“Do you see? I told you she went crazy,” Amber said. “Yes, I held onto the mail. I truly believed I was doing the right thing. But all this nonsense about me scaring Rose off? That is just the babbling of a disturbed child!”
Dad shook his head. “I never told the kids about Rose’s struggle with depression.”
Amber went white.
“The only person I ever discussed that with was you, a long time ago when we worked at the same place, right before Rose left. Oh my God, the whole story is true, is it not?” Dad stared hard at Amber as tears filled his eyes. “Get out of my house right now, Amber.”
Amber took a step back. She looked quickly between Dad and me and seemed to realize she had completely lost.
“Fine, I will leave,” she snapped. “But you will regret this. Every single one of you! I was the best thing that ever happened to this family.”
She turned sharply on her heel and stormed out.
Dad sank down onto the floor beside me. He took the newest envelope from my hands with trembling fingers and turned it over.
“The return address is only two towns away.” He met my eyes. “We need to get Lucy and go. Right now.”
We drove to the store where Lucy worked. After a little convincing, her manager let her clock out early.
We traveled the whole way in silence and finally parked in front of a modest house with a neat front yard.
I knocked on the door. The woman who opened it looked exactly like Lucy and me, only older. She stared at our faces in pure disbelief for a second, then broke down into heavy tears.
“My babies! Is it really you two?”
I pulled her into a tight hug. “It is really us, Mom.”
And for the first time in fifteen long years, I felt truly wanted.
