The bell of the phone reverberated throughout the silent house. Faint sunlight barely seeped through the window above Gadalik's headboard to indicate how early it was. The young man got out of bed and went down the hall, where he saw his adoptive parents' bedroom door open as his father stepped out to answer it as well.
Being closer to the staircase, the older male reached the living room first and answered with an exhausted voice, “Khatri residence, Gale speaking…”
Gadalik watched curiously from the base of the stairs. He couldn't hear a thing on the other end, but usually a call at this hour meant a client for either himself or Gale.
“What? I'm…sorry to hear that. N-No… No, he's right here. Gadalik?” The darker-skinned man handed the phone to his son and gave him space.
“Gadalik speaking,” he introduced himself, and was immediately concerned when he recognized the woman who was clearly distressed. “Grace?”
“Gadalik, please, can you come over?” his girlfriend practically begged.
“O-Of course! What's the matter?”
“I got a letter this morning, and…it's from… It’s…” Her voice broke.
“Take a deep breath. I'm going to get dressed and I'll leave right now. Everything will be okay,” he promised her.
“We don't have to let her in if you're uncomfortable,” her adoptive father’s voice sounded in the background.
“D-Dad, I… I can't think right now…” Grace sobbed. “I can't–”
The phone hung up.
“Everything okay, Bud?” Gale asked. “I've never heard Grace so upset before.”
“Me neither... I'm going over. Let Mom and Adya know I might be gone for a few days,” Gadalik said.
Gadalik rode up to a homestead on his dappled gray stallion. It was nearing evening by the time he arrived. He dismounted his horse and knocked on the door.
A tall man with long, curly, yellow-green hair braided from the waist down opened the door a little too fast, and the younger male instantly retreated, readying a shield spell in his hand, when he saw the shotgun aimed right for him.
“G-Gavin??” he managed to speak.
The one in question immediately aimed the firearm down and stepped aside to let him in. “Forgive me. I didn't know it was you.”
“Who did you think it was?!” he exclaimed, still shaken.
“Gadalik…?” a young woman with an asymmetrical bob cut called, coming down from her room. “Gadalik!” She ran to her boyfriend, hugging him tightly.
“I'm here, Grace,” he soothed her, returning the embrace. After a few beats she stepped to his side and hooked her elbow with his. “So what was this about a letter? A-And the gun…?”
“See for yourself,” Gavin replied, handing over a folded sheet of paper. It read:
To my dearest Grace,
I know things have never been well between us. And I know that losing you as a child was difficult for both of us.
I looked into the court records of your adoption and managed to find this address. I will be there by May 2nd, 1964 to hopefully reconnect and make amends with you.
With love,
Your mother
Tera
Gadalik stared at the letter in shock. “Your…mother?”
“And May second is tomorrow,” Gavin pointed out. “Forgive me for being on edge.”
“But… I thought… I mean, wasn't she…?” he couldn't bring himself to say it.
“Abusive? Yes.”
“I don't understand why she chose now to reach out…? Fifteen years after she abandoned me?” Grace whimpered, tightening her hold.
Gadalik narrowed his striped blue eyes in thought. “Well… Fifteen years is a long time. Maybe she's gotten better since then…? Nothing seems malicious in the letter.”
Gavin wasn't convinced. “No, but her phrasing concerns me. Tera did not ‘lose’ Grace. That woman not only did nothing to find her; Tera had ignored court orders to reclaim her child up until the point when I adopted her. To play the situation off as a ‘loss’ affecting ‘both’ of them is sickening.”
Gadalik had never seen him so worked up before.
”Regardless, I will not be leaving Grace unsupervised with her. Gadalik… I'm trusting you will help me with this?”
“Oh, uh, o-of course, sir…!” He thought for a moment. “Actually, we can come up with a safe word, just in case. If Grace wants her mother gone, she can mention the word and we'll make sure Tera leaves.”
“That's…a good idea. What shall the word be?”
“How about ‘milk’?”
“That'll work,” Grace agreed. “One more thing, Dad… Don't scare people with the gun anymore, please.”
“...Fine. Now the two of you should get some rest. As fellow adults, I'm trusting you both to be responsible should you share the same bed.”
Grace’s cheeks turned as red as her hair and she buried her face in her hands with embarrassment. “Dad!”
Gadalik felt warm as well. “You don't need to worry about us, sir…”
Later that night, it was clear neither of them could sleep. Both were worried about what would happen tomorrow, or if Tera would even show up.
“Gadalik…?” Grace called quietly.
“Yeah…?” he answered.
“Do you really think my mother could have changed over the years…?”
“...I don't know,” he admitted. “But everyone deserves a second chance, right…?”
“...Yeah. I guess you're right. I just don't know how to feel about this… On one hand, having two parents who cared about me would be great. On the other, if she has some ulterior motive, I don’t know if I can go through that again.”
“The difference between now and then is that you're not alone anymore. Your dad and I will make sure she doesn't hurt you. And if she leaves you again, we’ll still be here. If you're having second thoughts about meeting her, I'm sure Gavin wouldn't have an issue turning her away at the door.”
She turned over from her position as the little spoon to face him. “I… I think I want to give her a chance.”
He lightly pressed his forehead to hers, and the two finally drifted off.
Gadalik turned over, then his heart skipped a beat when he realized he was falling off the bed; he hit the floor, halfway tangled in the layers of sheets and blankets, and just sat there for a moment for his half-asleep mind to wake up.
Surprisingly, Grace still seemed snug and undisturbed.
He carefully escaped the covers and tucked his girlfriend in with them. Then he retrieved his hairbrush from the duffel bag he'd brought with him, brushed and pulled his long, striped green hair into its usual ponytail, put on a fresh change of clothes, and finally went to the living room.
Gavin was sitting by the door. There were bags under his yellow-green eyes, yet he still seemed alert. He shot the younger man an inquiring look, as if to say, “Is my daughter up?”
Gadalik shook his head in answer. “I can make everyone breakfast, if you want.”
“...Sure.”
The morning was peaceful. Since Grace remained in bed while he was cooking, he decided to bring the meal to her. The strewn-out covers indicated she had been awake, tossing and turning all the while. The two ate together, and while Gadalik did try to make small talk, she barely said a word as she picked at her plate. He didn't blame her for it.
A few hours later, the sound of a car engine grew louder until it stopped outside.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
“Grace, Gadalik,” Gavin called. “We've got company.”
She froze.
“Remember: we're here for you. If, at any moment, you decide you don't want to go through with this… Just say ‘milk.’ Gavin will definitely make her leave. Take your time. We'll meet her together when you're ready.”
She braced herself, taking a few unsteady breaths, before gripping his arm and leading him to the front door.
Gavin stepped out of the doorway to reveal two people outside, the first being a woman with long red hair that was stylishly layered, wearing a fancy pale turquoise dress and red heels. Despite knowing she was in her early forties, she looked a lot younger, with her make-up possibly concealing wrinkles. She was tall and thin, with long nails painted to match her hair color.
Beside her was a man perhaps in his early thirties, who was stocky and more gruff in appearance, sporting a short beard.
“Oh, there’s my Gracie! Come, come, give Mommy a hug,” Tera said loudly, sashaying into the house toward her daughter, who awkwardly accepted the hug. Tera released her before she had a chance to return it; Gadalik noticed his girlfriend’s disappointment. “Oh, you've gotten so big! How old are you now? Twenty?”
“Twenty-one…” Grace corrected her, a bit nervously. “Who’s that with you?”
“Why, hello, there, sweetheart,” the bearded man greeted her, scratching the back of his dark grayish-brown hair with embarrassment at his late introduction. “My name is Ian. I've been dating your mother for a good two-and-a-half months now.”
“Oh.”
Gadalik remembered her mentioning Tera’s countless boyfriends during the six short years in her custody. The relationships were always short-lived.
“I work for a modeling agency, but I do charity work on the side,” Ian explained. “I was tryna clean out her old wardrobe for clothes to donate, and–would you believe it--I found some vintage maternity clothes! Very stylish; worth a lot of money, I reckon! They had to be from this famous fashion brand in 1943–”
“Get to the point, Ian,” Tera interrupted with a dismissive wave of her hand.
“Ah, right! Sorry, dear. Well, that got me thinkin’--she had a baby? So o’ course I went an’ asked her. She said y'all got separated on a camping trip when you were little, and she never saw you since. But, you see, my buddy works with record-keeping down at the courthouse, and when I mentioned your name to him, Grace, he pulled your files up right away! Said you were adopted in 1949 by one Gavin–”
“Ian,” Tera snapped.
“Y-Yes, dear! Er-hm! Point is: I'm glad to meet you, Miss Grace. And you, too, Mr. Gavin. Thanks for looking after this li’l girl instead of leavin’ ‘er for the bears.”
“Hm? Oh, yes. Gavin.” Tera and Gavin stared each other down. “Funny. I barely noticed you were there.”
The tall man’s only response was to narrow his eyes with obvious distrust.
Then Tera focused her attention on the young green-haired man. “And you are?”
“My name is Gadalik,” he came forward, offering his hand. “I’m a spook. Grace and I have been together for almost two years now.”
“Ain't that sweet!” Ian gushed.
She stared at the spook’s hand with disgust. “I see.”
What's that supposed to mean?
“Hey, Grace, why don't you show us around the property? Give us a tour, I mean,” Ian suggested.
The younger girl brightened. She opened her mouth to reply, but Tera waved her hand again, saying, “Oh, no, we couldn't possibly–”
He tilted his head. “Why not?”
Everyone was staring at Tera expectantly.
“W-Well, I… I mean… Sure. We can go on the tour, if that's what you want, Gracie,” she gave in.
“Alright!” Grace cheered. “Dad, can you start lunch while we’re out?”
Gavin and Gadalik exchanged a glance, and the latter nodded. I'll take care of her.
For the first time all day, Grace seemed to let her guard down. “You're going to love it, Mom,” she promised, leading them first to the stables. “These are our horses! That one is my dad's; the old horse has been in his family for twenty years so far! Dad was even riding him when he, uh, found me.” She paused awkwardly, then continued, “And the dappled gray one is Gadalik's. But the white one is mine! I've had her for almost eight years! Have you ever ridden before, Mom?”
“Hm?” Tera didn't seem to be paying attention. “Oh, horses? Heavens, no! Who needs horses when you have a car?”
“Oh, uh… Good point,” Grace laughed nervously. “Um… I can show you our pigs–this way!”
“Pigs…?”
“I’ll explain why when we get there. The farm animals aren't just food; they're kind of like my pets, too. Family, y'know?”
Tera was lagging behind the group as they went to the pigpen.
“That old one there is Rufus. We've been pals for a long time; in fact, he helped me and Gadalik save the rest of the pigs!”
“Save them? From what?” Ian asked, genuinely interested.
“Ghosts,” Gadalik replied. “Hiring me to take out a ghost that was killing her pigs is how Grace and I met almost seven years ago.”
“That’s right,” he remembered, “you did say you were a spook! And seven years? Wow, you two must have quite the history!”
“We do,” she beamed, happy to talk about it. “That wasn't the only time a ghost was here, either. Gadalik and I worked together to take on a few others before. There was a ghost that was actually a friend of mine, who–”
“Can we please get on with the tour?” Tera interrupted.
“Oh,” her daughter uttered the word, her excitement crushed.
That single, defeated tone hurt Gadalik to hear. “Tera… That isn't very nice. The point of this tour is to bond with your daughter. You should be happy to hear what she has to share.”
“Excuse me, boy?” the older woman challenged him. “She should be happy I agreed to go on a tour to see these–err–animals. I did not agree to listen to endless blabber!”
“Blabber? Is that what you call your daughter’s conversations–”
“It's okay,” Grace stopped him, not wanting a fight. “M-Maybe you would like to see our garden instead, Mom…? I'll even let you pick fresh produce to try–”
“Ugh, it's so hot out here," she complained, flipping her hair off her shoulder. "And my feet are killing me; I didn't think I'd be dragged everywhere outside in a long dress and heels.”
At that, her daughter shut down completely.
“Grace? Would you like something to drink?” Gadalik offered, giving her a chance to use the safe word.
His girlfriend considered it. She seemed torn.
“Why don't we take a break inside,” Ian said, as if trying to compromise. For some reason, Tera glared at him for it.
“Alright,” Grace finally decided. “Let's go inside.”
“Back already?” Gavin was surprised. “Lunch isn't done yet. Did something happen? Grace, are you thirsty for anything?” Again with the chance to use the word.
“That… That's okay! Everything’s okay,” Grace insisted, her enthusiasm starting to sound forced. Then she got an idea. “Why don't we all sit in the living room, cool off, and get to know each other? Um, catch up?”
Tera once again wasn't paying attention. Ian prodded her shoulder. “C’mon, Ter,” he encouraged her.
“Hm? Get to know each other? Sure.” Tera tucked in her fancy dress and sat on the couch. She patted the cushion beside her, and her daughter moved to take the seat until she realized the gesture was for Ian as he plopped down beside his girlfriend.
Grace instead sat with Gadalik, once again crushed. He embraced her with one arm in a vain attempt to comfort her. “S-So, Mom… What do you do for a living?
“Isn't it obvious? I'm a model. A very famous, successful one at that. I have all the time I need to focus on my career and travel and meet other, also successful, people. That's how I met Ian, too.”
“That's… That's impressive,” she congratulated her mother.
“So…Gavin… What do you do?” Tera asked, despite clearly despising the man.
“I'm a photographer. In fact, I have several photo albums dated over the last fifteen years… If you'd like to see them.”
“Eh, I'll pass.”
“What are you saying, Tera? He's got Grace’s whole life in those albums, starting from when the two o’ you were separated!” Ian pointed out.
“Oh? Oh! Forgive me. Yes, I'd love to see them!”
Gadalik couldn't help but feel she was being disingenuous. He exchanged a glance with Grace, who seemed to agree with him.
Gavin brought out a few albums and crouched by the couch in preparation to guide her through the books.
Tera instead opened one and casually flipped through it.
Gavin and Ian looked at each other, then back to Tera as she closed the book and looked expectantly at her daughter.
“You sure love spending time with those farm animals, don't you, Gracie?” she concluded.
“Y-yes…” Grace answered with uncertainty.
“I see, I see. Well it seems you're quite happy here with Mr. Gavin. You have everything you need here, yes?”
“Well, yes, but–”
“Hm. Then I guess that's all I need to know. Come, Ian, my darling. Let's go home–”
“Are you kidding? You've been estranged for fifteen years, and you're leaving already? You didn't even look through the other albums,” Ian said, more concerned and confused than angry.
“Ian, please. All of those photos are the same. Gracie is okay with her new life, and that's all that matters, isn't it?”
“I…suppose… But you still–”
“Ian! We agreed to just pop by for a short visit to see how Gracie’s doing. I'm sick of you prattling on and on! Now let's go.”
“That's no way to talk to your partner,” Gadalik couldn't help defending him. Despite everything, Ian actually seemed to care about them.
“Excuse me?” Her red eyes stared daggers at him.
The spook held his ground. “Ian has a point. You came here to see your daughter. But so far, you’ve only insulted her by saying she blabbers, cutting the tour short, and not even taking interest in the photos throughout her life. And, now you're abandoning her…again.”
“Again?” Ian repeated, confused. “Tera, is there something you're not telling me?”
She was seething. “Ian… If you love me, you will leave with me right now.”
He looked between his girlfriend and the others, as if not wanting to leave without hearing them out.
“Getting separated on our camping trip…wasn't an accident,” Grace murmured. “She didn't want me anymore. Between me and her boyfriends, I guess she wasn't stable enough to have the life she wanted as a model. I'd even go so far as to say she was hoping I'd die alone out there.”
Ian was mortified. “No… Tera…?”
“Can you blame me?” Tera cried. "Her father left me when he found out he'd be a parent! I had to raise her all alone! You have no idea the struggles I've endured trying to have a job and home while supporting a child takes up every penny! And–and nobody would want to date a single mother, either! I had no help!”
“Tera… I’m sorry it was difficult for you… I–”
“Nobody cared about me, all because of her!”
The room fell silent.
All sympathy for her was lost at that last remark.
“Why did you even come here today…?” Gadalik dared to ask.
“It was all to save face,” Tera admitted. “Ian just had to discover I had a kid. I told him she went missing all those years ago, but instead of taking my word for it, he had his courthouse buddy pull up the files on her! What was I supposed to do after that? Tell him I didn't want to see my newfound daughter?”
“Well, yeah,” Ian exclaimed. “That's exactly what you were supposed to do: tell the truth!”
“But if you knew the truth, you'd leave me, just like everyone else!”
“...Maybe there's a reason everyone else left,” Gavin pointed out. “And I can tell you right now that it wasn't all because of Grace.”
“What? What do you know?! You're just some creep who picked up a little girl who was alone in the woods!”
“That's not true!” Grace jumped up, furious at the accusation. “He tried numerous times to reach you through the courts before he adopted me, but you–you never…” Her anger morphed to despair and tears fell down her cheeks. “You never cared about me. And you obviously still don’t.” She looked up at her adoptive father. “I… I think I'd like some milk, now.”
Gavin stepped protectively between the women. “Tera. We've heard all we needed from you. Please leave.”
“...Very well.” She stood up, straightening her dress. “Ian… Let's go.”
The bearded man bit his lip and turned away from her.
The realization struck. “Why… Why, you…” She rounded on her daughter. “How dare you make me out to be the bad guy?! Now you've sabotaged another relationship of mine! You're a curse! This is all your fault!”
“Grace, get to your room,” Gavin instructed calmly, and after a second to compose herself, she obliged.
“Grace didn't ruin anything,” Ian stood up for her. “You did. I never knew how selfish and uncaring you were until today.”
“I–you–” Tera was hyperventilating with sheer outrage at this point. “Fine. Fine! You want to take their side? You can stay with them.”
She stormed out of the house, and they heard the car start up and drive off.