The Emoticon Generation Read Online Free PDF Page B

passports were documented, as well.
    She accessed the government’s records. Birth certificates, death certificates, records of visas and passports were all on the Net.
    There were five names in the entire United States. Jonathan was a common name; Hatch was not. Two were dead. Four were born after the year 2000, which would make them around her age. Way too young. The last one was born in 1944, which would make him, if he hadn’t died ten years ago, 75. Way too old.
    Maybe she missed something. Maybe there were glitches in the system. Maybe the records were mistyped or something.
    To prove to herself that her idea was supposed to work, she typed her own name. The search came up empty. Glynis stared at the screen for a second, and typed her name again. Empty. The government had no record of her birth, nor did it have a record of her coming into the country. Speaking of glitches...
    This time she typed her mother’s name, Olivia Hatch. There! Born in Wisconsin in 1976. No death certificate. At the time of birth, she’d had a big brother, Thomas Hatch. (Really?! Glynis had an uncle and never knew it?!) Mother: Margaret Hatch. Father: Jonathan Hatch.
    Glynis’ throat constricted, and for a second she couldn’t breathe.
    The icon with Jonathan Hatch’s name was red – meaning she’d already accessed it. She accessed it again. This was the same way-too-old Jonathan Hatch, born 1944.
    Glynis cupped her head in her hands and waited until she calmed down. God, that first instant, a scenario worse than anything she’d ever imagined had flashed through her mind.
    But who said he was too old? He was sixty-two when Glynis was born. That’s not too old for a man.
    No! Absolutely not! It could not possibly be true!
    But the name... The coincidence...
    The coincidence was just a coincidence. Just one hell of a coincidence.
    But something in the back of her mind wouldn’t let go. Something her mother had said yesterday...
    She’d said... She’d said... What was it?
    She’d said: “He was very handsome when he was young.” It was an odd way to put things, wasn’t it? Certainly an odd way to phrase a compliment. What exactly did she mean? What does the sentence mean? He was handsome when he was young meant... meant... It meant that she knew him when he was old !
    No, no, no, no, no! It meant she knew him when he was young and saw him get old!
    But then where was he today? Where did she keep seeing him today, in his older state? Why did mom keep him away from his daughter?
    There had to be another explanation. She’ll try something else. She’ll find the real Jonathan Hatch if it takes her— Just before she pressed the link that would bring her back to the search engine, something caught her eye, and her hand froze. Her grandfather’s birth and death certificates were still onscreen, and among the data it was clearly stated: ‘Eye-color: Blue’.
    Glynis’ world spun. Although she had the same color eyes as her mother – the color belonged to Glynis’ father – to Olivia’s father. The color was actually Jonathan Hatch’s!
    But it couldn’t be. It couldn’t. It just couldn’t.
    Glynis searched all day and found nothing new. As soon as her mother came home, she disconnected from the Net. The rest of the evening, Glynis spent sulking on the sofa, watching her mother from the corner of her eye, searching for a hint of her having been raped or abused.
    She saw nothing, but what did she expect? If it happened, it happened thirteen – no, almost fourteen – years ago. What sign could her mother give now ? Of rape, nothing. Of abuse? Abused children become abused parents, don’t they? Her mother never beat her, not even once. So what did that mean? It meant nothing. It meant that tomorrow she’ll have to search for clues in a totally different direction. And this time, she’ll find something.
    That night, Glynis had an even harder time falling asleep. And in the middle of the night, she woke with a start: Her mother