Chapter 3: Three Weeks of Being Treated Like a Guest
David placed the paper on the kitchen island.
“Three weeks, Sarah?””
She looked at the document and immediately reached for it.
David pulled it away.
“Don't touch it.””
“You're acting like I've committed a crime.””
“I'm asking why you wrote this three weeks ago.””
Sarah folded her arms.
“Because things weren't working.””
“What things?””
“Michael doesn't follow instructions. He leaves his shoes everywhere. He uses the television when Jordan wants to watch something. He takes food without asking.””
David stared at her.
“So you decided to write a contract telling him your biological son gets priority?””
“That's not what the paper says.””
David tapped the paragraph.
“Read it.””
Sarah looked away.
“It's about maintaining peace.””
“Then why does it single out my son?””
“Because Jordan is younger!””
“Michael is fourteen, not forty.””
Sarah exhaled dramatically.
“David, I am tired of having to explain every parenting decision to you. You work all day. You come home and expect everything to be perfect. You don't see what happens when you're gone.””
David leaned against the counter.
“Then tell me what happens.””
Sarah hesitated.
He waited.
Finally, she said, “Jordan feels uncomfortable around Michael.””
“Why?””
“Because Michael thinks everything belongs to him.””
David shook his head.
“Give me an example.””
“He gets attention from you. You buy him things. You take him places. Jordan notices.””
“Michael is my son.””
“And Jordan is my son!””
David looked at her.
“I have never treated Jordan badly.””
Sarah didn't answer.
“I buy him birthday presents. I attend his school events. I help with his homework when he asks. I've never told him he doesn't belong here.””
“That's because you're not his father.””
The words landed heavily.
David looked toward the dining room.
Jordan was still sitting at the table, staring at his plate.
“Jordan,” David called gently.
“Can you come here for a minute?””
Sarah immediately objected.
“Leave him out of this.””
“I'm not interrogating him. I want to understand what's happening in my house.””
Jordan walked into the kitchen.
His red cap was now in his hands.
David crouched slightly so they were at eye level.
“Buddy, do you feel uncomfortable when Michael is around?””
Jordan glanced at his mother.
“Sometimes.””
“Why?””
Jordan rubbed the brim of his cap.
“Mom says Michael gets everything.””
Sarah's face tightened.
“Jordan, don't repeat private conversations.””
David ignored her.
“What does she mean by everything?””
Jordan shrugged.
“Your attention. The bigger bedroom. The money.””
David blinked.
“The bigger bedroom?””
Sarah stepped forward.
“Jordan, go finish eating.””
But Jordan continued.
“Mom said Michael got the big room because he was here first. She said when you finally understood how unfair that was, things would change.””
David slowly turned toward Sarah.
“Things would change?””
Sarah's jaw tightened.
“I was trying to make my son feel included.””
“By telling him my son would lose his bedroom?””
“He doesn't need that much space!””
David looked toward the staircase.
Michael's bedroom was larger because it had originally been the guest room. David had given it to his son after his mother's death because it had the bathroom closest to the hallway.
It had been a practical decision.
Sarah had never objected.
At least, not openly.
David looked back at Jordan.
“Did your mother tell you anything else?””
Jordan nodded.
“She said Michael wouldn't be here forever.””
Sarah's face went pale.
“Jordan!””
The boy flinched.
David stood slowly.
“What does that mean?””
Jordan's eyes filled.
“Mom said you were going to send Michael to his grandmother's house when the adoption papers were finished.””
David stared at him.
“What adoption papers?””
Sarah moved quickly.
“That's enough. He's confused.””
David stepped between her and Jordan.
“Jordan, who told you about adoption papers?””
“My mom.””
Sarah grabbed her purse from the counter.
“I am not doing this tonight.””
David didn't move.
“Sit down.””
“I have nothing more to say.””
“Then answer one question before you leave this kitchen. What adoption papers?””
Sarah's lips pressed together.
She looked at Jordan, then at David.
Finally, she said, “I was looking into making our family official.””
David frowned.
“Our family is already official. We're married.””
“You know what I mean.””
“No, I don't.””
“I wanted Jordan to have the same rights as Michael.””
David stared at her.
“Jordan already has a place in this family.””
“Not legally.””
“Sarah, what did you file?””
She looked toward the hallway.
“Nothing that can't be corrected.””
David's stomach tightened.
He had never agreed to adopt Jordan.
He had never signed any paperwork.
And he had certainly never agreed to change Michael's living arrangements.
He picked up the document again.
“Who prepared this?””
Sarah remained silent.
“Did you write it yourself?””
“Yes.””
“Who told you Michael would be moving out?””
“No one.””
“Then why did Jordan believe it?””
Sarah's voice rose.
“Because I was trying to protect my child! You don't understand what it's like to watch your son come second in his own home!””
David stared at her.
“Jordan has never come second.””
Sarah pointed toward the dining room.
“Look at him! He sits at that table knowing Michael is the one who matters most to you!””
David's voice became firm.
“Stop making my son responsible for your feelings.””
Sarah's eyes flashed.
“You always take his side.””
“Because he is a child, Sarah. He shouldn't have to compete with your child for a place to eat.””
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Then Michael appeared in the kitchen doorway.
He had left his dinner untouched.
“Dad?””
David turned immediately.
“What's wrong?””
Michael looked at Sarah.
Then he looked at the document in his father's hand.
His face changed.
“That's not the only paper.””
David frowned.
“What do you mean?””
Michael walked closer.
“There was another one. She made me take a picture of it before she threw it away.””
Sarah's purse slipped from her shoulder and hit the floor.
David looked at her.
“What other paper?””
Michael reached into the pocket of his black hoodie and pulled out his phone.
His fingers trembled as he unlocked it.
“Dad, I didn't know what it meant when she showed it to me.””
He turned the screen toward his father.
David looked down.
And the moment he read the heading, every trace of anger on his face gave way to something much colder.
It wasn't a chore schedule.
It wasn't a household agreement.
May you like
It was a document bearing his own name.
And beneath it was a signature that looked almost exactly like his.
