Chapter 18

Tori sat out in front of the Browns’ family home. Kyle sat next to her. Neither said a word to other and hadn’t the whole ride over. She had called the Browns’ an hour earlier to let them know she was coming over and had something very important to talk to them about.

“Listen,” Tori glanced over at Kyle. “I’m going to in and talk to them first. When I stick my head back out the door that will be your cue to come in.”

Kyle silent as a mouse just nodded. Tori opened the door and got out. Kyle watched her until she disappeared inside the house. It was a nice big house. Two story stucco like most houses on the block. A jet black SUV and a mid-sized tan sedan were parked in the open garage. On the outside they seemed to be living good. Although he had been raised in a nice family, they were never rich. And after his dad died, his mom had to struggle to make ends meet. Although she tried her hardest to make sure he wanted for nothing, it had never been enough for Kyle. He had always felt like something was missing in his life. He had been so focused on his mission that hadn’t taken the time to reflect on the weight of this occasion. He was meeting his birth parents for the first time. He didn’t know whether to be elated or angry. He supposed he was a bit of both.

“Kyle!”

Kyle looked out the window and saw Tori motioning for him. He got out the car and walked up the path to the house. When he reached Tori she spoke to him in hushed tones.

“I told them about you. Joyce, that’s your mom, ran out of the room in tears. I don’t know if she’s going to come back out but your dad, Clint, is waiting for you in the living room. Come on in, I’m right behind you.” Tori said as she shut the door behind him. Kyle glanced around as he entered the small foyer. The place was nice. Nicer than any place he had ever lived in. Tori pointed to a door that he figured led to the living room. He walked that way and opened the door. His dad stood up when he entered.

Damn, they looked so much alike. Kyle openly appraised the tall man standing a few feet away from him. It shocked him to see someone standing right in front of him looking so much like him. The man standing before him could never deny that Kyle was his son. His father, too, appeared to be taken aback by their striking similarity.

“You look…” His father started.

“Like your son.” Kyle finished for him. He stepped further into the room and allowed Tori to enter. She entered and sat in a chair and watched them without a word.

His father studied him. “Christ, I haven’t seen you since you were an infant. You’re a good looking kid.”

“Good looking man,” Kyle said. “You can drop that kid s***. Those days are over---you missed ‘em, Pops.”

“Fair enough,” His dad said soberly. “I thought about you a lot, you know. Wondered how you were doing.

“Give me a motherf***ing break. You don’t need to tell me that s*** to make me feel better.”

Dad winced. “Do you have to curse so much?”

“What? You see me for the first time in twenty-four years and want to criticize my foul language?”

“Forget it,” his father said, “You wanted to talk right? Let’s do that. Have a seat.”

Kyle came and sat next to his dad on the couch careful not to sit too close to him, but stared directly into his face. He wanted to look into the eyes of the man that gave up his flesh and blood a long time ago.

“So what’s your story, Pops? I’d love to hear it.” Kyle said in a menacing tone. His father ignored the tone and started speaking.

“Joy and I were very young when we had children. I was eighteen and she was seventeen when she got pregnant with Chey. Then we got married that same year as it was done in those days. Her parents didn’t approve of course but what could they do? She moved in with my family after the wedding and my people had a hard time supporting all of us so I had to bypass college and get a job to support Joy and the baby. Not long after Chey was born, Joy got pregnant again. My parents almost threw us out of the house because that was another mouth to feed. Joy’s parents told us to give the new baby up for adoption. We were both against it, but had no choice. It was going to be hard to support a second child. Then when we found out she was having twins, they kept pressing us to give up both of them. We agreed. Our parents made us do a closed adoption with a family who couldn’t have kids. Everything was set for the adoption. Both babies were to go to a new home but when you and Chris were born, Joy didn’t want to give you up. There was nothing anybody could say to her. The adoption officials told us, ‘You’re going to have to give them up. Everything has already been put in place. These people are expecting these babies.’ They were right of course. We had signed the papers. Forfeiting would have legal repercussions. One of the adoption people came to us with a solution where both parties would be satisfied. That solution was to split the two of you up. We didn’t want to do it but we had to. The younger of the twins, you, was given to a new family and we got to keep the older. Joy and I cried for days after you were taken away. Believe me when I say we thought about you every day for twenty-four years.” He placed a hand on Kyle’s. Kyle visibly tensed at his father’s touch. What he heard wasn’t what he expected. He wanted to believe it but part of him would not accept that answer. Despite knowing that he went to a good family, Kyle could not help but be angry that he was given away at all. He felt that they could have done more to keep him, to keep him and his brother together.

“So that’s your story?” Kyle stared at the man. “You were forced to give me up? Your own flesh and blood? Your son’s twin?” His voice rose with every sentence.

“We had no choice! We were young. Still babies ourselves. I loved your mother and would have done anything in my power to keep you boys together for her. I could not. We would have been taken to ja-”

Kyle cut him off. “To hell with jail!” He screamed as he stood up. Tori winced in her chair in the corner but didn’t say a word. “Had it been my kids, I would have went to jail to keep them together!”

“What would that have solved? You would’ve been in jail and your kids would have still been taken away.” His dad looked up at him.

“Christian!”

Everyone looked toward the doorway as a very pretty petite woman looked in at them with tears in her eyes. Her eyes were trained on Kyle as she moved toward him. “Christian…” She said again as she stopped in front of him.

“What did you call me?” Kyle looked down at the woman that he could tell was his mother. He saw a little bit of himself when he looked into her face.

“She called you Christian,” His father said from behind him. “That’s what she named you when you were born. Christian Martin Brown. That was also the name on your birth certificate. Your adopted parents changed it when they got you. The name change was part of the reason we were never able to locate you over the years. Your brother was named Christopher Maurice.”

Kyle looked around the room for a spot to stare at. Anything besides staring at these two people. He eyes trained in on a large framed picture over the fireplace and centerpiece. It was a family photo of his parents and his siblings. His mother was seated with his dad standing behind her, hands on her shoulder. Chris was kneeling at his mother’s right with his hands in her lap. Chey was kneeling at his mother’s left imitating the same position Chris was in. They looked like the perfect little family. He was the only one missing from that photo and the smiles on their faces told him they didn’t care. Rage shot through him.

“Why’d ya’ll give me up!” Kyle screamed. “What? In your perfect little world there was only room for one boy and one girl? Ya’ll had to throw the unwanted kid away?” He turned to stare at them.

“Christian…” His mother said again, tears coming out of her eyes harder at every harsh word he uttered.

Kyle turned back to look at the woman in front of him. She reached for him but he stepped back from her touch. “No, ya’ll gave me away. My name is Kyle. That’s what my parents named me. You have no right to call me that Christian s***!”

Clint stood up, apparently fed up with Kyle’s rude manner and harsh language. “Now you wait a minute, boy! I will not tolerate that kind of tone or language in this house. Not in my house. You will respect your mother and me. We are still your parents!”

“You aren’t my f*cking parents! My parents are DEAD,“ Kyle whirled around to look at the man that was supposed to be his father. “…just like your kids!”

The room was stunned into silence. Tori had stood up by this time. Her mouth open in silent horror. What Kyle had said rendered them all speechless, himself included. But once he said them they could not be taken back. Joyce had ran sobbing from the room. Her hard footsteps could be heard running up the stairs. Clinton stared at his son, his last son, and now only child and shook his head before walking past him.

“Hey, man…” Kyle called after him but he never turned around. “Hey…hey!” His dad disappeared up the stairs and Kyle soon heard a door slam shut.

He and Tori were left to stare at each other. What Kyle had said was one of those things that should have never been said. Heaven help him, he’d gone too far. Yes, he’d been hurt. Yes, he lashed out, but he wanted them to hurt just like he was hurting. Alas, the sweet taste of verbal victory was bitter and the TKO was hollow. And he felt that he had ruined his chance of building a relationship with his birth parents. Kyle closed his eyes and sheathed his sharpest blade behind pursed lips.

“I’m sorry.” He said softly. But when he opened his eyes he realized there was no one there to hear him.

Not even Torian.

TBC…