Lies

Chapter 19:

"What?" I asked, staring at Lillian in such shock that I felt that I had been slapped. Slapped by own father who was now someone I didn't know at all. Now that I knew that my father was capable of anything and once Lillian had produced that sentence that would forever be implanted inside of my brain, it confirmed all my fears.

"Iris, I said don't be mad at your father. I got over that he stole from me very quickly." Lillian replied. I looked over at Lee whose expression suggested that he did not feel the same way as his mother. His brow was together; almost in a scowl as if reminiscing memories about our father that were not pleasant and his shoulders were up to show that his father's actions did not please him.

"But he didn't lie to you for thirty-five years!" I yelled, standing up. The room had taken a dramatic turn and I could tell that Delilah, the youngest of the group, sunk into the plush safety of the couch, "And I'm pretty sure he would have kept lying for the rest of his life." The latter part stung like a thousand bees planting their venom into one spot of my body. I shook my head and began pacing, my breath feeling like one of those cartoon characters who are so angry, it seems that steam is coming out of their ears like a train. I could feel everyone's eyes on me; even little Delilah who seemed way to young to be witnessing such a grown-up conversation. I hated for her to see me like this.

"That's the sad part, Iris." Lillian said, making me turn towards her thin figure. Her beautiful, aging face showed a generous sadness and a motherly love that made me stop my angry back and and forth pacing. I sat down right where I was and put my head in my hands. It felt so much more heavy with new information and new, painful memories that I almost didn't feel a hand on my shoulder.

I looked up and saw Colton; the only real and honest thing in the my life at the moment. I gave him a smile, feeling wetness on the folds of my tanned cheeks. I didn't know when I had cried but it felt good to know that I still contained emotion after what had happened. Colton smiled back and I knew for once that some family hadn't completely changed.

"Where does he do his business?" I asked, looking back at the Mayflower's. They looked at each other, mother and son; the same look that had passed between them before they shared the terrible news. Then they looked back at me with a face that seemed to worry for me as if they were afraid that I was going to do something that I would regret and maybe I was. Lillian opened her mouth but no sound was produced. It made me even angrier. My fists were scrunched together in my lap and I didn't think that I could contain them any longer. They were roaring bulls waiting to buck off the cowboy that sat on their back.

"Where does he do his business?" I demanded, taking a deep breath. A small figure came to sit next to me and laid her soft head on my body. It relaxed me almost to know that I still had the trust of such a small child.

"I think you know." Lee said, looking at his daughter who was sitting next to me as if I was her mother. He looked concerned as if I was a monster and he didn't want his daughter near someone like me. I could feel my face turn into a frown. There was no way I was losing them because I was acting up. I put my arm around Delilah and Lee relaxed, his body falling against the couch he was sitting on.

"Near my own home?" I asked, afraid for the answer. Somehow I knew it was the truth just by the way those men had run out of that abandoned house with my father all those days ago. That was in fact the start of all of this. All this searching and because of the searching, wanting answers was because of that day when my father had slipped up and created all of this hurt, misery, and confusion. This was all his fault; not mine. I had just been as curious as anyone would be to find out the deepest, darkness secret of my family.

"Yeah." Lee said, nodding. His arm draped suddenly over his mother's and she smiled at such a kind gesture. How my father could ever steal from such people is beyond me.