The Truth

The room moved in a blur as people moved around. Lisa stood in the corner of the room in deep observation, watching all the vague acquaintances walk around and play the sympathy game. It was the funeral of her father yet, Lisa felt nothing. Lisa always thought the actions of crying people at a funeral were overrated. She knew more than half of them in attendance did not even care about her dad's passing. When he was alive, her father was a strict and calloused man. He was the type to never share his feelings, always demanded perfection and believed he was always right.

On the opposite side of the room, Lisa could see her mother. Lisa was never fond of her, nor was she ever close to her. The two were polar opposites. Lisa was a quiet woman; as for her mother, she was your typical social pretty girl. Clair Woodland, the name Lisa's mother, went by before she married Lisa's father. In her prime, Clair Woodland was always the top socialite and the talk of the town. Everyone knew her, and she knew everyone, and you could say that is how she met Lisa's father. Since Lisa knew her mother's antics well, she was not surprised to see her mother wearing the most overly extravagant funeral outfit imaginable. A form-fitting mermaid style dress, all black with a plunging neckline. Lisa slowly walked toward her mother, watching the dramatic show that Clair was putting on.

"OH…OH. My dear love, how can I ever go on!?" Lisa's mother wailed.

Lisa watched in disgust as many male guests swooned around her mother, attempting to calm her down and give her all their attention. Upon reaching the commotion, Lisa grabbed her mother from off her chair, smiled and nodded at the guest as she walked away with her mother in tow, leading her to a quiet room.

"It's dad's funeral. Can you please not make this about yourself and act overly dramatic?" Lisa whispered angrily to her mother.

"Lisa, your father is gone, and I need to convince people that I was a loving wife to your father till the very end. Then, when it is time to find husband number 2, men will think I'm a loyal partner and will inspire to marry me." Clair Woodland responded gleefully. She kissed her daughter's cheeks then quickly walked back to the funeral to tend to her attentive audience.

Lisa managed to make it home before the late-night news came on. Looking around her apartment, Lisa felt at peace; there was no one around whom she had to make small talk with, smile politely, and pretend to be an outgoing and charming daughter. After wiggling out of her clothing Lisa took comfort in her bed, falling fast asleep.

There was a loud knock on the door, waking Lisa as she leaped from her bed. She rushed to her door to see who could be making such a loud noise so early in the morning. Through her peephole, she saw a tall, lean man. Lisa slowly opened the door.

"Can I help you?" Lisa asked as she stood cautiously behind the door.

"Ms. Black? Lisa Black?" the man asked in a rash voice.

Lisa nodded her head; the man handed her a letter and walked briskly away. Lisa called out to the man asking what this letter was about, but the man kept walking, never turning back. Lisa sat at her kitchen counter and examined the letter. She noticed the name on top of the letter read "Mark Black." It was a letter from her now-deceased father.

"Dear Lisa, for years, I kept you at a distance, and now that I am gone, you should know the truth. I am aware that you know your mother was never faithful to me, and because of that, you are not my biological child. Right after you were born, your mother told me I was not your father. I did not say anything because I was a well-Known man, and I did not want a scandal to tarnish my reputation, so we became a family and me, your father. After you turned 6, you started to look like the other man, and it served as a painful reminder of what your mother did. I would get angry, So, I kept my distance from you. Even now writing this letter to you I'm still angry. Letting you know the truth is how I can get back at your mother. Since you are not my child, I will leave you with this truth and nothing more."

The letter left Lisa feeling dumbfounded. In the depths of her confusion, sadness and anger, Lisa burst into laughter; she could not believe it, the man she called dad was never her father, and he hated her. He had such a distaste for Lisa that he left a letter saying how much he hated her. Tears rolled down her face; sitting on the floor with her knees to her chest, Lisa cried, sorrowfully expressing all her frustrations.

Hours of reflecting, Lisa come to a decision to talk to her mother. It was approaching night before Lisa reached her mother's house seeking answers. Pounding on her mother's elaborate front door, Clair opened it, yelling at her daughter for making such a commotion. Lisa angrily pushed past her mother and walked into the house. When Lisa reached the living room, she confronted Clair.

"Mom, is it true? Is dad…not my father?". Clair Woodland stood in front of her daughter, arms crossed, clearly annoyed.

"Darling, where on earth did you hear such a lie?" Clair asked.

"Dad, dad told me! He left me a letter saying how much he hated me and that you cheated on him." Lisa stared at her mother, waiting for a reaction from her.

"Yes, your dad is not your father," Clair responded in a flat tone. There was dead silence in the air. Lisa did not know what to say. Her mother did not hide the fact she lied, but instead, Clair had this look of disdain on her face.

"When I was younger, I met a man, and we had a fling, but since your dad had more money, I stayed with him. Since everyone knew we were engaged to be married, he decided to take you as his own to prevent rumours spreading and destroying his image." Clair continued her explanation of the situation until it was all out on the table. The mystery man and the time Clair spent with him, the approval Lisa's father needed from his father to gain control of the company and the sham of marriage her parents kept going to save their reputation from all their friends and business partners. Clair walked to a desk in the office across the hall and returned with a small black book in her hand. Clair handed the book to Lisa.

"Mom…. wha…" Lisa was cut off by Clair.

"Lisa, your father is dead. Nothing I do will change the past nor the truth. You're an adult now; you can't worry about the mistakes your parents made. In this book is the name and information about your birth father. Do whatever you want. But I have a gentleman caller upstairs I would like to get back to, and I lack the interest to continue this conversation." Kissing Lisa on the cheek, Clair gestured to the door for Lisa to leave before she disappeared upstairs. Lisa left her mother's house with the black book. Lisa threw the book in the passenger seat as she started the car and drove away. Lisa did not stop driving until it was dawn. Finally, she parked by the docks. Staring out at the water. Lisa took her time and read the book her mother had given her.

After reading a couple of pages, Lisa found out her birth father's name: Nick Carson. he lives in New York and would be around 58 years old and is an accomplished cardiologist. Lisa knew the book's handwriting was her fathers'. It looked like he kept tabs on Nick Carson. Maybe it was out of anger or curiosity to find out more, but the details were astounding. Lisa got back into her car and drove to Nick Carson's address, written in the black book. Lisa arrived at a large home with luxury cars lining the driveway. Lisa suppressed all her worries as she cautiously walked up to the front door. It had been 25 years of Lisa thinking that one man was her father, but he was not. She did not want to wait to confront this man who could be her real father. An average height, a well-rounded man answered the door, "Hello?"

"Nick Carson?" Lisa asked.

"Yes?" the man answered.

"My name is Lisa Black; I'm here to tell you that you might be my father" Lisa waited for him to say something. Nick sighed and stepped aside, making room for Lisa to come inside his home.

"You better come in," Nick told Lisa.

Following Nick inside, Lisa scanned his home. There were pictures of Nick's family all over the walls and surfaces. Lisa could feel the pain of tears swelling inside. Nick's family photos made Lisa think about how Nick must have felt at this moment and never knowing that he had a daughter.

"Did Clair tell you about me?" Nick asked.

"No, my father told me, and my mother confirmed that it was true," Lisa responded. Nick had a look of irritation and impatience on his face.

"I'm a direct person, Ms. Black. I can confirm you're my daughter, but as I told your parents, I have no interest in knowing you or being a father to you." He spoke in a hushed tone while taking out his cheque book and wrote down $20,000 on a cheque. He passed the cheque to Lisa as he continued talking.

"I have a family, and I am happy with my life - I'm not looking to change that. Here is some money. I hope this will be the last time you seek me out."

Lisa slowly took the cheque in disbelief. The atmosphere coupled with the tone of Nick's voice convinced her to take the money and leave. With no more words exchanged, Lisa left the house and drove back home in total silence.

Lisa evaluated all the items she got from her family. $20,000 from her biological father, the letter from her deceased father and the little black book from her mother. Crying to herself, Lisa stared blurry eyed at the items which held the grim truth. Lisa meant nothing to them; she was but a child born out of mistakes.

Months had passed since that day. Lisa's mother, Clair, had already married a new man and was off living her best life. After Lisa attended her mother's second wedding, she never spoke to Clair again. It was clear to Lisa that this was for the best. Lisa also never attempted to contact Nick Carson again; he made it clear with the money he wanted to cut all ties. Lisa used the money to publish her first book, filling it with all the experiences she endured living with her family. In the end, knowing the truth did set Lisa free, allowing her to build her own foundation in creating a loving family.