Angelo's daughter

Ch 1

A boy stepped out of the shadows making me pause. Slowly, I put one foot in front of the other.

I turned around when he touched my shoulder.

"Hey." His voice was warm but he looked tense. I knew that look. I looked at him, guarded.

"Hey."

He laughed. "you're Latina, huh?"

I shrugged. "Yeah."

He smiled, a hesitant smile. " There's this party tonight, at the Hampton's. Come with?"

"No, thank you." I turned to leave. " I have to go home."

He chuckled reaching forward and grabbing my arm quickly. " Too late for you?"

I pulled my arm back and shrugged. "Might be."

He glanced at me looking amused. "I'm Alex."

"Cool." I tried to keep walking and he let me. I was almost rounding the corner when he called out. I turned around facing him one last time.

"what's your name?"

It was my turn to smile. "Desiree," I called. I could hear him laughing as I rounded the corner.

**********

I locked the front door behind me as I stepped inside. I laughed quietly. Weird night. I could hear dad in the kitchen, humming. Dishes were clanging around.

"Is that you, sweetie?" Dad asked poking his head out of the kitchen door.

I smiled and waved. "Yeah. it's me."

"C'mere," dad said waving me inside the kitchen. Hę pulled me into a gentle embrace and then stepped back. "How was your night?"

"Great. You?" I watched him as he took the lid off the pot and peered inside.

"Good." Hę turned the burner off and put the lid back on. " Are you hungry?"

I glanced inside the pot. Mashed potatoes. Bacon. Mac and cheese.

"Yeah. Thanks, dad." I opened a cupboard retrieving two plates, one for me and one for dad. " Looks great."

Dad chuckled. "Desiree, darling. You've got mail. Go on and check it out. I set it on the kitchen table."

Three envelopes sat there, sealed. I handed him the plates and went over to the table picking them up. Junk mail, Princeton, and a letter from Skye.

I opened the letter. It read:

Desiree,

I hope this finds you quickly. you have to visit Indiana once schools out. You'd love it and so would Angelo.
You'd never believe what I read in the newspaper today. Two girls were switched at birth.

Write back soon.

Skye

I smiled quietly and retrieved a newspaper from inside the envelope. Switched at birth was on the front page. Hmm.

"What do you got there, honey?" Dad sat a plate in front of me peering at the newspaper. "Can I see that?"

I shrugged passing it to him. "Okay. Sure."

Dad sat down across from me. I took a bite of mashed potatoes when dad looked up. he looked shocked.

"Dad?"

"Unbelievable," he muttered sitting the newspaper down. he was looking at the picture. Hę shook his head, looking at me. slowly, he handed me the paper.

"Dad, what's wrong?"

Dad opened his mouth to speak and then closed it. Sighing, he said, " The lady in the picture. Regina Vasquez?"

I nodded slowly. "What about her?" She was beautiful, but dad knew lots of beautiful girls.

Dad closed his eyes still stunned. " She's your mother."

I frowned, confused. " I don't understand."

Dad sighed, sadly. " You look like her. Look at you. Look at her."

"That doesn't mean anything. Lots if Latinas look alike."

"Desiree. Look at her."

"I'm looking. Dad."

Dad rose silently, walking out if the kitchen. I sighed heavily looking down at the picture. Kathryn And John Kennish. Bay Kennish. Daphne Vasquez. Regina Vasquez, but no father. A single mother raising a deaf teenager. Could my dad really be the father?

I looked at Bay, a Latina obviously. she even looked it. Daphne didn't look Latina at all. How could that have gone unnoticed?

Dad walked in, with a photo album in his hand. He reached across the table and handed it to me.

Hesitantly, I looked up from the newspaper opening the photo album. Dad was young in the picture and he was smiling at the camera. I flipped the page. Dad and.. Regina. She was laughing and his arms were around her. Huh. Dad and Regina. They were sitting on a couch their fingers intertwined.

I looked up at dad. His eyes were closed.

I flipped the page again. Regina was smiling at the camera. All through the album were pictures if her. One with her leaning against a car, clearly pregnant. The last was of dad, Regina, Daphne, a boy; a toddler, and well... me. As a toddler. I was sitting on Regina's lap, playing with her hair. I took a shaky breath and handed the album back to dad.

Dad gently sat it on the table. "What should I do?"

I looked up, surprised. "Why do we have to do anything?"

"You can't expect me to just ignore that, Desiree."

"Dad.."

Dad looked up, suddenly. Hę looked rejuvenated. "We have to go to Kansas."

"We're in Italy, daddy." I reached across the table touching his hand.

"You stay here," dad said softly. "Go to school. Stay with your friends. Ill come back." Hę squeezed my hand reassuringly.

"If you're going, I'm going." I looked at him pleadingly.

Dad smiled weakly. "I wouldn't want it any other way."