The Parent Trap

Chapter 5: The truth

Engfa was escorted back to the bed and breakfast by a police officer in a patrol car. She waited patiently as the officer removed the boot from her car's tire, watching the patrol vehicle disappear down the street before she finally climbed into her own vehicle. A heavy sigh escaped her lips, everything had spiraled out of control in such a short period. She never anticipated finding herself caught in a situation that was more complex than being handed divorce papers by her beloved—now ex-wife—and being forced to leave her home to avoid signing them.

Her mind drifted to the poignant words Snack had shared just the night before. "My mom's getting married to Uncle Mew," she had said, and shockingly, that Mew was the same police officer she had struck earlier, an act that had now marred her record with an assault charge. Frustrated, she pounded her fist on the steering wheel, releasing the pent-up anxiety coursing through her.

Just then, she noticed a familiar figure walking down the sidewalk with a dog. Narrowing her eyes, she stepped out of the car and called out,

"Heidi!" Engfa jogged across the road, and upon hearing her name, Charlotte's friend paused, disbelief washing over her face at the sight of Engfa.

As the woman halted in surprise, Engfa felt a flicker of hope. "Oh my gosh, Engfa? Is that really you?" Heidi exclaimed, bewildered. "What are you doing here?"

With urgency tinged with desperation, Engfa blurted, "Can I ask you something? Snack’s father—is it Mew?" The question hung heavily in the air, her palms sweating as anticipation coursed through her veins.

"What?" Heidi replied, taken aback.

"Please, Heidi. Just tell me," Engfa implored, her eyes shining with vulnerability. Heidi could see the pain etched in her features. Even after a decade apart, Engfa was still the same woman who had cherished her best friend deeply, Heidi thought.

Engfa couldn’t let Snack grow up believing a lie. The little girl had run away from her home to find her, believing Engfa to be her other mother, and Engfa couldn’t allow that misunderstanding to fester Snack's mind—especially when Snack’s true parent might be standing so close to her all along.

If Mew was indeed Snack's father, the truth needed to come out. Engfa was baffled by Charlotte's choice to conceal such critical information from her own child, yet she knew that meddling in their lives was not her place.

If Mew was indeed Snack’s father, perhaps this encounter and Snack’s insistence on finding her were signs urging her to confront the painful realities she had long evaded. Charlotte was no longer in her life, their once vibrant love had faded into memories, four letters that had become nothing more than a persistent reminder of what she had lost. She needed to let go, to finally sign the divorce papers Charlotte had relentlessly sent her for the last decade, begging for her to just sign it.

With tears welling in her eyes, Engfa faced Heidi, her expression raw with defeat. “Is Snack Mew and Charlotte’s child?”

Heidi took a measured breath, her expression shifting to one of pity. “No, Engfa. She’s not,” she replied softly. “Did Charlotte say that to you?”

Before Engfa could respond, the ringtone of Heidi's phone pierced the tense atmosphere, cutting through their conversation like a knife. Glancing at the screen, Heidi answered, her eyes flickering back to Engfa.

“Char, what’s going on?” The seriousness in Heidi's tone shifted to concern, and Engfa listened intently. “When? Okay, I’ll be right there.” Hanging up, she turned to Engfa with urgency.

“Snack has run away again.”

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“Why are you still here?” Charlotte exclaimed, sitting upright on the couch as she noticed the unexpected guest Heidi had brought into her home. “I told you to leave!”