A Family Name Read Online Free PDF Page A

his head to his folded arms, he told himself he
would rest his eyes for only a minute, but a minute later sleep
tugged him into a blissful oblivion.
    The next thing he knew his cell phone was
buzzing in his ear like an angry wasp. He flipped it open with a
quick, "Yes?"
    "Sorry. Sorry, did I wake you?"
    He recognized the voice instantly. The woman
he had rear ended weeks ago.
    "Actually, yes, but I needed to wake up
anyway." Will straightened, running a hand over his face to wake
himself up.
    "Oh, well, this is Charlotte. Charlotte
Miller. The, um, the quote came from the auto body shop on my
bumper. You said to call so…"
    Will found himself nodding. "Yes, absolutely.
You can send me the information or have them bill me directly. If
you use a place in Rapid City I can stop by after I teach my last
class." He stopped and sighed. That wasn't exactly true. Sierra
needed to go to the dentist today.
    "It isn't a big deal," Charlotte said, her
voice strained over the line.
    "No, really I want to pay for the repairs.
It's just that life is complicated right now." Will flinched as he
said the words. He prided himself on being tough and stoic, and
even thinking such a thing, let alone voicing it, made him feel
like a grade A wimp.
    Charlotte paused. He could hear her breathing
on the other end of the line. "It sounds like things are more than
complicated. It sounds like you're…sad."
    She spoke softly, compassionately. The lilt
of her voice got past his defensive walls.
    "My best friend died a few weeks ago."
    "Oh." They sat in silence for a few
moments.
    When the moments turned awkward, Will forced
a laugh. The sound came out like a harsh seal bark. "I don't know
why I told you that."
    "Maybe you just needed to tell someone. Maybe
you needed to make it real so you can begin grieving."
    "Maybe. Listen, give me a call later and I'll
run by the auto shop and pay the bill. Right now, I have to finish
some work before my day gets started."
    "All right. Thanks." Charlotte paused again,
this time for so long that Will thought she might have hung up. "If
you need to… talk, I'm willing to listen. I'm a social worker so I
know a bit about grief counseling."
    Embarrassment heated his neck. "Maybe."
    They exchanged parting pleasantries, and Will
punched the end call button. Covering his eyes with one hand, he
wondered when he would start to feel like himself again. The old
Will would never have almost broken down with a near stranger, no
matter how beautiful a woman she might be. He kept his emotions
reined in, and as he shuffled the papers on his desk, he resolved
to get back to that place. As he made the vow, though, his mind
drifted to Charlotte and her open ended offer to talk. Despite his
discomfort, the thought of spending more time with her did appeal
to him. Suddenly he felt cheered as he hadn't in weeks. Maybe today
wouldn't be so bad after all.
     
    ****
     
    Lexi's heart beat so hard, she worried it
might jump out of her chest. The hardwood floor creaked under her
as she inched forward into Charlotte's room. She knew she shouldn't
be snooping, especially since Charlotte was always so nice to her.
Lexi felt a pang of regret and hesitated near the foot of the bed,
which was hastily made. This had been her nicest placement in
years, and everything Charlotte did made Lexi feel welcomed. Like
how they cooked dinner together every night, and Charlotte actually
seemed to care what Lexi wanted to eat. She treated Lexi like an
equal, like a friend.
    Biting the inside of her cheek to force her
to focus, Lexi continued her slow forward progress. She knew that
Charlotte had her file on her bedside table. They had watched a
movie in there the other night, a sappy girly movie night complete
with nail polish and popcorn. Lexi had let herself sink into the
fantasy of a happy life until she glimpsed her file. All the
information she ever needed to find her real mother was in that
little folder. For the rest of the evening and every day since,
Lexi