"Hello? Hey? Are you ok?" the words sounded far away and Eli's vision was blurred. He suddenly realized his eyes felt extremely dry. Had he been staring at this kid like a deer in headlights? He blinked a few times and the kid's face came back into focus.
"I'm sorry, there must be some kind of mistake. I don't have a son." the words came tumbling from Eli's mouth before he really knew anything about anything. All there was, was confusion.
"You are Eli Goldsworthy, right? You look just like the picture my mom gave me." Adam looked down and presented a worn photo. He now seemed less confident and was unable to make contact with his potential father.
It was a photo of Eli and Clare together, at prom his senior year. She wore that purple dress that suited her perfectly and fit like a glove and he had on that ridiculous prince outfit that he used to try to win her back, and they both had lopsided crowns fixed to their heads. That seemed lifetimes ago now.
"How'd you get this? Is Clare Edwards your mother?" Eli asked, unable to look away from the photo.
"My mom gave it to me, along with this letter, addressed to you, before she…before she passed." Adam's shaky hands produced an envelope with Eli's name scrawled on it in green ink. Green like Eli's eyes.
Eli took the letter and began reading it before he could even begin to process Adam's words.
Eli-
I'm sorry for the shock you must be getting as you receive this letter. Adam is your son. I tried to tell you that he was yours when I was pregnant, and that I was mistaken about Drew being the father, but you hurt me in a way that I didn't think I could forgive, so I thought it would be best for everyone if I just raised Adam on my own. I eventually made the decision that I would pass along this photo to him and allow him to make the decision about meeting his father when he turned 18. Then I got sick again. If you're reading this, it means I didn't beat the cancer this time around and Adam came to find you on his own. Regardless of how you choose to approach this, just please be gentle with him. He has the most tender heart, much like another boy I once knew. He is my most precious treasure.
Yours,
Clare
What did all of this mean? The cancer came back? Clare's gone? And I have a son? Eli turned and sat on his sofa, leaving the door open with Adam standing in the open doorway.
"Do you mind if I…?" Adam asked softly, feeling unsure of how to approach the situation. He only just recently found out who his dad was, and now he had to deal with the aftermath of Eli finding out that Clare was gone. Neither of them was the least bit prepared.
"Huh? Oh…yeah, I guess." Eli vaguely motioned his hand to wave him inside.