There's normal road trips, the ones you take for fun or to get to a vacation destination, and then there's this type of road trip ... the one where you felt like you were in a hostage situation the entire time, and wondered what you did in a past life to deserve this.

In my case I was being held hostage by my adoptees that I hadn't intended on adopting. They both required me to feed them more than pop tarts, and keep them alive cross country. I hadn't ever been particularly maternal, and it didn't come naturally to me, but I was the only adult on this camper and I had to grow up and learn.

"Do we have to take the cat out everywhere with us" Veda whines. "It's embarrassing me"

"What is" I ask, smirking slightly to know exactly what it was.

We were walking in Oklahoma. A nature trail around where my mother and birth mother had lived, and somewhere Moira had shown me pictures of. It was their spot when they had been small, and the location of the painting on my mothers wall. I had taken Veda back through with me to show her more of where her Mom was from.

It turned out that Veda knew less about our birth mother than I did. Her view of her seemed skewed and fictional, almost like someone had purposefully moulded her view of her. Veda had only been a toddler when Millie passed away, so how she would have this negative view of her... it had to be one passed down by her father. I disliked that, how he had painted his own picture of her, and it was nothing like Moria's picture. Why did parents do that?! Unless it was positive, why destroy a child's view of their other parent?! If indeed they were useless and selfish, the child would see that themselves one day... they didn't need to hear the rest.

Veda looked at me and pointed with both hands to the space craft style backpack I was wearing that housed Norman. He was looking out eagerly as he watched birds flit through the sky.

"That" she groaned. "It's awful... why not leave him in the silver vibrator"

"He leaves unfortunate gifts on my bed if I dare leave him an hour"

"Why would you adopt that cat from a shelter... he's a lifer..."

"I didn't. He's my friend Kates" I say turning a corner on the trail and stopping to admire the landscape and the beauty of it.

"Then why do you have him" she asked.

"Because she needed to get laid and find a man, and Norman is the greatest and most vicious Cock blocker in history. If he was a human he would have been an absolute asshole"

"He is an absolute asshole" she countered.

I nod in agreement, and undo the backpack, taking him out on his extendable lead and letting him down onto his feet.

"Stretch your legs" I order "the vet wants you to lose half of your body weight before we get back to Oregon"

Norman looked around and then sat down, flopping onto his side and twitching his tail.

"Does he ever walk" Veda asked, as we both stood hand on hip looking down at him.

"No" I deadpan. "But let's carry on walking and maybe he will catch up to us"

Veda and I leave him and move down across the open meadow ahead of us. "We can have a picnic down here" I say pointing to the perfect spot among wildflowers. "As soon as we open a packet he will run down here like a bull charging a red flag"

"Good point" she says looking back at him. He was still lazing in the sun, watching us go, the lead getting further and further away.

As soon as the lead snagged I tied it to a tree and we sat down. I threw out the blanket I brought and we took a seat cross legged.

Veda reached into her backpack and pulled out the water and sandwiches we had made in the camper.

I watched her for a moment and noticed the ease in which she seemed to be in with me now. It was days into our road trip now, and despite being strangers, I felt a connection forming there, be it forced or not... it was there.

I was in her good books, spending a small fortune on her at the salon, and for her new clothes and sneakers at the mall. Her hair was now braided neatly and her sneakers were the newest style. She had been confident in her ask of box braids and cornrows with a Mohawk. She looked great, and I could tell she felt it.

As expected the sound of her opening her corn chips sent Norman jumping to his feet and running through the grass at speed, and all you could see at points was his tail speeding through the tall grass. It was like we were being hunted by a wild animal as he came flying out of the grass and onto our picnic blanket with a hopeful expression on his face, and a whine that only his mother would put up with.

"You greedy little piglet" I observed as he pawed at Vedas backpack, looking for his lunch.

I threw him a slice of luncheon meat and watched him chew it quickly, so quick I was sure he didn't taste any of it.

"Why did you bring me here" Veda asked. She was scouring the horizon with a scowl. "It's dusty, and hot, and every-time the wind picks up I'm looking for Helen Hunt"

I snorted with laughter, the water in my mouth began to come out of my nose as I cupped my face and tried not to spray it all over her.

She looked at me with the largest smile on her face and her body shook a little with a laugh she was trying to contain "what" she asked.

I wiped my mouth and let out a little chuckle. "That was funny" I point at her with a limp finger "and how the heck do you know Twister" I ask.

"My dad had the movie channels when we were kids. He let us watch it a lot when he was working. It showed old nineties movies on week days at five. My brothers and I used to watch one whilst we ate dinner"

"Who cooked the dinner" I asked more seriously.

"My older brother Charlie"

"The one in the army" I nodded to myself.

"Yep" she returned, biting into her sandwich.

"Do you have any way of contacting him. I mean I've left my contact details with the school, on your file. But, I'd like to contact both he and Daniel. I want to know Daniels okay and I want to make sure Charlie knows you are with me"

"I told you, Daniel bounced. He's fine. He can look after himself. Charlie left because he hated dad. He won't be back. I doubt he even knows he's in prison"

"I'm a little lost... how did the social not contact him in regards to your guardianship... a fourteen year old can't be left without one. He must have been your next of kin after your dad, as an adult"

"Actually my Gran was. She's eighty years old and hasn't been sane in years. She lives a couple blocks away. Social services assumed until recently I was with her"

"They didn't double check" I ask with amazement.

"They are underfunded and stretched already. I think a kid with a guardian isn't too much of a worry on their list of daily concerns. Plus, I'm a little too good at lying"

"Noted" I say, raising my eyebrows at her.

She raised hers right back "in the sense I went to school and didn't raise red flags... my only tell was that I was hungry and looked like ass"

"Well, I'm glad you are serious about studies ... that's not a bad thing... and neither is thinking on your feet. Both admirable qualities. But ... and that's a big but"

"I do have a big booty" she cuts in.

I roll my eyes and she laughs and stuffs the rest of her sandwich into her mouth.

"But... little sister... it won't fly when it comes to pulling the wool over my eyes... I'm a teacher by profession and I know how to spot a lie a mile off"

"So. You teach huh. English like my mom" she asks.

"No. Psychology like mine"

"Okay I'm gonna need a story time. So you grew up with Moira thinking she's your mom..."

"Yes"

"And she didn't tell you about my mom"

I laid back on the picnic blanket and Norman took two seconds to come over and curl up on my chest as I placed my arms under my head.

"Correct. I found out in October"

"That's messed up" she said laying down beside me and imitating my position.

"I know. She had good reason to not tell me. That's all you really need to know"

"So, you never met my Mom" she asked.

"Not knowingly, no"

"My father told me she visited you alot" she reveals. "Put you first even after we were born"

I turned to face her "not true. Once a year. On my birthday. That was all"

She mulls that over, and I see it on her face, how she was realising that not all she knew was true.

"Why are we in Oklahoma" she asked me again.

I looked back to the sky above, and sighed. "I'm not sure really...I just felt like I wanted to bring you back to her... and show you where they were from. Our history as family"

"So they were born here" she asked.

"Born and raised" I reply.

"What else do you know about her" she asks curiously.

I dip my head sideways and take her in once more as she looked back ... the light brown eyes that looked back were full of questions and a desire to know more.

"She was smart, and strong... and an identical twin"

Veda sat upright and threw out her arms as she looked down at me "are you telling me there's another one of her out there" she cursed. "If it wasn't bad enough I have you Snow White... now I have a clone to meet"

I sit up and take Norman onto my lap. "Afraid so. But my mother and her, they have completely opposing personalities. Please do not judge your Mom from my mother. She's a little bit of a hard nut to crack..."

"She's a bad bitch isn't she" she asked.

I nod "that's one way to describe her"

"I can rate a bad bitch. I might even like her" she admits.

My cell rings and it's Kate. I had only text her after meeting Veda and with little details. She must be frothing at the mouth for more.

"Hey" I answer as her face popped up unexpectedly and made me jump "Jesus Kate, I wasn't expecting the video"

She looked like she was peering into the screen to see more of my surroundings. "Are you on a picnic blanket... is that food... oh hi Norman" she said manically waving at him "it's your mommy I miss you"

"Am I crashing a date... is that a woman's leg" she said narrowing her eyes as I flicked the screen round to Veda.

Veda gives a sarcastic toothy smile.

"It's not. It's Veda"

"Hey Veda, I'm Kate" she introduced herself "Millie is my best friend, and the largest pain in my butt"

"Wait. Where are you" she asks confused.

Before I can answer she's opening up apps on her phone and I've lost her for a second.

"Oklahoma" she announces to herself as she reappeared.

"Did you kidnap a child" she asks me wide eyed.

"Yes" Veda calls out "Call the cops Kate"

I pushed Veda sideways out of shot.

"Think Kate. Am I the type to kidnap a child and make my road trip home one of responsibility. I have to feed them Kate" I stress.

"Of course. Why then are you crossing back with a teenager" she asks me "is it legal"

"Yes, somewhat. I'm her blood relation, and nobody was looking after her. I've called her school and let them know and I will call her legal guardian, her Gran, in a second. She's not exactly been keeping tabs on her so I shouldn't think she cares"

"You know you do have to legally become her guardian though Mills... it's not as easy as taking her home" Kate reminded me.

"Yes, I know. I'm hoping Moira will do all of that. I'm just doing my best to get her back to Moiras in one piece"

"She flighty" she asks.

"You guys know I'm sat right here don't ya" Veda says leaning back into shot.

"Sorry. Where are my manners ... are you flighty?" Kate asks her.

"No"

"Are you gonna be hard work on my friend here"

"No"

"You talk back alot?"

"Yes"

"Honesty...I like it" Kate muses.

I lift the phone up higher to break their back and forth "Okay you two... let's just round this all up so I can get going back to the camper. Veda is coming back with me. We will see you in a month"

"A month" Kate shouts.

"It's summer break Kate... we are making a vacation out of it. Veda wants to see some stuff on the way back... and I'm in no hurry to return...you know why" i try and whisper.

"Why" Veda asks, and she leans against me with intrigue.

I rolled my eyes and brushed her away.

"Why doesn't sis want to return home" Veda says tauntingly "shitty boyfriend waiting for ya..."

Kate starts to laugh but coughs to cover it up, and the horror on my face cannot be hidden.

Veda looks to her and then to me "are you a lesbian" she asks bluntly. "You loving the pussy" she adds vulgarly.

"You're grounded" I say standing up and sending Norman flying off of my lap and out of his harness. He takes off running right on cue.

"I'm pretty much grounded permanently, in that silver vibrator twenty four hours a day with you and that psycho" she says nonchalantly.

"Kate I have to go. Normans decided to break a sweat for the first time in his life and is halfway across this damn meadow being hunted by a bird of prey..."

"Oh god he is" Veda observes, clapping her hands loudly and running after him, trying to put off the large bird as it swooped lower toward him.

"That bird will be dead by sliced throat in five seconds" Kate reminds me.

"True... i'll let Veda retrieve him. Love you Kate. See you soon... stop worrying"

"Do you hear yourself" she asks me. "Love you too. I'm gonna call you every damn day until you arrive. I gotta check three of you are alive now, not just two" and she clicked off.

I sat back down on the picnic blanket, and pulled my shoulder length dark hair around my neck. I sat and watched as Veda darted around the meadow, arms outstretched trying to retrieve Norman, and I laughed... I laughed so hard my stomach hurt.

I needed that.

Road tripping as three... a chaos I welcomed.