Come Back to Me
Meet my new parents?
During dinner I start to notice that tom and I are polar opposites at times. When I'm nervous I'm quiet, but when Tom is nervous he doesn't shut up. He also eats with his mouth open, and talks with a mouth full of food. I don't know why I'm picking at the little things. This is the sort of thing that I do when I'm dating someone, picking out every single fault.
"So do you like living in New York?" Tom asks as he scoops another fork full of food into his mouth.
"Yeah, I guess. I've never lived anywhere else. Do you like living here? It's totally different, a lot warmer."
"It has it's perks, beach, sand, I love that stuff. I love a good surf too, perfect place for it."
"You surf?" I ask shocked. I didn't expect that.
"Yeah I go all the time."
"I can't swim.." I say as I take a sip of beer. Alex laughs and looks at me in disbelief.
"You can't swim??" He asks. "Seriously?"
"No.. Is that.. Weird?" I ask. I've never really though about it. My parents didn't teach me, they never encouraged it, they said it was too dangerous and a waste of time to learn.
"No I just rarely meet anyone who doesn't know how to swim. Didn't you ever try when you were younger?"
"I wasn't allowed." Alex and tom both freeze, staring at me.
"You weren't allowed?" Tom asks. I shake my head as if it's nothing.
"No, it was never encouraged. Waste of time apparently."
"So, what are they like? Your.. Parents..?" Tom asks.
"Strict as hell!" Mel comments before I get a chance to answer. I glance at Mel and shake my head at her comment. I guess she's right though.
"Yeah, I guess they are." I add. "Old fashioned."
"In what way? What are they strict about?" Alex asks.
"They didn't encourage much. They didn't like me having friends, they didn't let me watch much tv, instead my mom would teach me how to do house chores for my future husband.. Stuff like that." I say.
"Future husband? House chores? Seriously?" Tom asks. Alex stares down at his plate.
"Yeah it was rubbish growing up. I run every morning too and they still don't approve. Waste of time again." I see tom shaking his head, his forehead scrunching up in anger. I know what's coming next.
"Are you going to confront them?" Tom asks. Alex nudges his elbow, shaking his head at Tom.
"What? I'm just asking.." Alex sighs and sits back, taking a break from his food. He rolls his eyes at me, knowing that tom shouldn't be asking me this soon.
"I haven't thought about it.." It's all I've been thinking about but actually confronting them seems terrifying.
"I think you should totally meet your new parents!" Mel kindly adds.
"What?" I ask.
"Yeah, I haven't told them yet. But I could, you could meet them tomorrow.." Tom excitedly says.
"No! I snap. I look at both Mel and tom in anger. "It's too soon."
"She's right Tom, way too soon for that." Alex adds. We are silent now. Tom looks disappointed.
"I'm sorry, I'm not going to rush this. I still have parents at home who may be facing charges, and, I don't even know where to begin with that. What do I do? Do I leave them and never see them again?" I ask. We aren't close, my parents and I, I know it would be easy never to see them again. But I don't know if I can. I look at Alex for advice, he is a cop after all. He holds my stare for what feels like forever.
"Amy, they are criminals. They kidnapped you." Tom says, interrupting my stare with Alex. "And Alex, tell her what you found out??" I look at Alex, waiting for whatever it has he has to tell me.
Alex shuffles in his seat and hesitates. He looks uncomfortable.
"Well?" I ask, worried.
"Um. Your parents, Anne and Richard, they've been known to the police before. Before you, they kidnapped a little girl from a shopping mall. Luckily, they were caught a few days later. The same day you and tom were born, there is footage of them in the labour suite, wandering around, pretending to be visitors, waiting to be alone so they could take a baby. That baby was you.."
"Oh.." I whisper.
"When they were caught with the little girl they took from the mall they said they couldn't have children, problems conceiving, they didn't have a good track record to adopt."
"Why? What have they done?" I ask.
"Theft mostly."
"Theft? Really?" I ask. "They don't look the type."
"No, they don't actually, weird." Mel adds.
"So do you like living in New York?" Tom asks as he scoops another fork full of food into his mouth.
"Yeah, I guess. I've never lived anywhere else. Do you like living here? It's totally different, a lot warmer."
"It has it's perks, beach, sand, I love that stuff. I love a good surf too, perfect place for it."
"You surf?" I ask shocked. I didn't expect that.
"Yeah I go all the time."
"I can't swim.." I say as I take a sip of beer. Alex laughs and looks at me in disbelief.
"You can't swim??" He asks. "Seriously?"
"No.. Is that.. Weird?" I ask. I've never really though about it. My parents didn't teach me, they never encouraged it, they said it was too dangerous and a waste of time to learn.
"No I just rarely meet anyone who doesn't know how to swim. Didn't you ever try when you were younger?"
"I wasn't allowed." Alex and tom both freeze, staring at me.
"You weren't allowed?" Tom asks. I shake my head as if it's nothing.
"No, it was never encouraged. Waste of time apparently."
"So, what are they like? Your.. Parents..?" Tom asks.
"Strict as hell!" Mel comments before I get a chance to answer. I glance at Mel and shake my head at her comment. I guess she's right though.
"Yeah, I guess they are." I add. "Old fashioned."
"In what way? What are they strict about?" Alex asks.
"They didn't encourage much. They didn't like me having friends, they didn't let me watch much tv, instead my mom would teach me how to do house chores for my future husband.. Stuff like that." I say.
"Future husband? House chores? Seriously?" Tom asks. Alex stares down at his plate.
"Yeah it was rubbish growing up. I run every morning too and they still don't approve. Waste of time again." I see tom shaking his head, his forehead scrunching up in anger. I know what's coming next.
"Are you going to confront them?" Tom asks. Alex nudges his elbow, shaking his head at Tom.
"What? I'm just asking.." Alex sighs and sits back, taking a break from his food. He rolls his eyes at me, knowing that tom shouldn't be asking me this soon.
"I haven't thought about it.." It's all I've been thinking about but actually confronting them seems terrifying.
"I think you should totally meet your new parents!" Mel kindly adds.
"What?" I ask.
"Yeah, I haven't told them yet. But I could, you could meet them tomorrow.." Tom excitedly says.
"No! I snap. I look at both Mel and tom in anger. "It's too soon."
"She's right Tom, way too soon for that." Alex adds. We are silent now. Tom looks disappointed.
"I'm sorry, I'm not going to rush this. I still have parents at home who may be facing charges, and, I don't even know where to begin with that. What do I do? Do I leave them and never see them again?" I ask. We aren't close, my parents and I, I know it would be easy never to see them again. But I don't know if I can. I look at Alex for advice, he is a cop after all. He holds my stare for what feels like forever.
"Amy, they are criminals. They kidnapped you." Tom says, interrupting my stare with Alex. "And Alex, tell her what you found out??" I look at Alex, waiting for whatever it has he has to tell me.
Alex shuffles in his seat and hesitates. He looks uncomfortable.
"Well?" I ask, worried.
"Um. Your parents, Anne and Richard, they've been known to the police before. Before you, they kidnapped a little girl from a shopping mall. Luckily, they were caught a few days later. The same day you and tom were born, there is footage of them in the labour suite, wandering around, pretending to be visitors, waiting to be alone so they could take a baby. That baby was you.."
"Oh.." I whisper.
"When they were caught with the little girl they took from the mall they said they couldn't have children, problems conceiving, they didn't have a good track record to adopt."
"Why? What have they done?" I ask.
"Theft mostly."
"Theft? Really?" I ask. "They don't look the type."
"No, they don't actually, weird." Mel adds.