you’d think I was some crazy person when I called you yesterday morning to tell you I was your long lost sister!”
She laughed. “Well I should be frank with you. The reason I wasn’t as surprised as you’d expected is because I already knew about the secret.”
“You knew?” Her words caught me by surprise.
“Yeah. When my parents passed away five years ago, I had to go through and clean up all their things. I found some papers and a letter from the hospital that said I was switched at birth.”
“Oh.” I frowned. “I’m sorry you had to find out that way.” I paused. There was a question that I really wanted to know, but I wasn’t sure if I wanted to know the answer.
“What is it?” Katherine looked at me, sensing my hesitation.
“If you knew all this time…”
“How come I didn’t come looking for you?” she finished my question.
I nodded.
“Honestly, I didn’t have the money.”
I shifted uncomfortably in my seat as her cold, matter-of-fact words sent a wave of unease down my body.
Then she smiled. “Sorry, I can be a bit blunt sometimes. But that’s the truth. When my parents died, they were underwater with their mortgage with little savings in their bank account and no other assets. I ended up spending all my savings on their funeral expenses. So when I discovered those papers and found out the truth about who I was—or who I wasn’t, looking for my estranged family wasn’t exactly on the top of my to-do list. And also, I didn’t have the money or resources to figure out who I was. I knew my name should have been Parker, but I had no idea it would be the Parker family of Parker, Inc.” She shook her head in disbelief.
“I’m so sorry to hear about your parents. I can’t imagine what you had to go through.” I felt riddled with guilt as I imagined Katherine’s family life with the one I had. While I never thought I took anything for granted, I also knew that I couldn’t even begin to comprehend how hard life must have been for Katherine. “How are you doing now…financially?” I asked tentatively.
“Not great, but I’m getting by.”
I took out my checkbook, but before I could pull out my pen, she stopped me.
“Stop. I’m not here for a hand out. I’m just happy that I finally get to know who I really am.”
“I know that. And this isn’t a hand out. You’re my sister, Katherine. This money is half yours.”
“I…”
“Please. I insist.” I scribbled out a check for $5,000 and handed it to her. “I’m not sure what’s going to happen in the next coming months, but I want to make sure you’re doing ok.”
She looked at the check, and there was an expression on her face that I couldn’t seem to read. She then looked up at me and smiled. “Thank you. That’s very generous of you.”
Her response seemed odd, but I couldn’t pin point why I thought that way, which left me feeling a sense of unease. But I quickly pushed that feeling aside and smiled back at her.
“So like I mentioned over the phone, our father is still recovery from his stroke. He’s still having issues with his memory and his ability to speak.” I looked down at the table. “I haven’t told him about you yet. I hope you don’t take it the wrong way, but I wanted to meet you first. I wanted to make sure you…were okay, and actually wanted this. I didn’t want to take the chance of breaking our father’s heart if you didn’t want to be a part of the family.”
“I understand. No worries, little sister. We have all but time.” She beamed at me, her warm smile making me forget all the worry I had been carrying around with me about how I was going to tell my father about this secret. “Now, can we stop talking about such serious things. Can we actually act like sisters?” She giggled. “We have over twenty years of that to catch up on.”
“I know!” I laughed. “We have so much to talk about. So tell me what’s going on with you! Are you married? Dating anyone?”
She laughed. “Well I should be frank with you. The reason I wasn’t as surprised as you’d expected is because I already knew about the secret.”
“You knew?” Her words caught me by surprise.
“Yeah. When my parents passed away five years ago, I had to go through and clean up all their things. I found some papers and a letter from the hospital that said I was switched at birth.”
“Oh.” I frowned. “I’m sorry you had to find out that way.” I paused. There was a question that I really wanted to know, but I wasn’t sure if I wanted to know the answer.
“What is it?” Katherine looked at me, sensing my hesitation.
“If you knew all this time…”
“How come I didn’t come looking for you?” she finished my question.
I nodded.
“Honestly, I didn’t have the money.”
I shifted uncomfortably in my seat as her cold, matter-of-fact words sent a wave of unease down my body.
Then she smiled. “Sorry, I can be a bit blunt sometimes. But that’s the truth. When my parents died, they were underwater with their mortgage with little savings in their bank account and no other assets. I ended up spending all my savings on their funeral expenses. So when I discovered those papers and found out the truth about who I was—or who I wasn’t, looking for my estranged family wasn’t exactly on the top of my to-do list. And also, I didn’t have the money or resources to figure out who I was. I knew my name should have been Parker, but I had no idea it would be the Parker family of Parker, Inc.” She shook her head in disbelief.
“I’m so sorry to hear about your parents. I can’t imagine what you had to go through.” I felt riddled with guilt as I imagined Katherine’s family life with the one I had. While I never thought I took anything for granted, I also knew that I couldn’t even begin to comprehend how hard life must have been for Katherine. “How are you doing now…financially?” I asked tentatively.
“Not great, but I’m getting by.”
I took out my checkbook, but before I could pull out my pen, she stopped me.
“Stop. I’m not here for a hand out. I’m just happy that I finally get to know who I really am.”
“I know that. And this isn’t a hand out. You’re my sister, Katherine. This money is half yours.”
“I…”
“Please. I insist.” I scribbled out a check for $5,000 and handed it to her. “I’m not sure what’s going to happen in the next coming months, but I want to make sure you’re doing ok.”
She looked at the check, and there was an expression on her face that I couldn’t seem to read. She then looked up at me and smiled. “Thank you. That’s very generous of you.”
Her response seemed odd, but I couldn’t pin point why I thought that way, which left me feeling a sense of unease. But I quickly pushed that feeling aside and smiled back at her.
“So like I mentioned over the phone, our father is still recovery from his stroke. He’s still having issues with his memory and his ability to speak.” I looked down at the table. “I haven’t told him about you yet. I hope you don’t take it the wrong way, but I wanted to meet you first. I wanted to make sure you…were okay, and actually wanted this. I didn’t want to take the chance of breaking our father’s heart if you didn’t want to be a part of the family.”
“I understand. No worries, little sister. We have all but time.” She beamed at me, her warm smile making me forget all the worry I had been carrying around with me about how I was going to tell my father about this secret. “Now, can we stop talking about such serious things. Can we actually act like sisters?” She giggled. “We have over twenty years of that to catch up on.”
“I know!” I laughed. “We have so much to talk about. So tell me what’s going on with you! Are you married? Dating anyone?”
Similar Books
