We were just playing with a football in the living room. Then like all those stories in children's book we hit a vase. However this vase didn’t shatter on the ground it simply opened up, and a roll of papers came out. My brother wanted me to put them back, and forget what the papers said, but I wouldn’t forget. I wouldn’t forget when they said adoption across the top.
“Hurry and put them back! Mom will freak out if she finds out we broke her vase. Gwen just put it back together!” My brother was screaming now.
“Harrison will you please shut up. I need to find out which one of us is adopted, it is either you, me, or the dog.” I kept reading through the papers, you figure the name of the kid you were getting would be on the front.
“Oh my,” I was astonished yet relieved, “It's you, Harrison,you are the one who is adopted”
“No way Gwen, you are kidding, people say I look just like dad when he was younger!” Harrison’s voice cracked at the end like he was about to cry.
“Just relax, a lot of kids are adopted. Maybe your birth parents are astronauts or spies.” I just tried to cheer him up now.
“Or what if they are criminals sitting in jail.” Harrison was bawling now.
Then I heard the garage open, and Mom’s car pull in. We had to put the vase back, but before we could pick up a piece Mom was standing in the doorway.
“What happened in here?” She raised one eyebrow which both Harrison and I knew wasn’t good. “You read the papers didn’t you. Harrison are okay?”
Harrison was still sniffling, and had a blank look on his face.
“I will tell you everything after dinner okay, you two are obviously old enough to know.”
Mom said this as she started to walk into the kitchen. We had spaghetti for dinner, which was both Harrison and I’s favorite dinner. There wasn't much talking during dinner we were both to worried about what mom was going to tell us. Something was wrong too, she said that “we both” were old enough to know. Did she mean that I was adopted too, or that we both could handle the truth about Harison? Finally we all moved to the living room where the sad broken vase was still sitting on the ground.
“This is what happened, when you father, and I got married we knew couple that lived across the street. There names were Dave and Jane Vano. They had a baby girl, which was you, Gwen” She continued, but Gwen interrupted her.
“Wait I thought Harrison was the one who was adopted ? Did we come from the same family?” I was shocked at what she said.
“Just let me finish what happened, and most of your questions will be answered.” Mom was trying to keep calm even though the kids weren’t.
“So the couple was very busy so we watched Gwen a lot. However when Gwen started pre-school they had another child, Harrison. We also watched him, and began to think of you two as our children. One day in November I picked you two up from school and daycare. Then like any other day I went over to the Vano’s home to drop you both off. When they didn’t answer the door I went in. Then I walked into the kitchen where they were talking loudly into phones, and typing furiously on computers. Once they realized I was standing in their kitchen with you two they stopped. They explained to me that they worked for the FBI as Special Agents, and that's why they were so busy. Then their phones and computer started to go off again, interrupting their explanation. Kate told us that I needed to leave with you guys, and she would pick you up later. That is what I did, I took you both home. I gave you guys dinner, and then let you fall asleep on the couch. Kate never came over that night, she didn’t answer her phone that night either, or in the morning. In the morning I went over to get you two clean clothes for school, and they were gone. Your parents took all there stuff, and their cars.” She paused and started to tear up. Harrison and I looked at each other. What are we supposed to do? Mom got up, and started to walk towards the kitchen.
“What happened after that? Did you find them? What happened?” I followed her into the kitchen. I had to know the end of the story, I had to know what happened to my real parents. However, what parents leave their two kids behind. Why wouldn’t they call? All the birthday’s and the milestones that they missed?
“I didn’t know how to tell you guys. That is why I hid the papers in the vase, so that you wouldn’t have to worry about it, until you were older and could handle it.” Mom had tears in her eyes.
“I understand Mom.” I said that to make her feel better, but in my mind I didn’t have a clue what to think.
I went back into the living room and got Harrison. We went upstairs, and I turned the TV on for a little while. We weren’t even watching the TV more like just staring at it, trying to make sense of this mess. Finally I got tired of the boring reality show that was on, and turned it off. We both went to bed very solemnly still shocked at what Mom told us. I just laid in bed, in the darkness searching my brain for a logical reason.
When we awoke in the morning Mom was downstairs making pancakes. For a split second I wanted to pinch myself, and think that last night was just a dream. Then I looked at the pictures on my wall of our family vacations, the hope for new ones just seemed like broken dreams. When I finally rolled out of bed I realized that it was Saturday. Harrison would have a lacrosse game that afternoon, but Mom didn’t seem to remember that. She continued to tell us the story over breakfast about how she talked to the police about Kate and Dave. There wasn’t any leads about where they went, and the FBI said that if they were sent on mission they would be able to track them. She went on to explain that they tried to follow them for months, but never found anything. Eventually she and dad decided to adopt us officially. It was very easy since there was wasn’t any other relatives that wanted to be parents of them.
“Did they ever find anything?” I hadn’t cried yet but was about to now
“No, they never found a trace of them,ever.” Mom was tearing up again. She told us to go get dressed for the game. We did go to the game, but didn’t seem the same anymore life didn't seem the same. After a couple days life got better, and after weeks life got back to normal for everyone.
***
Ten years later Harrison and I are applying to the Special Agent Academy to work for the FBI. Although we may never know what happened to our real parents, we can still follow in their footsteps to help the country.
To be continued.
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