To Be Set Free

The Taylor's house was down the main highway out of town and off the side on one of the farm roads. It was a small red brick house with a garage and a wide driveway. We pulled our two cars up to the house and I didn't move. I was paralyzed with fear.
What if they wanted nothing to do with me? What if they wanted me to stay? Maybe they were serial killers or they could be the most stand up citizens in their county.
I sighed and dropped my head into my hands. "I can't do this," I said.
I felt two hands rubbing circles on my back and I looked up to find both Jimmy and Johnny smiling down at me. "Yes you can, Ly-ly," Jimmy said. "You have all of us right behind you and we wouldn't ever let anything or anyone hurt you."
Johnny nodded. "Exactly. We've come too far for us to chicken out now. Besides," he leaned down to kiss my cheek, "I want to meet the parents of the most wonderful person I have ever met."
I grinned and looked between my two favorite people. "Alright. We will go in, but first, I think it should just be me and you two."
Zack turned around in the front seat to look at me. "Why not the rest of us?"
"Because we haven't seen eachother in over fifteen years," I explained. "I think it will be easier for them to let this sink in if there aren't eight strangers behind me."
Gena nodded. "She's right, Zacky. We'll call the others, who are waiting for us, and tell them."
Before she could pull her phone out, Brian was tapping on the driver's side window. "What's going on? Aren't we going in?" he asked when Zack had rolled down the window.
Zack shook his head. "Not all of us." He went on to tell Brian why I wanted it to only be me, Johnny and Jimmy going in there.
Brian smiled back at me. "If you're sure about this, Lizzy, we'll go look around the town and just text us when you're ready to leave."
"Thank you, Brian. We're going to go in now," I said and Johnny opened his door.
He helped me out of the car and instead of getting out on his own side, Jimmy slid across the seat and pulled himself out after us. I laughed as I watched his lanky form try to crawl out of the low car.
Jimmy stood up straight and fixed his shirt. "I win!" he shouted making a dog bark from what sounded like the backyard.
Brian got back into the car with Matt and as both vehicles pulled away, they all waved at us. I waved back then I turned around and with Jimmy and Johnny on each side, we walked up to my biological parent's front door.
I took a deep breath before I lifted my hand to press the doorbell. I could hear it chime throughout the house and soon after, I heard barking and children screaming. I looked between the faces of the two men I had come to love so much and grabbed their hands for support. I still wanted to run the other way.
I heard the door unlock and when it swung open, a small little girl maybe around the age of seven stood there and she looked exactly like I had at that age. "Mommy!" she yelled over her shoulder. "There are strangers here!"
A woman, only a few inches taller than me, came and stood behind the little girl. She had dark brown hair that was streaked here and there with gray and blue eyes that seemed to be less bright than they had been in the pictures I had seen. I wondered if it had to do with losing me.
"Can I help you?" she said, wringing her hands on a towel. She was looking the two guys with me up and down probably trying to figure out what two guys with such rockstar appearances were doing on her front porch.
Johnny cleared his throat. "Excuse me, ma'am, but are you Alice Taylor?"
She nodded. "I am. Who wants to know?"
"My name is Johnny Seward. This is Jimmy Sullivan and this beautiful young lady is Eliza Allen," he said.
Alice looked at me with wide eyes. "Eliza?" she said, opening the screen door, stepping out onto the porch and closing it behind her. She looked me up and down. "I had a daughter named Eliza. She was taken from us so long ago, but if I were to imagine what she looked like now, it would be you."
I looked down and sighed. Might as well get this over with. I brought my head back up and looked her in the eyes.
"My name is Eliza Allen, but I was born Eliza Taylor. I'm your daughter," I said and waited for her reaction.
A few moments passed before any emotion passed over her face. It was as if she were a statue. Finally, after what felt like forever, she moved and pulled me into a tight hug.
"Eliza! My baby has come home!" she shouted and when she pulled away, I saw tears flowing down her cheeks. "How is this...possible? You were taken away from us so long ago. We thought we'd never see you again."
I smiled. "Somebody found you for me and I had to come see you."
Alice nodded and opened the door, pulling me inside behind her. "Please, come in! We have so much to talk about. Your friends can come in as well."
Jimmy and Johnny smiled at me before following us into the house. It was a cozy house from what I could see and I could smell something delicious coming from the kitchen.
Alice saw us inhale deeply and she laughed. "I have honey-glazed ham in the oven," she explained.
We made our way into the living room where Alice pulled me down next to her on the couch and Johnny sat on my other side and Jimmy decided to just sit on the ground in front of us. Alice had her hand over mine and she was still smiling. "I can't believe I have my daughter back! But where have you been all these years? Where did you get that accent?"
I shrugged. "I was taken to Ireland where I've lived the last fifteen years."
I went on to tell her about my life there, my talent for learning by listening, and finally I told her about how I had ran away and ended up being taken in by my favorite band.
Twenty minutes had passed before we heard the front door open. Alice jumped up immediately and ran to the door yelling out, "Carter!"
I heard hushed speaking coming from the hallway and I turned to Johnny and rested my head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around me and held me. This experience was taking a lot out of me and it wasn't over yet.
Alice came back in the room followed by a tall man also with dark hair spotted with gray and I noticed I had his nose. He stared at me with a disbelieving look.
"What the fuck is going on here?" Carter's voice rang out and I shrank back.
Alice gasped. "Watch your language! Janie is in her room!"
The man acted as if she hadn't even spoken. "Who are you and how dare you come into my house and claim to be my daughter? Who has been dead for fifteen years!"
I stood. "But I'm not dead and I am your daughter. I was stolen from you and raised in Ireland."
"I don't fucking believe you," Carter said. "You show up here with two tattoed deadbeats and try to say you're my long lost daughter? What do you want? Money?"
Both Jimmy and Johnny stood also. "Sir," Jimmy said. "I can promise you we are not deadbeats. We are actually very successful so we don't need nor do we want your money."
Johnny nodded. "And Eliza really is your daughter. A lot of research was put into this. I mean look at her. She is the spitting image of you and your other child."
"Just listen to what she has to say, Carter," Alice said, putting her hand on his arm.
Carter looked down at her hand and then over at me. All of a sudden, it was like a switch had been flipped and his face softened. He moved to pull me into a hug. "Oh my God! Our baby girl has come back to us!"
Over the next couple of hours, we shared stories and I met my little sister, Janie. Carter and Alice invited the rest of our group over for dinner so that's what we did.
We all had a nice dinner that night with my two families. I was having such a good time, I never noticed the dark green car that had been sitting across the street all day.

Notes