Switched at birth (FACE)

12

I was pinching my fingers as we all sat around the table. "So, how did this happen?" Papa asked. He placed drinks down in front of everyone, and Matthew looked at me. "Well...I got a DNA test done...and it led me here to him," I spoke. I was going to keep it vague not to raise suspicion. "Oh, so you have the paperwork? I'd love to see it," papa spoke. My eyes widened, and I freaked out. "He lost it! We can't find it anywhere, but it is true, we are blood," Matthew saved.

I breathed out, relieved, and Arthur began observing me. "Well, who are we to try and stop you from seeing each other? I'm more worried about if you are trying to find your mothers," papa spoke. He had sadness in his eyes, and I shook my head. "Never! That wasn't the idea, I was curious, and by some miracle, we happened to live in the same city," I explained.

Papa and Arthur looked at each other, and I was silent. "We don't want to make any of you uncomfortable, but we respect that you want to be near each other. It is understandable to want to be around family," Arthur smiled at me.

"Well, I suppose it makes sense why the two of you look a little similar," Arthur laughed. I nodded at him sadly and felt Matthew hold my hand from beneath the table. He stopped me from pinching my fingers and squeezed my hand tightly. "What else did the paper say?" Papa asked. I squeezed his hand back and shook my head.

"Generic stuff..."

"Wait, so if you both are cousins, and we are your dads, does that mean you are my nephew?" Papa asked. He looked at Matthew, shocked, and I felt shocked. I had not thought about that. I began laughing at the realization.

In a way, all of us were related to each other.

"I guess this is a weird situation," Arthur laughed. Papa and he looked at each other, and it was as if things had turned awkward. "I guess it would be odd for us to date?" Papa suddenly spoke.

My eyes widened, and I was shocked. He was actually considering being with Arthur. "What? No! You still can!" Matthew interrupted. "Mattie! You can't just say stuff like that!" Arthur laughed. I agreed with Matthew, though. "Well, to be fair, you aren't related..." I spoke.

God, this tree is so confusing at this point. Now my papa is my uncle, which is weird. Then my "uncle" is my dad, and I'm his kid? But my cousin is my papa's son, so that makes my actual dad's son his nephew?

I think I was going to faint!

"Ah, maybe we will wait a bit," Arthur laughed. Yeah, this was too confusing for all of us. Then, to add more fuel to this, would my uncle be my dad if they were to get together?

Yet my uncle raised me as his son?

This is going to be hard to explain at family reunions.

"Ah, I tried thinking about all of this, and I think my brain is about to explode," I laughed. Matthew nodded in agreement, and I let go of his hand. "Well, that puts all of us in a special circumstance! We will treat each other as a family now...even if we had already been doing that," Arthur laughed.

"Weirdly enough, in a way, it did feel like we had this strange connection. I'm glad I wasn't going crazy," Arthur smiled. He grabbed my hand that rested on the table, and I felt like crying again. Papa held onto Matthew's hand, and we all smiled.

Maybe this could work somehow?

Maybe we don't need to be completely honest with them to be a family.

"Well, is there anything else you both have on your mind? I am sure we can work it out if you both are honest," Papa spoke. Matthew and I shook heads, but Papa kept staring at me, worried.

~

That night, after they left, I still sat at the table as Papa led them out. Papa walked back to the kitchen, and I kept my head down. "Hey, I am not mad at you; I just wish you came to me if you were curious," He spoke. He pulled a seat beside me and began to pull me closer. "I am sorry; I did not think it would cause any problems."

"It did not! don't worry, I promise, everything is fine," He spoke. He pulled me in for a hug and began to rub circles on my back. I wonder if not telling them tonight would make it worse. Papa looked at me with the sweetest smile, and I wanted to cry. I did not deserve him at all. He has always been kind to me, even if he was mad. Yet, I knew lying to him would cause a rip in our relationship. I was afraid he would not want to be my dad anymore.

He began to caress my hair and slowly kissed my forehead. "I think you should still try to be with Arthur..." I suddenly spoke. He began to laugh and shrugged. "We will see if he will give me a chance. Have you seen him? What a hunk!" He laughed. I made a disgusted face and laughed as I shook my head. "Gross!" I laughed. He laughed at my reaction and shrugged his shoulders.

"I am sure, now we all will be closer, we will pretty much be one big happy family...well, one that lives separately, but a big happy family nevertheless," He smiled. I nodded happily; I was excited about how much we would grow beside each other. "I look forward to it...so much...that is all I want," I whispered. Papa pinched my cheeks and pulled me up. "Good, we will make arrangements!" He cheered. However, what he said made me a little confused. What did he mean by that?

Arrangments?

That did not make any sense to me at all.