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It was another boring day at the coffee shop on the corner. Alice was working a double and things couldn’t be quitter in there. There was the occasional customer or tourist looking for directions but nothing really exciting. Alice Wilson was a mere toddler when her parents gave her up. They told the agency they simply weren’t ready for a baby and left without another word. Of course being the cheeky little one year old she was, Alice got adopted fairly quickly. She had a decent childhood but she was never truly happy. Not even now that she was a stunning 19 year old woman with her own apartment and a job at Corner Coffee.
This particular day was one in which Alice just wanted to stay inside and hide away. It was raining hard outside and the shop was dead. Keeping her bright green eyes fixed on the counter in front of her, she absentmindedly twirled her long blonde hair around her fingers. “Are you alright?” A deep voice broke Alice out of her thoughts as she looked to the other side of the counter. There stood a man that looked to be between 30 and 40 years, bright green eyes and the same blonde hair that she possessed. He smiled warmly at Alice as she stood up, notebook in hand, ready to take his order. “I’m fine.” She forced herself to smile. “What can I get for you?” She readied her pen waiting for him to order. “Are you Alice?” He asked instead of ordering. “I am.” She said slowly growing confused by the man’s strange behavior. His smile grew bigger as he let a low chuckle escape his lips. “They told me I could find you here.”
And there it was, the fear that was building up inside of her escaped as her eyes grew wide and she set the notebook down and back up a step. “No, no. Let me explain, please.” He smiled again showing her she had nothing to be afraid of. “My name is Greg Edwards. You might have heard that name before?” Alice thought a moment before slowly nodding. Her ‘parents’ had mentioned that name quite a few times. “I know this is sudden having just met me but-“ She cut him off a minute. “Wait, you’re…” She hesitated wanting him to say it himself. He smiled once again and nodded slightly. “I’m your dad Alice.” Slack jawed and wide eyed, Alice tore her gaze from his eyes to look him up and down. They looked exactly alike.
She pulled one of her hands up to cover her mouth as she blinked away the tears trying to escape from her glassy eyes. “I-“ She was speechless. “I can’t believe it.” She moved her hand to wipe her eyes before letting it drop to her side again. “Are you alright, Alice?” Greg looked genuinely worried about her strange reaction. “W-where’s...” She tried to make a sentence but seemed to have forgotten how the English language worked. “Your mom?” He asked making sure that’s what she wanted to know. Not trusting her voice right now, Alice answered with a frantic nod. “She’s in the car with Madison.” “Who’s Madison?” Alice asked all too quickly.
Greg looked out the window to a black range rover where, Alice guessed, Madison and her mom were. “She’s your little sister.” Alice was shocked to say at the least. She quickly pushed all thoughts out of her head and grabbed her pen and notebook once more. “So can I get you anything?” Greg gave her a saddened look. “I really must be going, I came here today simply to see the beautiful woman my little girl turned into.” He said with a grin. He leaned over the counter and kissed her forehead. “It was nice meeting you, Alice.” He started to walk to the door but turned around before pushing it open completely. “Can you do one thing for me?” He asked, voice as strong as it was when she first noted his presence. She nodded hesitantly. “Smile for me.”
The way the corners of her mouth turned up to easily, so naturally, made Alice flutter with delight. For once in her life, Alice was truly, genuinely happy.