Identical by Ellen Hopkins Read Free Book Online Page B

information
    can she possibly have? What
    dark recess of Daddy’s past
    harbors
    secrets that could sway voters
    away from Mom now? Will
    my grandmother really, truly
    appear on our doorstep, hugging
    malevolence,
    money her only motivation?
    Has she no desire to reconnect
    with her son, meet his family,
    become our family too? Do we
    want
    that, even if she does? One
    of those faded filmclips
    flickers in distant memory.

Raeanne
    Rich!
    Both the Häagen-Dazs bar
    dripping into my mouth
    and Grandpa Gardella’s
    phone message.
    A ghost
    from Daddy’s past, one
    who has remained invisible
    (almost so, anyway) for a very
    long time,
    materializes
    from some sordid history
    we probably don’t want
    to know about. Kaeleigh,
    the dimwit, is thrilled. She
    harbors
    some idiotic curiosity
    about our genealogy,
    as if dissecting the beast
    could help us escape its
    malevolence.
    But I know that this poorly
    timed turn of events can only
    lead to more pain. Sorry, Kaeleigh,
    but Daddy’s mommy can only
    want
    one thing: more than a few bucks.

What a Great Thing
    To come home to. Something
    new. Sure to cause a major stir.
    Life is rarely dull around here.
    I consider calling Daddy,
    more to mess up his dinner out
    than anything. But then it strikes
    me that I want to see the look on
    his face when he hears the news.
    Maybe I should call Mom instead.
    Someone should break it to her.
    Wonder how long she’ll be ahead
    in the polls, should the ghost decide
    to spread some unimaginable
    rumors about dear old Daddy.

What Could the Gossip Be?
    She can’t have a clue about Daddy
and Kaeleigh. Unless she’s been
spying, completely covertly, for a
very long time. Grandpa Gardella
didn’t even know
about us until
just a few years
ago. And our
grandmother was
still, to everyone’s
knowledge, totally out of the
picture then—gone or dead.
So what can she possibly
hold over Daddy’s head now?
Could it have
something to
do with why
Grandpa and
Daddy don’t
speak to each
other? Did my
father shoot up
heroin? Sacrifice neighborhood
pets? Hit-and-run, DUI, or shoot
someone, by accident or on purpose?
My curiosity is killing me because
               nquiring
    minds want to know.

Mom Will Want to Know
    Although maybe not from me.
    But hey, what’s a daughter for?
    Not sure what city she’s touched
    down in tonight, but it will
    be pretty late. It’s ten here.
    Mom’s cell rings five times,
    threatens to go to voice mail,
    but she picks up before it does.
    Yes? Okay, she’s miffed, but not
    as miffed as she’s going to be.
    “Uh, Mom? It’s me. We got
    a phone message today that I
    think you should know
    about sooner rather than later.
    Let me play it for you.”
    I hold the receiver up to
    the speaker. When the message
    finishes, I wait out the silence.
    Finally she says, Thank you.
    I’ll put some people on it.
    People? Mom has people?
    I mean, I knew she had a staff,
    connections even. But “people,”
    as in people who handle stuff
    like a crazy long-lost relative?

Wonder If I Should Be Scared
    Or at the very least,
a little nervous.
     
    Wonder what it would
take to make
     
    Mom decide to
put her people on me.
     
    I know a secret or two
myself. What if
     
    I threatened to
go public unless she bought
     
    me a car, paid for my
insurance, took
     
    two hours of her
precious time to help me
     
    get my license? Hey! Great
idea. Or not.
     
    Really, how far
would I go if she said no?

How Far Will I Go
    To enjoy this little game?
    Daddy will be home soon,
    at least I assume he will be.
    It might be fun to watch
    him pick up the message,
    squirm. Freak. Go ballistic.
    But just imagine the fun
    if I erase the warning, wait
    things out. See if my loser
    grandmother actually rings
    the bell one day. Surprise!
    Guess who’s coming to dinner,
    Daddy o’ mine. Wow. Decisions.
    Decisions. Kaeleigh would want
    to tell, but she’s crawled on off
    somewhere. To erase or not to
    erase, that is the question.
    While I think