To Be or Not To Be
by AJ
Zoey came into her mother's office and wedged her way in between Jed and
Abbey on the couch, the way she used to do as a little kid. She smiled and
put one arm around each parent. "So. . ."
"What's up?" Jed asked.
"I need help for my homework assignment."
"Oh?" Abbey raised a brow at her daughter.
"Yeah," Zoey responded.
"And what kind of homework assignment is this? And why can't you do it by
yourself?"
"Well Dad," Zoey turned to her right to face her father. "The assignment is
for my French class. I have to get some of my baby pictures, as well as
Elizabeth's and Vikki's. Then I have to, in French, describe what each of us
looked like. And then, in class, by reading the descriptions, my partner is
supposed to be able to pick out which is me, which is Elizabeth, and which is
Vikki." Zoey informed her father. "The problem is, I can't find any baby
pictures."
"You can't find any baby pictures?" Jed asked, giving a careful eye to his
wife.
"No," Zoey sighed. "So, are they in storage in New Hampshire? Or what? I
really need to do this, Dad."
Jed's look to his wife grew a little bit more uncomfortable.
Abbey returned the look, then spoke softly, "Zoey, sweetie, we have something
to tell you."
Zoey turned from her right to her left, so that she could look at her mother
as Abbey spoke. "Tell me what?" she asked.
"Well. . ." Abbey paused, trying to come up with a way to say this. It had
been so difficult to tell her other two children. And even more difficult to
get them to not tell Zoey.
"Well what?"
"What your mother is trying to say is. . ." Jed interrupted, but found that
he couldn't say it. He was always a weakling on this kind of stuff. That's
what he had Abbey for.
"Okay, guys. Come on, tell me."
Abbey took a deep breath. "You were adopted."
"Yeah, right. Very funny Mom."
"Your mother is telling the truth," Jed said.
"What?!" Zoey turned to face her father.
"She's telling the truth. Elizabeth, Vikki, and you were all adopted."
"What?" Zoey moved her head from side to side looking at both her parents.
"You were adopted."
For a very long time Zoey was absolutely quiet. When she finally spoke, she
muttered to herself, "Okay, this is unbelievable. How do I not know for
nineteen years that I was adopted? How do you not tell me for nineteen
years?!"
"Zoey-"
"No! Don't Zoey me! How do you not tell me that I was adopted?"
"Sweetie," Abbey said softly.
Zoey jumped off the couch and ran out of her *mother's* office.
TBC. . .