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Post by alexanderdupont on Jul 2, 2010 23:16:31 GMT -5
Jeff grinned as he finished toweling himself off following a hard day of practice at the rink. Sure, he was still getting used to life in Pittsburgh after having grown up in California, and training under a new coach but now there were some constants in his life. Best of all was finally getting to know his biological father and his little brother. In fact he could hear the sounds of the six-year old playing from his bathroom. He took some bounding steps then flopped onto the bed beside him. "Hey little guy!" he greeted, pouncing on Troy pulling him into a hug.
Troy giggled and snuggled up against him. They had only been together for about three months, but he liked Jeff. "Big brother!" he exclaimed before wrestling free. He held up his stuffed Siberian Husky puppy. "Sparky and I are waiting for Daddy to come home."
"Well," Jeff began looking at the clock, reaching over to scratch the plush toy behind his ears. "He's on his way, but we have about an hour to kill until he gets here. What do you want to do while we wait?" Before Troy could answer, the doorbell rang. "Hold that thought. Let me see who's at the door."
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Post by marsha on Jul 2, 2010 23:25:00 GMT -5
Mia stood at the door, nervously ringing her hands, almost hoping no one was home. She knew she shouldn't been there. This was highly inappropriate and she knew that, but still she was there. She had talked herself into getting out of her car and ringing the doorbell. She had a lot of explaining to do to the child she gave birth too and his father, but this couldn't be the best way to go about making first contact.
But she couldn't stay away now that she had seen him once.
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Post by alexanderdupont on Jul 3, 2010 1:30:42 GMT -5
"I'll come down too," Troy offered. Jeff smiled and scooped him up, carefully perching him on his broad shoulders.
"Cool," he answered, making sure that he had his brother securely in his arms before starting the trip down the back staircase. 'This place is huge' he thought to himself, as he made his way out of the kitchen and down the long hallway that opened into the foyer. Once he reached the door, he paused before answering, caught off guard by what he saw. The woman was gorgeous, yes, but that wasn't what immediately struck him. It was how much she looked like him. He had seen a picture of his birth mother once, but could it be? He assured himself it was just a coincidence, then finally opened the door. "Good evening, Ma'am. How can I help you?"
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Post by marsha on Jul 3, 2010 1:44:41 GMT -5
Mia was expecting Patrick to open the door. She wasn't expecting to see her son. Her hands flew up to her mouth in shock, she tried to compose herself, but it was very hard. She could already feel tears building in her eyes. "Um, hello," her voice broke. "Is your father here? Patrick Meyerson?"
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Post by alexanderdupont on Jul 3, 2010 12:38:54 GMT -5
As much as Mia was trying to hide her reaction, Jeff noticed the sudden rush of emotions on her face. "He's on his way home but it will be another hour or so," he began, then stopped himself as it came to him what she had just called Patrick. "H...how do you know that he's my father?" It had to be. And he so wanted it to be true, but a small part of him also wondered 'why?'
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Post by marsha on Jul 3, 2010 19:05:51 GMT -5
Mia paused, more than a little shocked by his question. She didn't want to lie to Jeff, but she also didn't want to unload all of this on him. It wasn't fair to him. "I... uh..." She couldn't think of anything that she could say that would be okay. "Do you know who I am?" She finally asked. He was clearly a smart young man.
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Post by alexanderdupont on Jul 3, 2010 19:23:57 GMT -5
"Well... I've only seen a picture of her once, but you look exactly like my birth mother. I've thought about her so many times- mostly wondering why... and if I'd ever get her to meet her," he admitted, feeling the emotion in his own voice. "When I first saw you, I dismissed it as a coincidence, but now seeing how you reacted when you saw me... you're her... you're my mom."
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Post by marsha on Jul 3, 2010 22:05:43 GMT -5
Mia smiled, it was a sad smile, because this is not the way she wanted to introduce herself to her nearly grown son. She nodded before she could find the words. "Yes. I'm..." She stopped just short of calling herself his mother, she didn't feel like she deserved to call herself that. "I gave birth to you... I'm Mia..."
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Post by alexanderdupont on Jul 4, 2010 0:57:50 GMT -5
"It's good to finally see you in person," Jeff replied, a slight smile crossing his face. It wasn't that he had completely let go of any resentment he might have had at being given up for adoption, but rather an acknowledgment of her efforts to make things right. Besides, looking at her now, it was clear how much pain the choice had caused her. He swallowed hard to steady his voice, then patted the head of the six-year old boy that had been sitting on his shoulders.
"This is my little brother, Troy," he introduced.
"Hi," he said softly. "It's nice to meet you."
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Post by alexanderdupont on Jul 4, 2010 3:05:35 GMT -5
"This isn't how I wanted to meet you..." Mia said. She couldn't stop looking at her son, he seemed to be equal parts her and Patrick. "It's nice to meet you Troy. You both have Patrick's eyes," she said with a smile.
"That's okay. Life always throws us a curve ball at some point, right? Please, come inside and have a seat," he offered, motioning toward the inside of his house. "I think Dad will be just as surprised as I was, but he's a good guy. You don't have anything to worry about."
Troy smiled. He liked it when people mentioned that he looked like his father. "And this is Sparky," he added, holding up his stuffed dog.
"A husky to the end," she chuckled. "I don't want to make it weird... I can come back later when he's at home."
"Don't worry. They haven't been able to corrupt me yet. I'm still a loyal Trojan," Jeff remarked, giving Sparky a little poke. "And no, it won't be weird. You see..." He stopped remembering that he was still carrying Troy piggy-back. "It's just the two of us holding down the fort, right Bro'?" He subtly gestured to a pair of picture frames sitting on a nearby table, hoping Mia would notice. The last thing he wanted to do was to outright mention Alyssa's death in front of his little brother. Both were were of Troy and Patrick, only in the first, he was wearing a wedding band on his finger, while on the other it was hung around a chain on his neck.
"No, Huskies!" said Troy, playfully sticking out his tongue at Jeff.
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Post by marsha on Jul 5, 2010 21:51:14 GMT -5
Mia nodded as she glanced at the photos. "We can be a fan of both teams can't we?" Mia asked the little boy with a smile. "If it isn't any trouble, then I would love to come in and wait for Patrick." She decided that she really wanted to speak to him. "If it's okay."
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Post by alexanderdupont on Jul 5, 2010 22:20:19 GMT -5
"As long as they're not playing each other," Troy agreed with a smile. He turned to his stuffed dog. "I'm not sure Sparky will agree to that, but don't worry he likes you!" He reached down nuzzling its nose against Mia's cheek.
"Not at all. Can I get you anything while we wait?" Jeff asked, as he led his mother into the house.
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Post by marsha on Jul 6, 2010 14:57:03 GMT -5
Mia smiled, it was easy to tell that both boys had their father's charm. "I'm glad Sparky likes me," she replied, reaching up and patting the stuffed animal on the top of its head.
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Post by alexanderdupont on Jul 6, 2010 20:00:43 GMT -5
"Here we are," said Jeff as they entered the spacious living room that looked out onto a lake. He sat down on one end of the sofa, carefully setting Troy down in the middle, while Mia took the other end.
Troy smiled, wagging Sparky's tail in response. "How do you know Daddy?" he asked.
Jeff nodded, similarly curious about his past. "It would be nice to get to know more about you. And feel free to ask about us too," he added.
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Post by marsha on Jul 6, 2010 20:41:26 GMT -5
Mia smiled, but was unsure how much she should tell the boys. She didn't want to upset Patrick.
"I met your father at a football training camp. As you can imagine he was the star. There were so many out of town scouts there just to watch him. It was crazy."
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Post by alexanderdupont on Jul 6, 2010 22:06:20 GMT -5
"Ah, so you're a football fan as well," Jeff remarked with a smile. He leaned back against the cushions, reminding himself to not be quick in making any judgments. After all, he was only just starting to learn about his past.
"My Grandpa Sam always tells me how good Dad was when we watch Huskies games together," Troy began. "What did you think when you first saw him?"
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Post by marsha on Jul 6, 2010 22:32:09 GMT -5
"I am a huge football fan," Mia replied with a smile. "When I first say your dad I thought, 'no way is he a high school player'. He was so poised and really great."
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Post by alexanderdupont on Jul 8, 2010 20:26:29 GMT -5
"Yet somehow he ended up with two figure skaters," Jeff joked. "Well, this guy still has time to decide." He patted his little brother on the head.
"I love skating, but it's cool when Dad teaches me something," Troy added. "Did you play any sports?
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Post by marsha on Jul 8, 2010 20:56:03 GMT -5
"You skate too," she asked Troy with a very big smile on her face. "I love to watch skating. It's become almost as important as football, as far as sports go." She giggled. She had been watching Jeff skate for years, he was amazing. "I never played sports, I was a cheerleader." She laughed with a slight roll of her eyes. "When I was very young I used to play volley ball, but I was never serious about it.
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Post by alexanderdupont on Jul 8, 2010 21:16:35 GMT -5
Jeff couldn't help but smile at Mia's mention of her love of skating. At the same time he felt a rush of nerves, as he suddenly wanted to know. "Have you... have you ever seen me skate...Mom?" he asked hopefully, but hesitantly, especially on the last word.
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Post by marsha on Jul 8, 2010 21:51:23 GMT -5
Mia blushed a little at his question. "I have, I've watched you skate for a long time. I saw you at Nationals last year."
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Post by alexanderdupont on Jul 10, 2010 15:50:18 GMT -5
Jeff's smile widened, but at the same time he was a little disappointed by her answer. 'Why didn't you ever come see me before, or write?' he thought to himself, though he tried not to show it in the least.
"That's great! I hope you'll be there going forward too," he remarked.
"Isn't big brother great? Someday I hope I can be that good," said Troy.
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Post by marsha on Jul 12, 2010 23:15:25 GMT -5
Mia could see some look in his eyes and she sighed. "I would love too. I love watching you skate." Mia couldn't help but smile at Troy. "I am sure you will be a great skater too."
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Post by alexanderdupont on Jul 17, 2010 17:39:46 GMT -5
Following a long day of client meetings, Patrick was happy to finally be back at home with his two sons. He smiled hearing the voice of his youngest speaking excitedly, but paused in his footsteps as a woman responded to him. At first he thought it might be one of Jeff's girlfriends, but then he recognized it as one he hadn't heard in nearly 20 years. He hoisted his black messenger bag a little higher up over his shoulder, and slowly made his way from the garage and into the living room. His eyes widened as he saw whom was sitting in between his children.
"Mia?" he finally said, finding it hard to believe what he saw. "Is that really you?"
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Post by marsha on Jul 18, 2010 0:09:32 GMT -5
Mia's head snapped around when she heard Patrick's voice. She drew in a quick breath at the sight of him. He was the same only older, more everything. "Hello Patrick," she voice was a whisper. SHe couldn't tell if he was happy to see her or not.
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Post by alexanderdupont on Jul 18, 2010 12:29:38 GMT -5
Troy broke the silence by slipping off the sofa and onto his feet. He ran to his father, giving him a hug. "Daddy, you're home!" he greeted with a smile.
Patrick knelt down and picked up his son smiling at him. "Hey Buddy," he replied kissing the top of his head, as he carried him back to his seat.
"That's Jeff's mom," said the six year old.
"I can see the resemblance," Patrick remarked with a nod of his head. He could see the emotion in Mia's eyes. How she missed him, how she had thought of him over the years, and how hard those times had been. There was so much he wanted to tell and ask her, but now wasn't the time. He needed to be alone with her. He turned to Mia and smiled. "It's good to see you, Mia."
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Post by marsha on Jul 18, 2010 15:03:35 GMT -5
Mia's face broke into a smile. Even if he didn't mean those words at least he said them. "It's good to see you. I stopped by hoping to speak with you... The boys let me in." She wanted to apologize, but couldn't find the words.
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Post by alexanderdupont on Jul 18, 2010 16:15:07 GMT -5
"It's been good getting to know Mom," said Jeff with a smile. Sure, he still had questions for, and was still a little upset with Mia, but he now had what he had longed for his whole life. His birth parents, and a sibling. It was hard not to be happy.
"I'm glad that they did, and that it seems like all of you have been getting along," he answered. "I hope I haven't kept you waiting too long."
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Post by marsha on Jul 18, 2010 21:28:40 GMT -5
"It was great talking with them," Mia smiled, still unsure about this. "I haven't been here long. I just wanted to talk to you..."
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Post by alexanderdupont on Jul 18, 2010 23:58:37 GMT -5
"We can give you some time alone, right Troy?" asked Jeff, getting up from the sofa. "We'll go upstairs and play fetch with Sparky, okay?"
"Okay!" said Troy with a nod, climbing down from his father's lap.
"Thanks guys," said Patrick, smiling as he watched the two boys walk out of the living room. Once they were alone, he turned to Mia. Really, there was so much he wanted to tell her too, but he nodded indicating that she was free to start their talk.
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