Finding Daddy
Leaving
I decided to do it a week later in the dead of night.
I climbed out of bed where I had been pretending to be sleeping for the past five hours. Underneath my blankets I had been dressed in dark blue skinny jeans, a black tank, and a pair of black Converse. I tiptoed to my bedroom door before slowly pulling it open.
I couldn’t hear any noise besides the air conditioning softly humming.
I grabbed my large duffle bag from my closet and left my room, shutting the door silently behind myself. I tiptoed downstairs where the home office was. Every important document I could ever need was locked up in a filing cabinet. Luckily I knew where Aaron hid the key. Mom made him, just because she was afraid I would want to look at things she didn’t want me seeing.
I slid the metal into the slot before gently pulling the drawer open. I began to leaf through it until I came to a folder with my name on the label. I pulled it out before placing it on top of the cabinet. I only risked to skim the papers, afraid of the amount of time I had. Birth certificate was in there for sure. I tucked the folder under my arm before shutting the drawer and locking it again.
I took my bag and snuck off to the garage connected to the kitchen. I smiled at my 2010 Dodge Charger. It was my baby. I had saved up the money and since I live in the lovely state of Colorado, I had my driver’s license already. Mom was pretty happy about it. It just meant I could leave her alone whenever she wanted me to. That’s what sucks when your mom works at home and you don’t like her, she never leaves. I unlocked my doors before opening the back seat door and chunking in my bag. I pressed the button on my keys that opened the garage door.
I climbed into the driver’s seat before starting the engine and backing out of the garage. I knew my mother would find my letter, along with my phone, explaining my reasoning behind my leaving. I had left it right next to her wine glasses, the first thing she goes to in the morning. Once the garage door began its descent down again, I took off down the street. I had to make one stop before I could leave for California.
I pulled to a stop in front of a two-story home, lightly hitting the horn to let a short beep out. Only moments later a blue and pink haired girl strolled out of the front door with…a bag. I frowned and climbed out, walking around to meet her on the passenger side of my car. “What are you doing, Autumn?”
“Trying to get my bag into the back, but you’re getting in the way,” she replied. She huffed air up so her bangs would get out of her face, revealing her blue-grey eyes. The eyes that always had a twinkle of mischief in them. But then again, that’s one of Autumn’s famous traits.
“You’re not coming with me,” I said sternly. Autumn frowned and placed her bag at her feet before placing her hands on her hips.
“And why the hell not?” My best friend demanded. We had been friends since Kindergarten and we were practically sisters. When I had first told her my idea she claimed it was ridiculous. Something in her changed over the last few days and she was all for supporting my cause. She mentioned nothing about coming with, however.
“Because I’m already taking a lot of risks going on this thing. I don’t want to bring you into this.”
“And that’s where you’d be wrong, my dear Danny,” Autumn sang with a smile on her face. “My parents are on their anniversary honeymoon. I told them that me and a couple of friends were going on a road trip to Disneyland for a kickoff for summer. They expect me to already be gone.”
“You sly little bitch,” I laughed at my friend’s pleased look. “But are you sure?”
She scoffed, pushing me out of the way so she could place her suitcase in the backseat. “You couldn’t get rid of me when you fought Bianca last year, and you absolutely failed to get rid of me when you got that lip piercing. If you’re going on a road trip to find your long lost father, I’m coming with!”
I smiled at my friend as she slammed the back door shut and grinned at me. Autumn was definitely my best friend in the entire world. “Fine, but you and I are trading off on driving.”
“Of course! Besides, miles of highway? I could race a bitch and never get caught,” Autumn laughed as I walked around to the driver’s side of the car.
“You make me lose this thing and I’ll kill you,” I joked as we both climbed in. I then started the engine again and pulled off down the street. I pulled to a stop sign a street before I got onto the highway to open my folder. I flipped on the roof light since the one o’clock sky gave me no source of reading light. I went to the birth certificate to see a name nearly illegible on the father line.
“Holy shit, people can’t write,“ I muttered, Autumn looking over the paper in my lap. I brought the paper closer to my face in a better attempt to read it.
I think it said Matthew S., no full last name at all. Then again, they didn’t take my mother’s full last name either, just the E. So doctors in California are stupid? I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. “This might be a bit more difficult.”
“Why?” Autumn chirped.
“Because, the fucking bastards didn’t even put his last name. There could be a thousand Matthew S.‘s in California!” I exclaimed.
“But how many live in Huntington Beach?” Autumn mused. I fell silent and looked to where she was pointing on the paper. I saw Huntington Beach Mercy Hospital almost smiling up at me.
“I’m glad I let you come with me,” I laughed.
Examining the map I had taken from home, if we went down Highway 70 to Highway 15, we would end up near Los Angeles. From there we would just travel south for a while and reach the city I was born in. I nodded, pleased with myself for finding this without Autumn, before getting on the respectable highway. I cranked up my iPod nano, which was connected to my speaker system, and Papa Roach poured out.
As we sang along I thought. I realized now that I didn’t feel guilty in the least. I know I should for just randomly leaving my mother, though she wouldn’t care, with nothing but a note to signify my departure, but I wasn’t. To my defense, she should have seen it coming. She tells me nothing at all about my father and I’m left to ponder for sixteen years. It was time for my father to become a reality instead of a just a fictional character.
With that I drowned out my thoughts with music and singing with my best friend.
I climbed out of bed where I had been pretending to be sleeping for the past five hours. Underneath my blankets I had been dressed in dark blue skinny jeans, a black tank, and a pair of black Converse. I tiptoed to my bedroom door before slowly pulling it open.
I couldn’t hear any noise besides the air conditioning softly humming.
I grabbed my large duffle bag from my closet and left my room, shutting the door silently behind myself. I tiptoed downstairs where the home office was. Every important document I could ever need was locked up in a filing cabinet. Luckily I knew where Aaron hid the key. Mom made him, just because she was afraid I would want to look at things she didn’t want me seeing.
I slid the metal into the slot before gently pulling the drawer open. I began to leaf through it until I came to a folder with my name on the label. I pulled it out before placing it on top of the cabinet. I only risked to skim the papers, afraid of the amount of time I had. Birth certificate was in there for sure. I tucked the folder under my arm before shutting the drawer and locking it again.
I took my bag and snuck off to the garage connected to the kitchen. I smiled at my 2010 Dodge Charger. It was my baby. I had saved up the money and since I live in the lovely state of Colorado, I had my driver’s license already. Mom was pretty happy about it. It just meant I could leave her alone whenever she wanted me to. That’s what sucks when your mom works at home and you don’t like her, she never leaves. I unlocked my doors before opening the back seat door and chunking in my bag. I pressed the button on my keys that opened the garage door.
I climbed into the driver’s seat before starting the engine and backing out of the garage. I knew my mother would find my letter, along with my phone, explaining my reasoning behind my leaving. I had left it right next to her wine glasses, the first thing she goes to in the morning. Once the garage door began its descent down again, I took off down the street. I had to make one stop before I could leave for California.
I pulled to a stop in front of a two-story home, lightly hitting the horn to let a short beep out. Only moments later a blue and pink haired girl strolled out of the front door with…a bag. I frowned and climbed out, walking around to meet her on the passenger side of my car. “What are you doing, Autumn?”
“Trying to get my bag into the back, but you’re getting in the way,” she replied. She huffed air up so her bangs would get out of her face, revealing her blue-grey eyes. The eyes that always had a twinkle of mischief in them. But then again, that’s one of Autumn’s famous traits.
“You’re not coming with me,” I said sternly. Autumn frowned and placed her bag at her feet before placing her hands on her hips.
“And why the hell not?” My best friend demanded. We had been friends since Kindergarten and we were practically sisters. When I had first told her my idea she claimed it was ridiculous. Something in her changed over the last few days and she was all for supporting my cause. She mentioned nothing about coming with, however.
“Because I’m already taking a lot of risks going on this thing. I don’t want to bring you into this.”
“And that’s where you’d be wrong, my dear Danny,” Autumn sang with a smile on her face. “My parents are on their anniversary honeymoon. I told them that me and a couple of friends were going on a road trip to Disneyland for a kickoff for summer. They expect me to already be gone.”
“You sly little bitch,” I laughed at my friend’s pleased look. “But are you sure?”
She scoffed, pushing me out of the way so she could place her suitcase in the backseat. “You couldn’t get rid of me when you fought Bianca last year, and you absolutely failed to get rid of me when you got that lip piercing. If you’re going on a road trip to find your long lost father, I’m coming with!”
I smiled at my friend as she slammed the back door shut and grinned at me. Autumn was definitely my best friend in the entire world. “Fine, but you and I are trading off on driving.”
“Of course! Besides, miles of highway? I could race a bitch and never get caught,” Autumn laughed as I walked around to the driver’s side of the car.
“You make me lose this thing and I’ll kill you,” I joked as we both climbed in. I then started the engine again and pulled off down the street. I pulled to a stop sign a street before I got onto the highway to open my folder. I flipped on the roof light since the one o’clock sky gave me no source of reading light. I went to the birth certificate to see a name nearly illegible on the father line.
“Holy shit, people can’t write,“ I muttered, Autumn looking over the paper in my lap. I brought the paper closer to my face in a better attempt to read it.
I think it said Matthew S., no full last name at all. Then again, they didn’t take my mother’s full last name either, just the E. So doctors in California are stupid? I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. “This might be a bit more difficult.”
“Why?” Autumn chirped.
“Because, the fucking bastards didn’t even put his last name. There could be a thousand Matthew S.‘s in California!” I exclaimed.
“But how many live in Huntington Beach?” Autumn mused. I fell silent and looked to where she was pointing on the paper. I saw Huntington Beach Mercy Hospital almost smiling up at me.
“I’m glad I let you come with me,” I laughed.
Examining the map I had taken from home, if we went down Highway 70 to Highway 15, we would end up near Los Angeles. From there we would just travel south for a while and reach the city I was born in. I nodded, pleased with myself for finding this without Autumn, before getting on the respectable highway. I cranked up my iPod nano, which was connected to my speaker system, and Papa Roach poured out.
As we sang along I thought. I realized now that I didn’t feel guilty in the least. I know I should for just randomly leaving my mother, though she wouldn’t care, with nothing but a note to signify my departure, but I wasn’t. To my defense, she should have seen it coming. She tells me nothing at all about my father and I’m left to ponder for sixteen years. It was time for my father to become a reality instead of a just a fictional character.
With that I drowned out my thoughts with music and singing with my best friend.