Leah and Trent

Chapter Twenty-eight

December 26 2016 - Monday

~

Sharen

(Song: To Build A Home by The Cinematic Orchestra)

There was only a short time left of our L.A. trip. Being able to finally get to know Leonard's father was nice. Mr. Carnegie had this way of speaking that was very welcoming; it made me feel comfortable. He didn't talk to me as if I was just Leonard's girlfriend.

Leonard had never really talked to me about how his father was a pilot. I asked Mr. Carnegie about some of the places he'd been to, and he didn't mind telling me about his visits to Japan. I loved listening to his experiences, but at times I could read the discomfort on Leonard's face. During the entire visit, he never really talked to his father. Leonard only talked when he was asked a question, and even then he mostly responded with one word answers. I didn't know the full story and all the details about Leonard's family, so I didn't want to step in as if I did.

Talking to Leonard's dad kind of made me think of the man that was responsible for half of my genes. I tried not to think about him, seeing as how I didn't know anything about him. I didn't even know what he looked like. It used to drive me crazy as a kid, imagining him, dreaming about him, thinking that one day he'd show up wanting to actually be my father.

My mother was always honest about my origins. She told me early on how she went to a Cryobank and with the help of a donor she was pregnant. When I was a kid, I asked my mother probably hundreds of questions about my donor. She always answered with "I don't know." One day, she finally just told me to stop asking her about him. I guess I didn't fully understand that she didn't know the man and had never met him. She didn't even know his name. Maybe I just wanted some type of proof that he existed.

I sat in the living room staring at a photo album that I had found in one of the bookshelves lined along the wall. I turned through the pages, studying each one. All of the pictures were taken when Leah was a baby and Leonard was a toddler. I almost had trouble wrapping my head around the fact that Leonard was ever that small once, but I couldn't stop smiling at how adorable he was. Everyone looked so happy in the pictures. Leah looked just as cute as she did now. And their parents looked completely enraptured with each other. There were several pictures where they just stared at each other.

"What are you looking at?" I looked up and Leonard was walking into the living room.

"I'm just- uh." I started to close the album thinking that he'd want me to. I suddenly felt like a criminal caught in the act. I didn't know if Leonard wanted me looking at pictures from his childhood.

"Relax, they're just pictures. You can look at them if you want." He walked over and sat down next to me.

"You were cute as a kid."

"Are you saying I'm not cute now?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying," I said trying not to grin.

"Hmm, I change my mind then," he said placing his hand on the album.

"I'm kidding. I'm kidding. You're plenty cute now."

"Thank you, I'm flattered," he said taking his hand off the album and putting his arm around my shoulders. "Why are you looking at these, anyway?" I shrugged my shoulders and continued to look through the pictures.

"I don't know. They're just nice to look at."

"How come I've never seen any pictures of you when you were a kid?"

"My mother was never really a fan of cameras." I stared off at a picture of Leonard's father cradling Leah as a newborn. She looked like she was sound asleep as her father held her and kissed her forehead.