Playing for Keeps by Yahrah St. John Read Free Book Online

Unlike her mother, he never tried to control the outcome.
    â€œGood, sweetheart. I’ll see you on Saturday then?”
    â€œSure, Daddy.”
    Avery arrived on Saturday as promised and found the attic in complete disarray. Her mother had already gotten started and there were tons of boxes, trunks, paintings and various sculptures and artifacts from her mother and father’s travels during the years, and from the looks of it, her parents hadn’t gone through anything since she was a child, which made it over thirty years’ worth of junk.
    â€œI’m glad to see you could make it,” her mother said coolly as Avery rolled up her sleeves and donned a scarf to protect her hair from the dust and spiders.
    Avery ignored the dig. She was sure her mother thought she had completely overreacted last week. “Why don’t we tag everything you do want,” Avery suggested, “and we’ll throw away what you don’t want.”
    â€œSounds good to me,” her mother said.
    Two hours later, they had made progress and had managed to clear a path out to the hallway, but only because Louisa had assisted after finishing her chores.
    â€œI don’t know about you guys, but I’m ready for lunch,” Louisa spoke up.
    â€œLunch would be great, Louisa. Can you whip us up some sandwiches?” her mother asked.
    â€œAlready done. I premade the sandwiches, and the soup just needs to be heated up,” Louisa replied. “I’ll go warm it up now.”
    While they waited, Avery and her mother continued cleaning until Avery stumbled upon a chest that had been hidden by some old carpeting. That was when all hell broke loose.
    â€œI wonder what’s inside,” Avery said.
    No sooner were the words out of her mouth than her mother yelled, “Don’t open that trunk!”
    â€œWhy? It’s just an old trunk,” Avery replied. She was opening the lid when her mother nearly leaped across the room and shut it. And to make matters worse, she sat on the lid.
    â€œMother! What’s gotten into you?” Avery looked up questioningly at her mother, who looked as white as a ghost. She didn’t understand what the big deal was. “Is there something in that chest I’m not supposed to see?”
    â€œOf course not,” her mother laughed nervously.
    â€œThen why won’t you move?” Avery asked.
    â€œIf you must know,” her mother said, “there are some old love letters from your father in that trunk and I’d like them to remain private.”
    â€œIs that all?” Avery smiled. “Why didn’t you just say so?” She rose to her feet.
    Her mother didn’t have time to answer because Louisa called up to them that Clayton had returned from racquetball.
    â€œC’mon, let’s go eat.” Her mother headed down the stairs, but Avery held back.
    Her mother’s reaction to that trunk disturbed her. The knowledge that she could be hiding something caused her to rush over to it. Should she open Pandora’s box? Maybe what was inside was best left hidden.
    Despite her reservations, Avery opened the lid. Inside were some newborn baby clothes and a swaddling blanket. Was this what she’d been brought home in? Avery’s eyes misted with tears. Why hadn’t her mother ever shown her these before? She continued her fact-finding mission and dug through the trunk until she found a leather portfolio.
    Curious, Avery popped open the lock and looked inside. The contents appeared to be important legal documents. Avery was quickly scanning them for a clue of what her mother could be hiding when she saw the word Adoption in big letters across the front page of one of the papers. Avery was in shock as she continued to read the document that stated in plain English, that Mr. and Mrs. Clayton Roberts had adopted an infant baby girl born on November 3, 1974.
    â€œOhmigod!” Avery fell back in horror and tears