Bio-Logic

Episode One

I remember being about twelve when I finally asked my parents, jokingly, if I was adopted because I looked nothing like them or anyone else in my family. It was the oddest family dinner ever after I opened my mouth. It was that night my parents told me about how they couldn't have a baby, so they needed to have something special done before my mom could get pregnant.  

My mom was raped when she was a teenager just a year or two before she started dating my dad in high school. They both wanted to have a kid after they went to college and got married, but it was next to impossible for them. The doctor that broke the news to them told them about a special program for people like them and said they should probably look into it. They said, they went through the program and they were able to have me. The story never went beyond that and I never asked. 

On the day I turned sixteen, my parents called me out of my room during the early afternoon. I thought they wanted to talk to me about my birthday and the party they'd planned for that day, but instead they had something else on their mind.  

Dad signaled for me to have a seat by patting the couch next to them when he saw me come down the stairs. Mom and dad were sitting on the couch in the living room with the TV off.  

As I sat down, dad took in a breath and started talking. "So, your mom and I have decided to tell you something that we think you're old enough to hear." 

I grinned thinking we were about to have "the talk." "Dad, I already know where babies come from. We don't need to talk about this." 

He shook his head and chuckled. "No, Jeremy. This is something along those lines but not that exactly. We wanted to tell you the full story about how you were born and how we were able to have you." 

"Now, your mom and I have spent the last few days figuring out how to tell you because we frankly don't expect you to believe us. So we're asking you that you just let us finish what we have to say before you make jokes or make wise-ass remarks. Deal?" 

I wasn't sure what they were up to, but I went along with it. 

Dad wiped hands his knees and gave mom a look as if to check if she was ready. "Your mom and I went to a doctor to find out if it was possible for us to have kids. After he did all of his tests, he basically told us that it wasn't possible for us to have a baby the old fashioned way." 

"As he was explaining to us some options, he told us about a medical program the government was trying that was showing promise. He had a friend who was part of the project and they were looking for people in our situation to be part of the project." 

"The only thing was we had to be quiet about being a part of the project if we were chosen. They didn't want too many people finding out what was going on in the event that the trials were successful and people wanted to take part. We agreed and he got a hold of people on the project." 

"Your mom got a call while I was at work one day that we had been chosen for an interview. They wanted to meet us that day. We met this man in the middle of the night at the college," my dad said. "He said that we had to do it because any other time would be dangerous if we were seen. He even told us to wear dark clothes if we could." 

I laughed. "Please don't tell me you bought me from some Mexican baby smuggler and my real parents are coming tonight." 

"Jeremy, please save your jokes," my mom said. She had a look on her face like she wanted me to take the conversation more seriously.  

"He walked us into the science building where they held the chemistry classes and a bunch of these FBI guys and nerdy-looking guys in lab coats were waiting for us. At first, we got cold feet when we saw all the people. We weren't really sure why they needed federal agents when all we wanted to do was find out if we could have a baby. They told us they were only there because it was a government experiment and needed to make sure we weren't terrorists. It didn't help to calm our nerves but did make sense."