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I HOPED MY PARENTS wouldn’t ask me any more questions on the drive home. Recounting the details of my temporary entombment had been surprisingly stressful.
“Well,” my father said from the back seat. “Donnie seems like a real nice guy.”
I felt like a chauffeur, with both my parents sitting in the back. My mother refused to sit in the front passenger seat, which she called the “death seat,” and she wouldn’t let my father sit there either.
“I don’t care for that son of his,” my mother said. “He seems creepy to me.”
“He sure can put away the wine,” my father agreed. “You should keep an eye on him, Molly. You don’t want your stepson turning into an alcoholic.”
“He’s going to start military academy in the fall. Donnie thinks he needs a more structured environment. And I agree.”
“Are you and Donnie planning to have children?” my mother asked. “I hope so. I think you and Donnie can do better than that Donaldson character.”
“His name’s Davison. I think Donnie and I might try for our own. One or two, no more than two.”
“Make sure to go for genetic counseling first,” my mother said. “Have them do the DNA analysis. Not the old-fashioned thing where someone sits down with you and tries to recreate your family tree.”
“That’s right,” my father added. “The whole story’s in the DNA. It’s much more reliable than trying to extrapolate from family history. It’s perfect for you, Molly, because we don’t have your birth parents’ medical records anyway.”
“Check your benefits to see if your insurance covers it. If not, we can help you pay for it.”
“I should get Emma to do it for me for free. Oh. Speaking of Emma. And DNA. I wanted to ask you guys something.”
I was sure Emma had made a mistake when she analyzed the hair sample Donnie had given her. On the other hand, Emma never made mistakes. Not according to her, anyway.
“What is it, sweet pea?” my father asked.
“I know I’ve asked you this before, but is there any possibility at all I had an identical twin?”
“The agency never told us anything about it,” my father said. “I don’t think they’re allowed to.”
“I suppose anything is possible,” my mother added. “But why does it matter? What matters is you’re our daughter.”
“You’ll always be our baby.”
“With identical twins, though, their DNA is identical too, right?”
“That’s right. I tell my students identical twins are nature’s clones.”
“Oh my goodness, twins run in families, don’t they?”
“Fraternal twins do,” my mother said. “The tendency to hyperovulate appears to be genetic. It’s not the case for identical twins. These are the kinds of things you’ll want to ask the genetic counselor. Make sure you set up an appointment before you start having unprotected sex. You’re not having unprotected sex already, are you?”
“Mom!”
“Did you ever hear about the Twin Jims?” my father said. “Amazing story. They were twins separated at birth and adopted by different families. They grew up not knowing about each other. They’d both been married twice. The first wives were both named Linda, and the second wives were both named Betty.”
“No way.”
“It’s true,” my mother said. “I remember learning about the Twin Jims in medical school. They did have quite a few odd similarities. They’d both had heart attacks and migraines, and they were both chain smokers.”
“But Sherry and I aren’t alike at all,” I protested. “I’ve never even smoked.”
“Who?” my mother said.
“Sherry Di Napoli. Donnie’s ex-wife.”
“Donnie is a divorced man?”
“She already told us, Sara. That’s why he has the son.”
“Davison’s hanai too,” I said. “Adopted. He was actually Donnie’s sister’s baby.”
“Donnie has a sister?”
“She lives in the Bay Area now. I’ve never met her. Anyway, here we are. Let’s go in and get you settled.”
I got out of the car and unlocked my front door.
“I’ll come back up tomorrow to get you for breakfast,” I said.
“Where are you going?” my father asked.
“I was going to go back down and spend the night with my new husband.”
“With that awful son there?”
“Well, Mom, I guess I could bring Donnie back up here to stay the night. It’s kind of small for four people, though. Just one bathroom, remember.”
“No, you go ahead,” my mother said.
“See you tomorrow,” my father added.
“I can tell he makes you happy.” My mother surprised me with a big hug.