Hope came through the door to her large home. She dropped her backpack at the foot of the stairs. Walking through the living room to the kitchen she yelled for her mother. Shrugging she opened the white refrigerator door. Looking around the large green kitchen she caught sight of a note on the counter.
Hope walked towards the green counter the note was laying on.
Hope,
I’m sorry I won’t be home when you get off the bus. The case I’m working on just took a sudden turn and I went to the courthouse to get some files. I’ll be home by dark. There is 20 dollars in the cookie jar if you want to order out. I won’t be home by supper. Love you.
Mom
Hope dropped the note on the counter. “Work, of course. Work is much more important to you than your only child. I understand, mommy.” She rolled her eyes. “Love you she says. Whatever.”
She flipped over the back of the couch to lightly bounce off the cushions onto the carpeted floor. “Any other time I stay on the cushions,” she said. “God, what a day.” She took a bite of her carrot.
She was watching Oprah when she remembered something. Getting up she took another bite of her carrot. Opening the sliding glass door a brown and white ball of fur bolted between her legs knocking her down. Claws scraped along the kitchen floor. Hope started getting up when the large dog knocked her back down. The St. Bernard placed his paws on her chest hovering over her.
The phone rang loudly above her. She tried to push the dog off but was unsuccessful. The phone rang again. After the third ring Hope managed to grab the dog’s face and pull him away. She quickly got on her feet. Taking the phone off the hook the dog tripped her making her stumble forward.
“Oh Jesus…Hercules, you mutt. Uh…hello?”
“Um…is this…uh.” Hope heard the male voice take a deep breath. “…Is this the residents of Mr. and Mrs. Shields?”
“Yes it is.”
“I’m Justin from…”
Sorry, we’re not interested.”
“What? Oh no…I’m not selling anything,” the guy assured.
Hope twisted her mouth in confusion. There was another long pause on the phone. She heard him breathing deeply.
Finally the guy continued. “…I’m from Orlando…”
Another long pause. Hope was starting to get impatient. “Okay.”
“Uh…who is this?” The man asked.
“This is their daughter,” she told him.
“Is your parents…uh…mom home?”
Hope raised her eyebrows in confusion. “No.” She dragged the last word out. This pause was much more longer and heavier. Hope twirled her light brown hair with her pointer finger to pass the silence away. She heard his breathing fall faster. Taking a bite out of another carrot she got out of the refrigerator there were still silence. “Look, they are not home and I don’t know when they’re be back, ok? Now, if you would like to leave your number and name I would be more than happy to tell her you called.”
Hope got out a piece of paper and pen from the desk in the library. The large library that was connected to the kitchen was small but convient. Sitting in the wooden chair she wrote his name down. “John?”
“Justin.”
Hope scribbled the name out and wrote the correct name. “Justin, right.”
“I don’t want to leave a message,” the guy on the other end of the line told her.
Hope sighed and loudly started tapping the pen on the desk. This…Justin from Orlando was starting to really bug her. “Look, Justin from Orlando, do you know me? My mother? Are you like a unknown relative I never knew I had and you just now found us or something?”
“Well, sort of.”
Hope tapped her pen more rapidly. “Sort of…right. I’m not trying to be rude or anything but you don’t want me to take a message, you can’t give me a straight answer, you wouldn’t talk to me, you didn’t tell me your last name, and you won’t get to the point. I would really appreciate it if you will tell me how we’re related or who the hell are you.”
“Sorry. Ok, I’ll get to the point…I…I think,” the guy stuttered. “I don’t know how to say this.”
Hope banged her head off of the desktop and let it lay there. Justin continued. “Ok here it goes. I…I think you’re my sister.”
Copyright © AngelH