chapter 11
351 Words
Perry looked at his tree. It was his first time spending Christmas alone. He still didn't know what his father wanted that was so urgent it couldn't wait.
Why call him about Melissa? Why not call her?
The realization hit him. He knew all the time that Melissa had been adopted. He'd been three years old when Melissa was adopted. Melissa had been one.
Could that be what this was about? Melissa's adoption? After all these years?
It seemed strange that their father would wait so long to talk about this truth. Unless....
Unless that had been what their mother had meant to talk to them about when she'd called Perry a few months ago. Maybe.
He shook his head, disbelief filling his head and giving him a small headache. No, that couldn't be it.
Perry knew Melissa should have been told about her adoption when they were still children. Waiting til now to tell her would only make the news more traumatic and overwhelming.
Right when she was so close to her deadline, too. Didn't anyone know not to bother Melissa near her deadlines?
Should he call her? No.
Perry kept arguing with himself about this. He didn't know what the probability of her answering the phone was.
He stared at the tree again. The empty look of the tree skirt only depressed him.
If he got out of the house, maybe Perry would be in a more festive mood. Earlier in the week, his neighbor, Caroline had invited him to her house.
At the time, Perry had refused the invitation. Perhaps he shouldn't have.
He called Caroline and asked if he could go over to her house. After she said that yes, of course he could, Perry went over to his neighbor's house.
Once there, Perry noticed something unusual in Caroline's driveway - not just two vehicles but four, were parked in her driveway. He knew her daughter might visit her for Christmas but who was in the other vehicle?
Her son? Her nephew? Who knew?! Caroline's daughter and husband were the only people she had much contact with.
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