hand in it. She’s taking a year off from work to dabble in it. My dad left us enough money for her to try new things.”
“That sounds great,” said Sam with just a tinge of envy in her voice. “It sounds like you two are close.”
“They were there for me when I needed them the most. Once the judge had officially cut all the red tape after I was found, and allowed them to adopt me, they were ecstatic. They officially adopted me the day I turned six, and it was a great birthday present.”
Sam’s face took on a shocked expression.
“You were abandoned?”
I could have kicked myself, after years of keeping my abandonment a secret from everyone, I had let it slip out with someone I had just met. Of course, I felt a kinship with Sam, but I still couldn’t believe I had let my guard down.
“I was found at a rest stop when I was two,” I answered uncomfortably.
“I was put in foster care when I was two,” Sam said in a voice laced with surprise.
“You were?” I asked, not quite believing her. Was Sam some kind of freak that made things up to make herself seem more interesting?
I felt myself freaking out. I couldn’t help feeling like someone was playing some kind of joke on me, first with Mark and now Sam. I would have believed that this was their idea of a good way to torment me if Sam didn’t look as surprised as I felt.
Sam must have felt the same, because she looked at me to see if I was pulling her leg. “You’re kidding me, right?”
“No, I wish I was. All of this is wigging me out,” I replied.
“Well to tell you the truth, I’m relieved. We can be freaks together,” Sam said, trying to lighten the mood.
I smiled a half smile. It was hard not to respond to Sam’s positive attitude. I had always been the glass half empty kind of person, but Sam was obviously a glass half full person.
We walked the rest of the way to my house in silence, both of us lost in the thoughts that were circling around in our heads.
By the time we reached my house, we both were sweating slightly from the short walk. I pulled open the fridge and grabbed two waters and two chocolate bars. My mom bought chocolate candy in bulk for me. I often joked that a candy bar a day, kept the doctor away. My mom had given up years ago, and as long as I brushed my teeth twice a day, she kept me stocked with chocolate.
I handed one of the bars to Sam, who was studying all the family pictures around our small house.
“My mom loves to take pictures,” I explained. “She hates photo albums though, so most of our pictures wind up in a frame, or get thrown into a box.”
“That’s me right after they found me,” I said, when I noticed Sam studying a picture of me where I was crying. My mom had told me that all I wanted to do was sleep. I never had to ask why, I already knew, he had been in my dreams, even then.
“I’m hungry,” I said, changing the subject. “Let’s order the pizza now, and listen to music upstairs while we wait for it.”
After ordering the pizza, we headed upstairs to my domain, which was more like a loft than a full upstairs. It was narrower than the space below, and consisted of my room, a bathroom, and a small sitting room between the bathroom and my room. The only other door upstairs of course, led to the hall closet that I kept mistaking as the bathroom.
“This is pretty,” Sam commented, as we settled into the chairs in the sitting area.
“Thanks. My mom and I wanted to make it a comfortable, soothing space.”
We had worked hard to create just the right look. We painted the walls a nice warm taupe that glowed when the sunlight hit them and placed bookshelves from floor to ceiling around the room for the many books we had both read over the years. In between the bookshelves we placed framed posters of some of our favorite books. The frames were made from the same tasteful wood as the bookshelves. We searched high and low for the two comfortable lazy boys that sat in the middle of the
“That sounds great,” said Sam with just a tinge of envy in her voice. “It sounds like you two are close.”
“They were there for me when I needed them the most. Once the judge had officially cut all the red tape after I was found, and allowed them to adopt me, they were ecstatic. They officially adopted me the day I turned six, and it was a great birthday present.”
Sam’s face took on a shocked expression.
“You were abandoned?”
I could have kicked myself, after years of keeping my abandonment a secret from everyone, I had let it slip out with someone I had just met. Of course, I felt a kinship with Sam, but I still couldn’t believe I had let my guard down.
“I was found at a rest stop when I was two,” I answered uncomfortably.
“I was put in foster care when I was two,” Sam said in a voice laced with surprise.
“You were?” I asked, not quite believing her. Was Sam some kind of freak that made things up to make herself seem more interesting?
I felt myself freaking out. I couldn’t help feeling like someone was playing some kind of joke on me, first with Mark and now Sam. I would have believed that this was their idea of a good way to torment me if Sam didn’t look as surprised as I felt.
Sam must have felt the same, because she looked at me to see if I was pulling her leg. “You’re kidding me, right?”
“No, I wish I was. All of this is wigging me out,” I replied.
“Well to tell you the truth, I’m relieved. We can be freaks together,” Sam said, trying to lighten the mood.
I smiled a half smile. It was hard not to respond to Sam’s positive attitude. I had always been the glass half empty kind of person, but Sam was obviously a glass half full person.
We walked the rest of the way to my house in silence, both of us lost in the thoughts that were circling around in our heads.
By the time we reached my house, we both were sweating slightly from the short walk. I pulled open the fridge and grabbed two waters and two chocolate bars. My mom bought chocolate candy in bulk for me. I often joked that a candy bar a day, kept the doctor away. My mom had given up years ago, and as long as I brushed my teeth twice a day, she kept me stocked with chocolate.
I handed one of the bars to Sam, who was studying all the family pictures around our small house.
“My mom loves to take pictures,” I explained. “She hates photo albums though, so most of our pictures wind up in a frame, or get thrown into a box.”
“That’s me right after they found me,” I said, when I noticed Sam studying a picture of me where I was crying. My mom had told me that all I wanted to do was sleep. I never had to ask why, I already knew, he had been in my dreams, even then.
“I’m hungry,” I said, changing the subject. “Let’s order the pizza now, and listen to music upstairs while we wait for it.”
After ordering the pizza, we headed upstairs to my domain, which was more like a loft than a full upstairs. It was narrower than the space below, and consisted of my room, a bathroom, and a small sitting room between the bathroom and my room. The only other door upstairs of course, led to the hall closet that I kept mistaking as the bathroom.
“This is pretty,” Sam commented, as we settled into the chairs in the sitting area.
“Thanks. My mom and I wanted to make it a comfortable, soothing space.”
We had worked hard to create just the right look. We painted the walls a nice warm taupe that glowed when the sunlight hit them and placed bookshelves from floor to ceiling around the room for the many books we had both read over the years. In between the bookshelves we placed framed posters of some of our favorite books. The frames were made from the same tasteful wood as the bookshelves. We searched high and low for the two comfortable lazy boys that sat in the middle of the
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