GORDO
I started outside after school that day intending to walk home, when a black F-250 pulled up in front of the school with the window rolled down. In it sat Luke.
"Hop in, Davie," he said smiling. I semi-reluctantly obeyed. I didn't really want to be with him, but since he was here already, I decided to come along.
"You didn't have to pick me up," I told him as I put my backpack down by my feet and he rolled out of the parking lot. "I could have walked."
"I wanted to, though. I've been bored all day. But you'll have to tell me how to get back to your house."
"Straight, then left at the 3rd light."
"That's it?"
"Basically, yeah."
Luke shook his head. "It took me an hour to find your school."
I smiled half-heartedly, still uncomfortable around my new "brother."
"So, look, I was thinking we could do something later."
"Like what?"
He shrugged. "Whatever. Movie, bowling, baseball game, fishing…"
"Sure."
Luke pulled the truck into a gas station and parked. Then he turned to look at me. "Listen, I know that you feel weird around me, and I kinda feel weird around you, too, but I'd really like to tear down this wall. It'll be strange, but…"
"It's not just you," I said, kind of surprised at myself for opening up. "It's mom. I never thought she'd, well… you know."
"Yeah. Sometimes I used to feel low thinking that I was a mistake. She got kicked out of high school for me, you know."
I raised an eyebrow. I hadn't known that. "Really?"
He nodded. "I find myself thinking sometimes that it's my fault, that I'm just one big problem, but…" He paused. "It's tough, isn't it? There's nothing that you or me can really do about this. It's just all between my parents. And, well, I've never seen my dad, so I guess mom's the one that counts. And if she's sorry, then there's nothing else that can be done."
"Maybe, but she still could have told me."
"She was going to, really. She told me. But that was before she got pregnant, before I planned on coming to see the baby. I guess I didn't give her much of a chance to tell you… I called right before I left."
I was beginning to feel a little more comfortable around Luke. Even interested. Like he was telling a really good story. Only, this was real.
"If you don't mind me asking, how did you get separated from her when I was born?"
"We were separated before you were born, actually. When I was 7 she gave me the whole "I love you but I can't care for you while I'm in college" thing, so she put me up for foster care. No one ever took me, so when I turned 18 they cut me loose."
"You must've been sunk."
"No, actually. You'd be surprised at how well I took it. I understood that something was wrong and it was impossible for her to keep me even though she wanted to. And I understood that she loved me. We kept in touch, too. Snail mail, phone, later on e-mail. She's kinda like my pen pal. We talk on the internet a lot. IM, stuff like that."
"So… why did you pull into a gas station to tell me this?"
" 'Cause I can't hug my little brother on the road." That said, he reached over and hugged me, and I returned it. I didn't feel bitter or awkward anymore, I felt… grateful.
"This baby's gonna be a weird addition to us kids, though," he said. "I'm 10 some years older than you, you're 13 years older than him, so it'll be quite a stretch."
"I'll say," I agreed. "So… baseball game this weekend?"
"You bet."
~*~
Dad rushed out to where Luke, Lizzie, Miranda, and I were sitting. "It's a girl!" he announced. "In perfect health! 8lbs, 7oz!"
"Can we see her?" Luke asked. Dad nodded and led the 4 of us into the delivery room where mom was holding the baby. I couldn't help but feel a warm feeling at seeing my lovely sister's face. She was beautiful.
"What's her name?" Miranda asked.
"I don't know," my mom replied. "Any suggestions?"
Lizzie smiled. "Michael."
"Too bad we can't name her that," I said.
Mom looked at me. "Why not? I think it's a lovely name."
"I was only joking," Lizzie said. "Michael was what we wanted to name her if she was a boy."
"All we have to do is switch the letters around a bit. Everyone, meet Michelle Anne Gordon."
THE END!
A/N: this chap. was written for Cassie Johnson. She knows why! =)