Secrets Untold

by Shelia M. Goss

  “This is tearing me apart. What if, after he gets confirmation, he doesn’t want to have anything to do with her? That would break her heart and mine.”

  “He will have to deal with me. I’m not going to let anyone hurt Porsha.”

  Tired of eavesdropping, I made my presence known. “Hi. Didn’t know y’all were down here.” I went in search of a saucer so I could make a sandwich.

  “If you can wait about twenty minutes, lunch will be here. We ordered from your favorite Italian restaurant,” my mom said, releasing herself from my dad’s embrace.

  “Cool,” I responded. I continued to the refrigerator and poured myself a drink.

  Thirty minutes later, my parents and I were enjoying a nice lunch. My mom’s cell phone ringing interrupted our quiet family time.

  “That was Jay,” she said after hanging up. “They are ready for us to come pick them up. You want to go with us? We were going to swing by the park.”

  “No, I think I’ll stay around the house and chill,” I responded.

  I spent the afternoon by myself surfing the Internet. So many questions popped up in my head about Dion McNeil. I wanted to know everything about him. I wanted to know if some of the mannerisms I had mimicked any of his. I wondered, once he got the test results he insisted on getting, would he embrace me as his daughter? Or would he keep me at arm’s length?

  I found myself reading article after article about Dion McNeil. I clicked on a few video links from the reality show he and his family did one year. The interaction between him and his other daughters, Brenda and Jasmine, seemed to be solid. Out of the two, Jasmine appeared to be a spoiled brat. Brenda seemed more laid-back.

  I wondered how they would react when they found out about me. I wondered how I would react if my dad came home and said he had another child. I didn’t think I would like it. But from the information I read on the Internet, their parents were no longer together, so it shouldn’t be a big deal. Brenda was about twenty, so my guess was, she was in college. I’d always wanted an older sister, but never thought it would be like this.

  I logged on to my Facebook account. I went back and forth in my mind if I should send friend requests to Brenda and Jasmine. I wasn’t sure if they knew about me by now or not. After careful consideration, I sent a friend request to Brenda. Then I started to do the same to Jasmine but decided against it.

  Speaking of Jasmine, I would love to be a fly on the wall when she finds out I am her half-sister. I chuckled out loud. Maybe being Dion’s child wouldn’t be too bad after all. Jasmine needed to be brought down a peg or two, and I would be just the girl to do it.

  12

  Monday morning came quick. I’d had a good night’s rest, so I wasn’t groggy. Jason’s and Jay’s annoying habits didn’t get on my nerves like they normally did. My dad dropped me off at school, and I went to class as if life was normal.

  In between second and third period I received a text message from my mom alerting me that she would be checking me out early. Dion moved fast. He already had a DNA test scheduled for later on that afternoon.

  During lunch, I remained quiet while I listened to Danielle and Tara talk.

  Danielle said, “We need to start planning your party?”

  “What party?” I asked.

  Tara said, “Your sweet sixteen. It’s in less than a month, and we need to get your invitations out.”

  “Bah. That’s the last thing on my mind right now.”

  “Well, let’s get it back on your mind,” Danielle said.

  “I’ll have to talk to my parents. They might not want to give me a party now.” I thought I would be more excited about turning sixteen. I didn’t want to disappoint my two BFFs, but I wasn’t in a partying mood.

  “Ask your mom today, so we’ll know how many people we can invite,” Tara said.

  “Uh-oh. Look whose coming this way.” Danielle pointed.

  Kenneth approached our table. “Hi, Porsha.”

  Danielle cleared her throat. “Is that all you see here?”

  “Ladies.”

  “Whatever, Ken. You’re so fake,” Tara said.

  “And you’re so invisible to me.”

  “You don’t have to insult my friends.” I looked up in Ken’s face.

  “I’m sorry. Will you forgive me?” he asked.

  “Maybe, but for now, I’m talking to my friends. I’ll talk to you later.” I looked away and started talking to Danielle again.

  Kenneth left the table in a huff, but I didn’t care. He was yesterday’s news. Even if I wasn’t dealing with family issues, he wasn’t going to get my full attention ever again.

  “Ken won’t let up on you, will he?” Tara asked, between bites.

  “He might as well. There are too many other boys interested in me, and they don’t come up with all his drama.”

  Danielle said, “Boys are nothing but drama, some less than others.”

  I shook my head. “I guess you’re right.”

  My cell phone vibrated. It was Kenneth sending me a text message. I looked up in his direction, and he waved. I looked back down at my phone and hit the delete button. I placed my phone back in my pocket. “On to the next one.”

  “That’s what I’m talking about,” Tara said, giving me a high-five.

  “Speaking of next, look who just walked in the cafeteria,” Danielle said.

  All three sets of eyes turned and looked. Standing before us was the boy who I used to have a crush on, Cole Baylor, or C.B., as I heard some of his friends say. He was Plano High’s star basketball player, and rumor had it that the NBA reps were looking at him. I forgot about all of my woes and smiled. He smiled too. I wasn’t sure if the smile was meant for me, but it felt like it was. Standing over six feet, his teen body was not lanky but built. He reminded me of Trey Songz, the R & B singer, except he was taller and younger.

  Tara and Danielle were talking, but I was entranced by the sight of Cole. For the first time since finding out Dion was my father, my mind was on something else.

  “He’s coming this way,” I interrupted them.

  My heartbeat increased. Sweat started to form on my forehead. Everything seemed to move in slow motion. All three of us sat there silent, hoping and wishing he was headed to our table. He was steps away.

  I didn’t know which one of us he would speak to first, but I crossed my fingers and hoped it was me. Breathe, I told myself over and over, the closer he got.

  “Hi, ladies,” he said, as he approached our table.

  We all responded in low voices. A hush seemed to sweep the area where we sat as I noticed how some of the other girls at the surrounding tables were watching us.

  “Do you mind if I take a seat?” he asked.

  “No, of course not,” Danielle took the liberty of speaking for all of us.

  He grabbed a chair from another table and placed it in between Danielle and me. Tara’s face showed disappointment. Now, it was down to me and Danielle. Most guys would go for Danielle, so when he turned and asked me if he could have my phone number, talk about surprised.

  I exhaled and glanced at Danielle but didn’t say a word.

  Danielle said, “If she doesn’t give you her number, I will. Her number is 972-555-4959.”

  Cole entered my number in his phone. “I’ll be calling you,” he said, as he exited the table.

  Oh my goodness. Cole left me speechless. Right now I was the envy of all of the girls, including my two BFFs.

  “I hope you say more than a few words to him when he calls you,” Danielle said, snapping me out of my trance.

  “I can’t believe he wanted my number. Thanks, Dani, for rescuing me. I couldn’t speak. It’s like I had a frog in my throat or something.”

  “That’s what friends are for. Although, I must admit, I thought he was coming over here to talk to me. But if it couldn’t be me, I’m glad it was you.”

  Tara said, “But what about me?”

  “If it couldn’t be me or Porsha, it would have bee
n good if it was you.”

  They went back and forth.

  My cell phone vibrated. I looked at the text message. The sight of Cole’s message put a smile on my face.

  13

  Daydreaming about Cole got me through the rest of my school day. I got excused from class when the office notified my teacher that my mom was there to check me out. I hurried out of the room to meet my mom, who was waiting near the front door.

  “I’m sorry, I’m late, but traffic was a mess as usual,” my mom said.

  “Perfect. Because the teacher was about to put on some boring video. I probably would have fallen asleep anyway.”

  While driving to the doctor’s office, my mom asked, “Do you have any questions for me?”

  “Will the procedure take long?” I had no idea what a DNA test would entail.

  “All the doctor is going to do is swab your mouth and put it in a tube. Then you and I will be on our merry way.”

  “That’s it? I’m getting checked out of school for that? I could have used a Q-tip and gave it to you and stayed in school.”

  My mom looked at me with a raised eyebrow. “When have you ever had a problem with being checked out of school? I tell you.” She shook her head.

  Under normal circumstances, I would have been overjoyed, but not for this occasion. Not to prove to a man who avoided the obvious, that I, Porsha Marie Swint, was his daughter. Once he did find out, what next? That was the million-dollar question.

  The waiting room was packed when we arrived at the doctor’s office. I wondered why some of the other people were here. Snotty-nosed kids were running around. I was hoping none came near me. I didn’t want to get sick from any of their germs.

  While my mom filled out the paperwork the receptionist handed her, I flipped through pages of one of the latest fashion magazines. Still bored, I turned on my phone and decided to text Danielle and Tara to let them know where I was. Once I was finished texting, I surfed the Web and read up on the latest entertainment gossip. I chuckled at some of the crazy stories posted.

  Thirty minutes later, we were called to go to the patient’s waiting room. The walk down the hallway would change my life forever.

  Although my mom had explained it would be a simple procedure, I still found myself shaking a little as the doctor entered the room.

  “Hello, ladies. This shouldn’t take long at all.”

  I listened intently as the doctor explained to us what he was going to do.

  Once the swab test was done on the both of us, we were excused to leave.

  Dion entered the premises as we were walking out. He spoke, and I spoke back.

  My mom said, “Our part is done. We expect to hear from you by the end of the week.”

  “I’m paying to have the results back in three days, so you’ll hear from me then,” he responded. Without saying another word, he continued toward the doctor’s office.

  “That man is something else. I hate he’s back in our lives,” my mom mumbled.

  I began to wonder if there was more behind my mom’s anger than she was letting on. She did sleep with him to conceive me, so there had to be something there. I took the opportunity on the ride home to probe. “Mom, how did you feel about Dion, you know, before me?” I asked.

  “Dion, was all right. He was Trey’s friend. He spent a lot of time at the house. Back then, me and your father was living together. When we broke up, Trey left me in the condo, and he went and found him another place.”

  “I’m still trying to figure out how you ended up sleeping with Dion.” I watched her as she kept her eyes on the road.

  “Hold up. This conversation is going to places it doesn’t need to go.”

  “But, Mom, I’m just trying to understand what happened.” I turned away and looked straight ahead.

  “All you need to know is, I made a mistake. I slept with my friend’s husband. I’m not proud of it, but it happened. The end result is, I was blessed with a daughter who I wouldn’t trade for the world.”

  Some of the anger I felt toward my mom melted a little, and I do mean a little. “But you should have told him, and maybe we wouldn’t be going through this situation now.”

  “You’re young and wise. I wasn’t thinking rational. Now I see that. Trey was willing to accept you as his own, so I didn’t feel like rocking the boat. Anyway, we’re at this place now, so we both need to deal with it.”

  We rode the rest of the way home in silence, both caught up in our own thoughts. I hightailed it to my room but stopped when I saw my dad in the hallway.

  “So, how did it go?” he asked, as he followed me inside my room.

  “It was easy. Dion said he’s going to rush the test results.”

  “Really? Well, kiddo, if you want to talk, I’m here.”

  I threw my backpack on the bed and gave my dad a hug. “Thanks, Dad.”

  “Let me go find your mom. There’s something I need to discuss with her.”

  “She’s downstairs somewhere.”

  Once I got settled in, I texted Danielle and Tara and asked them to call me when they got a chance. Before I could hit SEND, my cell phone was ringing.

  “What happened?” Danielle asked from the other end.

  I told her about the test and when I should get the results. I don’t know who was more nervous about my situation, she or I. “Danielle, calm down. You’re making me anxious.”

  “All I’m saying is, Dion McNeil is your father. Now how cool is that?” she asked.

  “Well, I guess it’s cool, but I already have a cool dad.”

  “Now you’ll have two.”

  14

  The next day at school, I was disappointed to receive the results of several of my tests; I barely passed. It wasn’t my fault that my mind hadn’t been on school lately. I resigned myself to the fact that my perfect grade point average would no longer be perfect. Now, what I needed to do was maintain a B average. All that depended on what happened with Dion after he received the DNA test results. Waiting for those results had me on pins and needles. The days leading up to the DNA test results seemed to drag on.

  “Porsha, are you okay?” Cole walked up to me and asked.

  I was leaning on my locker and in deep thought. “Yes, I’m fine.”

  “I called your name out a few times, and you didn’t even acknowledge me,” he responded.

  “Got a lot on my mind.” I stood up straight.

  “Do you want to talk about it?” he asked.

  I could get lost in his big brown eyes. “Family stuff. I’ll be all right,” I responded. “You want to walk me to class?”

  “Sure. So what’s the latest you can receive phone calls?” he asked, as we walked down the hallway.

  “Anytime. If I can’t talk, I just let the phone go to voice mail.”

  “Cool. That’s what’s up. I’ll be calling you tonight, if that’s okay.”

  “I’ll be looking forward to your call.”

  Some of the other kids seemed to be watching us. I ignored the jealous stares from some of the girls. A few turned their noses up at me as we walked by them. I loved Cole’s sense of humor, so I made it a point to laugh a little louder than necessary.

  We were now standing in front of my class. He surprised me when he handed me a folded up piece of paper. “Read it when you get a chance. I’ll call you tonight,” Cole said.

  Before I could respond, he turned and walked down the hall to his class. I held on to the paper and didn’t open it until I was seated behind my desk. The note read:

  “I think you’re the prettiest girl in the school and smart too. I really want to get to know you better. Can you come to my game Friday night? Maybe, later we can also grab something to eat.”

  I was so excited that I failed to acknowledge the teacher’s question that was directed at me.

  “Ms. Swint, see me after class, please.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” I responded. Embarrassed, I held my head down. I wanted to slide down in my seat.


  Class dragged on. I attempted to slip out without the teacher noticing, but she caught me at the door. “What’s going on with you? Do you need to talk to one of the counselors?”

  “No, Mrs. Jones. Just had a lot on my mind.”

  “Your grades are slipping. You got two zeros for not turning in your homework.” She looked down at her notebook. “You’ll have a chance to make it up if you do the extra project.”

  I wasn’t too thrilled about the zero nor doing an extra project. I had more important things on my mind than school. I gave her a blank stare. “I’ll try to do better,” I managed to say.

  She handed me two pages of stapled papers. “You have until Monday.”

  I took it from her and slipped it in my backpack, with no intention of doing the extra assignment. Danielle and Tara were walking past the room when I exited. “Guess what?” I ran up to them to say.

  Danielle said, “We already heard—Cole walked you to class. Heard some girls talking about it.”

  I tilted my head back. “Really? Who? It just happened. Word travels fast.”

  Tara said, “Well, one of them was Jas.”

  “Who?” I asked.

  “Jasmine. Oh my God. I just realized something. She’s your half-sister. I didn’t even think of that,” Tara blurted.

  I grabbed her by the arm to pull her to the side. “Shh. Everybody don’t need to be up in my business.”

  “Does she know?” Danielle asked from behind me.

  “I don’t know.” I hadn’t thought about whether she knew or not. I hadn’t been running into her, so it never crossed my mind to go up to her and ask her. If she knew, she could come up to me.

  “I hope you don’t start acting like her, with her diva-like attitude,” Tara stated.

  “Please. I’m better than that.”

  We’re each near our destinations by now.

  “Let me know when she knows. I’m sure she’s not going to like sharing the spotlight,” Danielle said, as she pulled out her lip gloss from her backpack and applied some.

  “You two just love drama,” I said, eyeing Danielle’s tube of lip gloss, wishing I had the grape delight flavor, instead of the cherry blossom that I’d put on earlier.