THE CHRISTMAS SEARCH

LYING SARAH

 "Hey loser! What took you so long?" I spoke as I laid on my bed. Owen was one to pick up the phone immediately it rang, but he delayed tonight, I wondered what he was doing.

"Look who's calling me a loser. Like what have you won?" He responded as he answered the call.

"Oh, let me think, uh, I won the math quiz at high school which you came fifth. I won the hundred-meter race we had when we were teenagers back at town. I came out as the best graduating student at college. Shall I continue, mister loser?" I laughed as I ended my speech. Owen and I loved bantering each other, Cecilia would call us 'two grown-ups acting like kids.'
"Well, at least I won your heart." He laughed too.
"Geez! We were like what, fifteen or sixteen? I was young and naïve. Who would want to fall for an idiot like you?" I responded.

"Amelia did."
"Who the hell is that?"

"Uh, my fiancé." He replied.

"You have a woman now?"

"Well, unlike you, I do not want to spend the rest of my life alone." He giggled. Owen mocked me for not having a man anytime we spoke physically or on the phone, perhaps because he had been making advances at me which I turned down every single time. I loved the way we were friends with no attachments. Although, we had something together when we were teenagers but it didn't last long, the love of a thing was interfering with our friendship and I wasn't enjoying it.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Goodluck with your woman. We both know you would lose her because you are a sore loser." We both laughed hard after I said that.

"Get yourself a man first then we would have this discussion." He said. "What's up with you? Heard you haven't been at the office for like two days."
"I guess that loser like you must have told you." I responded. I spoke about my colleague who's a friend of Owen.

"Yeah, because he thinks I am your boyfriend." Owen laughed.

"He's annoying." I laughed too. "I called in sick. Told my boss I would be away for a while."

"Like a medical leave?" He asked.

"Sort of."

"What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing. I just used that as an excuse." I tittered. "I had something to do, which is apparently why I am calling."

"Get on with it."

"Two days ago, my mother called, telling me she had something to say about my father."

"Jeremiah?" He asked.

"Turns out he isn't my father." I answered.

"Are you for real?"

"Believe me, I was as surprised as you are when she told me. Cutting the story short, she told me who my real father is and I have been in search of him since then."

"Is he someone I know?"

"Nah, he's someone from my town. But I think he's in this city."
"You said you are in search of him, why? Why can't your mother just take you to him or link the both of you together? And how come she's just telling you this after all these years?"
"It's a long story, Owen. He doesn't know about my existence and my mother doesn't know where he is, hence my search for him so I can tell him he has a freaking daughter."
"Wow! Your story is so fucked."

"I know, right? I need your help here."

"Have you told Cecilia?"
"No, I haven't had time to call anyone, you are the first person I am telling. I have been busy with the search."
"Aww, I'll always be your first choice."
"Cut it, idiot!" I laughed.