In Search of Lucy (24 page)

“Oh, Katie, I’ve gotta go. Alex is about to leave.” It had been almost four months since the surgery, and both Lucy and Katie were doing fine. More importantly, they were keeping in touch and had spoken on the phone almost every other day since Lucy left to go back to LA. And in less than two more months they would be reunited again when the whole Moore family would travel to California for Christmas.

Lucy clicked off her cell and went to hug Alex good-bye. She had grown fond of him, and even though the thought of living alone with Kyle was exciting, Lucy was going to miss him. After her recovery in Fort Worth, Kyle insisted Lucy move in with him and his brother. His convincing arguments along with her desire to start a new life made the decision that much easier.

“Keep in touch, little bro,” Kyle said. He handed Alex a bag full of snacks he had grabbed from the kitchen.

“I’m only eighteen miles from here.” Alex smiled and hugged Kyle.

“Yeah, but I hardly ever saw you while you were here.” Kyle gave him a light punch in the arm.

“Well now that Lucy’s here, I’ll come around more.” After one last hug for Lucy, Alex jumped into his truck and pulled away.

Back in the house, Lucy sat on the couch, legs crossed and working on her laptop. Plopping down in an adjacent chair, Kyle asked, “Almost done with your paper?”

“Getting there.” It was Lucy’s first class, and she wanted to give it her best. After going back on her deal with Amy to return to the shop, Lucy appreciated a chance to do something special with her life. Painting was still her first love, and with a teaching credential, she would be able to share and nurture that love with her students.

“Great, then maybe we can go out to dinner tonight?”

“Sounds good.”

Lucy moved the computer off her lap and onto the couch cushion. Next to her on the end table sat the large manila envelope Linda had left her in the hospital. She reached over, picked it up, and stared at it. The weekly ritual of pulling out the contents was about to end. Kyle sat up and watched as Lucy opened the envelope and removed three pieces of paper.

“You let me know when you’re done staring at those, and then we can pick a place for dinner.” Kyle got up from his chair and started to walk out of the room.

“I don’t need to stare at them anymore,” she replied.

Kyle stopped and turned. “What do you mean?”

“I called him this morning.”

“You’re kidding?” Kyle knew she would someday find the strength to call her father, but it wouldn’t be easy. How do you call someone up and tell them they have a grown daughter they didn’t know about?

Lucy nodded. “It was so strange. When I told him there was silence on the phone. I thought he was going to hang up on me.”

Kyle sat down next to Lucy and held her. “I’m so proud of you. I know how hard that was even though you’ve always wondered about your dad.”

When Lucy had finally opened the envelope in the hospital, she had a feeling about what was inside. First, there was a note from Linda explaining what Lucy had always wanted to know. It talked about how Linda was seeing a married man and got pregnant. She told him she was going to have an abortion because she knew he would never leave his wife. The envelope also held Lucy’s birth certificate, which included her father’s name: William Donovan. Maybe she was just being naïve, but Lucy felt an instant connection just by reading the name.

The third piece was a government bond. William had given Linda money that was intended to help Linda with any possible medical costs, but she’d thought it was guilt money. So she’d used the money to buy a seven-year bond, which by now had about tripled its maturity. It wasn’t a huge amount of money, but it would be a great contribution to her education.

“Well? What did he say?”

“He was so nice. It was just like I’d always imagined, and he wants to see me.” Her voice was filled with surprise.

“Of course he wants to see you. And one day, very soon, he will love you as much as I do.”

The End