Disclaimer: All characters, etc., belong to their owners...yep...just wrote this story here.
Chapter 4: And So, the Clouds Begin to Gather
Rob walked up Caitlyn's porch on Sunday. He felt anxious because he really wanted to know what Lucy had said about him. He rang the doorbell and bounced on the balls of his feet. Caitlyn answered the door, not at all surprised to see Rob standing there.
"And what did you want on this beautiful Sunday morning?" Caitlyn asked.
"I was hoping you had something to tell me," said Rob.
"Well, I kinda do." She walked out onto the porch.
"What'd she say?" Rob asked.
"Well, you get right to the point, don't you?"
"Please, Caitlyn?"
"She thinks you're cute."
"Really?"
"Yeah, but so does the rest of the female population at Belleview."
"That means I have a chance, though."
"You have a point there," she replied, smiling.
"I hear you're going to Homecoming with Matt."
"Oh, yeah. I didn't know if anyone else would ask, so I said I'd go with him."
"I see," said Rob. "Well, good to know. I have to be getting home now. Drake was on my case about being home on time today. I don't know why, but it sounded important. I'll be eighteen soon, then he'll be off my back. I can't wait."
"What are you going to do after you graduate?"
"I don't know," said Rob. "I don't know what to do with my life. I don't have real parents to point me in the right direction."
"How can you not consider Drake and Christine your parents?" Caitlyn asked. Her tone was a bit harsh.
"I knew my real parents. My mom left, and my dad died. I still knew them both. Drake and Christine have just taken care of me. Drake's my brother. He's done a good job, but I...I just don't know if they're real parents or not."
"What about Christine?"
"She loves Drake. I always assumed that's why she helped take care of me."
"I highly doubt that's the only reason," said Caitlyn.
"I'll never know," said Rob. "I'll probably take off as soon as I graduate. I really don't have any family here. Drake's only my half brother. Sure he's taken care of me all these years, but I need to know who my real family is."
"I think you're being ridiculous," said Caitlyn. "Your real family is the one that loves you."
"Right. I've thought about it. Maybe Drake felt obligated to take me. I told him I wanted him to after all. My dad left it in his will, but my mom could have easily said no. I don't know why she didn't."
"I'm sure she had her reasons," said Caitlyn. She was growing annoyed with Rob. He couldn't figure out why. She started to sound bitter. "If Drake and Christine want you home on time, you should probably go."
"Okay," said Rob, without a clue as to what he said that could have upset her. "See you later."
Rob walked inside the house to find Drake and Christine both sitting in the living room. Angela wasn't there.
"Where's Angela?" he asked.
"Still with her grandparents," said Drake. "Right now we have to talk to you."
"Okay," said Rob, sitting down.
Drake paced the living room for a moment. He was clutching an envelope in his hand.
"About a week ago, a letter came in the mail," Drake began.
"Okay," said Rob.
"I wasn't sure what to do or what to say. It's been a long time, and..." Drake sighed. This was hard. He forgot everything he planned on saying to Rob and just held the envelope out to him.
Rob carefully took the envelope. It was addressed to him. He looked at the return address. It was from New York. He felt his palms grow sweaty as he stared at the address. It couldn't be. He didn't want to look at the top line of the return address. It would only confirm who he thought it was. He didn't want this conflict. It would be too much his senior year of high school. He finally read the name.
Sylvia Parker. Yes, he was right. It was his mother. She had been widowed before a divorce happened. She kept the name Parker, apparently. Maybe it was because she felt terrible that Ford's first heart attack was partially her fault, and he'd died before they could come to any closure in the family. Perhaps she just felt guilty.
"We don't know why she's writing to you now," said Drake. "It was just in the mail."
"Do you want to read it?" Christine asked.
Rob stared at the envelope. Christine had asked a question he didn't know the answer to but he was glad she asked. It meant he had a choice in the matter. He wondered if he should open it. The amount of time it took her to write to him seemed like too much. However, maybe he needed to read it. Maybe there would be things in this letter that would make him feel better about everything that had happened. He was scared, but he knew what he wanted to do.
Rob carefully tore open the envelope. He tugged the sheet of paper out and unfolded it. He began to read. As he read, he couldn't imagine why she'd wait until now to write. She soon began to explain that she knew it had been a long time, but she knew he was growing up and wanted to know how he had turned out. Rob sighed at that. She'd never asked about him before now, had she? He knew Drake or Christine must have written to her a few times to let her know how his grades were, but other than that, Rob had no contact with her at all.
"She wants to see me," he finally said. "She wants me to go to New York for the summer after I graduate."
Christine shifted uneasily.
"Well," said Drake. "What do you want to do?"
"I don't know. I need some time to think about it."
"Right," said Drake. "Take as long as you need."
"Thanks," Rob said, as he folded the letter and put it back in the envelope. He went up to his room to wonder about Caitlyn, Lucy, and his mother.
"What if he wants to go?" Christine asked.
"I don't know. He'll be eighteen by then. It'd be too hard to tell him what to do," Drake replied.
"I'm sure he'll choose what's best," said Christine. "I'm going to go pick up Angela. I'll be back soon."
Christine left, leaving Drake sitting on the sofa to ponder his thoughts. Would Rob go see Sylvia? It had been a long time, but Drake had gone to see Ford after that long, and he hadn't even been invited. Did Rob want answers? But what could Rob possibly want answers to? Hadn't Drake told him enough about the adoption? Hadn't he understood at the time? What was left?
Rob paced his bedroom. This was all too strange. His mother wanted to see him? He knew what he wanted to know. Why hadn't she bothered to take him when his father died? Why had she let Drake, who was only twenty at the time, adopt him? Why?
Rob wanted the answers, but he didn't know whether he should go see her or not. It wasn't like she had tried to be a part of his life in the past. And she wanted to see how he turned out? What did she expect? And would she answer all his questions? She seemed to be avoiding him for most of his life. What was up with that? Rob shook his head. He had a long time to decide this, and he wasn't going to rush it. He'd make his decision after he thought about it for a while.
But now Rob had other things on his mind. Number one, asking Lucy to the dance. Number two, finding out why Caitlyn got upset with him that morning. He opted to figure out the latter now. He picked up the phone and dialed Caitlyn's number. After three rings, she answered.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Caitlyn, it's Rob..."
"What is it?"
"What is with you?"
"Nothing."
"You were angry at me this morning."
"It's nothing. Don't worry about it."
"But..."
"Just forget it."
"Fine," said Rob. There was no use arguing with her.
"What did Drake and Christine want?"
"My mom wrote me a letter."
"Now?"
"Yes, and she wants me to go to New York this summer."
"Why?"
"I don't know. Her letter said something about wanting to see how I turned out. She hasn't spoken, written, or emailed in years, and she wants to see me now. I don't understand."
"Do you understand what I mean now by the family that loves you?"
"Would you get off my case about that? They took care of me, yes. They loved me, yes, but are they seriously my family? I know who my real parents are."
"I quit," said Caitlyn and hung up her phone.
Rob stared at his phone, wearing a shocked expression. What was her deal? Then again, maybe he shouldn't have snapped at her. She was only asking a question, but she seemed to take it offensively when he responded. Then guilt began to set in. She had just done him a favor by talking to Lucy because he was too much of a coward to do it himself. Rob sighed. He had no idea what to do. He knew there was one person who could deal with women: Drake.
Rob made his way downstairs and walked toward Drake, who seemed to be deep in thought.
"Uh, Drake," said Rob.
"Huh?" Drake responded, emerging from his thoughts.
"I needed some help."
"With what?"
"A girl."
"Oh. What do you need?"
"Well, Caitlyn's kind of mad at me."
"What'd you do?"
"I don't know."
"Okay, that sounds about right."
"We were just talking about—family—and she got upset with me. I don't know what to do to make up with her. I mean, she did me a favor while I was gone, and I feel bad now."
"Well, women are complicated like that."
"I've noticed. Could you please explain to me how one manages to make nice with their friend who just happens to be a girl?"
"That is one department I don't have much experience in. You forget that basically the only girl I really ever had for a friend was Christine. Maybe flowers. I don't know. I did that once. She was dating someone else too. Oh, that felt good to do."
"Uh, Drake. Caitlyn's allergic."
"What?"
"She can't handle pollen."
"Uh, well, then I'm not sure. Try renting a movie you both like or something. Something funny. That's always fun. And you make the snacks. Show her you want to do something for her."
"That's actually a good idea," said Rob.
"Actually?" Drake asked.
"Yeah, sure. Uh, just how many times did you and Christine argue when you were friends?"
"Oh, I don't know. Maybe one or two major arguments. There were some little ones that didn't matter much too."
"It must be worse with a marriage."
"Well, that all depends..."
"DRAKE! YOU SAID YOU'D TAKE THESE NEWSPAPERS TO BE RECYCLED FRIDAY! WHY ARE THEY STILL IN THE GARAGE? I CAN'T HAVE THEM IN HERE ANOTHER WEEK!"
"...on whether or not you remember your chores...Christine, I'm sorry. I know what I said..." Drake got up to go explain about the stacks of newspapers that were making it nearly impossible to park in the garage. Rob shook his head, laughing, as Angela skipped through the room.
"Why is Mommy yelling at Daddy?" she asked.
"Because he didn't do what he said he'd do."
"Did he promise?"
"I guess so," said Rob.
"DADDY!" Angela yelled, heading toward her parents. "YOU SHOULDN'T BREAK YOUR PROMISES TO MOMMY!"
Rob fell backward on the couch, laughing.