her walk away.
I’ve had the feeling that she doesn’t love me as much as I love her but then I was too attached to her to let her go.
Was this my fifth heartbreak now?
Now I think it was the sixth.
This was so unfair.
I dropped the flowers and headed back home blinking rapidly and trying not to cry.
Three black cars suddenly pulled up around me, startling life out of me and drying up the tears on my eyes, instantly.
What’s with them?
I turned sideways to take another route but about twelve men in black suits alighted the car and rounded me up.
“Sir Enzo. You have to come with us.”
I looked backwards, maybe they were talking to someone behind me.
“We’re sorry for rounding you up like this but we have to bring you home.”Another spoke.
“I think you’re mistaken, I don’t know any of you.” I muttered and tried to leave but they stopped me.
“You have to come with us, Sir Enzo.”
“Sir Enzo?” Now this is getting scary.”I’m Raphael Suarez and if you’re looking for someone, you should try asking around, please step aside.” I requested trying to be polite.
They still didn’t move, I tried to force my way out and then I felt something sharp pierced into my neck.
Everywhere spun around me.
What...why...
Darkness enveloped me.
I woke with a really bad headache and noticed two things simultaneously, I was on a bed and a woman was staring down at me. Vision hazy, my eyes rolled around, almost out of instinct, to gain a semblance of balance, recognition of something familiar. I recalled being approached by those men. Oh my God! I’ve been kidnapped. “You’re awake. Thank God. I’m so sorry they had to inject you, baby.” Baby? Who’s she calling baby? She looked way older than me...maybe in her fifties or so. Was she the one who sent those men? I recalled a movie I once watched. It was about a crazy woman whom was often called an evil sugar-mommy. She was fond of kidnapping young boys and forcing them to be her sex slaves. No...No... This isn’t happening...this isn’t happening... “I’ve been so worried, Enzo.” Still that name again? “I have so many questions. Are you okay? How did you get to Puerto Vallarta?” Or was this Enzo her sugar-baby who might have escaped to my Hometown? Why will they take me to be him? And can’t she recognize her baby for Christ’s sake? I slowly sat up but then the luxurious room I was in took me by surprise. Wow. “Enzo.” She called and I snapped out of it. I have to get home. “Em...I think you got the wrong person and I do know why you and your people are failing to recognize this Enzo guy.” She frowned. “You’re my son, Enzo.” Oh... Enzo’s her son? Not her sugar-baby? “So you aren’t into any sugar-mommy stuff, right?” “What are you saying? Of course not.” Ah...thank God. I do not have to worry about any evil sugar-mommy. “If you let me go, I won’t tell anyone that you kidnapped me, I just need to get home as soon as possible. My mother must be worried.” “You’re home and I’m your mother.” Creepy. “Ma’am, I...” “Why are you calling me ma’am?”She asked. “You look rich.” “Enzo...” “I’m Raphael Suarez.”I snapped, getting annoyed. She suddenly picked up a cellphone and dialed a number. “Dante. Call the doctor, ASAP. I think Enzo might be suffering from memory loss, that’s probably why he’s so out of it.” Ah... Why is this happening to me?
RAPHAEL I never knew people get treated in their homes. I watched in awe as the doctors rolled in different equipment and forced me to stay still and do whatever they wanted. “The scan showed no abnormalities in his brain.” The doctor informed the woman who had kidnapped me. “Are you sure? I’m certain he has amnesia.” The woman pressed on. The doctor turned to face me. “What is your name?” “Raphael Suarez.” “How old are you?” “Twenty-seven.” “Where are you from?” “Puerto Vallarta and I really need to get back home.” “Can’t you recognize this woman?” “I’ve never met her before.” I snapped.
I woke with a really bad headache and noticed two things simultaneously, I was on a bed and a woman was staring down at me. Vision hazy, my eyes rolled around, almost out of instinct, to gain a semblance of balance, recognition of something familiar. I recalled being approached by those men. Oh my God! I’ve been kidnapped. “You’re awake. Thank God. I’m so sorry they had to inject you, baby.” Baby? Who’s she calling baby? She looked way older than me...maybe in her fifties or so. Was she the one who sent those men? I recalled a movie I once watched. It was about a crazy woman whom was often called an evil sugar-mommy. She was fond of kidnapping young boys and forcing them to be her sex slaves. No...No... This isn’t happening...this isn’t happening... “I’ve been so worried, Enzo.” Still that name again? “I have so many questions. Are you okay? How did you get to Puerto Vallarta?” Or was this Enzo her sugar-baby who might have escaped to my Hometown? Why will they take me to be him? And can’t she recognize her baby for Christ’s sake? I slowly sat up but then the luxurious room I was in took me by surprise. Wow. “Enzo.” She called and I snapped out of it. I have to get home. “Em...I think you got the wrong person and I do know why you and your people are failing to recognize this Enzo guy.” She frowned. “You’re my son, Enzo.” Oh... Enzo’s her son? Not her sugar-baby? “So you aren’t into any sugar-mommy stuff, right?” “What are you saying? Of course not.” Ah...thank God. I do not have to worry about any evil sugar-mommy. “If you let me go, I won’t tell anyone that you kidnapped me, I just need to get home as soon as possible. My mother must be worried.” “You’re home and I’m your mother.” Creepy. “Ma’am, I...” “Why are you calling me ma’am?”She asked. “You look rich.” “Enzo...” “I’m Raphael Suarez.”I snapped, getting annoyed. She suddenly picked up a cellphone and dialed a number. “Dante. Call the doctor, ASAP. I think Enzo might be suffering from memory loss, that’s probably why he’s so out of it.” Ah... Why is this happening to me?
RAPHAEL I never knew people get treated in their homes. I watched in awe as the doctors rolled in different equipment and forced me to stay still and do whatever they wanted. “The scan showed no abnormalities in his brain.” The doctor informed the woman who had kidnapped me. “Are you sure? I’m certain he has amnesia.” The woman pressed on. The doctor turned to face me. “What is your name?” “Raphael Suarez.” “How old are you?” “Twenty-seven.” “Where are you from?” “Puerto Vallarta and I really need to get back home.” “Can’t you recognize this woman?” “I’ve never met her before.” I snapped.
“See, he keeps saying he’s someone else.” The woman barked.
“That’s because I’m not who you’re looking for. How many times do I have to say this?!”
“Mrs Moretti, did your son ever have a personality disorder?”
She shook her head. “No.”
“If that’s not the case. I don’t think he has amnesia either, if he did, he wouldn’t be able to remember anything, and probably won’t insist that he’s someone else.”
“Finally, someone’s getting me. Can I leave now?”I asked, impatiently.
“Can you excuse us briefly, doc. I want to have a word with him alone.”
“No problem.”
The doctor and his people walked out of the bedroom.
“You can’t just hold me here against my will.”
She sat on the bed and handed me her cellphone.
There was a picture on the screen.
I slowly took it from her and gulped seeing the man.
It was like I was staring at another version of myself, a very handsome version.
So I was mistaken to be this man?
I never thought I was this good looking.
“I’m not him.” I sighed. “Look,our beards aren’t done the same way.”
“You’ve been missing for weeks, I figure you had then shaved another style.”
“This is how I’ve always kept my beards. And yes, I do look a bit like him, but come on, I’m not this handsome.”
“I guess being at the countryside for weeks had made you this...uhm...”
Ouch.
She doesn’t have to rub it in.
“Can’t you at least take a closer look at me, I’m not as muscular as him and surely there might be other differences.”
She stared at me for a while and I stared back.
She might be figuring out the differences.
I haven’t met this man in person and even if I’m intrigued by our resemblance, I can tell a few differences.
But her stare started to make me feel uncomfortable and I looked away.
This is so awkward.
“Can I...can I see your knee?” She asked.
I glanced at her.
“Enzo has a scar on his right knee.”
I don’t.
Yes.
This will surely set me free.
I pulled up my trousers and exposed both my knees to her.
She gasped. “What happened to your scar?”
“I have no scar on any of my knees.”
She suddenly appeared tensed, she stood up from the bed.
“Can I go now?” I asked, standing up.
But she hurried towards the door.
As I tried to run after her, she slammed the door at my face.
Damn it!
I grabbed the doorknob and started to bend it with force.
But I realized that the door was locked.
“You can’t just keep me here! I’m friends with the sheriff in my hometown! Oh so help me God. I’m going to report you for kidnapping. Open this door!” I yelled but it was all in vain.
I leaned against the door, angrily.
My mother would be so worried right now.
Dante watched Allegra staggered into the living room. He quickly went over to her side and helped her to get seated on the sofa. “He...I...I don’t think he’s Enzo.“ “I’ve had that feeling too since he woke up, he doesn’t sound like him. Enzo’s voice is deeper.” “I’ve been so happy that my son was found and brought home to me. I’ve even informed Grandpa Andre, it’s been announced on TV that Enzo has been found. I was so excited about it to focus on the differences. I thought he might have lost weight for not being as muscular as Enzo, but he has no scar. Still, how is it possible that he facially looks like Enzo?” Dante gulped. “Do you think he’s a doppelgänger?” “We all know the probability of having someone’s lookalike is extremely low.” “I swear to God. I am confused right now.” This might sound insane but she feels that man isn’t Enzo and at the same time, she feels he is her son. What the hell?! Granted, Enzo was conceived as a twin. But his brother died at birth and she had seen her dead baby. They weren’t identical. Could he be....? No...it can’t be. But it was bugging her mind already. She had to be sure that this man wasn’t her son. Maybe he truly is a doppelgänger. “We have to do a DNA test.” She announced. Dante crossed his arms. “Do you think it’s possible that he really is Enzo and that so much might have changed with him for just few weeks?” “He’s not Enzo but I have to make sure that he’s not related to me.” Dante nodded in comprehension.
RAPHAEL I’m told to wait for a few more days, my blood samples had been taken for a DNA test. Seriously? What is wrong with these people?! Well...I don’t need to feel scared anymore. I tried to patiently wait for the result to be out. It was the only proof I have that I’m not the man they’re looking for. And meanwhile, I tried not to get too comfortable in this room. Yes, it was luxurious but I was always locked in. Maybe they think I would run away. I really will...I can’t imagine how worried my mother must be at the moment. I had tried jumping off the window but it was just too high from the ground. I was going to end up dead if I went on with it. So I tried to endure. I didn’t even have enough appetite to eat what was always being served to me. I wondered if my mother was eating. And I had no idea where my cellphone was. God! I can’t wait for all these to be over. I’m reporting that nasty woman to the police...that’s for sure.
Dante watched Allegra staggered into the living room. He quickly went over to her side and helped her to get seated on the sofa. “He...I...I don’t think he’s Enzo.“ “I’ve had that feeling too since he woke up, he doesn’t sound like him. Enzo’s voice is deeper.” “I’ve been so happy that my son was found and brought home to me. I’ve even informed Grandpa Andre, it’s been announced on TV that Enzo has been found. I was so excited about it to focus on the differences. I thought he might have lost weight for not being as muscular as Enzo, but he has no scar. Still, how is it possible that he facially looks like Enzo?” Dante gulped. “Do you think he’s a doppelgänger?” “We all know the probability of having someone’s lookalike is extremely low.” “I swear to God. I am confused right now.” This might sound insane but she feels that man isn’t Enzo and at the same time, she feels he is her son. What the hell?! Granted, Enzo was conceived as a twin. But his brother died at birth and she had seen her dead baby. They weren’t identical. Could he be....? No...it can’t be. But it was bugging her mind already. She had to be sure that this man wasn’t her son. Maybe he truly is a doppelgänger. “We have to do a DNA test.” She announced. Dante crossed his arms. “Do you think it’s possible that he really is Enzo and that so much might have changed with him for just few weeks?” “He’s not Enzo but I have to make sure that he’s not related to me.” Dante nodded in comprehension.
RAPHAEL I’m told to wait for a few more days, my blood samples had been taken for a DNA test. Seriously? What is wrong with these people?! Well...I don’t need to feel scared anymore. I tried to patiently wait for the result to be out. It was the only proof I have that I’m not the man they’re looking for. And meanwhile, I tried not to get too comfortable in this room. Yes, it was luxurious but I was always locked in. Maybe they think I would run away. I really will...I can’t imagine how worried my mother must be at the moment. I had tried jumping off the window but it was just too high from the ground. I was going to end up dead if I went on with it. So I tried to endure. I didn’t even have enough appetite to eat what was always being served to me. I wondered if my mother was eating. And I had no idea where my cellphone was. God! I can’t wait for all these to be over. I’m reporting that nasty woman to the police...that’s for sure.
At long last, the doctor, the pesky woman and a young man who follows her around walked into the bedroom.
My eyes dilated seeing the file in his hands.
I’m getting my freedom again.
“I thought it was best you all are together when I read out the result.”
I slowly stood up, anxiously waiting to dash out of this room as soon as the result is announced.
He opened the file and started reading plenty of stuff that I did not understand.
And finally, he said. “Raphael Suarez and Mrs Allegra Moretti are 99% related.”
“Did you mean to say unrelated?”I asked.
The woman also appeared shocked.
“Are you sure about this?” She asked.
“You clearly told me you’re no longer sure that he’s Lorenzo, I ran the test twice to be sure that I wasn’t making a mistake. The result is accurate, Mrs Moretti. The two of you are mother and child.”
I shook my head. “There has to be a mistake somewhere. I grew up with my mother...I...she...Your result is wrong”I argued unable to believe this.