Simone got up to answer it, then I heard her open the door and say something to whoever was on the other side. Shortly after, she close it. Then I heard the sound of paper. Then footsteps.
She came back into the living room holding an envelope.
She was looking at it with a confused look on her face.
I saw the return address from the couch.
DNA Diagnostics Center.
My whole body went cold.
The tracking had said two more days. Two more days and I would have had it in my hands before she ever saw it. I had paid for expedited results and put my own address on the form because I wasn’t thinking clearly when I submitted it. Now I sat here regretting not mailing it to my moms address. I had been carefully managing the timing, but now the results were sitting in Simone’s hand in the middle of my living room.
“Gutta.” Her voice was different. Flat in a way it had never been with me. “What is this.”
I stood up.
“Put it down and let me talk to you—”
“What is this? Tell me right the hell now!”
“Simone, please just sit down and give me that.”
“I ASKED YOU A QUESTION.” Her voice cracked on the last word and she caught it and pulled it back while she stood there looking at me waiting.
I had nothing. Everything I had rehearsed for a week was gone.
“Open it in front of me, because you better pray this a DNA test for you and your father!” she said. She walked over and held it out and her hand was shaking.
“Just let me explain first. You gotta hear me out.” I was nervous than a muthafucka.
“No.” She took a step closer. “You open this right now in front of me! You keep saying to hear you out, but you not saying shit. Now, I’m fearing the worst and to ease my nerves open it now, or I’m about to.”
I took the envelope.
I stood there holding it and looked at her face. I wanted to say something that would soften what was about to happen and there was nothing. There was no part of this of this that was soft. I damn sure wasn’t expecting this today.
“I need you to know that I love you,” I said. “Before you read anything I need you to know that.”
She snatched the envelope out of my hand and tore it open. She was clearly tired of playing around with my ass.
She pulled the papers out and I watched her eyes move across the page. I watched her face go through something I couldn’t explain. She read it once. Then she read it again. Then she looked up at me and her eyes were full and welling with tears,and her jaw was tight, but was holding herself together by nothing.
CASE INFORMATION
Case Number: DDC-54892173
ALLEGED FATHER: Deon Rodgers
CHILD: Amara—
MOTHER: [Not Tested]
TEST PERFORMED
Paternity Test – Legal DNA Analysis
LABORATORY FINDINGS
