It is never a good sign when police knocks at your door. A family member had a violent death or a neighborhood robbery took place.

But Alan lived with his only relative, his mom, in a gated community in Florida, so neither could possibly apply. A possible third reason, an unpaid parking violation, he wasn’t aware of either.

So,  when the two plain-cloth officers rang the door bell and showed their IDs he innocently opened the door. They then inquired about his identity.

“Are you Alan Greystone? Dr. Alan Greystone?”

Alan affirmed. He was proud of his academic degree. At forty years of age, he was already a renowned scientists in the field of ancient history, and the royalties from his popular books and television programs provided him with a decent side-income to his university salary. He had ample opportunity to travel the world on his field trips to study ancient civilizations.

The only thing he wished he would do more is sports. He sported a little belly.

“Can we come in?” they inquired and Alan welcomed them and they sat down.

“Do you know a Laura Hernandes?”

His first reaction was negative. “No.”

“Think again.” They pulled out a picture of a very attractive lady with short dark hair and a Hispanic complexion. Then he remembered.

“Oh yes, I met her last year.” He knew that you never give answers beyond the asked question to the police. He had met Laura in Thailand when his mother and he stayed at a small, remote hotel that was close to his field-trip destination. They met at the bar and had a few coffees and one or two dinners together. Laura had travelled alone, or so it seemed. She had a great character - witty and well educated. Alan had never married and he was not interested in women. Not that he was gay, he had no interest in forming a family at all. But they had a great time together.

“We are sorry to tell you this, but she is dead.” The police brought him back from his memories to reality.

Alan’s first reaction was one of indifference. Laura had been a nice person, but just met a few times more than one year ago. And then, of course, he voiced a reasonable thought.

“Why are you telling me this? I have barely known her. What does this have to do with me?”

“We have a court deposition from her that mentions your name. You have only met her once last year?”

“Yes, just for a few days, we got to know her.”

“We?”

“Yes, my mom and me.”

“That was in Thailand?” one officer probed him.

“How do you know this? And yes, it was last year in Thailand.”

Alan had a reason to become a bit nervous. The police knew more than they were telling him. He felt now would be a good time to ask a question himself.

“How did she die?”

“She was killed. Actually, it was not a random killing. She was murdered.”

Alan was shocked. Laura had been such a nice person. Her family and friends must be devastated.

“Do you have her killer?”

“Not yet, but we know it was a contract killing. They specifically targeted her.”

“And what do I have to do with this?” Alan’s nervousness began to show in his voice and body language.

“Don’t worry. You have nothing to do with the killing. It was a drug-carrier-related crime.”

Laura had been a drug-carrier? Unbelievable, Alan thought. He sighted.

“Well, in this document we just told you about. It is a sworn deposition that you are the father of her daughter.”

Alan was too surprised to react immediately, but he laughed. “This is wrong. You see, we had no romantic relation at all. Just a few drinks at the bar and two dinners together!”

“We believe you that nothing happened last year.”

Alan breathed in relief, just to receive the next accusation.

“We believe you, because Laura’s daughter, her name is Nora, is 17 years old.”

Alan laughed agin. “Then it is impossible that I am the father. I have never seen Laura before last year. You understood me wrong. I have met Laura just once, last year. I had never seen her before that.”

The officers continued. “Of course, you can easily prove that you are not the father. Just a DNA test and you are off the hook. But, and there is a big but, she left a sizable inheritance to her daughter, and of course to the father of her child, should he come forward.”

Alan showed with his hands around him and replied “Look at this. Do you think I need more money? My mom and I live a happy life. We need no intrusion into this. I want to quietly continue my research and public outreach.”

But then he continued to formulate questions because the case made him curious. “Does Nora, is that her name, know that her mom is dead? Does she know the reason why she was killed? And, by the way, when did that happen?”

The officers looked at each other. Alan started showing an interest and that was good in their eyes.

One of them answered. “Yes, her name is Nora, and yes she knows that her mom was shot. It happened two days ago.”

The other one chimed in. “She is in no way involved in the crimes, and she does not know the role of her mother in this.”

“So, as sad as the death of her mom is, with the inheritance, can’t she live a nice life?” Alan asked.

The first officer replied again. “Well, she is in no way a witness to the crime, and thus not in a witness protection program. We protect her now, because she is still a minor, but once she is 18, she will be on her own. We are terribly sorry, we don’t have the resources to protect her.”

“She needs protection? How about other relatives?” Alan never had met Nora, and had no inclination to meet her. It sounded all too complicated for him. He was not good with people.

“Yes, she needs protection. We know that she knows nothing, but the gang does not, obviously. Once they know where she lives, she will be killed to get rid of another witness. That is how those thugs tick.”

Alan felt panic well up. “And you came all the way from Las Vegas to tell me I should take care of a girl I have never met and have no relation with?”

“Actually, shortly after you met Laura in Thailand last year, she moved to Florida. They live pretty close.”

Alan jumped up. Had Laura planned this? His mind was racing. She must have known that she was in danger last year and she was looking for an innocently looking guy to burden him with her daughter, because she had messed up her life! He was angry!

“So Laura already planned this? Putting her daughter into my nest, as a cuckoo’s egg?” He paced up and down.

The officers calmed him down. “As we said, a simple DNA test will prove that you are not her dad. But don’t you want to see her, at least once?”

“Why should I see her?” Alan was getting upset again.

Just at that moment, mom came down the stairs. She was slender women of sixty years, short grey hair, a friendly smile and alert blue eyes. Alan introduced her to the officers and told her the whole story.

Mom was honestly sad. “Laura was such a fine woman,” and putting her hand on Alan's arms she continued. “And I would not have been against if some relation between the two of you would have started.”

“Mom!” Alan was upset. “I never intended to marry and I hate marriage.”

“I believe you and I respect your life choices, even though I have always wanted grandkids.” She sighted. “But you can at least see her once. Laura must have told Nora about her ‘father’”.

Alan breathed a deep breath. “Okay, she lives close to here and I will go there and set the record straight.” He looked at the officers. “I am a man of actions. Can we go now, right away?”

Mom nodded in agreement. “You will do the right thing,” she said and Alan got in the unmarked police car and they drove off.

It just took ten minutes to Nora’s house during which he emphatically stated several times that he would not recognize Nora as his daughter. In front of the house was another unmarked police car and the three men were greeted by a plain-cloth female officer.

“Nora is in her room.”

She and Alan went upstairs and she knocked at the door frame - the door was already open (the police insists that all doors are being kept open in such a situation).

“Nora, you have a visitor.” She was wearing a dark blue hoodie with a Rays logo on it and gray sweatpants. Her long straight maroon hair was in a low ponytail. As soon as Nora lifted her head, she dropped her phone and ran towards Alan. He had barely made two steps into her room when she threw herself at him, embracing him. Alan was at a loss. He hadn’t imagined such a reaction.

“Father!?” It was more statement rather than a question.

Nora was a whole head shorter than him, but her arms were strong. Alan tried to get him out of the embrace and after a few seconds, he could free himself. Maybe a little too harsh, he distanced himself from her. He was at a loss.

“Listen, Nora, well, first, you have my condolences for your loss.” He was struggling to find the right words. “Yes, but, well, listen Nora. I am Alan, Alan Greystone, Dr. Alan Greystone. And I am not your father.”

Nora looked at him in disbelief and started crying, covering her face in her hands. She did not only cry, she wailed in such a way that the police officer had to intervene. She pushed Alan aside and embraced Nora and gently guided her back to her bed. She moved her lips silently towards Alan. “Jerk”. That is what she said.

Alan had never been good with people. That is why he had studied history. Dead people were more interesting to him than alive ones. And even now as a university professor, he was known for acting awkwardly in front of students, especially the female ones.

“Say something”. Again, the police officer was forming silent words with her mouth. Alan looked around and saw the suitcase next to the bed. He pointed at it.

“You were going somewhere?”

Nora looked up, wiping away her tears. “Mom told me that my dad would come and pick us up.”

“When was that?”

“A few weeks ago. But now, but now, she is dead.” Nora started wailing again.

“Nora, Nora, please don’t cry, okay?” He hated the situation. His mind was racing, but there was nothing that made sense to him. Finally, he said those words that would change his entire life. He tried to give his voice an upbeat note. “Well, Nora, since you have packed already, I think I can take you home to me, to me and my mom.”

Nora looked at him in disbelief. “You would do that for me? Dr. Greystone, you would do that?” The most shy and beautiful smile appeared on her face. Finally, she had some hope.

“Yes, I will do that. Yes, I will take you home to us.” Alan was reiterating his decision, almost as if he needed to convince himself.

Nora jumped up and grabbed the suitcase. But in the last second, she realized that she had forgotten something and turned around to take a photo from the side table. A photo that showed Nora with Laura at the Tampa Bay stadium.

Carefully, Alan took the picture out of her hands. “May I?” They sat down together and Alan took a good look. Nora was the younger copy of her mom. Both were smiling and had their arms around each other. Such a happy memory.

“You really look like her, You know? I met her once, last year in Thailand.” And after a long pause, he said. “Your mother is a very beautiful woman.” He consciously used the present tense. What he did not realize is that he basically said that Nora was beautiful, too.

Nora took a deep breath and then took the picture out of his hands. Alan took the suitcase and they went downstairs. He thanked the police officers, and the female officer said, “You are a good man.” Alan realized that Nora did not look back when they drove off. Nora knew that a new life was in front of her, it was just Alan who did not.

At home, still in the car, the officers said. “We leave this with you now. The deposition is in this envelope. We leave you alone now, she needs rest. We will be back tomorrow and talk about the next steps.”

Alan did not think about the next steps, but the officers were right. Nora was still a minor. But Alan thought that after a few days, things would be sorted out and Nora would leave them again.

Alan’s mom opened the door and with a reassuring smile, she ushered everybody in. Inside Alan’s mom took Nora’s hands and had a good look at her.

“Welcome to our house. I am Sarah, Alan’s mom. I have already made your room, but first, let’s have a coffee.” And she hugged Nora who started weeping again. “Everything will be fine, my dear.”

While Sarah was busy making coffee, Alan and Nora sat at the table. Nora was looking around. Alan was looking at Nora. She was a very beautiful young woman. Very few girls were interested in history and his seminars were mostly taken by male students. He liked what he saw.

“Why don’t you show Nora her room, and where the bathroom is?” Sarah said. So, both got up and Alan grabbed the suitcase. The guest room was already ready. A set of towels on the bed and even a little welcome chocolate on the pillow. Nora sighted. “Your mother is so kind.” “Well, she is as all mothers are.” Alan saw tears running down her cheeks and he realized his mistake. This time, he pushed himself to be more emphatic and took Nora in his arms.

“Yes, your mom was a good mom, too.” And he felt tears welling up in his eyes, too. Nora hugged him hard and they both stayed like this until Sarah shouted, “Coffee is ready!” Quickly, Alan showed her the bathroom and where his and his mom’s rooms were and they headed down where they were greeted by the scent of freshly brewed coffee.

After that, they went shopping for food and to buy Nora some stuff she was lacking for her new home. At the shopping mall, they had some snacks and Alan recognized how many of the men were looking at Nora. She was a real head-turner. Even for the older men. Somehow, Alan was disgusted by that.

Back home, Alan gave Nora the Wifi password but told her not to tell anybody where she lived now. “Why is that?” Nora asked innocently. “Because of security.” Nora thought for a while and then made the connection. “But my mom was killed in a crossfire between rival gangs.” “That is what the police told you,” Alan stressed the last word. “You mean, she was not?” “Just leave it like this! I am a very careful person, so please do what I tell you, okay?” Alan answered nervously. He did not want to touch the topics today if Nora didn’t know about the real background of the shooting.

Alan had to do some online duty in his room and Sarah found some time to speak with Nora about her son.

“You see, Alan is a very nice guy, but he has a complex when it comes to women. He was never married, and I think he even never had a girlfriend. Not that he is gay or so, he is just not comfortable around women. But don’t worry, he will not do anything, even he might act a bit weird.”

Because it was a long day, after dinner they all went to bed early. Alan was lying awake. Tomorrow morning, the police would come and hand him the documents to eventually recognize his fatherhood. He was tossing from left to right and back. Just as he finally was going to sleep, the door opened slowly. His heart jumped because his first thought was that it might be the gang who had followed them and now were going to kill all of them. But in the dim light from the corridor, he saw a slender figure slowly approaching the bed. Nora.

He pretended to be asleep, not knowing what to do. Nora stood in front of the bed and slowly went to the far side of the bed, the side Alan’s back was turning to, and slowly slid under the blanket. She snuggled at him in a spoon position and laid still. Alan did not move. He heard Nora breathe deeply. The scent of the shampoo they bought for her filled his nose. The warmth of her slender body felt so good. She snuggled even closer and put her arm around him, her hand at his chest. Now he could feel her breasts through the thin fabric of their pajamas.

Alan was shocked. Shocked about himself. Shocked about his egoism. He suddenly realized that sleeping alone in a new house with memories of her recently killed mother raging in her mind, Nora needed a home. Nora needed a family, Nora needed a father. That moment, he made up his mind. The next morning, he would sign all the papers, taking full responsibility for the future of this little girl, whose joy and peace had been taken away from her so violently. He repeated these thoughts until he dozed off.

The next morning, Nora was gone. Alan thought that it merely had been a dream, but the scent of the shampoo was emanating from her side of the pillow.

The smell of mum’s coffee welled up from below and Alan sat at the coffee table, reading the news on his iPad.

“She is such...