Page 42 of Freedom's Kiss
Chapter 18
Present Day, Florida
With a sense of trepidation, Olivia opened the drawer of her nightstand and retrieved the dreaded envelope she’d placed inside days ago. Procrastination had to end sometime…so did confronting her parents. She still didn’t know what she would say to them and wasn’t sure she had the fortitude to hear their answers. But she needed to. She couldn’t live with this cloud hanging over her for the rest of her life and so many unanswered questions.
She hated that she wasn’t handling the whole thing better. Couldn’t she just accept that her parents loved her and leave it at that? David and Eileen weren’t perfect, no one was, but they were better parents than most kids could claim having. They’d sacrificed so much for her while she was growing up, and she kind of felt like showing them these test results would be a slap in the face to all of that.
She let the envelope rest in her lap as she pressed the corner into a groove of her fingerprint in her forefinger.
Identity.
Like the swirls that ridged the pads of her fingertips, who she was didn’t draw a straight line from birth to this moment. It dipped and swooped and circled, adding layer upon layer. But what was at the center? If she could peel it all aside, what would she be left with? A child unwanted by her mother? One born of the heart instead of the womb? Someone with a rich heritage that she knew nothing about? A future uncertain?
Who am I? Who am I? Someone special to Jesus. I’m Olivia. I’m Olivia. I am special to Jesus.
A memory floated on the air like dust bunnies sparkling in the rays of sunshine pouring through her window. She closed her eyes and replayed the song in her head that she hadn’t heard since she was a little tyke in children’s church. It was a simple song with a simple message meant even for toddlers to understand—it didn’t matter who you were, you were special to Jesus. The nucleus of every living person’s identity.
She tilted her head back in a moment of prayerful silence to still the turmoil that had been rippling in her soul.
The garage door opened beneath her room, and she peeked between the blinds of her window to peer out. Her dad’s truck pulled into the driveway and disappeared below her. Scooping the envelope off her lap, she stood with a long sigh and walked out the door and down the steps.
“Hey, honey. I didn’t expect you home. Not working at the food truck today?” Her mom set a couple of plastic grocery bags on the counter, then looked up at Olivia with a smile. A second later her dad waltzed in from the garage with a huge grin. He tossed his keys onto the hook by the door and then bent to wrap her in a bear hug that had her feet lifting off the ground. He swung her around, laughing as if in celebration.
Olivia met her mom’s sparkling eyes from the kitchen as her dad returned her feet to the floor and clapped his hands on her shoulders. He looked down at her, joy and thankfulness spilling from his every pore. “I got a job,mija.I got a job!” The last word ended on a laugh, and he pulled her to his chest for another tight squeeze. Leaving one arm slung around her shoulders, he shook his head with the widest smile she’d seen on his face in a long time. “I just can’t believe it. Praise God.”
A sheen coated his eyes, and Olivia found the matching emotion in her own throat. “That’s so great, Dad. Where’s the job at? What’ll you be doing?”
“A local road crew just won a bid for a government contract, and they’re in need of heavy-machine operators. Not sure where they’re going to place me—excavator, crane, or one of the other machines—but they were thrilled I was licensed for more than one and hired me on the spot.” He beamed. “And their projections are for the work to take at least a year.”
“That’s great!” Olivia stretched up on her tiptoes and planted a kiss on his cheek. She lost grip on the envelope at her side, and it flittered its way down to the carpet.
“What’s this?” Her dad reached down and picked up the envelope, turning it over in his hands.
“Oh, I wanted to talk to you and Mom about something.” She snatched the envelope and hid it behind her back. “But maybe now isn’t the right time after all.”
The contents would be a wet blanket on her dad’s happy news. She wasn’t using that as an excuse. She wasn’t. But the talk could wait until after they celebrated. Another time would be better. More appropriate.
Her mom wiped her hands on a towel and came around the kitchen island. “What’s this?”
Olivia took a step back. “It’s nothing. Really.” She forced a smile past the panic starting to build in her chest. “We need to celebrate Dad’s new job. How about ice cream? My treat.”
Eileen folded her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes. “Olivia Jane, you’re acting a might peculiar. What’s going on?”
“Nothing!” Her voice cracked. She tried again. “Nothing.”
Her dad’s bushy brows rose. “Well now, I’m more curious than a porcupine in a boxcar race. Out with it.”
Olivia’s shoulders drooped. “We can do this later, guys. No need to spoil Dad’s good news.”
Eileen’s arms dropped, and her face blanched. “Now you’ve got me worried. Are you in trouble? Hurt? Sick?”
Olivia’s heart pinched. “No, nothing like that. Everything is…” She stopped herself from sayingfine. She was confused. Hurt. Emotionally disoriented. But she wasn’t fine. Not yet, at least. “Are you sure you want to do this now? It can wait until a better time.”
Her dad wordlessly held out his hand. Olivia lifted her arm, surprised at how heavy it felt, and placed the envelope in his open palm.
His brow furrowed as he looked at it, and he raised his head. “A lab?”
Her mom sucked in a breath. “I knew it. You’re sick.” She rushed over and drew Olivia to her chest. “Is it cancer? You’re strong, baby. You can fight it.” She petted Olivia’s hair like she had when she’d comforted her daughter as a child. “Your father and I will be by your side every moment. You won’t have to face this alone. Oh, my sweet girl.”
