Wednesday

Work was more of the same today, although I'd say that I never get tired of looking at people's eyes. Does that make me creepy? I hope not. By now, I'd like to think I've seen every shade of eye color that there is, but sometimes I get surprised when I see one that I haven't before. My favorite patient had one green and one blue eye. That's not something you see everyday.

After I saw my last patient, I came out to see Mom waiting for me. That was odd, she hardly ever comes in. Behind her I saw a couple of people I hadn't ever seen before.

"Mom, is everything okay?" I asked. I was still behind the desk, but felt something was off.

"Everything is fine sweetie. There's just something that has come up and we need to talk." She answered.

"Okay, come back to my office and we'll talk." I said, motioning for her to follow me. Those men behind her were giving me a weird vibe.

She followed me and the guys kept their eyes on us until we got into the office where I shut the door. I turned and looked at Mom, "What's up and do I need to call the police?"

"No, those guys are pretty harmless."

"They don't look harmless."

"Sweetie, let me explain. You know how I told you I didn't know who your father was?" I nodded. "That's not true. We had a fling and I got pregnant with you. He was busy with work and his family didn't really approve of me so we split apart. He actually got married shortly afterward and had his own family. I sent pictures of you every year and that's the only contact I've had with him. I told him I didn't want any of his money or anything because I didn't want a legal battle. He agreed. Now he wants to meet you, and those men are bodyguards."

I'd sat down somewhere in that explanation. So my dad was alive and needed bodyguards, which meant he was either rich or powerful or both. Head spinning I asked, "Who is my dad?" I wasn't sure I even wanted to know but if I was going to be dragged to meet him, as I assumed that is what was going to happen since those men were waiting outside.

"Charles Gastrell."

I started laughing, and it took me a minute before I stopped. "That's a good one Mom, you had me going there for a minute." There was no way my dad was one of the richest people in the world.

"Sweetie, I'm not joking." I stopped laughing and looked at her. She was serious!

"Wait, what?" That came out before I really had a chance to even realize I was speaking.

"Well, he wasn't who he is today when we met. It was actually a bit of a struggle for him to pay for your summer camp for the first couple of years."

"So that wasn't a scholarship?"

"No he paid for it all, he helped you get into the better schools and your tuition for University as well."

"I guess he wasn't such a dead beat dad after all." I sighed, might as well get this father daughter reunion over with. "When do we go meet him?"

"As soon as we leave this room. I want to have good thoughts about your father, but I feel there might be something behind him wanting to meet you now. Just don't let your guard down completely, okay?"

"Okay Mom, are you coming with me?"

"I'm not about to send you into a den of wolves alone." She smiled at me.

"Alright, then, let's go."