Lost Get Found

Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

Rosalie

Soft snow flurries fell to the ground as I waited for my Father to speak. My confrontation of the email hadn’t exactly taken him by surprise; I could tell he’d been rehearsing what to say and how to explain things. Small creases appeared near his eyes, making him appear extremely old.

“Dad, you know you can tell me anything.” I soothed him, walking toward his motionless body that sat rigidly on the white bed. He held no color in his flesh; he looked sickened and pained. “I promise.”

Slowly, he raised a hand to my back as I snuggled into his side, his cold breath heavily drowning in the atmosphere. His soft hand rubbed my back gently, taking on a synchronized motion that allowed me to focus on his next words.

“Do you remember your mother at all?”

I turned to look at him, befuddled by his question. Shaking my head, I lied back into his arms and let my head rest on his shoulder. He held up a trembling hand, cupping my cheek gently. It was bitingly cold.

“She was a wonderful woman, brave, intelligent, and beautiful.” I could feel the lightheartedness in his voice. I knew he’d loved—and still loves her greatly. “She was a lot like you actually. She always got her way but was always polite and loving.” I loved it when he said that. I knew he loved me even more for it.

“But there’s someone I never mentioned.” I could feel my ears perk up, the sound of a new conversation intriguing me. “Someone that needs to come back into our lives.” I thought back to the email I’d read. I felt I hadn’t needed to bring it up; I didn’t want to fluster him any further when he had to deal with his disease, but curiosity was killing me.

“I’m going to meet her aren’t I?” I whispered. He stopped rubbing my back, halting his cold hand on the middle of my back. I knew he was shocked, but I also knew that I did, in fact, have another sibling. I knew I was going to meet her soon.

He sighed slowly, “When did you find out?”

“Tell me what happened first. Why isn’t she with us?”

“When your mother died I was devastated. I couldn’t sleep or eat, or do anything. I couldn’t even take care of you for a while.” I looked down at my hands, fiddling with the hem of my blouse. “I was a wreck. I felt hatred and it was an unbearable feeling. I hated my own child.”

“Me?” My voice caught in my throat.

“No honey, you see your mother died giving birth to your younger sister.” The words felt strange being spoken from his mouth. “I’d been resentful and I’d had a reoccurring hatred toward her, blaming her for your mother’s death.”

“But it wasn’t her fault.” My voice sounded strained and hostile. I hadn’t noticed my body sat rigidly, waiting for him to continue. How could my Father—my loving father abandon a child, especially my own sister?

“I know that, for years I hated myself for having abandoned my own child. I’d given her up for adoption and asked not to be contacted. A few years back, when you were about six, I went to visit her; to make sure she was okay. She was five then.” I looked into his eyes; they sparkled as he spoke of her.

“She looks just like you, you know?” he smiled. “I’d told her I’d go back for her, but it was painful to see what I’d done and I didn’t want to hurt you.”

“So why now? Why are you telling me this now?”

“Her adoptive parent died in car accident a few days ago and I couldn’t abandon her again.” I nodded. “I really am sorry Rosalie. You know how much I love you and you know I would never want to hurt you. Now that I know I don’t have much time left, I don’t want to miss out on the life my daughter could live.”