Rachel called Rebekah into the bedroom when she was finally ready to tell her.
“I spoke to Alex he's sending a DNA kit to us and it will come in the mail within the next week."
“What, when did you talk to him?” she screamed.
“Yesterday. ...he wants to be sure, since its been so many years. I should have told you about him much earlier but there was never a right time. He didn't want anything to do with us and I wanted to keep you from this hurt.”
“You can’t keep me from everything. You're right you should have! I hate this!”
“I'm sorry, I never wanted you to feel unloved, I wanting to be everything” she said.
Rebekah left balling in her bedroom and felt her heart was going to explode, all the emotions coming out at once in many droplets of tears. In the week to come she felt the sadness come and go.
In class when people made jokes she would laugh but then remembered the pain again. This is what it felt like to be brokenhearted she thought. Rachel hated to see her daughter this way, her normal confidence and easy going personality was shattered.
Chapter 10-Claires New Life
Ruth wondered about Claire every day after she left the house. She was sorry for pushing her daughter away. She now wanted to be included though she hated to admit it. She felt that Claire had grown up too fast and there was not enough time to make it right. She never even talked to Claire about the birds and the bees. Since Claire had left she thought long and hard about her life up to this point. She knew she wanted to stop drinking and she took small steps to get better. She started at home. She started cleaning the house instead of letting it get out of control. She washed the dishes, cleaned after the dog, and started doing the yard work. She even made a schedule to keep her on track and get her other children Liberty and Cynthia to school each day. She liked her new life and how productive she was being without the drinking. It seemed through the loss of Claire that a light bulb came on.
Claire had gained nearly thirty pounds and was not the most secure about the changing seasons. Her and Adam had broken up, and decided that adoption was the best option. Though Claire and her mother was on speaking terms Claire continued to stay with Rebekah’s mom until after graduation. Rebekah and Claire became even closer through the break up and Rebekah urged Claire to come to Eastern University with her. Instead Claire wanted to save up for her own place and go to a local community college. She needed to think about her life after graduation and she knew going away to college would be too much after the loss of the baby. Her life had changed so much over the last 8 months. She felt relieved in some ways that life was coming together but also very emotional about it all. It was the beginning of a brand new life.
Life at the Johnsons was going great when it all happened. On a Sunday morning while Claire was lying in her the bedroom Rachel had made up for her. She was looking at the ceiling while rubbing her stomach gently. She loved to feel the movement and kick of the baby, indicating a strong and healthy child. She didn't ask the doctor about the sex since she figured the less she knew the better since she would be giving the baby up. A family that was very well off was already picked out and there was no turning back. Lying on the bed she felt something leak and her sheets got soaked. She called for Rebekah and Rachel who ran into the room and began helping her sit up. Claire was in shock; it was all happening too fast. It was becoming a reality; she was going to have a baby. Rachel reassured Claire and patted her back, while Rebekah ran to get the premade bags of clothing for Claire.
The birth of the baby was easy, but painful. Claire squeezed Rachel's' hand while Rebekah comforted in any way possible, fetching water and sitting beside her. They had a nice outside view of the pond filled with ducks and a few trees. Rachel was a friend of the doctor and got the best care for her. The room was filled with love for Claire and the baby, Claire gave birth to a baby boy naming him Arthur.
After the birth, Claire decided she did indeed want her mother to be there. She knew it was the first and last time her mother would see baby Arthur. Claire came in with her moussed hair and painted face. She waited in the waiting room until the Rachel went out to get her. Claire knew she would need to make things right with Rachel since their last conversation. "Rachel can I talk to you? I just want to tell you I'm sorry and thankful for what you're doing for my daughter. I haven't been the best.... I've stopped drinking "(Ruth said). Rachel forgave Ruth since she understood that being a mother was difficult but she was still very disappointed in her. She hurt for Claire more than she herself was hurt from their last conversation. Just then the baby was being wheeled into the room by the nurse and Rachel and Ruth followed.
As soon as Ruth walked into the delivery room she ran to her daughter.
They hugged and cried "I'm sorry mom I disappointed you."
"No I'm so sorry for the way I treated you .".
The baby was placed on Claire’s chest and everyone oohed and awed fully enveloped in the child.
"Do you want to hold him?" Claire asked.
"Yes," she cried "What's his name?"
"Arthur."
The legal parents were overjoyed to hear that their baby boy Michael L Fox was finally born. The mother could not bear children, her and her husband tried for many years. Claire was satisfied that at least she had control over the child's outcome and she knew she was doing what was best for him. With the baby in the home of a loving family, Claire tried to refocus on graduating, she was behind in all of her subjects but her teachers gave extra help. They let her stay after school to make up assignments and offered extra credit when possible. Claire missed two weeks of school and there was only a month left of school to catch up. The school spoke rumors about Claire and Adam, when he completely stopped talking to her. Some claimed she was not even pregnant but wanted attention. Everyone was in shock that they had broken up. The coach offered Claire her spot back on the team but she decided to get a part time job instead to keep her mind off of the baby. All of the rumors led her more into depression but Rachel continued to treat Claire like family and she gave her space and time to heal.
Chapter 11- DNA
Package Arrives
When the delivery came Rachel told her as soon as she picked her up from school and they dropped it off at the post office that same night. Rebekah was both happy but sad that it may not make a difference to Alex but she too wanted to know for sure. Alex completed the kit and sent in his sample as well. The process took a week, and in that same time it would be her graduation. On Friday night they both received the official company letter for the test results. Alex and Carol brought a letter the letter into bedroom and opened the seal.
It read…
"The attached protocol contains the results of the genetic marker testing obtained in the laboratory. From the testing show, it can be established that the alleged father is a biological parent of the child in question. Based on the DNA results of Alex Wilde and Rebekah Johnson there is a 99.9% match, and is a 0.001% chance that the DNA is not a match. Due to this information it is confirmed that Alex and Rebekah are related" (Ancestor History Lab). Alex and Carol were in shock that this was the evidence and he called Rachel immediately. He needed to speak to Rebekah and felt that he should meet with her as soon as possible.
Later that night Rachel and Alex had a long talk and he expressed his desire to be at Rebekah’s graduation. Though Rachel was afraid of seeing him in person and she didn’t know if it was the most appropriate time she also knew Alex had missed out on the most important life events. She put her own feelings aside her for her daughter’s sake and gave him the time and place of the graduation.
Chapter 12-The Meeting
Alex left for Michigan that very next day landing at in Detroit Metropolitan Airport. He bought a rental for the day and went to Fitz high. He wanted to meet his daughter for the first time in person and did not want another day to go by. How many birthdays he had missed made him feel much regret. He felt it was his duty to be there for whate
ver she may need and wanted to build this relationship.
The day of graduation was like no other, seeing Rebekah and Claire put on their cap and gown was the proudest day of Rachel’s life. They looked like such young ladies and took what it felt like was a million pictures. By the time they finished photos they were exhausted. Rachel invited Ruth over as well and they left as a small family. Rebekah was excited that all of her hard work paid off and she had reached highest honor. She was also relieved to know who her father was as it had been a very dreadful and expectant week. Claire was happy that she was graduating and that all the years’ problems started to decrease.
Alex arrived too late for the graduation but waited outside for all the graduates and families to exit the auditorium. Rachel was nervous the entire ceremony and got the text that Alex was outside as the ceremony was ending. When they all went outside the sun was shining bright and the parking lot was filled with students and families hugging, crying and smiling. Alex waited by his Mercedes rental. Rachel answered the phone and gave it to Rebekah who received directions on where to meet her father. They instantly seen each other and Alex could not believe his eyes. Rebekah was so confused that he was there and that her dream was coming true. They shook hands and stood there dumbfounded. Alex asked to take them all to lunch to spend more time with Rebekah and to talk about everything. Rachel couldn’t help but be in shock as well that it was really real. Though he said he would be there she definitely had her doubts. Rachel kept her composure though she was screaming inside and very protective of Rebekah. There was so much to learn about each other and this was the beginning of a new relationship. They agreed to lunch and consequently to a new life, instead of running they both embraced the future. Being open to both love and pain.
Information About the Author: Biography
I have wanted to be a writer since high school when I read a story about Johnny Boy and heard the author was very young. Though I made several attempts I never felt they were good enough. So now I am restarting.
I was born in Detroit, MI in the 1990s and had an interesting childhood. When my mother remarried, we moved from Detroit MI to Warren MI. I had never been to a mixed school until middle school. The races and ethnicities were endless and I had finally found my niche. In elementary school to be popular meant to not take school seriously. If there were smart students striving for excellence they were called the “teacher’s pet”. I purposely failed an oral exam in which I had to recite English vocabulary definitions because I did not want to be classified as a teacher’s pet. I was smart but I still passed with a C even though I could have easily received an A. At my new middle school intelligence was accepted and rewarded. It is a wonder how the culture in a school can differ so greatly. I pretty much excelled middle school and high school was a challenge but I still did amazing. My dreams at the time were to become a nurse or a doctor, because I just wanted to help people. I loved biology, and english the most. Teachers really invested in me and encouraged me. From the way they treated me I know they saw something in me. I received my Bachelors of Science degree in 2015 and in 2016 an Associates of Health.
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