I knocked on the door and waited. A big dark skinned guy came to the door.

"May I help you?" He said in not an inviting voice.

"I was looking for my grandparents." He eyed me like I was going to kill him.

"Well I can't help you." He said closing the door.

"Maybe you can, my mother is Liberty." I pleaded. The door stopped mid swing.

"Liberty did not have a son." He said in a nasty tone and then closed the door in my face. Who was that? I knocked again. He whipped the door open.

"I thought I told you to leave boy."

"Actually you just said Liberty did not have a son, but she did with James." He sighed.

"Harold who's at the door?" I saw a graying lady walk up behind whom was Harold.

"Some boy claiming to be Liberty's son. It's probably another kid of James. Every one knows that boy couldn't keep to him self." I was getting angry at these people, mainly the man, who was he to soil my fathers name.

"Don't say anything bad about my father. And my mother is Liberty Van Zandt, are you the Van Zandt's or not." I said frank trying to control my anger.

"We are but Liberty's son was given up for adoption." I sighed these people were dense.

"Yeah and I have traveled from Seattle to find my parents, I found one buried six feet under. And my mother I am still trying to find." I said getting a bit exaggerated in my hand motions as I spoke.

"What is your name?"

"Samuel James Yorke. Or SJ. What ever you prefer." The man stood dumb, I guess we were related.

"You have no proof." He said looking like he was going to win this argument.

"Harold! Look at him, he is a replica of Jt. I know you have a sore spot for this boy's father but he has been dead sixteen years, I think its time to bury the hatchet. He has Liberty's eyes, not his fathers." He grumbled but moved from the door frame and up the stairs.

"Come in dear." The woman let me in and I looked around at the pale white walls, everything was pristine and in order.

"So what brings you here Sam?" I sat at the table.

"Like I said before I am on a quest to meet my parents." I said taking the offered cup. She sat across from me.

"I haven't seen Liberty for a year now. The last time I heard from her she was opening up her own business." I smiled, my mother a business woman.

"I just wanted to talk to her, meet her if possible." The old woman sighed, and I could see the gray in her hair.

"You got to realize Sam, that your mother is not the same. She loved your father with her heart and I am afraid it still lies with him. She is a lonely woman who turned into a workaholic. She gave up trying to contact you once you turned five."

"But I just want to meet her. My whole life I have wondered, why was I given away? Who my parents were? But since I came here I have had only more questions added. I have waited to meet them and now I just got to know." I saw a younger man walk in maybe late twenty's.

"Who's this mom, he looks like J.T a bit and it has been years." She sighed.

"This is your nephew Sam." He looked at me odd.

"Nephew?" He asked.

"Think sixteen years ago, a year before J.T's death." He sat down and studied me. Recognition dawned on his face.

"Your Sam." I nodded. He stood abruptly.

"Sorry, but excuse me." He walked out on the back patio.

I dialed Liberty's number, her son was here! I had to get through. It rang and finally she finally picked up.

"Daniel, it is late. Why are you calling?" Came my sisters business tone.

"Your son is in Toronto." I waited but heard nothing.

"Liberty?"

"I heard you Daniel." I sighed she was still bitter.

"Come home and meet him, you would love who he looks like." I heard her tired sigh.

"I know he looks like him." She would never say his name, hated to be reminded of him, the love she lost.

"You right, you need to get off your damn high horse and come see him. He traveled all this way to find his parents and one is six feet under. You remember James? J.T the father of your child." I was getting angry at my sister and bringing up Jt's death was a low blow.

"I remember every damn day, for a damn year. Sorry if I removed those names from my vocab. Goodbye Daniel." I sighed into the summer night as I heard the line click. She was going to see her son even if I had to drag him to her. I went back inside and looked the boy over it was a flashback.

"You got a girl Sam?" He blushed and I knew I had hit the right note to get him to talk. My parents were in my fathers office probably arguing again.

"Yeah, she is amazing." He pulled out his phone and there was a fair skinned dark brown curly haired girl but the thing that stuck out the most were her blue eyes.

"Wow. Cute one you got there." He beamed at the compliment.

"Yeah. She is back in Seattle. She is worrying I won't come home." I looked him over.

"Why's that?" He fidgeted.

"I was going to stay in Toronto for my Senior year if I haven't found my parents."

"You will see them your mother is actually closer then you think. Come with me." I led him up stairs to his mother's room that hasn't been touched. I walked over to the nightstand and saw the photo of Jt and her. It was candid of the night he died but you could see love in both their eyes. I handed it to Sam.

"This was taken on the night of your fathers death. As you can see they loved each other very much." He looked at me and I could tell he was classifying me in his mind just like Liberty did.

"Why was I given away?" He sighed and sat down on the bed.

"Liberty waited to long to tell Jt. She was five months along with you. Your grandparents didn't like Jt at all. And when they found out Liberty was pregnant they gave her an ultimatum. Be with him or them. Of course your mother wasn't going to not live without Jt even though they were separated at the time. They were still in love and Jt wanted to do everything he could for you. But he didn't make enough for your mother and he choose the wrong path after being tired and overworked. He wasn't a bad man but made a bad choice. He sold drugs to get money for the apartment your parents were going to live in. Liberty found out and told Jt to leave her alone. And they were separated for good. Later that night he went back to the drug dealer who wanted to kill him and overdosed. When Liberty saw Jt in the hospital she thought she failed him. She was so torn that she was going to lose your father over you and in that moment she realized they weren't ready. She cried and got drunk when they said you were going to move. She was a mess. The last piece she could hold of your father was gone. When at this party she told him she loved him. And Jt couldn't do that, he had failed her and hurt her so bad he didn't want it to happen again. But as she ran away from him, he knew he loved her. Went looking and ended up dead. That night your mother lost all she loved. She has been living in a shell for her life." Sam wiped at the tears and I hugged him. He looked like he had learned so much, but had so many more questions.

"I still don't get where that little girl and Mia come into the picture." I sighed it was Mia's story to tell.