Chapter 1 - Madam, I'm Adam

My therapist says I should write out what happened to me, as I've never been able to really discuss what happened in one session. She said to write it as if I was telling someone who had no prior knowledge of the case. She seems to think that by opening up the wound it will prove to be cathartic or some other SAT word of the day. I'm not sure if it will work, but I really don't have much to lose at this point, do I? So I'll try it.

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My name is Laurie Hubbard. I'm 17 now, but was 15 at the time of my tale of woe. I was adopted into the Hubbard clan when I was still an infant. Michael and Ruth (those are my parents) had been trying to get pregnant for years, unsuccessfully. Rounds of IVF had gotten them nowhere. So, in the end, they decided that if they couldn't have natural children, they would adopt. That's where I come into the picture. I don't know a lot about my birth mother, just that I was the result of a teen pregnancy after a date rape.

For most people that would be a blow to their psyche, to know that the only reason they exist is because their mother was forced to have sex. Michael and Ruth always told me that I was adopted, but not the circumstances of my conception until I was around 11 or 12. It was done with a lot of love, and assurances that I was loved. So it never really bothered me, as weird as that sounds.

It was a couple months after my adoption was finalized that Ruth and Michaels miracle happened. It seems God is not without a sense of humor. After giving up on natural children, Michael went and knocked up Ruth the old fashioned way. I still laugh about it.

I can never remember being treated any different than Gabe (Gabriel). He had an older sister to follow around, and I had a pip-squeak little brother to blame everything on. Not that I would EVER do that. Hehehehehe

Really, I was a good kid. As Michael and Ruth were both Mormon, that's how we were raised. So we always had a structure to keep us out of trouble for the most part.

While I was legally their daughter and shared their last name, there was no doubt my branch was a graft onto the Hubbard family tree. While Michael and Gabe had perpetually tan skin, brown hair and eyes, and Ruth was blond with blue eyes, I was the odd duck. Just by looking at me you knew I had a LOT of Irish in me, as I had the stereotypical flaming red hair and green eyes. Try as I might, I could also never tan. My skin would go from the color of sour cream to matching my hair if I spent any more than 15 minutes in the sun. It was a curse, but at least I never had to worry about tan lines. Burn lines, on the other hand ... but I'm getting off track here.

So, like I said, I was 15 when it all happened. We were all going to be going overseas to Ethiopia to help with one of the service projects our church does. I think we were going to be helping bring a water source to a village or something like that.

At least, that was the plan. A week before we were scheduled to leave, Dad got a call from someone in some basement of the state department, saying there was a problem with my passport. Apparently, during my adoption, someone from the agency got sloppy, and there was a discrepancy between my birth certificate and the adoption paperwork. Long story short? If I left the country without it being cleared up, I wouldn't be allowed back in.

So the trip was essentially canceled. No refunds, no exchanges. While we aren't rich, we are well off. Dad's veterinary clinic was pretty prosperous. Still, it seemed like a waste of good money, and I hated to see that. I eventually talked Mom & Dad into letting me stay home while they went off to feed, clothe, and convert the "fuzzy-wuzzy tribe" of Ethiopia. Better to lose the value of one ticket, rather than all four.

They jokingly made me promise no parties while they were gone. Yeah, right. I've never been to a real party, much less thrown one. I know it sounds boring, but I was a good girl. I anticipated a long week of sleeping in, watching TV, playing on Facebook, and going to church.

So, a week later, I was waving goodbye to them as they loaded their suitcases into the back of the cab and were whisked away.

I never realized how quite a house can be when you take the people out of it. I know that sounds stupid, but I had never known the house to be that quiet, it was unnerving. After the novelty of having the house to myself wore off, I think I started to go a little stir-crazy. With no drivers license, I couldn't drive myself to a movie or another friend's house.

So, when Adam called, wanting to see if I would like some company, I gladly took him up on the offer. I figured we would just hang out, watch a couple movies, and order a pizza. Normal stuff, you know? When he asked if Eric and Bryan could come over too, I thought the more the merrier.