Dark Alley

Chapter 29

     I went to the cafeteria alone with my tray. I was expecting the twins to sit on my table, but it was better if they don't, not yet, not this time.

     I wonder what happened to Calvin's short talk with Tracy. They have to call for a taxi to take me to school alone and when I got to school for advanced class I realized Tracy wasn't there which means she had an absent for her first period. I don't know if I have to worry or to be happy because she finally got the attention she wanted from her father.

     I waited for something to happen. I started poking on the pasta on my tray that is probably starting to get cold. I turn around my head and scanned the cafeteria, Q and R wasn't even at any side of the place. Does this mean they’re not staying away from me?

     I ducked my head back, back to facing my tray.

    "Hello weirdo," I hear someone say, I see someone slipping a tray on my table. When I raised my head up, I found Tracy smiling. She sat on the chair in front of me, I follow her movements with my eyes and I still can't believe she's smiling.

     "Are you okay now?" I ask her, but from her looks it didn't matter if I ask.

     "Never felt better," she says, "dad talked to me for an hour and we started crying until mom came in and started crying with us. Then the three of us hugged."

     "That's good to hear."

     "Foster," she says, holding my hand that was resting on the table, "thank you. No offense, but I thought you would be like a hammer who will shatter our family into pieces, but no, instead you are the glue who brought us back together."

     "Stop using metaphors," I say awkwardly, "you kind of-"

     "Suck at it?" She continues.

     "I was about to say 'not so good at doing it' but yeah if you want it offensive then yes you suck at it," I tell her, then we both laughed.

     "God it feels so good to have a dad," Tracy exclaims.

     "Yeah," I whisper, "is there something more about your conversation with your dad that has something to explain about your absence in first period?"

     "Oh yeah," she giggles, "I don't know. After I left the house I felt so light headed, I don't even remember what dad told me but I guess whatever he told me it worked. Because we forgave each other."

     Tracy gave me a stern look and it didn't end until I started talking, "is there something wrong?"

     "No, I was just wondering if you have ever thought about meeting your dad again," she says. She deprives ne to the point where my help from her started an issue relating to me, an issue I never thought.

     "No," I tell her.

     "But now that I have told you, do you want to find him?"

     "I don't know," I tell her, "he could be dead. And if he is alive, I don't think he would've recognized me again. I mean after I left, my mom was already nine months pregnant so I think they already forgot me that quickly because I got quickly replaced." I didn't tell her about the fact that my mother wasn't really my real mom.

     "Foster that's it!" She exclaims, I gave her a confused look. "I mean, if you're still interested, I can help you find your brother -"

     "Or sister," I added. I had a strong feeling it's a sister.

     "Or whatever, your sibling, he or she could be like fifty years old."

     "As far as I know, there are more than a million seniors here in America, how would we ever know which is which?"

     "I don't know, maybe ask Calvin about it?"

     "He wouldn't," I say, "I know he wouldn't"

     "Well we've just forgiven each other a while ago,“ she says, "and also, he owns you as much as I do. So I think it has just a minimal possibility of him not telling us."

     I easily trusted Tracy's point. Her positive side encourages me to do such thing I've never thought. It makes me feel like I'm really living - searching for or my parents or any of my close relative feels like my life was given back to me. Tracy helped me get my life back.