She gets out of her car and stares up at the house. It is a beautiful Victorian home, obviously well-loved and cared for. 'It's the type of house my father loved,' she thinks.
Swallowing hard, she musters up her courage and walks up the front steps until she is face to face with the door. Without giving herself a chance to back out, she quickly presses the doorbell, her heart hammering in her chest. She hears footsteps from inside and braces herself for the inevitable.
A pretty young woman answers the door. She peers down at Melinda a little suspiciously. "Yes?" she says. "Can I help you?"
'It's not him,' she thinks, wildly, staring at the woman in front of her. It takes her a moment to collect herself and find her voice. "Y-yes. Actually you can. I'm looking for a Mr. Francis Gardenia. I'm not sure if I have the right house…" she says, trailing off at the end.
The girl looks her up and down, her eyes narrowed. "May I tell him who's calling, please?" she asks matter-of-factly.
"Of- of course," Melinda stammers. "My name is Melinda." She pauses a moment, wondering if she should reveal her last name. "Melinda Gardenia," she says finally.
The girl cocks her head to the side distrustfully and then nods, a little wide-eyed. "Wait here," she commands, closing the door in Melinda's face.
She steps back a little, stunned at her dismissal. Could this girl be her sister? She thinks back to the first address she had been given. It had been based on a birth record, the birth of a girl…
She is snapped out of her thoughts by the sound of a once familiar male voice. The voice she never thought she would hear again…
"Melinda?" she hears it say quietly, "Is that you? Is it really you?"
She looks up at the man before her and her eyes fill with tears. It is her father. She can think of nothing else to say but, "I found you."
He rushes to her and enfolds her in his arms. She feels tears spilling down her face as she is held in his embrace. She had done it. She had found what she was looking for.
Her search was finally over.
 
|