"Uggghhhhh!" Michelle grunts as she, Megan, and Bridget enter the house, coming home from school. Lacy and Liam had the day off, so I'm playing tea party with them on the living room floor. We all look up to see the threesome looking exhausted. They stalk into the house, dragging their feet. Plopping down and the couch, they throw their backpacks at their feet.

"What's up?" I ask with a little laugh.

Lacy studies them with big eyes, running a hand through the little, brown tuft of hair that's beginning to grow back on her head.

"It's just one of those weeks," Michelle replies, slouching in her seat on the couch and dragging her hands over her eyes. Then she sits up a little straighter and looks at Megan. "Was Sydney at school today at all?"

"No why?"

Plopping herself back against the couch Michelle says, with a little laugh, "Guess her fever didn't cooperate with her plans. She promised she'd be back today but noooo...."

I've stopped listening. It's funny, in a terrible way, how a couple of words can trigger memories to come flooding back...

"I promise, baby. Have I ever broken a promise to you?"

I look up into the deep green eyes of my father, my arms wrapped around his waist. I rest my head on him, sinking into his camouflage army uniform.

"No, Daddy, you haven't."

He smiles down at me sadly before turning to my mother and sister, Elena to find her cheeks tear stained.

"Elena, Princess, don't cry!"

Too late. The river of tears already resuming to flow down her cheeks, she walks up to embrace him as Mom looks on, fighting her own tears.

"Come home, Daddy," Elena whispers.

"What'd I tell your sister?" he replies gently, pulling me in for to
join the hug. "I promise I'll come home. And I don't break promises."

And he didn't ever break promises...

Not on purpose, anyway.

"Hey!" Megan snaps and whistles trying to get my attention, I realize. I blink and fight the tears threatening to spill over. Thankfully, Megan doesn't notice I'm upset and laughs saying, "You were off in Lala land girl!"

Trying my best to appear genuinely light-hearted, I muster up a smile. Megan buys it and so does Michelle.

But Bridget...

She's giving me a suspicious glance, full of concern.

Gosh, darn it Bridget why are you so good at reading my emotions?

I can tell she's wanted to hear my story since... Well, since we've met, really.

That was actually her motivation to even come up and talk to me, I remember, smiling to myself.

I try to avoid eye contact with Bridget and am saved by Lacy tugging gently on my braided hair to get my attention.

"More tea please," she requests.

I smile. "Why certainly Lady Lacy."

I pick up the little toy teapot and pretend to pour the liquid into Lacy's cup. Meanwhile Liam pushes, "Me too! Me too! More for Sir Liam!"

With a chuckle I assure him that he'll get his fair share.

I steal a glance at Bridget to find she's moved on from her concern for me- at least for the time being. I try to do the same and push the memory away.

Most people around here don't seem to remember being five, six.

It's a shame, really.

I guess it's good, everyday childhood memories don't stick in your head the way painful ones do.

          ************************

I pull out a chair at our always-crowded kitchen table and plop myself next to Bridget. Mr. and Mrs. T sit at each head of the table. On the other side of Bridget is Megan while Liam, Lacy, and Michelle sit on a little bench in the opposite side of the table.

It's spaghetti night, I realize as I look down at the plate before me. I've loved every single dish Mrs. T has put out in front of me for the past three months. Anything tastes good after you've been eating the same soup for four years.

I smack my lips eagerly. My eyes once again catch the collection of pictures on the wall directly in front of me. There's a baby picture of each of the Tolia's biological children and then an "up to date picture" beneath that. I got my "modern" picture taken a few weeks after I decided I'd stay.

Guess what they did for my "baby picture?"

They framed the newspaper article that talked about my adoption. Yep. I'd made the paper. It's actually kind of embarrassing. I mean what's the big deal? Yeah, I guess I was that random girl on the street whom no one knew a thing about and suddenly, poof! Everyone knows my name. Genevieve! The random, homeless girl that now got adopted!

Oh well, the commotion over what I thought was a private affair would die down soon.

"Mhmmm, this is just what I needed," Bridget sighs in satisfaction after swallowing a huge bite of spaghetti.

"Hey it hits the spot," Megan agrees.

"Hey! Look at this hair!" Michelle says cheerfully to Lacy, tossing the little hairs that she has. Lacy smiles wide, her cheeks puffing out because they're full of spaghetti noodles. Dad and Mom smile too; the whole table practically glows.

I try not to let myself worry that it won't be long until she'll have to be back in the hospital.

The dinner goes on like that for a while; everyone putting a few words in between face-fulls of food. I am just about ready to get seconds when the doorbell rings.

"Who in the blazin-?"

"I'll get it!" Bridget volunteers in a sing-song voice. She hops out of her chair and tries to get out of her awkward middle chair. She eventually gets free, but whacks her elbow on the way out.

"Oweweiiie, that'd be my funny bone," she moans while hopping out the kitchen, through the living room before turning the corner and disappearing from sight.

Michelle spits out a laugh. "Wow. Good job, Bridge," she jokes, although at this point Bridget can't hear her.

I suspect at first that it's just a Girl Scout Cookie girl or something but when Bridget doesn't come back for a while and her voice begins to rise, I get curious. And so does everyone else. We're all straining to hear what's happening.

"..... Genevieve's here?" a voice calls.

All eyes land on me. I just continue to stare in the direction of the front door.

"Perhaps you've got the wrong Genevieve," Bridget's voice says, sounding rather confused and flustered.

The person at the door mumbles something that I can't make out.

"Alright, I'll go see what's up," Mrs. T says, rising from her chair.

I decide to follow. Mrs. T and I round the corner to see who our visitor is. The eyes of a tall, blonde woman with her hair in a bun find me immediately.

"Gen!" she says, seeming to be fighting the urge to run in and hug me.

I return her gaze, wide-eyed and confused.

Bridget looks at me and raises an eyebrow. Do you know her? she mouths.

I cock my head to the side. Who the heck does she remind me of?

"Don't you remember me, sugar? It's me! It's Aunt Cassie!"

Without meaning to, I let out a gasp. Bridget's eyes blaze with all kinds of emotion. I take a step backwards and slowly shake my head. Mrs. T looks at me, then at... At... Aunt Cassie.

"We need to talk, Hon."

Oh, now you wanna talk?

I keep shaking my head and walking backwards step... By step... By step. Then I turn and run. Through the living room and up the stairs I bolt, the anxious whispers already beginning behind me.

I run into the room I share with Bridget and close the door. Then I let go. The tears come. I need to leave the past behind!

What the heck does she want with me?

What kind of crazy world does she think she lives in?

Why on planet earth would I let her back into my life?