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1074 Words
Dominic could sense that all eyes were on him. He looked up warily at the crowd of people on the porch. He tried to smile a little while also trying to shield himself behind Tina's legs.
Randy looked at Dominic stunned. He was staring at a younger version of his little brother. It wasn't possible. There was no way. Allie told him he wasn't the father.
Julie took a step towards Randy and wrapped her arm in his. She had never seen this look on his face before and, considering how hostile he had just been, she was not sure how he would react or what words would come out of his mouth next.
Charlie was speechless. His mind was not comprehending the site in front of him. Was this his grandchild? It had to be. He was the spitting image of Jake when he was younger. But why? Why the lies?
A few tears rolled down Amy's face as she smiled at Dominic. She wanted so badly to just sweep him up in her arms and squeeze him tight. She didn't want to scare him, though. She didn't know what he knew and there were so many unanswered questions.
Allie tried to gauge what everyone was thinking. Everyone had a different look on their faces. She was bracing herself for when the berating would start again, once the initial shock of seeing Dominic wore off and they regained their composure. Most importantly, she could not read Jake's face. If it was seven years ago, she would have known exactly what he was thinking, but this was no longer the boy she knew. She was standing with a man whose life she just flipped upside down.
After the initial shock wore off, all eyes turned to Jake, waiting for him to react. No one spoke, no one knew what to say. They were all waiting for Jake to make the first comment. It seemed like they were standing there for an eternity.
"Why don't I show you where you will be sleeping and you can get Dominic settled?"
"That will be great. Thank you, I'm sure he wants to stretch out a bit after the long car ride."
"No, Mom. Wait. She can't just come in here and drop this on us like that."
"Randy, stop. We can discuss it tomorrow."
"But, Mom-"
"Randy, you heard your mother. Drop it. We can talk about it tomorrow."
Randy knew not to push the issue once his father spoke. There was enough tension already, and he did not want to further anger him. Even though he was not ready to let this go, he really had no choice. If Jake was not going to speak up for himself, Randy would be the one to grill her. He was not going to let her off the hook so easily. She didn't know what she had put Jake through, and he was going to make sure that she was aware come the next day.
Jake watched the group walk into the house and noticed that now the remaining eyes were on him. They were waiting for him to say something, but he didn't know what to say. The shock of looking into a mirror had not worn off yet. He opened his mouth but no words came out. He noticed his dad nod his head, a silent approval to remove himself from the situation without saying anything to anyone. He needed to be alone at that moment. He needed to figure things out in his own head before he started asking questions. He didn't even know what questions to ask at this time.
Jake nodded in Randy's direction and walked back to his truck. He drove his truck down the drive, unsure of where he was going to go. He just knew he had to get away from the house at that moment.
Allie followed Amy and Lisa into the house, holding Dominic's hand. "Um, I hope you don't mind that I set you two up in Jake's old room."
"No, that's fine. I-I appreciate you letting me into the house after everything. I could have found a hotel to stay in."
"Have you been away that long that you forgot how small this town is? The nearest decent hotel is almost an hour away."
"Yeah, forgot about that one."
"We haven't changed much in the room since he moved out, but I think it will still be fine for you and Dominic. There are fresh sheets and blankets on the bed."
"Thank you. I really appreciate it. You did not have to go through all the trouble though."
"It was no trouble at all. I was more than happy to do it. Please, make yourself at home and if you guys need anything, just let me know."
"Thank you."
"I'm sure you need to relax a bit as well. We will leave you two to get settled in, and we can talk more in the morning."
"I appreciate that."
"I'll have your dad grab your bags and bring them down."
"Thanks, Lisa. I think that I just need to clear my head a little bit."
"No worries."
"Oh, and we do have a little mini-fridge down here. There are some waters and sodas in there if you need anything to drink. Just come up in the morning when you are ready."
Allie nodded and sat down on the bed. Dominic was wandering around the room a bit, looking at the posters and pictures that decorated the walls. "I think that we may just crash out until morning."
"Ok, we will see you in the morning. Night, Buddy."
"Goodnight, Nana." Dominic walked over to Lisa and gave her a kiss and hug.
Lisa and Amy left the room, closing the door behind them.
"Once our bags are in here, I want you to brush your teeth and change into your pajamas."
"Okay, Mom. That lady that was with Nana, what is her name?"
"That is Amy. She is Nana's sister."
"So, is she my other grandma?"
Allie stared at Dominic. She had to process what he had just asked. Other grandma? Where did he get the idea that Amy was his grandmother? "Other grandma?"
"Isn't that where we are? My other grandma's house? And the guy who kind of looks like me, is that my other dad?"
She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out.
- Writer
