"Please come into the house, Melinda. We have so much to catch up on. I have so much to ask you!" he says, laughing a little.     She smiles. "I'd like that very much… Father," she says, tasting the unfamiliar word hesitantly. He looks down at her and smiles tenderly.      He leads her into the house and Melinda looks around in curiosity. She sees a little girl peeking out from behind a door, smiling shyly. An older woman is sitting on a bench in the background, holding an opened book on her lap.      "Melinda, I'd like you to meet my family… your family," he says, pausing. He turns to the blonde girl who had answered the door. "This is my daughter, Jessica. She's 19."      Jessica steps forward and nods. "Hello," she says. "It's nice to meet you."      "And this is my youngest daughter, Cynthia. She's 8."      The little girl comes over to her, a shy smile on her face. "Hi Melinda. You're really pretty," she says softly..      Melinda smiles down at her. "Hello, Cynthia. I think you're pretty, too," she says, smiling in amusement when the girl blushes and giggles at the compliment.      "And this," he says, gesturing to the seated woman, "is my wife, Jean… your step-mother."      Jean comes forward and extends her hand. "Hello, Melinda," she says pleasantly. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you."      Melinda takes her hand, a little stunned. "I didn't realize-" she stammers, "I didn't realize I had real live sisters!"      Her father laughs. "Well you do. Two of them! They have always wanted to meet you. They've both known about you since they were very young. I didn't know if you would ever meet, but I always dreamed of it… Come and sit down. I'm sure this is a bit of a shock," he says, guiding her towards a small breakfast nook in the corner of the kitchen.      "They knew about me?" Melinda says quietly as she sits down at the table.      Her father nods. "Of course. I wanted them to know I had another daughter out there. I never stopped loving you, Melinda. And I could never forget you."      She shakes her head, trying to comprehend everything that had just happened. Jean quietly sets a plate of fruit down in front of them, along with two glasses of milk. Melinda looks up at her and smiles gratefully. "Sometimes a little snack helps," Jean says, explaining. "I'll take the girls out for awhile and leave the two of you alone. Melinda, would you like to stay for dinner tonight? We would all love to get to know you better."      Melinda smiles. "Of course. I'd love to. If it's not too much trouble for you."      Jean puts a hand on her shoulder. "It would be our pleasure."      She turns and walks out of the room, leaving Melinda and her father alone.