Chapter 35
Boy loses Girl
Emily flipped through the well worn pages of the book, it had some words underlined, and some commentary written under some lines. She flipped for a while and decided to return the book when a white envelope fell out from the book onto her feet.
Emily stooped down to pick the time-worn envelope, the paper yellowed and brittled with age.
The script on the front was unfamiliar, a looping masculine hand that whispered a past life, but it had her name scribbled in front.
Emily, in calligraphy. Her hand trembled at the sight.
Emily carefully unfolded the envelope to reveal a picture and a carefully folded paper. She stared at a picture, trying to make sense of it. They were three people in the picture. Herself, her mother and a familiar face she assumed to be her father. She knew because her grandmother had his pictures framed all over the store, but still it felt strange seeing her younger self standing next thing to him, holding an elephant teddy bear while her father had his hand wrapped around her shoulders, a wide smile equally planted on his lips. He had brown hair just like hers, he was nothing like her mother described as his eyes bore a certain kindness that didn’t fit the description her mother gave her.
She kept the picture aside, unfolding the letter that came with the envelope, the words that met her eyes blurred for a moment with the shock of her name just above the letter. It was from her father.
Dear Emily,
I wonder how long it’ll take before you finally get this letter, that’s if you’ll remember anything at all. But whatever it is you find out, either from the media or from your mother, I want you to know that I loved you very much but you have to know the truth. Regardless of whatever it is you’ve learned about me, I have to tell you my own version of things. I have told my mother to give you this letter, when you’re old enough to understand things, and I’m sorry Emily, I did what I had to do.
Truth is Emily, your mother hated the life we had. She wanted more, she wanted a big life, she wanted the fame and she wanted to be a star but getting pregnant with you put her life on hold and she hated it, she hated me and she neglected you to chase her dreams but I couldn’t blame her. It was the life she wanted, so I let her chase it because I loved her deeply.
Then the rumors started, about how I was mentally ill and would hurt her and Emily for what it’s worth, I would never lay a finger on Alyssa and now I’m writing this letter with tear stained eyes because I have lost everything, every single thing including you. Your mother is currently missing and all hands already pointing towards me. I know it’s a lie because she stole all my money, every single thing I have and ran away with you, leaving you behind just after your accident that she caused, she hit you with that thermos can in a fitful rage Emily.
To top it all Emily, you’re not my biological daughter. I don’t know who your real father is, Alyssa would not say a word about that but it doesn’t matter. I have raised you as my daughter and I’ll always be your father. Just know that I love you, no matter what anyone says Emily, I love you……
“Emily! You’re not supposed to be here” Emily suddenly heard her name and she looked up with tears dripping from her eyes at her mother, and the first time since she met her again, she could see the fear dance in her eyes.
Emily stood, her hands shaky with the envelope still at hand as she stared at the woman before and still trying to make sense of what she had just read.
“Is this true?” She finally found her voice, holding up to the letter to her mother.
“You’re not supposed to touch anything, you’re not supposed to touch that, give it back!” Alyssa yelled, walking forward but Emily stepped back.
“Grandma was right, you lied, you lied about everything and you killed him. You took everything away from him…..”
“You don’t know anything, you don’t know everything, just give the letter back Emily” she pleaded but Emily shook her head.
“I was okay not knowing any of this, not knowing you, not knowing anything about my memory loss which by the way you caused, and then you abandoned me….”
“You were holding me back!” Alyssa suddenly screamed cutting through Emily’s statement
“I wanted to get rid of you! I was just about to have my big break, star in my first movie and then boom I find out I’m pregnant and oh my God I was going to get rid of you but Darren begged me to keep you, he begged me so much to keep you and you weren’t even his, it was just easier to pin it on him. I hated you, I hated him. You guys made me sick”
Emily could feel her heart shattering into a million pieces behind her chest, she struggled to breathe, the pain doubling over and she clutched her chest in pain at every word that was hauled at her.
“Honestly I didn’t mean to hit you in the head but I was so frustrated, I hurt my knees at work and you just happened to walk in, I wished you had died but then you lost your memory instead and what did I do, I took every single thing he owned and left. I was tired, I was done”
“So why did you come back, why did you look for me if you wanted me dead so bad”
Alyssa was about to speak when Emily held up her hands, shushing her up immediately.
“I don’t care to know, and truly I shouldn’t have come here. I should’ve stayed away but still I wanted to reconnect, to know my mother and it turns out everything was a lie” Emily stepped forward, coming closer to Alyssa and she shoved the letter into her hand.
“You can keep it” she said before turning to leave but her mother held her back, a blank look on her face.
“Don’t you want to know who your real father is?”