Sweet Child of Mine
Familiar Faces
"Dad, are you coming to the open house with Mom and me?" Joseph asks me one morning.
"For your middle school? That's tonight?" I ask still slightly asleep.
"Yeah, tonight at seven."
"Uh sure," I say messing up his hair. "Jeez, kid you're already starting middle school."
"Yeah, I'm going to get me some high school girls next door."
"You keep dreaming, they're looking at college guys kid," I say laughing.
"Well just wait till they see how gorgeous I am."
"You keep thinking that when you're shoved into a locker," I chuckle.
"Shut-up," he mutters as he walks to his room.
At the school we head into the auditorium for the orientation speech then are split into groups to tour the school. The person giving our group the tour looked strangely familiar. "Hello my name is Amanda Calico, and I'll be showing you around Oakland Private Middle School," she says in a friendly voice.
"Excuse me," I say recognizing her last name. "Is your father's name Thomas?"
"No he's my uncle. Why, do you know him?" she asks quizzically.
"Uh yeah, he went to high school with me," I say in slight shock of who I'm talking to. Adrienne doesn't seem to notice the girl's last name and we continue on with the tour.
We end the tour in the cafeteria where everyone gets themselves a cup of coffee. I on the other hand am intrigued to talk to Amanda. "You said your uncle is Thomas Calico."
"That's right," she says casually.
"So that means your mother must be Erin."
"Yeah, you know her too."
"Uh yeah," I say nervously. "You look too old to be in middle school."
"You're right, I'm sixteen. I go to the Oakland Private High School, it's next door."
"Oh okay," I say walking back towards Adie.
"She's my daughter," I say quietly.
"Yeah, she could be dark curly hair, green eyes," she says laughing.
"I'm serious. She's Erin's daughter."
"But didn't Erin have an abortion?" she says glancing at Amanda.
"That's what I thought," I say looking away.
"She can't be your's."
"She's the right age, the right mother, and for god's sake her eyes!" I say hiss.
"Hey Dad, can we leave now?" Joseph asks walking up to us.
"Yeah sure," I say distracted.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing," Adie says glancing back at Amanda.
"So what are you going to do?" Adie asks later in the evening, once the boys are asleep.
"I don't know. I guess I'll find Erin and talk to her before spilling all to Amanda."
"Yeah, I guess. But what if Erin doesn't want you to know your daughter?"
"I don't know. I just don't know. Until this evening I thought she was dead," I say in distress.
"I know," Adie says as she kisses me gently.
"For your middle school? That's tonight?" I ask still slightly asleep.
"Yeah, tonight at seven."
"Uh sure," I say messing up his hair. "Jeez, kid you're already starting middle school."
"Yeah, I'm going to get me some high school girls next door."
"You keep dreaming, they're looking at college guys kid," I say laughing.
"Well just wait till they see how gorgeous I am."
"You keep thinking that when you're shoved into a locker," I chuckle.
"Shut-up," he mutters as he walks to his room.
At the school we head into the auditorium for the orientation speech then are split into groups to tour the school. The person giving our group the tour looked strangely familiar. "Hello my name is Amanda Calico, and I'll be showing you around Oakland Private Middle School," she says in a friendly voice.
"Excuse me," I say recognizing her last name. "Is your father's name Thomas?"
"No he's my uncle. Why, do you know him?" she asks quizzically.
"Uh yeah, he went to high school with me," I say in slight shock of who I'm talking to. Adrienne doesn't seem to notice the girl's last name and we continue on with the tour.
We end the tour in the cafeteria where everyone gets themselves a cup of coffee. I on the other hand am intrigued to talk to Amanda. "You said your uncle is Thomas Calico."
"That's right," she says casually.
"So that means your mother must be Erin."
"Yeah, you know her too."
"Uh yeah," I say nervously. "You look too old to be in middle school."
"You're right, I'm sixteen. I go to the Oakland Private High School, it's next door."
"Oh okay," I say walking back towards Adie.
"She's my daughter," I say quietly.
"Yeah, she could be dark curly hair, green eyes," she says laughing.
"I'm serious. She's Erin's daughter."
"But didn't Erin have an abortion?" she says glancing at Amanda.
"That's what I thought," I say looking away.
"She can't be your's."
"She's the right age, the right mother, and for god's sake her eyes!" I say hiss.
"Hey Dad, can we leave now?" Joseph asks walking up to us.
"Yeah sure," I say distracted.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing," Adie says glancing back at Amanda.
"So what are you going to do?" Adie asks later in the evening, once the boys are asleep.
"I don't know. I guess I'll find Erin and talk to her before spilling all to Amanda."
"Yeah, I guess. But what if Erin doesn't want you to know your daughter?"
"I don't know. I just don't know. Until this evening I thought she was dead," I say in distress.
"I know," Adie says as she kisses me gently.