Lost and Found

"I wish I had tales of heartbreak," I said casually. I looked over to Marianne who stared at me, midway from placing a chip in her mouth.

"What are you talking about?" she asked, finishing placing the food in her head hole.

"Well, you know," I paused, "a lot of good stories and romances begin with heartbreak."

"You don't want heartbreak, sweetie," she laughed. "You hung out with Avenged Sevenfold last week, I think you have a good story to tell."

I took a bite of a cherry toaster strudel and chewed while I thought of what to say. "I just feel like my life is boring."

Marianne laughed. "It's not boring," she said, "it's only begun. You're going to college soon. Maybe you'll feel like something is happening then."

"I don't think so," I told her, "I'll be studying way to much to have time to do anything."

"You never know. You could meet someone or actually drink alcohol, or you know... have sex." I threw a crumb at her and scoffed.

"I have morals!"

"Very, very tight morals," she laughed, eating another chip.

"That's not funny," I said with a smirk.

"Then why are you laughing?"

"I am laughing because of how unfunny it is."

"Uh huh, sure," she laughed.

"Have you decided what you're going to do?"

Marianne shrugged, looking down at the floor. "I dunno. Don't really know what I want to do with my life. Just gonna... Wing it I guess. Danny is set on being a roadie for Avenged Sevenfold. I told him he was shit out of luck." Marianne's phone beeped and she took it our of her pocket, checking her text message. "I gotta go, Mom wants me to go grocery shopping with her."

"Okay," I told her, "I'll see you later."

“Hey, Mom,” I greeted as she stepped in the house. I’ve been sitting here watching TV and eating Toaster Strudels since Marianne left a few hours ago. It's been a boring day. Mom's been at work, earning this house some cash.

“Hey sweetie,” she replied, setting her purse down on the kitchen table. “How was your day?”

I laughed quietly. “Awesome. There’s no more Toaster Strudels. We’re gonna have to get more.”

In the type of voice that you knew she wasn't happy and she really didn't believe it, she asked, “How are they all gone? There were three boxes last night.”

“Mom… I’ve been home all day… alone… with nothing but a toaster to cook in… The pizza rolls go next.”

Her eyes widened, causing me to laugh. “You ate all three boxes?”

“I did. I’ll admit it! They were so dang delicious! What’s for dinner?”

“Not Toaster Strudels. You know how to use the microwave and stove, you even know how to cook. Make a sandwich or something.”

“Yeah, but I was too lazy. I’m doing as little as possible before school.”

Mom just laughed, shaking her head. “How did you become such a lazy and weird child? Is your dad home yet?”

“Nope,” I told her, turning my attention back to the movie, The Princess Bride. I don’t care how old it is… I love it. Wesley and Buttercup make me envious. I want a relationship like that.

“Is that movie almost over?” Mom asked.

“Yeah,” I replied absent mindedly. Wesley was fighting Prince Humperdinck, giving him the speech about ugliness while he lay in bed still paralyzed.

“After it can I watch something?” I nodded and she sat at the other end of the couch, finishing the movie with me.

As the last scene closed, I turned off the DVD player and put the movie back in its case. Mom grabbed the remote from the coffee table and started skimming through the channels.

“MOM!” I exclaimed.

“What?!”

“Turn it back! Turn it back!”

“Why?!”

I fumbled for the remote from her hands and turned it to the previous channel. The National Geographic was doing a special on women with cancer. I found interest in things a lot of people found boring.

“How’s this so interesting?” she asked.

“Because you had cancer,” I replied with a shrug.

Mom laughed, and I could picture her shaking her head again. I stared intently at the screen.

“See?” I asked, pointing to the screen. “She had uterine cancer, just like you. Even had to have the hysterectomy. How long has it been?”

“Nineteen years.” Mom said, without realizing it I'm sure. She was paying attention to the television.

“Nineteen years?" I paused. "How, if I’m seventeen.”

“It was sixteen,” she said hurriedly, trying to correct her mistake.

“Mom,” I said seriously. “Which is it?” I was silently praying that it had been sixteen years. If it was the nineteen years… that could only mean one thing and I don’t know how exactly I could cope with that.

She stayed silent for a while, the look on her face telling me she was thinking through her options. “Honey…” she paused, looking down. “It's been nineteen years. I hate to tell you this way, I was never planning to tell you... You’re adopted.”

My heart dropped as soon as those words were said. I was adopted.

In a mad rush, I jumped up and ran out the door. My mom could be heard yelling my name, telling me to come back. I ran down the street, the tears forming, but never falling. I tried not to take notice of the woman I’ve called ‘Mother’ for my whole life basically screaming my name. She wasn’t my flesh, nor my blood. I wasn’t even related to her. The family I’ve grown to know isn’t really mine. They aren’t my relatives.

Marianne’s house was the closest. I decided to go there, seeing if she had any insight. I banged on the door, hoping at least someone was home. It seemed to be forever, but finally, someone answered the door.

“Elizabeth? Are you okay? What’s wrong?” The one who answered the door was Dawn, Marianne’s older sister.

“Is Marianne here?” I asked quickly.

“Her and Danny went to Alex’s… didn’t they tell you?” she replied. I nodded. They told me earlier, and I had forgotten. I sighed, looking around nervously.

“Do you know when she’ll be back?” I quickly asked, running a hand through my dark hair.

“Uh… no. Is something wrong, Liz?” I shook my head no and burst into tears. “Here,” she said, ushering me in the door.

“Who is it?” Catie, Dawn and Marianne’s Mom called in through the kitchen.

“It’s Elizabeth, Mom,” Dawn answered. Catie came into the living room from the kitchen as she dried off her hands with a dishtowel.

“What’s wrong?”

I shook my head again. “I’d rather talk to Marianne about it, if that’s okay.”

“Okay. She said she’d be back around five. She should be here soon,” she said looking at the clock on the wall.

I nodded, sitting down on the couch next to Dawn who kept a constant soothing arm around my shoulders. After my brief but intense outburst, my crying had stopped and soon after Marianne had entered the house.

“Oh, hey, Elizabeth - what’s wrong?” I looked up at her, tears in my eyes.

“Can we talk about it in private?”

“Yeah, sure. Let’s go up to my room.”

I stood up from the couch and followed Marianne into her room down the hall. She shut the door behind us as I made my way to the bed. Marianne sat next to me and waited for me to begin. This was, after all, my story to tell.

“So… I found out I was adopted today,” I told her quietly.

Her silence didn’t take me by surprise. I looked over at her; her face full of shock. “What?”

I nodded. “Yeah. Mom finally told me after she made a mistake in counting years. You know how she had cancer?” Marianne nodded. “She’s actually had it for nineteen years.” Nothing more was said. Marianne hugged me tightly for a much needed long period of time.

Then, in basic Marianne fashion, her next words made me laugh. “Told you that you were Matt and Val’s love child. No denying it now.”

I looked at her as if she had twenty heads. Do you know what the chances of that are?”

“Highly possible.”

“No. Slim to none.”

Notes