came b

oss, another terror awaited ahead- a bigge

dgren, 8pm, reservat

number unsaved, claimin

ut of the restaurant, all dim gold light and low music- the kind

vation for W

smiled, and led me to a table

came forward bearing

ll just have wa

sting the strap of my bag; my eyes

y father was really telling the truth that I'm

find him? Would he even like me, or wou

e had shown up. I checked the entrance every second

ace-up on the table in case the message c

ur pa

how. I tapped my heels agains

i

my phone

ten, and you aren't back

s- chasing a stranger's text to a restaurant like some desperate wo

home soon. W

t even a

Maybe that was the whole point. Maybe someone

up. I grabbed my bag

, your

t order

ready pa

e they paid attention to me; they all had a c

sent to the counter." He said as he laid

ine. My blood went cold. The unknown messenger had been here all along, wa

't lie to me." My voice came

I can'

ion in the restaurant shifted towards me

crack on it, more plea now th

glanced toward the d

velope from the table and ran out. People stared at me like a freak, but I d

been pleading a second ag

e was a few steps ahead of me, but I ran to catch

For hours I had to sit there waiting for you, just to be de

the

tly." I grabbed her by her arms, squeezing

our mind? Get yo

told me to come here. What were

line voice dragge

a moment. People gath

nd for me to see the engagement ring. "I don't even know you. Get hel

unknown messenger, then embarrassing myself in the restaurant. If th

olling through her phone when I arrived. The moment I saw her,

and she didn'

; the night air did nothing to steady me. The en

chasing a life a stranger is telling me about, or

or half a second; eventual

one from before - not me at six or sev

ded into that particular yellow every ph

, two women; my mother and another and two children, a boy and a girl

as familiar. Not the man's jaw, not the

biological father, my real family- it was proof of

ned i

nderstand

ch somehow unsettled me more than i

up at me from a photo

into the envelope and

ails land, enough to make me doubt what I already knew about

uestion. It just added five new unfamiliar fa

ase them, and I wasn't going to give t