When I reached the front door, it opened all by itself. My dad was standing there in shorts and tee, and his hair was sticking up all over. “Were you spying on me?” I tipped my head to the side as I narrowed my eyes.
“No.” He was lying. He had that look that all parents get when their kid busts them. “I came down to the kitchen for a snack, and I heard noise out here. I was coming out to check it out.” He made a point of looking around before turning to go back inside.
“Nice try. I know you were spying,” I grumbled. “I’m eighteen, Dad. When are you going to stop worrying?” I followed him into the kitchen.
“Never.” His face was stoic as he stared at me. “You’ll get it when you have kids.” He shook his head before opening the fridge and pulling out what looked like a pie. “Want some?”
“Sure.” I stepped around him, and pulled two plates down from a cabinet. After grabbing forks, I moved opposite of him and pulled out a barstool.
“Your mom makes the best pies.” He cut us each a piece and plated them. “I could live off her pies.” He groaned as he pulled the fork from his lips and slowly chewed.
I laughed. I couldn’t help it. “You’re going to be grumbling about this tomorrow when you’re hitting the cardio. I know you love running.” I licked the whipped cream from my lips as Dad’s face fell.
“Why you gotta ruin it, Rils?” He pouted, and he looked just like Easton when he doesn’t get his way.
“I could ask you the same thing, Mr. Spy.” I lobbed it right back.
“Touché, Rils. Touché.” He shook his head as he scooped another bite onto his fork. “I’m gonna miss this stuff, ya know. Sneaking down here to eat sweets after your mom’s gone to bed. You won’t be here to help me hide it from her.” There was a melancholy sound to his voice.
“I’ll be back to visit so much, you won’t know I left.” I laughed, but he was right. I knew it wouldn’t take long for me to fit right in at college, and coming home would feel weird.
“Maybe.” He looked off into the darkness. “I’ll clean this up. You go ahead up to bed.” He grabbed my plate.
“Hey, Dad? Where are all my records? I need to send a copy of my immunizations to school. They lost the other ones, I think.”
“As far as I know, your mom has all of that in a drawer in the home office. It should be labeled, but I can help you look if you want.” He went to washing the plates, and placed them in the dishwasher.
“It’s ok. I got it, but thanks for the pie.” I started up the stairs, planning to head to the office on my way to my room, but decided that I’d just do it in the morning. I was tired, and my bed was calling me loud and clear.
ooooooooo
I’ve never been the one to put things off until morning, so when I woke up, and the sun was just rising, I rushed to my mom’s office. I wanted to get those records, make a copy, and mail them. I knew I could drive to the library and then drop them in the mail when I finished.
I grabbed some shorts and tee, ran a brush through my hair, and then practically ran down the hall. Everyone was still sleeping, so I made quick work of my task. I opened the file drawer, grabbed the entire folder labeled Riley, and tucked it under my arm. I rushed downstairs, left a quick note on the bar in the kitchen letting my parents know where I went, grabbed Mom’s keys and then ran outside. I wasn’t really paying attention to anything. I wanted to get this taken care of as soon as I could so I could forget about it. The idea that I might lose my spot at school was driving me nuts.
It was only a short drive to the library. Once I parked, I picked up the folder from where I’d tossed it on the seat. It wasn’t very thick. I began to leaf through the pages looking for the vaccination record from my pediatrician. I didn’t get that far before I found something that I don’t think I was supposed to ever see. The first paper in the folder was a birth certificate. It had my name listed at the top, and then my parents’ names. The one thing I didn’t understand was it stated that it was a reissue. The next sheet of paper was another birth certificate. I thought maybe it was a reprint. I know my parents have ordered copies of things that they thought they lost only to find originals after the copy is sent.
I started reading through the paper, and that’s when I saw it. Under the part where my parents’ names are supposed to be listed, they weren’t. Well, my mom’s name was there, but not Dad’s. I looked at the two copies again. The reissue said “father- Weston McKay” the original said “father- Alexander Bishop”. My head started to spin as the world I knew was about to change forever.
Chapter 13Riley
I was on autopilot at this point. I don’t remember getting out of the car. I don’t remember going into the library, or making copies. When my head finally started to catch up to my movements, I was driving back home. I’d dropped my copies in the mail for the college, and then headed straight home. I needed answers, and the only people who could give me those were
