Guilty until proven innocent.

Long Lost criminal.

As the key turns into the lock of my front door I couldn't help but think of the weekend again. I couldn't believe the swirling images flashing through my mind. It's been a few days since I have been home. After the bombshell I didn't want to be home. I stayed at friends trying to lay low. As the door opens the sound of letters and a newspaper being dragged along with the door fills my ears.

I scoop the letters and paper up off the tiled floor and make my way to the kitchen. I chuck them on to the side. I can deal with the bills later. I turn the kettle on and brew a cup of tea. As I go to move to the living room, I pick up the newspaper up off the side. Something catches my eye on one of the letters. There's no address just my name. Nervously I pick it up and move to the dining table.

I know that handwriting well. I had grown up with it. I knew what it was about. The whole weekend was consumed with the unravelling of this secret. I am 27 years old and only now finding this out. With my heart beating strong and loud I open the letter.

My dear son,

You are still my son to me and I hope in time you can call me mum again. Your father and I had wanted to tell you about your adoption ever since you were a little boy. It was for our own selfish reasons that we didn't tell you and we are sorry. We should have told you when you left college like we wanted to. Days went by into weeks and we couldn't figure out the right way to tell you. Look at me babbling on. The point of this letter is we are sorry. If you want to find your birth parents we understand. The best place to start is with the adoption files so we have attached copies of them to this letter. Please speak to us again. We only want to know you are safe.

Love from mum.

I flip the page and see photocopies of documents too long and lengthy to go through at this late hour. My eyes drooping, I swear that I will look at it again in the morning. The tea had done its job in warming me up and calming my nerves to perfection. I place the documents on the table and go to bed to try and catch up on the lost sleep of the past few days.

I slept a little too well. My body sank into the familiarity of my mattress and drifted effortlessly into sleep. My mind tried to dwell on the letter but my body wanting rest shut it down. The coffee I held in my hands was waking me up slower than I wanted. I forced the dry toast down drearily. my body feeling the effects of gravity more so than normal.

I move away from the table to put my plate and cup in the sink when I notice something on one of the documents. Brother. I go in for a closer look. Your adoption has gone through, but please have a think about his brother. We would like to keep them together but understand your reasons against having the two of them. Fury burns up inside of me. It courses through my veins like wildfire.

I know things were messed up over the weekend. They could have told me I had a brother. They didn't even mention him in the letter that came with the documents. Had she completely forgotten that I could have been raised with a brother? Has he ever tried to reach out? I reach for my phone wanting answers to all my on-going questions. Maybe this is why she didn't tell me. So that I have to ring her up.

As I go to unlock my phone, I see the time flash up in big numbers on my screen. I'm late for work. I have become too accustomed to getting a lift into work that I had forgotten that I usually take the bus. Quickly I grab my coat and keys off the hook in the hallway throw on my boots and run towards the bus stop. As I reach the bus stop, I see my bus glide past me.

I kick the post in frustration. I cannot afford to lose this job. I call my boss up and tell him I am running late. Thankfully in the years that I have worked there I have built up a good reputation with the boss. He's fine with it as long as I get there as soon as I can. "I won't have to wait long" I tell him "the next one is in fifteen minutes"