The Christmas Note by Donna VanLiere Page B

and hangs at her shoulders. She’s married, but I don’t know how many children she has, and I feel bad about not knowing. “How are you, Melissa?” This is as far as Jodi and I ever get, and I know she’s curious why I’m standing in front of her.
    “I was wondering if I could hire Mr. Layton’s services?”
    She shuts the file drawer and faces me. “Really?”
    “I’d like to find a brother and sister I never knew about.”
    She smiles and walks around her desk. “Come on.” I follow her to Robert’s door, and she steps inside. Robert is typing on his computer and looks at us over his glasses.
    “Hello, ladies.” He stops typing and takes off his glasses. Jodi’s smiling and my face is blank. I didn’t think she’d tell him so quickly! I thought she’d get the ball rolling herself.
    “Melissa would like to hire your services, Robert.”
    He leans back in his chair and crosses his arms, watching me. “What’s happened, Melissa?”
    I know I’m red in the face … from the wind, the cold, the heat in this office, or the fact that I’ve rarely spoken to this man who gave me my job. “I just discovered that I have a brother and sister that I never knew about.” He waits for me to finish before he says anything. “I’d like to find them if you do that kind of work. If not, I’ll—”
    Robert smiles and puts up his hand. “You never knew about them?” I shake my head. “Isn’t that something?” He smacks his hands together. “Let’s find them!” He looks at Jodi. “Have her fill out Kate’s papers.”
    I follow Jodi to her office and she opens a file drawer, pulling out a file. “What are Kate’s papers?” I ask.
    She pulls a stack of papers from the file and raps them on her desk to straighten them. “Cases that Robert knows his wife would want him to work on.” I don’t know what she really means. “Pro bono.” She hands the papers to me. “He’ll do it for free.”
    “I didn’t mean for him to—”
    “I know that. Fill out the papers and let’s get working on your case.”
    My case! It feels too sudden. “How long do these things usually take?”
    She puts the file back into the drawer. “Depends. We found a biological mother about six months ago and it took one day. One day! Over a year ago we tracked down a father, and that took a few months. You never know.” She opens another drawer and pulls papers out of a file and checks to make sure she’s handing me the right ones. “These papers will help us get started. They ask for your biological parents’ names, if you know them, along with their Socials, if you have that info. Some people don’t even have a name. Just a hospital or a town. We’ll take what you have and get started.”
    “Thanks, Jodi.” I walk to the back room, where I close the door and slump to the floor, reading the papers. One line asks for my mother’s name. Another line asks for her Social Security number. I stare at them for what seems like an eternity before I reach for my backpack. I had written Ramona’s Social Security number down years ago and carried it in my wallet. I hold the tattered note in my hand and read the number over and over. I print RAMONA JUNE MCCREARY on one line and write down her Social Security number on the other. I run my finger over the words and numbers, and somehow I feel it. I’ve just opened the tiger’s cage.
    *   *   *
     
    When I finish up at three thirty I walk to the front of the office where Susan is on the phone. I pull on my coat and hat and put the papers in Jodi’s in-box. Susan taps on the box, gives me a thumbs-up, and then waggles her fingers ’bye in my direction. I take a breath and wave, opening the door.
    I don’t know if I’m excited or scared to death. I want to be excited , I say to myself. I want to pray like Mrs. Schweiger always did and have her kind of belief. I want to believe that my brother and sister would want to meet me and that they’re good people. I want to meet