Chapter 1-Letters.
Year One (Collin, Delilah, Marie)
Kaleigh walked down the hall into her bedroom, she looked to little Delilah who was shaking her pink polka dot rattle. Kaleigh smiled, next to Delilah were the several unopened letters that she had received from her fathers funeral a year ago. They were all from her father and they were all addressed to her, the only problem was... that Kaleigh hadn't read any of them yet.
Kaleigh picked one of the letters up, she sat on her bed watching Delilah, should she open the letters? Should she read the letters that have been haunting her for months? What if the letters told her something horrible about her father? But then again what if the letters told her something wonderful?
Kaleigh held her breath, she tore open the envelope of the letter that she was holding . She hesitated, did she really want to read this? Yes. She had to. After all the letters were addressed to her, there was no harm in opening them.
She took the letter, she glanced down at the folded up piece of paper, she held her breath. Kaleigh looked at the letter it read:
My Dearest Kaleigh,
I want you to understand that before I tell you a secret that is very life changing, that I wanted to tell you much sooner than now, it's just complicated. Please, understand that no matter what I wanted you to know when the time was right. I'm not sure if now is even the right time. Kaleigh as you may or may not know, I was married to some one two years before your mother and I were married. Well during that period of time, I had a son, Kyle. Kaleigh I wanted to tell you in person, and the next time we meet, I will most definitely discuss this with you. Kaleigh please don't be angry, I didn't know how to tell you. Please, I beg you to forgive me.
With Love Always,
Daddy
Kaleigh looked up from the letter tears in her eyes. She was crying for a number of reasons. One reason because she had an older brother that she hadn't known about her entire life. Anther reason was that her father wanted to discuss the issue in person, and with her father dead, that was not possible. Another reason was that the letter was from her deceased father, it was him giving his love to her, she even recognized his handwriting, she would always cherish thoses letters.
Kaleigh raced down the steps. She saw her uncle Henry, she was filled with rage. Of course, he woul'dve known about her brother. After all he was her father's brother. "How could you not have told me, "she yelled.
"What are you talking about," Henry yelled back.
"About my brother," Kaleigh yelled in anger, "I know, that you've known about him. Why haven't you told me?"
Henry crossed his arms, he sighed deeply, "It wasn't my place to tell you, It was up to your father."
"Yes," Kaleigh yelled at him, "but when my father died you became my father, which meant that from that point on, it was your place to tell me."
"Kaleigh," sighed Henry, "your father only passed away a year ago, and that was a difficult year for you, I didn't want to give you any more bad news."
"Bad news," aksed Kaleigh, "How is that bad news?"
"Because," sighed Henry, " your brother lives with his mother, and we don't know where that is, the only person who did was your father."
Kaleigh sighed, that must've been part of what her father would've spoken to her about when he visited. Kaleigh raced back up stairs to her room. She opened all of the letters that her father had written to her, and all of them had been about her brother, Kyle. There was the one letter, that told her exactly where Kyle was. Kaleigh sighed, this was something that she had to do.
Kaleigh raced down her steps again, she was about to dial Shawn's number when she stopped, Shawn probably knew about Kyle too, so instead she called Joe.
Joe answered his cell phone, "Kaleigh?"
"Joe, I need a favor," said Kaleigh, "can you pick me up?"
"It depends," said Joe, "does the favor, involve a bug?"
"No," said Kaleigh.
"Then fire away," sighed Joe, "what's the favor?"
"I need you to pick me up," demanded Kaleigh, "I need you to drive me somewhere."
"Sure," sighed Joe, "I'll be right there."
"Great," sighed Kaleigh as she hung up the phone.
Joe arrived there about fifteen minutes late, "Hey, where are we going?"
Kaleigh showed Joe the address scribbled in the letter that her father had sent her. "Who are we going to visit?"
"A family member," Kaleigh explained to Joe.
Joe shrugged, "Alright, get in the car."
Kaleigh agreed, as she hopped into Joe's car.
Joe also entered the car, he checked the mirrors and everything, Joe turned to Kaleigh, "If this is a family member, how come Henry or Shawn aren't driving you?"
Kaleigh bit her lip, "because," she reached into her wallet, "I'm paying you not to tell them," she handed Joe fifty dollars.
"Works for me," sighed Joe as he pulled out of the driveway, "So why don't you want Henry and Shawn to know?"
"Because," Kaleigh sighed, "It's important that I'd be the only family member there when I meet him."
Joe stopped the car with a screech, "You mean, you haven't met this family member before!"
"Yeah, that's what I mean," yelled Kaleigh, "now drive, you're gonna cause an accident!"
"I really think, that if you're going to meet a new family member that another family member should be there," Joe insisted to Kaleigh.
"Right," sighed Kaleigh, "and I think I'm taking my money back and getting out of the car unless you start driving again."
Joe sighed as he started driving again, "I'm just saying, I don't think that you should be doing this alone, and that you should be with another family member... that you have met before."
Kaleigh sighed, "you also think that all bugs should be extinct, both of those ideas are unrealistic, so let's get realistic."
Joe sighed. They rode in silence on the way to the house. When they arrived at the house, Joe turned to Kaleigh, "are you sure that you want to do this?"
"Positive," sighed Kaleigh as she got out of the car.