THE YOUNGER YEARS - BACKGROUND STORY TO GIRL IN THE MIST

MISSING

Eugene McLaren was seated at the bar counter having a whiskey on ice when Julian and Gracie walked up to him. "Hi...we decided to come and check the pub out. Are these two seats taken?"

"No, you may take a seat."

Julian sat down next to Eugene followed by Gracie who sat down next to him. "Aren't you the guy from the meat saw incident?" Gracie asked curiously, recognizing him.

"Yes...that's me."

"I knew you looked familiar. I'm not so good with faces, sorry."

"No problem...what's your name?"

"I'm Gracie. Gracie McLeod."

"Eugene McLaren."

She giggled. "We're both Mc's, how interesting. And Julian's the odd one out."

"Rodriguez is that a Mexican Rodriguez or just an ordinary South American Rodriguez."

"My father's from Argentina."

"I see...you don't look, Latino."

"That I got from my mother. She's Italian-American. Everyone tells me I take after her."

Gracie scrutinized Julian sitting next to her and bobbed her head. "You do. You've got the same cheekbones for starters, the same eyes, the same snub nose from the side, and the same facial structure. And the same dark, curly hair. You don't look like your dad at all. He looks more British than Argentinean."

Eugene took a sip from his whiskey and put the glass down on the counter. "So you inherited your mother's genes?"

"Most of it yup. My father always jokes that if I had to be a girl, I'd look just like her."

Gracie laughed at Julian's comment about himself and took a sip of her cocktail. "Can you speak Italian, Julian?"

"Oh hell no. My mother never taught me to speak Italian. My grandparents spoke Italian too, but I don't think my grandmother was Italian either."

"Italians are pretty attractive. I get where you get your looks from, Julian."

"And you Gracie? What's your background?"

"My grandfather was Scottish and my mother is Canadian."

"You're half Canadian?" Julian asked surprised. "I didn't know you were half Canadian? Which part of Canada?"

"Vancouver. I was born in Vancouver, but she's originally from Montreal."

"Nice."

"And your dad?"

"He's originally from New Jersey."

"And you Eugene?" Julian asked inquisitively.

"I'm from L.A. I don't know much about my parents. My mother was half Mexican I know. My dad...I think he was  Scottish."

Between the three of them, they were a melting pot of cultures.

******

Julian picked Gracie up at her apartment the following morning on his way to the hospital. He stopped the Volkswagen on the curb and unlocked the door for her to get in. "Thanks for picking me up. I appreciate it."

"I can't let you walk all the way to the hospital now can I?"

Julian drove off, the distinct whistle of the bug's exhaust filling the air. "I enjoyed last night. Thanks for taking me out for a few drinks."

"You're not having a hangover or anything are you?" he asked concerned.

"No, not at all."

"Gracie..." Julian still had the incident in his car the previous day and outside the supplies room before Dr. Slattery lectured them on his mind.