A Place to Call Home (Sunshine)

Chapter Fifty

I stood there. My brain stopped functioning due to the all complicated equation that stood there just unsolved. I refused to believe this old man here. But something in me told me to, something inside me revived.

"You are lying!" I retorted. "You are making it up!"

My eyes filled with tears which struggled to flow. My tear glands reached its impossible amount of shedding tears.

"I have no reason to lie, dear. Your parents left this town after Sunshine's death and they never returned until twelve years ago …"

"But I am only sixteen!"

"Who said Sunshine is you, who said this grave belongs to you?"

I stood there in awe.

"What does that suppose to mean?"

He shook his head slightly. "Who are you even? Where have you been all those years?"

"I am their daughter; I was raised in an orphanage." I stopped right there. It was unnecessary to talk to this strange angel like man.

"How do you even know so much about my family?"

"I was married to your aunt Joanna. You just looked like her." he said as his face wrinkled in somewhere between sadness and anger.

"Where is she now?"

"She died." His voice was harsh and angry. "The same year Sunshine did."

I swallowed. I didn't know what else to say. Could he possibly be right?

"What are you doing here anyways?"

He started shoveling a piece of land a few feet away from me. Although he looked like he was in his late fifties, his hands worked quickly.

"After Joanna died, I started working here."

"How do you even trust what I said? Maybe I am lying."

"No." I insisted, looking up at me, his cold ocean blue eyes gazing at me with pure passion and trust. "I know you are not."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because they never found you,"

My heart paused. "Who are they?"

"Your aunt's family, they searched for you for years." He was now backing to his work completely disinterested. "Her house is down the block, her daughter comes every month."

"What is going on?" a voice blurted out.

Her eyes widened at the sight. Viona moved closer and closer. Just when I thought she was coming towards me, she knelt down in front of Sunshine's grave. As her slim fingers lased the brick wall and she brushed it slowly. Her eyes full of fresh tears. I stood there, angry, watching Viona paralyzed on the grave as she titled her eyes and frowned. Marlon and Rebecca were standing right behind me, both of them looked shocked. Marlon's mouth twisted in a snarl as he grabbed my arm and dragged me behind him, my arm was under his tight grip and I didn't do anything about it. I was amazed. After a few moments we were out of the yard, he opened the door and demanded me to go inside and sit.

I shook my head abruptly. "What is going on?" my voice was angry and loud.

He placed his hands on his hips as he stared at me. His eyes tangled with mine for a swift second then he turned away. In a matter of seconds his face changed. Anger, confusion replaced by a deep saddening frown. His arms lifted up to his face as he buried it in them. After a moment he removed his hands, sniffing. "This was my fault."

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. "What?"

He bit his lower lips. "All of this. I am sorry."

"What is going on for God's sake?" I yelled. I couldn't hold it back anymore. It feels like my whole life had been a lie. A simple lie.

"You and-" he started.

"Don't!" Viona interrupted her eyes bloodshot and tears running down her face furiously. "Please," she pleaded her voice low and weak. "At least not here."

"But don't you think she deserves to know! After all this!" I nearly jumped at defeating voice. I had never seen Marlon like this, so fuming and loud to Viona. He had always treated her gently.

Viona swallowed, and after that her head bobbed slightly as she opened the passenger sit and got in, slamming the door behind herself. I could hear her sob. After that Marlon's fingers tangled around my arm as he shoved me inside the car and muttered later.

***

We were sitting in Rebecca's living room, she wasn't here herself. I was eager to know what was going on. "Please, can someone explain this to me?" I pleaded. Viona looked away, refusing to make eye-contact with me.

"Okay, you are right, you deserve to know."

"Well, of course." I raised an eyebrow at them. Although as much as I wanted to act nonchalant but my heart was racing uneasily. I knew what I was about to find out was going to change my voice of view.

"Emma is your sister."

I laughed.

A strange, hoarse, sobbingly laugh.