My mom thought for a moment, then
<
shrieked. “I told you to change her diaper!”
Okay, so whether this Susan Phillips was my
parents‘ kid was still up in the air, but there
was like an 80% chance she was, considering
she was the spitting image of my mom in her
younger days.
I, on the other hand, was clearly not their
biological child.
Once Susan realized this, the performance
really kicked into high gear.
She knelt dramatically, tears streaming down
her face. “Mom, Dad, please don’t blame
Ashley. Even though she… took my place all
く
these years… enjoyed everything that should
have been mine… it’s not her fault. Please
don’t send her away.”
“I can… I can pretend I’m not your daughter. I
won’t even live here. Just let me be your
maid. Let me take care of you, be near you,
every day. That’s all I want.”
My dad, taking her literally, said, “Oh, okay.
We can fix up the storage room for you.
Would that work? It’s small, but easy to clean.
Here, let me send you our house rules and
maid duties.”
Susan’s face paled. She looked pleadingly at
my mom.
<
My mom pinched him hard. “Shut up! I’ll deal
with you later.”
I started packing my things, but my mom,
eyes brimming with tears, stopped me.
“We have plenty of room. Don’t go. You don’t
even know where your real parents are.
Where would you go?”
