"Leslie you are 17 years old it is time to grow up!" My drunk dad
called. I screamed slamming my door shut and running to my bed. I
cried into my pillow. I watched out my window a my drunk dad drove
down the street. Well he isn't the smartest person. I wiped off my
face and went into the office. I left my laptop upstairs so I decided
to use my dad's. I set the laptop down on the desk when I tripped over
a wire causing a file cabinet to spill everywhere. Great, I am not
supposed to touch dad's stuff I quickly picked up the papers and
started organizing them back into the files. I picked up the last
paper when I found two pictures stuck together. I put the paper in the
cabnit and began to examine the photos. One photo was of my uncle
Joshua Uley, holding a baby in his hands at the hospital. I turned the
picture over and read the back. "Joshua and his Boy, Sam Uley." I
never knew Joshua had a child. I began to examine the next photo. It
was dad holding two babies in his hand a happy women smiling behind
him. I looked at the back, "Twins! Caleb Call with his twins Embry
Call and Leslie Call."
I couldn't think straight I had a brother. No I had a twin! Tears
began to escape down my face. How could dad keep this from me I didn't
even know about my uncle having a child? Someone knocked on the front
door. I quickly folded up the photos stuck them in my back pocket and
closed the filing cabinet. I ran to the door and opened it. Victor, a
great friend of mine, walked inside and I shut the door behind him. He
noticed the tears on my face and opened his arms for me. I ran into
them and buried my face in his neck and began crying harder.
"Leslie, What is wrong?" Victor asked. He was running his hand over
the back of my head and making small calming circles on my back with
his other.
"Victor, I can't do this I cannot continue living life not knowing
anything about my family or my mother." I cried. Victor walked me to
the couch he sat down and pulled me into his lap.
"You know your mom wanted abortion at least be thankful that your dad
talked her out of it." Victor said. I pulled my head up and looked at
him.
"Victor I not saying I am going to forgive her I at least have to meet
my twin or even just my cousin just someone who can give me answers."
I said to him wiping my face with the back of my hand.
"Twins? Cousin?" Victor asked confused. I pulled out the pictures and
began to explain to him everything. I knew there was something my dad
was keeping from me whenever I ask him about my mother or family he
tells me the same old story. "Your mother is a slut you are glad I
was their to talk her out of abortion. Your family is full of bitches
and bastards just like your mom not much to them but shit and hell."
"Look Victor I understand if you don't want me to go. Yes, I know it
is wrong but I need to do this please?" I cried on his chest. He made
calming circles on my back with his hand.
"I am not going to stop you. But I am going with you." To be honest I
did want a friend to go with me and Victor is my only friend. His mom
died in a car crash. He lives with his grandma becaue his dad works
full days and he did not want Victor to have to be alone. I wish my
dad was like that a dad to hold me tells me he loves me and cares for
me.
"Fine." I said jumping up off his lap and on my feet. "Tonight after
sun down, wait in my truck, on the side of my house. I will sneak out
of my window whenever the coast is clear." Victor got up and hugged
me.
"I will be there." Victor said when he hugged me. He let go of me and
exited out the front door. I ran to my room and began to pack
everything I needed. I charged up my phone and sat down to write my
dad a note.
"Dad
There is too much I don't know about my family. I am
sorry that I am leaving you like this but I have to do it. I think it
will even help me machure and grow up if I figure out the missing
puzzle pieces. Please don't come after me, I will call you if anything
goes wrong. Please don't be mad at me. Victor is coming with me. Do
not be mad at him either. He I doing this for me. Thank you.
Leslie"
I tapped that note to the front of my door. I grabbed my two duffle
bags, my purse, and stuck my phone in my pocket before shutting my
door and crawling out my window. Victor was waiting in m truck. I
threw my backs in the back and hoped in. Victor was driving I keep my
key in the ignition.
"Ready?" Victor asked. He turned the key and started the engine.
"Wait!" I screamed. I was remembering a shoe box full of stuff under
my dad's bed. I ran out of the car jumped back through my widow ran
through my house into my dad's bedroom. My dad's bedroom smells like
alcohol and cigars. There was beer stains everywhere. I reached under
his bed, grabbed the box and ran back to my room slammed my door,
crawled out the window and ran back into the truck. I nodded at Victor
and he began to drive.
"So what's in the box?" Victor asked looking at the shoe box in my lap.
"I don't know. Should I look?" I asked.
"I think you should." Victor said I slowly took off the lid and found
it full of old papers and photos. Most the photos were of my dad in
high school, he was tall and muscular. In all the photos was the same
women. I began to make a stack on the middle seat of pictures with
this lady and the pictures with ought. When I finished only 2 of the
photos did not have her in them.
"Victor do I look anything like her?" I asked showing victor a picture
of the girl. Victor looked at my face closely before examining the
photo.
"No. You look nothing like her. Haven't you seen a picture of your mom
before?" I shook my head and snatched the picture from him. I have
never seen a picture of my mom before I never asked to. I figured if
you just take every feature I have from dad and take it away then I
will be a model of my mother. I examined the lady. She had a perfect
skin complexion, not one pimple. Her face was heart shape mine is oval
like my father's but it was not to oval. My dad always aid I have my
mother's eyes. My eyes are blue green hazel hers are a beautiful
chocolate brown. I gave up throwing the picture and continuing to
search through the box. I found a funeral invitation for Leslie Marie
Ann with a picture of the mysterious girl as the background. Who is
this Lady? Why is she so important I had to be named after her? Yes
that is right Ann is my middle name. Leslie Ann Call. I found an
envelope that was titled and dated over 12 years ago. "To my son." It
was written in my dad's hand writing. If I do find my twin do I give
him the letter? I am so confused. I also found my birth certificate
all folded together with Embry Jace Call's. In the spot my mom signed
it read Lauren Johnson, as her name.
I put everything back into the box. I placed the box on the ground. I
moved to the middle seat put my head in Victor's lap and put my legs
up on the seat I was just in. Victor rubbed my back before the music.
"Don't worry Leslie." He said calmly paying attention to the road
again. The drive to La Push from Vancouver was a little over an hour
and a half. I enjoyed the quiet of being able to think with ought
someone to interrupt me. I was safe in the hold of Victor. Victor
parked the truck at a motel once we entered La Push reservation. Me
and Victor grabbed our bags and went inside to book a room. The lady
at the desk handed us our room key and we followed the map she gave us
outside and up the stairs to room 107. It had one room and one
bathroom. In the room fit too twin beds. I began to open my duffels
and un-pack my stuff. I placed my tooth brush next to the sink and was
about to exit the bathroom when I ran into Victor, was he like made
out of cement? Victor caught me and hugged me tight; he dragged me to
my bed that I crawled into.
I pulled the covers up to my chin and closed my eyes. Victor came over
and caressed my face kissing my forehead. "Night." He whispered laying
down in his bed acrossed from mine and turning off the light. I layed
awake for an hour or two thinking about how I was going to do all this
tomorrow. Do I just go up and say hey I am your twin nice to finally
meet you. Do I just go to Sam give him the note to give to Embry. Do I
confront my mother and then get the hell out of town. I tried to sleep
but I couldn't. I crawled out of my bed and walked over to Victor's
ever since I was little and got scare I would sneak into Victor's
house and sleep with him. I don't know why but just being in his arms
made me feels safe. I crawled into the empty space on the edge of the
bed. Victor softly laughed a little when he woke up and realied me. He
moved over giving me more room and threw his arm over me bringing me
to his chest. I put my arm on top of his and held his hand.