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“Hi, Paisley. It’s nice to meet you. I heard you are stuck with two of my boys for an assignment?” Betty asks as she comes in for a hug.
“Hi, Betty. It’s nice to meet you too. Yes, Atlas and Luca are my English partners all semester,”I sign.
“Okay, dear. I hope you are hungry. I made cube steak, mashed potatoes, and peas. After dinner, we have some ice cream that we can use to make milkshakes if you like.”
“Oh, I’m not that hungry. You don’t have to feed me. I don’t want to put you out,” I sign and take a step back.
“Now listen here, dear. I made extra for you so you would eat. Besides, you look like a stick. You need meat on your bones. I’m going to start sending food to school with the boys. You can eat before you go home.” She winks.
I sit here and wonder how she knows, but then I remember that she is their foster mother. I’m sure she has seen a lot. I’m covered in bruises. She probably assumes the worst. Though the worst is probably the truth.
“Okay, now that you have been introduced to Betty, this is our dad. Edward is his real name, but we all call him Pete,” Luca signs with a smile on his face.
“It’s nice to meet you, Pete. You have a wonderful house. It’s very welcoming,”I sign enthusiastically.
“Why, thank you. We try to make it feel welcoming to all that enter,” Pete signs.
“Okay enough about the house. Now that you are over here, we can discuss nicknames, FINALLY. It’s been killing me to not have a nickname for you. Do you already have one?” Luca signs.
“I’ve only been given one nickname, and it was by my dad. He used to call me Daisy Girl. He used to say I was a growing flower just waiting to blossom at the right moment,” I sign with a frown on my face.
“That’s an interesting nickname. I had a patient about eleven or twelve years ago who talked about his daughter all the time. He always called her his Daisy Girl. He cried every time I saw him, though,” Betty says.
I stiffen. Twelve years ago? Dad left twelve years ago.
It couldn’t be, right? There is no way it’s the same person.
“What was his name? Do you remember? And what do you mean by patient? Are you a doctor?”I sign in rapid succession, standing up quickly at the same time.
“Gabriel? Gabriel… Matthews, I do believe. I’m an oncologist nurse. I help patients when they are going through chemo.”
She doesn’t even get to the end of her sentence before I’m bursting into tears. Was that really my dad? He left to go get chemo treatments?
But…but he never came back. I’m almost afraid to ask, but I know I need to. I know no matter what she says, my heart is going to break.
“What happened to him? Do you know?” I sign with shaky hands.
“He didn’t make it. He was in stage four. He fought ‘til the very end, though. He said his only regret was that he didn’t tell his family and he left his Daisy Girl.”
“I think you took care of my father. I mean, I’m sure there are other Gabriel Matthews in the world, but my father left twelve years ago and didn’t tell my mother or me why. Mother just got home and he was gone, and I came home that day, and that was the beginning of the end for me. She blamed me for everything after that. But thinking that it could have been my dad hurts my heart.
“It makes me sad. I know I was only five, but I needed him. He needed help, and I couldn’t give it to him because I was too small. And he did all of that alone. He was alone in his final moments,” I sign while tears flow down my face.
I just sit there and sob. I think one of the guys comes over and comforts.
“Paisley, I’m sorry for your loss. If it makes you feel better, I was with him to the very end. He was a fighter, sure was. It amazed me how long he persevered. He took his six-month sentence and extended it to a year. I’m sorry you are hurting. If there is anything I can do, please just let me know,” Betty says to me.
Finally calming down thanks to hearing what Betty said and the guys comforting me, I make my way to the dinner table. We all sit down, but it’s kind of crowded, as it’s not meant for seven people. I end up between the twins, and the whole time, they both keep giving me looks. I think they are looks of want, but I’m still not sure. I’m still so new to all of this stuff. I pick at my food and eat as much as I can until my stomach is full. Luca piled way too much food on my plate. Since I barely eat at home, I can’t eat big or heavy meals.
“Everything okay, Paisley?” Luca asks with an eye raised.
“Yeah, I just can’t eat a lot at a time. I’m sorry,”I sign.
“You don’t need to apologize. Just eat what you can, and we can save it either for later or we can bring it to school tomorrow if you would like,” Luca signs.
“I think bringing it to school is a good idea. I don’t think I’ll be able to eat later,” I sign while shrugging.
I can see Luca’s anger immediately. I don’t think it’s directed to me. I think it’s just the situation. I know there is nothing he or I can do about it, though. It’s just the way it is until the end of the school year, when I can graduate.
