AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Let’s cut to the chase,” a third woman added. “We’ve learned something completely startling, but it makes so much sense. In time, you might even be relieved. I know I am.”
“Lily!” the older woman said sharply.
So the first speaker must be Rose.
“What?” Sulky tone. “I didn’t say anythingwrong, did I?”
“Iris is having her world upended. There’s no reason to be cruel.” Strange how the words didn’t match her tone.
“What is it? Why are you here?” Iris asked.
Her mother paused, so much weight in that stillness that Eli’s forearms prickled. “Iris…there’s no easy way to say this.”
Rose offered, “Should I…?”
Iris’s mom took a deep breath. “No. I will. You got some mail at the house, a card asking you to donate blood, and it reminded me to pick up your medical records. I was planning to send them. I thought you’d need them here, in case something happened.”
To Eli, that sounded like a good deed. Records were supposed to be easily accessible digitally, but some offices made it more complicated than it needed to be. But maybe he didn’t understand why Iris’s mother was doing that. Context could change everything.
“Okay…” Iris sounded confused.
“But I noticed something that raised a few questions—”
“Just tell her already,” Lily said.
“Don’t rush me! This isn’t an easy thing to say.” Another long pause.
Eli could only imagine how baffled and worried Iris must be. It took all his self-restraint not to interrupt and get in the middle of a complicated situation that had nothing to do with him.
Finally, Rose spoke up. “Mom wasn’t there when you got your physical before college. And none of us had any reason to check on your blood type. But it was in the records they sent—”
“Just tell me,” Iris said, sounding resolute.
“You’re AB,” her mother said in a neutral tone. “Iris, I’m type A. Your father is O. And…”
Oh shit. That’s not possible.Even basic bio informed him ofthat much. Eli wondered if the woman was about to confess to cheating or something. Maybe Iris was about to learn she had a different biological father? He glanced at Sally, who was standing beside him in silence, her eyes as wide as his own must be.
“This is better than a telenovela,” she breathed.
Rose continued the narrative. “I asked Mom if she cheated.”
“Never!” The woman sounded genuinely indignant, then she went on, “But…it raised serious concerns, so I went to the hospital. I…wehoped they’d simply gotten your blood type wrong, but everything seemed to be correct on that end. In the end, we found an old toothbrush… You’re apparently not related to any of us biologically, Iris.”
“There must have been a mix-up at the hospital,” Rose said. “I’m considering filing suit. This has just about broken Mom’s heart.”
Iris didn’t speak for several long excruciating moments. Then she whispered, “Did you come all this way to tell me I’m not family?”
He couldhearthe hurt in her voice, ached for her with every fiber of his being.
“That’s your decision,” her mother said quietly. “You’ve always found fault with us, and lately you’ve been giving us the silent treatment. So I suppose you can consider yourself free of obligation if that’s how you—”
“Enough of this nonsense,” Sally said, loud enough for the women in the front room to hear her.
Eli took a step, only to find Sally standing behind him on the verge of dropping her tray. He steadied her, and then she steamrolled right past him into the front room. He hadn’t known if heshould step in, but Sally had no such qualms. Eli followed her just in case she needed backup.
“I’d like you to leave,” Sally added. “You’ve just given Iris some shocking news. You should be comforting her, not telling her she can cut ties if she wants. That’s not how family behaves.”
Iris’s mother snapped to her feet. “Who do you think—?”
