My Brother Said I Was Family But He Never Gave Me a Home Chapter 06
Before I left, my adoptive parents took me to the Meadowridge Memorial Park where my biological parents were buried.
The four of us lit candles.
I crouched down and placed a hand on the headstone, then stood in silence.
The first was to thank them for giving me life.
The second was to thank them for watching over me, for sending me to a family that loved me.
The third was to thank them for letting me know, before it was too late, that I had two sets of
parents who loved me, so I would have no regrets.
And the last one was goodbye.
I was going to live my own life now, time to let everything go back to how it started.
I wished them well.
After I stood up, Robert and Linda placed flowers
on the grave.
“Thomas, Catherine, don’t worry. We’ll take good
care of Emily. She’ll have a good life.”
Goodbyes always felt rushed.
As I got in the car, I took one last look at their headstones and whispered goodbye.
A warm breeze brushed past me, like a hug.
The road home looked the same as always.
Michael was still just as annoying. He kept poking me and making stupid faces.
But I felt full inside.
Three hours later, we pulled up to the house I remembered.
The familiar smell wrapped around me. My
restless heart finally settled.
We had barely stepped inside when my mom got a
call from Uncle Joe.
“The residency is all set. You can move now.”
Tears spilled down Linda’s face. “Really? You’re
not messing with me?”
We didn’t even eat, we just started packing.
Michael pushed my shoulder. “What are you standing there for? Trying to make me do all the
work again?”
“Hurry up, the sooner we pack, the sooner we
move and start fresh.”
I wiped my tears and joined in.
My parents didn’t rest at all.
By noon the next day, we were packed.
By the fourth day, the legal residency paperwork
was done.
On the fifth day, the four of us walked into the condo on Elmwood Avenue.
It was a two bedroom, an older building in a modest neighborhood.
Michael scratched his head. “Not as fancy as his
place. But it’s definitely warmer.”
“You better study hard. The family’s counting on you to upgrade us to a bigger house.”
Linda tapped his head, pretending to glare. “Emily can do whatever she wants. Whether she studies
well or not, we support her because that’s what family does.”
“And besides, this place is plenty big. You share
with your dad. Emily shares with me. What do we
need a giant mansion for? All that empty space is
boring.”
Her words touched something soft inside me.
My eyes stung.
She was right. A huge house without family in it
was just a place to wander around in.
I buried myself in her arms. “Thank you, Mom.”
Robert and Michael quietly came closer and
wrapped their arms around us both.
“We’re going to be okay. Better than okay.”
Once the residency was settled, the college
admission paperwork went quickly.
Walking out of the admissions office, I looked at
my new state ID and the warm acceptance letter
in my hand.
I shouted at the sky.
Michael snatched the letter from me. “Look at you.
Come on, let’s go home. Mom and Dad are cooking to celebrate.”
I laughed and kicked him in the butt. “Let’s go.
home!”
My parents had made a backyard barbecue with burgers and hot dogs.
Through the steam on the window, I could see the
lights of other people’s homes.
Finally, I had a home in this city.
Then my phone buzzed with a message from
Christopher.
[Who established your residency in Kingsbridge? Don’t you know you can’t transfer it for three years? You don’t want to come home?]
I read the message, calm and quiet.
Then I blocked his number and unfriended him on
social media.
Whether the residency could be transferred or not
had nothing to do with me.
Because I was never leaving this address again.
This was my home.
My only home.
