 | Genre: Wee Story | Word count: 200 |
Hair
Laura unclipped the locket from around her neck and passed it to me. Seeing me staring at it uncomprehendingly, she tapped it with a painted fingernail.
"Open it."
I pressed the catch. Inside lay a coil of fine blond hair.
"Whose is it?"
"Graham's."
"Graham?"
"My baby…until I gave him up for adoption."
"Why?"
"I was seriously depressed and there was no-one around to help me look after him."
"That must have hurt badly."
"It did. I've never stopped thinking about him." Her eyes searched mine for a moment. "He's twenty-three now."
"Twenty-three? You mean…"
"He was born in September 1983. We split up in the previous January. Remember?"
"Of course. So you're saying–"
"There was never anyone else, Peter."
I sat back, struggling to come to terms with the sudden disclosure.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"By the time I knew for certain, you were engaged to Barbara. It didn't seem fair to lay that on you."
"Perhaps you should have – it could have saved me a divorce. Why tell me now?"
She took the locket from me and gazed at the wisp of hair.
"He's asked to meet his real parents."
Comments: This story was published in Wonderful World of Worders.
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