The Hidden Truth

Chapter Eight: A Wolf in Disguise

Several months later I'm standing at the door to the foster parents home who have Alexander, knocking. I have no idea what to say to them nor how they are going to react when they find out that it's taken me five years to get to this point. I just hope that they are understanding adults. 

According to the file I received from the orphanage in Forest River, the Anderson’s live on the outskirts of Galesburg. They currently house six children under the age of twelve, the Illinois state maximum for their house size. They are also classified as a middle class family with no children of their own. As the details of the documents swim around in my mind, I try to pinpoint things I can use to appeal to their softer side while staying vigilant of the situation at hand. 

As the door swings open I'm greeted by a robust gentleman with thinning brown hair wearing faded coveralls and reeking of a foul smell I can't quite place. It's the same stench I came across as I drove down the long driveway but much stronger. It smells as if it's a cross between ammonia and hydrogen sulfide, chemicals I remember Justice playing with in our youth. The smell overwhelms me forcing my mouth to stumble for the words that were just on the tip of my tongue.

"Um, I was wondering if I could come in to talk with you and your wife?”

"We don't like salesmen in these parts so you'd be best to high tail it out of here before I get my shotgun!"

"What!? Uh no sir, I'm not looking to sell you anything!" Looking back over my attire I realize that my crisp suit is just a little over the top for the occasion but Andrea told me it's best if I look professional. I then turn back to the gentleman and gather my thoughts as I hand him the envelope with the documents I needed to bring Alexander home with me. "Sir, as you can clearly see I’m here to collect my son Alexander Morgan and bring him back home to his rightful place."

"I see that but...but I thought that his parents died?"

I try my hardest to conceal the smile about to form on my lips as I reply, "Please, may I have a moment of your time, I'll explain everything to you?"

The man steps aside and allows me to enter as he informs me to wait in the kitchen while he fetches his wife. 

I set a folder in my hands down on the table. It contains a set of special documents that Andrea and one of her trusted friends put together for me. The papers seem real enough and if you were to put them under a microscope you wouldn't be able to tell that they are in fact forged. They are all the proof I need to plead my case with the family. 

As Mr. Anderson's wife walks into the room drying her hands on a dish towel, I stand to greet her as if I'm of royal blood. Another one of the small details contained in that folder. I then bow as I take the misses hand and lay a gentle kiss to the top of it. She of course blushes and giggles as if she is being coy with me. I pay her no mind as I return to my seat and open the folder in front of me. 

"Mr. and Mrs. Anderson, I've come today to reclaim my son and the only heir to my kingdom. I'm sorry for the inconvenience this may have on your family and I'm willing to compensate you for your troubles. I'm also here in person to answer any questions you may have about this whole mixup. As your husband has already read, I am Alexander Morgan's father and I'm here to take him home with me."

"If you’re his father then why did the orphanage tell us that his parents died?" Mrs. Anderson asks.

"The program director got the two files mixed up. You received the information about the boy they were supposed to send you but they sent my son by mistake."

This time Mr. Anderson's voice beams into the conversation as he asks, "Why was your son there to begin with?"

"Sir, I do apologize for that. My son wanted to know what it felt like to be an orphan. So under strict observation and with the agreeance of the orphanage I sent my son to live there for one year. Only except he himself never returned home as promised. Instead, I came home three years later and found an impostor in my home. I was furious and sent the child back,  demanding the return of my only child. Sadly, it took another two years to find out that he's been here for the last three."