Chasing Abby(3)

“Deep breaths, Abby,” he reminds me.
“Just open it. I need this over with.”
He quickly slides the key into the lock and turns. He pulls box 15508 out of the slot and I lean forward to put my head between my knees. I don’t want to see until I know what’s in there.
“It’s a memory card and… Holy shit.”
“What?” My head snaps up, but I can’t see inside the box from this angle. “What is it?”
His eyes are wide, but I can’t tell if he’s excited or terrified.
“Caleb! Answer me. What is it?”
“It’s… There are some pictures in here.”
“Pictures? So… what? Why is that shocking?”
His Adam’s apple bobs in his throat as he gulps. “It’s not the pictures that are shocking… It’s who’s in the pictures.”
“What? Let me see.” I stand up to get a look at the contents of the brass box, but Caleb quickly slides it back into the slot. “What are you doing?”
“You asked me to tell you what I saw before you see it.”
I slap his arm in frustration. “Then tell me, damn it!”
“Abby, calm down.”
He looks into my eyes with that stern look that only Caleb and my dad can pull off.
I take a deep breath and nod. “Okay, I’m calm. What’s in the box?”
“It looks like… your biological father is… Chris Knight.”
I narrow my eyes at him. “What? Is that supposed to be a joke? Because that is not funny at all. Just tell me what’s inside the box.”
He’s not smiling as his eyes lock on mine. “This is not a joke.”
The silence is so absolute, I can hear my feeble heart stuttering under the weight of this news.
“Sit down, baby,” he whispers and I gladly sit as he pulls the box out of the slot again. “Are you ready?”
I nod and he carefully sets the box in my lap. The first thing I see is the picture sitting on top of the stack. It’s clearly a professional family photo. Chris Knight, his wife, and their three kids are standing in front of a large elm tree. They look so happy and… perfect. I’ll bet all the TVs in their house work perfectly.
Caleb kneels in front of me and reaches forward to wipe a tear from my cheek. “Are you okay?”
I shake my head, shaking loose another tear. “No.”
I lift the photos out of the box and move the top picture to the bottom of the stack. The next one stops me cold. It’s a picture of Chris Knight looking quite a bit younger. He’s dressed in a suit and holding… me.



Chapter 2 - Lynette
Five years before

BRIAN HOLDS OUT A BOTTLE of water to me and I push it away. It’s offensive. How can he even think of my needs when Abby is out there burning up on the soccer field?
I march toward Coach Fred, but the moment he sees me he shakes his head in dismay and turns his attention back to the field, as if I don’t exist. “She needs to come out! Take her out!”
I don’t care if all the parents are rolling their eyes. They find me annoying. That much has been obvious from the moment I set foot on the soccer field for Abby’s first game six months ago.
Abby had been begging me to let her play a sport, but the only two sports she was interested in were soccer and basketball. Well, I’ve heard enough horror stories about basketball players with bad hearts collapsing on the court and never waking up. I denied her request for two years until I couldn’t take the begging anymore. I told her I’d let her play soccer if she played a defensive position. I didn’t factor the Carolina humidity into my decision.
It may be the end of November, but Abby’s asthma always acts up more during cool weather. And if she’s having trouble breathing, she’s going to pass out soon. Her heart just isn’t equipped to deal with that kind of stress.