The Man in the Photograph

Chapter 2: Grandma's Secret

"Hello little girl," my grandmother greeted me, "what brings you here, I haven't seen you since you where knee high to a grasshopper."

"Umm hey, ya sorry about that I've been keeping busy. But it's only been 9 years. Anyway I am here to ask you a question."

"You came all the way here just to ask a simple question? Well it must be important. What is the urgent question my dear?"

"Could we um talk inside?"

"Well sure come on in." My grandmother let me in and started making some fresh herbal tea. It might have been 9 years but she still knows what I like. We sit down and I pull out the polaroid picture of her and that man.

"Who is this," I asked point to the man on the right to grandma.

"How did you find this my girl?" Her voice started to shake.

"While I was packing the last of my stuff. I'm moving out of mom and dad's house. They don't even care."

"There is something that I never told you before and your dad told me not to tell you about it or I would be killed. But since you were the one who brought it up I can tell you. The man in the phot—," grandma's voice was cut off by the whistling of the tea pot. She poured my cup of tea and handed it to me. Sitting back down she asked, "what were we talking about?"

"You were going to tell me who the man in the picture was."

"Oh yes but, you have to promise not to tell your father that I told you. If you really want you can tell your brother but only if you trust him enough."

"Ok, so who is this man that my dad really wants to hide from me and Will?"

"This man in this picture is not your grandfather or your the man that you call your father. He is your real father."

"Wait wait wait wait wait, your telling me that the man that was my "father" isn't my real father," I started to recall that I didn't have one memory with my so called father as a kid, "then why hasn't my real father ever talked to me or even texted me?"

"Let me explain—," grandma was cut off by me.

"Yeah it seem that I do need an explanation of why this man who is my FATHER doesn't want anything to do with me!" Grandma flipped the photo and showed me some words on the take and then said, "if you read this you would have known all along that he was your father."

"I read it but I thought that was you talking about my "dad"."

"Can I explain the whole situation please?"

"Yes, 'cause it seems that I need one," I answered more pissed off than I should have been.

"It is true that this is your father but there is a reason why you have to stay with your uncle. When I just got married I had a young little adopted child. This adopted child was your dad. He grew up big and strong and he got married to this lovely young woman. This picture was taken right before they had you. You where the cutest person to ever walk on this earth. But one night your mom and dad had a big fight. Your mom got really hurt and decided that she would move away and take you along. Your dad being the temperamental one that he is decided to take you first. He ran off and he was never heard from again. One day out of the blue you showed up at my door step. You came with a note that said that one day your father would come back for you. At the time your were about one or two. I couldn't take care of you on my own so I asked your uncle to take care you. You grew up thinking he was your dad. You might have thought that he didn't like you but the truth is that you just reminded him of his brother who was to weak to take care of you. Your father was one man that no one wanted to mess with. And if I were you I wouldn't try to talk to him. When your dad was younger he was good at hiding. My guess he is still good at it now. He will find you one day, let's just hope that day is not today."

After that much needed explanation I said goodbye to grandma I took the photograph and headed out the door. She added one more thing. "Mills don't go looking for your dad. You will end up worse than your mother." With that last note, I left. Driving to my new home I had some time to think of what grandma had said. Why didn't she want me to find out? Who is my real father I never got a name? I looked at the back of the photograph and found the caption at the very bottom. It said, 'my oldest son and for your loving family to be'. I wonder what happened that night? Was the fight that bad that mom wanted to run away? I could answer all of these questions later. But for now it was time to settle in to my new home.

Hopefully you like my story so far. I have this book and it gives you ideas to right about and I chose one about how you find a picture of your grandma and another guy and he isn't your grandfather and you have to find out who the man is. This story however is going to be a bit different than the original idea. PLEASE VOTE. it would mean a lot to me.