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She can’t tell if he’s kidding or not. She’d thought his surprise gift had been cash this year, a thick red envelope he’d handed to each of them with a warm embrace.You’re such a wonderful mother, he said to Hannah.I’m so proud of that and all you’ve done.
Her dad was always proud of her, even though she hadn’t accomplished nearly what she thought she would have by this point in her life. And now there was Gigi.
When they all have their boxes, Dad included, they rip at the red wrapping.
“Oh,” says Hannah, staring at the rainbow helix on the box, the foil-embossed lettering.
“Origins,” reads Bruce.
“Whatisthis?” asks Sophia, looking at it with disapproval.
“Huh,” says Mako. “It’s one of those DNA testing kits. Dad, I’m impressed. I wouldn’t have thought you’d be into something like this. Too sci-fi.”
Dad shakes his head, offers a light chuckle. “Seriously, guys, thisisn’tfrom me.”
“Then who?” asks Liza.
They all look around at each other, offering clueless shrugs. Hannah feels a little tingle of unease. Somebody is not being honest. Otherwise, where did these boxes come from?
“Ithas tobe from Mickey,” says Mom, holding up her box and pointing it at Hannah’s brother. Something is going on between them; they’ve been glaring at each other like rival gang members all night. “Believe me. I know when my son is up to his tricks.”
“Mako, Mom,” says Mako, whose given name was, in fact, Michael. Mickey all his life until he went off to college, where he decided he needed to shed his childhood self.
Mako. Like the shark.
“Ohthat’sright,” Sophia says. “The nameIgave you wasn’t good enough. Like everything else. Never enough.”
She drops the box, bends over to pick it up. Hannah keeps her eyes on Mako. An angry flush is working its way up his neck.
“So,” says Dad, interrupting Mako’s reaction again. “Whatis thisexactly?”
Hannah’s waiting for it but Mako doesn’t blow. Instead, he casts an annoyed look at Mom, then turns to their father.
“It’s a kit. There’ll be some kind of saliva collection vial. You register online, then send it in to this company. And it will give you any number of different reports about yourself—health, ancestry, genetic predispositions, etc. It might even connect you with long-lost relatives.”
“Huh,” says her dad, inspecting the box. He seems vaguely interested, but wary. Hannah’s guessing it did not come from him. “That isa little sci-fi.”
Sophia blazes a hard stare at Mako, her expression unreadable even to Hannah who knows all her mother’s many moods. “At this age, I assure you I know as much about my family as I care to. Thanks for the gift,Mickey. But I’m not interested.”
She rises unsteadily. Hannah stands to keep her from toppling over.
“I’m fine,” Sophia snaps, grabbing her arm away.
Hannah sits and Bruce takes her hand, gives her an apologetic look.Your family. Wow. Were you switched at birth?That’s what he said the first time she brought him home.
“It’s not from me,” Mako says.
“Whatever you say, son,” says Sophia. “I’m turning in. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.”
“It’snotfrom me,” Mako says again, this time looking at Hannah. “Did you guys do this?”
“It’s not from us,” says Hannah, with a brisk shake of her head.
Everyone looks at Liza, who raises her palms. “Not me. I would hesitate to share my personal data with a corporation like that. Who knows what they’ll use it for? And you guys should think twice about it, too. When did everybody just decide to give their privacy away?”
“Okay,” says Mako impatiently. “Thenwhois it from? Where did these boxes come from?”
Hannah looks at the gift. The tag has been printed from a label maker, no handwriting to inspect.
