Everything’s changed – absolutely everything!
Sitting at my desk, my chin resting on my knuckles, I stare out the window to the tulips below. It’s spring.
I’ve got Charlotte back now that she and Peter have broken up, and she and I are actually friends with the IGs. The IGs! Who would have ever guessed last fall? Well, maybe not the best of friends, but at least we talk now. And boy, has Travis come a long way since his parents started counselling. It helps too now that Kyle moved away. Apparently, he was a bad influence. Who would have thought when he hardly ever said anything?
My mind slips back to yesterday at school when Travis found me at my locker. He walked like he was in a real hurry, and then suddenly stopped and faced me.
“Wanna hear a good joke?” he said, his mouth turned up in a slight grin.
“Sure.” I say, taking out my books.
“What’s brown and found on piano benches?”
I looked up to the ceiling, thinking. “Umm, I don’t know.”
“Beethoven’s last movement.”
Never having been a person who gets jokes easily, I furrowed my brows for a few seconds.
He looked worried, like he thought he had offended me, until I burst out laughing.
“That’s funny, Travis.”
Before I had a chance to close my locker, he hurried away, looking pleased with himself.
Mom had a huge surprise back in February when she found a mysterious hand-written envelope from Vancouver in the mail. Tearing the top off, she began to read. Her eyes grew huge and her hands began to shake. She let out a shriek.
“What’s wrong, Mom?” I said, a chocolate chip cookie frozen in mid-air between the plate and my mouth.
Her face was white when she collapsed onto one of the kitchen chairs, put her head between her arms, and burst into tears.
“Mom?” My blood raced through my veins. “What’s wrong?”
She didn’t answer for a minute, then looked up at me, her lips trembling. “My father’s found me.”
I dropped the cookie. It broke in pieces on the porcelain plate. “What?”
“My dad. My birth dad. Look, here’s a picture of him.” She held up a four-by-six photo of a handsome, older man with the same curly hair as hers. “His name’s Rick. He says he’s been looking for me for years ever since he found out my birth mother had a child out of wedlock before she died. Apparently one of her old band members told him where she had left me.”
A tingle ran down my spine, and I swallowed. “Are you serious?”
“Yes.” Mom grabbed a Kleenex. “And that’s not all. You’ll never guess who my birth mother was?”
“Who?” I asked, keeping a straight face since Kate already told me.
“Melody. You know, like in the Sockhoppers!” Her face was contorted with emotion.
“No way!” I tried to act surprised.
“Anyway, he says he wants to meet me.”
“Oh, Mom! I can’t believe it.” I hurried around the table to hug her.
“Does this mean I have a new Grandpa?” asked Dylan, jumping up from where he was sitting on the carpet and running to Mom.
“I guess so,” Mom said, stretching out her arms to catch him.
“Hurray! A new grandpa!” Dylan cried.
I thought Uncle Jack would never get over Kate. He moped around for a couple of months after she left, sometimes sharing whispered stories about her with me, but we’d always kept it a deep, dark secret who she really was. Then one night, some woman named Jan showed up at the Stompin’ Boot for a special Karaoke night and stole his heart when she sang, of all tunes – Danny Boy! After hearing her sing more songs, he asked her to join his band, and I’m keeping my nose right out of it. But I still can’t help but chuckle at the fact she has red hair.
Then there’s Charlotte. Her parents finally took her on the promised trip to China to find her roots. She said she’d write every day, but so far I’ve only received one e-mail. Mom says it costs too much to text from somewhere else in the world, and that it’s really hard to find internet, let alone a Canadian keyboard.
I sit down at my desk and reread her message for the umpteenth time.
Kira,
I saw the place where my birth mother left me in front of the orphanage today. It was a really safe spot that couldn’t possibly be missed. Obviously my BM cared whether I lived or died. The orphanage is really nice. Not only is it an orphanage, but also a senior’s home. Can you believe each senior is assigned a baby that they cuddle and play with so no one feels sad or neglected?
China is great so far. There are hardly any white people here, so I fit right in, except for the language, but everyone points at Mom and Dad all the time. The other day, they even got chased down the street by some people who wanted their pictures taken with them. Now they know how I feel being the only Asian kid in Hope!
Charlotte
I chuckle like I do every time I read her e-mail. Then I click on refresh to check for any new messages. Several come up. One is from Taylor, asking me to help her tonight with her math again. Her grades have really come up since I started tutoring her back in January. I type a quick ‘sure’, and then scan the rest of my e-mails. It’s there – the long-awaited message from Charlotte. My heart racing, I open it.
Kira,
You’d never believe what happened today. A woman and a girl showed up at our hotel. When we let them in, I was shocked to find myself face to face with someone who looked exactly like me. Turns out it was my birth mother and my twin sister! Can you imagine? Sok Yin, my BM, cried when she saw me, and I don’t mean normal crying. This was a really hard, wrenching kind of sobbing. She said she couldn’t believe how beautiful I was. The concierge interpreted for us and said that my BM had been forced to give me up because the Chinese government has a one child policy. My BM said abandoning me had been the hardest choice of her life. She said she flipped a coin to decide which baby, and then bawled her eyes out for days after leaving me in front of the orphanage. Mai Ling, my sister (it’s so strange to say that), is so much like me it isn’t funny. Even you would get us confused. Can you imagine what Buddy would think seeing the two of us?
Anyway, later Mom made me play the violin, and it made my BM cry some more. She had always wanted Mai Ling to learn piano but couldn’t afford it. We exchanged e-mail and snail mail addresses so we can keep in touch, and Mom and Dad are going to send money for Mai Ling to study piano. She’s going to practice at a neighbour’s house.
Anyway, can you believe it? I have a twin sister! And the best part of it all is that now I know I wasn’t given up because I was a girl.
Charlotte
“Mom! Dylan! Come quick!” I shout.
Dylan is the first to clamber in, clutching his iPad. It seems he’s always on that thing nowadays, but anything’s better than being shot at with a Dead-Eye Dart Gun. I’m so glad he’s hung them up, hopefully for good.
Mom is up in a flash too. When I read them the e-mail, Dylan’s mouth drops open, and Mom keeps wiping her eyes over and over while giggling like a fool.
My ARCT is in two months. I’ve been practicing hard, but sometimes it’s difficult keeping my mind on my work. Ever since that day back in February when the hottest guy I’ve ever seen strolled into town with his dad. They were both carrying violin cases. His name’s Mark, and he’s got dark, curly hair. His dad took over Kate’s work playing in the tavern with Uncle Jack’s band, and like Kate, he teaches fiddling and step dancing too. It turns out Mark’s in grade ten so I see him a lot at school. And just the other day, he asked me if I’d play a fiddling duet with him. Of course, I said yes.
Dad still visits me in my dreams, although they’re not so intense anymore. In the last one, I was playing a difficult sonata when he walked into the room. He smiled at me and raised his hand, giving me a thumbs up.
His eyes were filled with love, and a small tear gleamed on his cheek. I laid down the Golden Fiddle, and he took me in his arms. He held me for a long time, and then looked into my eyes with that expression parents get when they’re so proud. And then he let me go.
I watched him turn to leave, and when he got to the door, I called out, “And Daddy? Thanks for keeping your promise about my violin.”
The End
(Winner of the Dante Rossetti Best Coming of Age Novel)