The Switch

Chapter 22

Erin

I had to wait till Saturday night to call the number, my mother worked that night, so I was able to make the call without her knowing. I had avoided her as much as I could Friday, claiming I had a lot of homework, but the truth was, I knew the more time I spent with her, the more likely I was to tell her what I was up too. As I dialed the phone I looked down at Papa Frank, who sat there staring at me. I swear he was judging me. He was probably thinking, "who was I to go behind my mother's back, to betray her like this, and all for what?" I almost decided to not go through with it as i listened to the dial tone, but then at the last ring, right before I pulled the phone far enough away that I couldn't hear it, I heard "hello?"

It was a woman's voice, which threw me at first. "Um hello, is Christopher Jones there?"

"Yes, but can I ask who I'm speaking to first?" She says, and I glance at papa Frank, thinking that I could still back out if I wanted too.

"This is his daughter Erin," I say wondering who she was, girlfriend, wife, secretary, friend, weirdly close cousin.

"Oh, okay, yeah one second," I then hear the phone get muffled for a moment before she speaks again. "Alright, he was just in the shower, but he'll talk to you in a second."

I thank her, and then both of us wait in silence, I guess neither of us really know what to say. Then my father picks up, "Erin, is everything okay?"

The concern in his voice makes my chest tighten for some reason. "Ye, yeah, everything is fine, well actually could you tell me more about what's going on?"

"Yeah definitely," there's a pause for a second then he speaks again, "hey why don't I pick you up and you have dinner with us and we can talk all about it."

"Um," I bite my lip as I think, my mother really never lets me go anywhere that isn't with her, it would be nice to get out of the house. "On one condition," I tell him making my decision.

"Sure, what is it?" Sounds in the background indicate he's jogging down stairs.

"Can Papa Frank come?" There was a sudden stop on his end, so he either reached the bottom of the steps, or he stopped completely on the stairs.

"I'll ask Rachel what she thinks, but if he can't, do you still want to come over?" The sound of him walking down the stairs starts again, so my condition must have thrown him.

"I really don't want to leave him all alone," it's not like he hasn't been left at home alone before, but as I look at his face, his sad eyes make me feel bad, this would be the second night this week.

He sighs, "alright, yeah, he can come."

I smile, "okay, awesome, I'll get ready." As I hang up, I get this weird nervous feeling in my stomach. Was I excited to see my father? Well technically I guess he wouldn't be my father, but he was the only one I knew. Still, he left me, he didn't leave my mother, he left me. He didn't feel I was his, and couldn't stay, so if the switch had never happened, would he still be married to my mother?

I try not to think about it much as I rush to get dress and put Papa Frank's harness on. He hates wearing it, but we don't own a collar and mom says it's better for him. I just finished arguing with him on why it was important that he wear it when I hear a car pull up outside. Quickly putting his leashe on and walk out onto the porch.