Chapter 50

Rolling over in the bed, Leah pulled the purple silk sheet over her head so she would be facing away from the window that was letting the sun in to **** her tired eyes. It was a frequent problem that she had trouble sleeping, but after a day at the pageant, confessing to people close to her she had passed out easily in the bedroom that once belonged to Miss Megan’s daughter. She very much wanted to sleep in a little longer, no one was coming to wake her up, but something glinting was bothering her even under the sheet. Pulling down the sheet in frustration Leah saw the crown she had won sitting on the nightstand table, just catching the light from the sun because of where she left it.

Pursing her lips Leah glared at the crown like the inanimate object was reflecting the light at her on purpose. “Fine.” Leah said like it was a declaration for war as she sat up in bed, reaching over for her phone and seeing it was just a little past nine in the morning and she had more than a few text messages waiting for her, the first coming in just after six in the morning.

Candi: Morning, morning, morning!

Candi: I stayed up like alllll night 2 look things up and I tried talking to Bailey about it this morning, but she just told me no and then hung up. Rude, right!?

Candi: So I was thinking about things and Bailey and I have like these groupons we have only used once each on getting laser hair removal. Bailey said she doesn't’ want 2 go back because it burns her skin 2 much, but she is totally being a big baby.

Candi: After reading things I thought that like u might want 2 join us 2 go back.

Candi: You let me know, because like I really need to crash.

Leah smirked as she flipped from Candi’s message over to one from Bailey that came in probably shortly after Candi had contacted her.

Bailey: Like don’t listen 2 her, she is crazy

That message made Leah laugh, it was like the three of them were together bantering even though it was all done over text message. Then she moved over to the last person to message her that morning, the one she wanted to click on first, but had held off. Inside the message was no text, but a sound file. Clicking on it Leah turned up the volume to hear Jeremy’s voice doing an imitation of Johnny Cash..

“The other night dear, as I lay sleeping. I dreamed I held you in my arms, But when I awoke, dear, I was mistaken. So I hung my head and I cried.” Leah smiled hearing the song and him having to take the time to clear his throat before he continued.

“You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are gray. You’ll never know dear, how much I love you. Please don’t take my sunshine away.” Then the imitation voice fell away and she could just imagine him having a hard time meeting her eyes as he finished the song. “I love you my princess, have a wonderful day.” With the message ended, Leah held the phone to her chest for a good thirty seconds before getting up for the day.

At this point half the clothes in the closet now belonged to Leah, leaving still a good portain back in her room back home. Today she wore a simple satin bra with a tiny pink bow between the cups, cheeky pink panties after she used a tuck kit to make sure she was nice and flat in front. Next she put on her dress for the day. The top was white, high collared and sleeveless, with little blue polka dots on it. It was made to look like it was a blouse tucked into a high waisted navy blue skirt with large pleats that came down just past her knees. It reminded her of something someone from the forties might wear, it was classically pretty. She started to hum the song Jeremy sang her as she slipped her feet into the first pair of heels she had gotten from Miss Megan. They were navy blue, with a wide light brown leather strap that went across her foot with the heel and slight platform in front being a matching wood brown to the leather. To accessorize she added a blue plastic bangle with fake gold inlays along with some silver, gold and blue button earrings. With her look coming together she felt proud of herself for putting the outfit together before she started on her hair and makeup.

It wasn’t till almost ten thirty when Leah saw Miss Megan sitting on her couch in the living room drinking tea and reading a book. This was the first Sunday they had skipped church, but still it looked like Megan was dressed for a day out looking nice or a day at the office in her below the knee beige tight pencil skirt, a dark blue long sleeved blouse that she had buttoned up all the way and brown pointed toe heels. “Good morning! It looks like we match!”

Looking up from her book Megan took Leah in, happy to see the smile still on her face. Though she wouldn’t have been surprised if she had put the crown back on. She had never competed in something like this, but she could imagine a younger her wearing it for a week and her little sister constantly wanting her turn. “Good morning sweetheart, it does appear so.” She turned her wrist over to look at her watch, it was too late to head in for any of the services for church. “How would you like to go out for the day with me? We can have brunch, catch an early movie and just spend some time together before I drop you off. Or would you like to head home?”

With both hands Leah touched the hem of her skirt, feeling the fabric between her fingers as she thought. When she got home she really was going to have to have a talk with daddy and was more nervous about that than talking to anyone else. “Brunch sounds good, do you think I could get a mimosa?”

“You aren’t quite old enough to drink, but you can have a sip of mine.” Megan smirked at the petulant face Leah gave back to her, both knowing she really was old enough to drink.

“I am so.” Leah put her hands on her hips like she was being serious and confronting the older woman, but her voice was light and friendly.

“That isn’t what your birth certificate says.” Leah moved her hands away from her hips and thought for a second, knowing identification had been created, but never really asked more about it.

“How umm like how did you make me a fake birth certificate?” Megan patted the couch cushion next to her as she took a deep breath. This was one of those things that could get her in a lot of trouble, but she didn’t feel she had anything to fear from Leah. Liam would have used any piece of knowledge to his gains, but that wasn’t who Leah was.

“I would say it was simple, but there were more than a few steps. Firstly, the documents I have for Leah Megan Summers are not fake, they are the real thing. I have a birth certificate for you by creating a fake one. Then I called a hospital a few hours from here…” Megan paused for a second realizing she got ahead of herself. “Do you know what I do for a living?” Leah shook her head no.

“I manager a department, well two departments now till they find a replacement supervisor.” She rolled her eyes knowing they would keep her doing double duty for as long as they could. “For a company called Sterling Backgrounds. We are one of the largest background companies around, there are plenty but we get a lot of government contracts and a lot of big name companies that come to us for background information and research into people. So as a manager I had one of my employees take the fake birth certificate I made, them not knowing it was fake and contact a hospital that I know had many records destroyed years ago in a fire. They asked for the original to be sent out as all we had was a copy, they turned around and said they didn’t have any record of a baby with that name being born on that day. I then took over and reminded them of their record problem and how we had proof the record once existed. So they… the hospital staff wrote up a new birth certificate for you. I then turned around and did something similar to get you a social security number, saying you weren’t given one at birth as your parents opted out.”

Megan paused to see if Leah was following what she was saying. “How can you like opt out of a social security number? Everyone has one.” Megan shrugged her shoulders before continuing.

“Social security numbers weren’t a thing till the late thirties and even then there was no requirement for people to have one, some time later hospitals started doing the paperwork at birth for everyone to have one, but even today people can opt out of having a social security number. It isn’t a good idea, it would do nothing but make someone’s life more difficult, but it can be done. So you my dear Leah only recently got your number. You could easily take these down to the dmv and get your learners permit and when you start working you will start paying into taxes with your new name and social security number.”

“That sounds like a lot.” Again Megan shrugged.

“It did a bit more than that, you have a complete school transcript that I couldn’t help but make up. I’m afraid you weren’t a very good student, mostly getting Ds and Cs in your classes.”

“Even schools will beleave that to be real?”

“You have to understand something Leah, the entire system relies on one another, if one part of the system says something is true, like some is dead when they are not. The other parts of the system will back that up by saying it is true just because one part of the system says it is, making the burden of proof fall on the person saying that they are wrong.”

“So I could stay like this if I really wanted to?”

“If you want too, you can.” Megan said gently. The two sitting in silence for over a minute, Megan waiting for Leah to say what she wanted to do. The silence was broken by the girls stomach growling.

“Can we talk about this later?” Megan put her arm around Leah’s shoulder, kissing the top of her head.

“Of course.”

It wasn’t till around six when Megan pulled up into the driveway of Leah and Charle’s house. She looked perplexed seeing a red and white sign in the front yard reading ‘For Rent’ Megan didn’t think Leah noticed it, she had been texting on her phone the entire drive.

“Thank you for today and well like everything, Miss Megan.” Leah unbuckled herself before reaching over to give the blonde woman a hug and then getting out of the vehicle. Walking up the few steps Leah looked in her purse for her key, not noticing Megan getting out of her car. Going to go put the key in the lock she saw an envelope stuffed between the door handle and the lock with the name Liam written on it in a black sharpie. Taking it she put it in the crook of her arm as she slid the key into the lock, but as she went to turn it nothing happened. Leah tried turning the key harder, thinking it was stuck, but still it didn’t budge. She stepped back from the door letting out a huff at the lock, it was just another thing in the house that needed to be fixed that would take forever with the mostly absent landlord.

Hearing heels on concrete, Leah turned around to see Miss Megan coming over. “It seems the lock is stuck and it doesn’t look like Daddy’s home.” A feeling of dread crept up Megan’s body as she stepped past Leah to look in a window and that feeling of dread grew as her stomach dropped, seeing no furniture in the living room. Megan looked to Leah who didn’t seem to understand what was going on as she looked at an envelope she didn’t recall her having when she got out of the car. Quickly Megan walked back down the steps for the porch and stood in front of the house, reading the sign once more. She moved her hand in front of her mouth as she took a sharp intake of breath. Anger flared in her as she pulled out her phone calling Charles, but as the notification came that the number has been disconnected Leah came up next to her seeing the sign.

Megan could almost see the wheels turning in Leah’s head as she looked at the sign and then the front door, then to the letter and then the sign once again.

Things started to sink in for Leah, tears welled up and slid down her cheeks. She didn’t even try to contain them or wipe them away. Her brother had left early the previous day and now her key stopped working in the door, she had wanted to see what Miss Megan was looking at and had been shocked to see no furniture through the window and then there was the sign. With shaking hands she unsealed the envelope to see a hand written note.

Liam all of this shit is crazy, you **** a girl and for that you had to pretend to be a girl. Hell you gave your friend Lucus a blow job and now you have a boyfriend. All of this was to teach you a lesson and somehow I got pulled into it just because you couldn’t keep your dick in your pants!!! I see you prancing around saying daddy this, daddy that and it is maddening like you really like acting like a girl and dating some teenage boy. It is sick and then I saw you on stage and it was just the straw and the camels back and all that. I don’t know if you suddenly became gay or if I just didn’t see it before, but I can’t. Don’t let that psycho woman do this to you, take you freedom soon as you can get it like I am.

P.S.

The landlord knows my “daughter” needs to get in to get her stuff. So give him a call, you wont be able to call me.

The letter fell from Leah’s fingers as she turned and took a few steps to the curb, sitting down on the sidewalk. Everything felt numb, her brother had just abandoned her. The person who was supposed to be there for her after everyone else had left and yet… he just up and left like their father. Leah took no notice of the world around her as Megan picked up the note, read it and then sat down on the curb next to her. Leah had a vague idea that someone put their arm on her shoulder and was pulling her close, but it didn’t matter. Nothing mattered.

Leah wasn’t sure how long she sat there, wasn’t sure how long she had been balling into her hands, into Miss Megan’s shirt, but it had to be long enough that her butt started to hurt sitting where she was. “He… he left me… he left me! Just like everyone else!”

“Shhhh, shhh, it will be alright Leah, everything will be okay. You have plenty of people that are here for you, I’m here for you right now.” Leah shook her head, wiping a tear from one sheek with the palm of her hand.

“No, you will just leave too, everyone does. Where am I even going to go!?” Leah wrapped her arms around her legs, pulling them up against her chest.

“I’m not going anywhere.” Megan put one hand under Leah’s chin, moving her face so she could look into her eyes. “I’m not going anywhere, I am here for you and you can come stay with me.”

“How! How! I can’t go back to being Liam… I just can’t. I have no job and Leah is supposed to be like sixteen! My brother…” Leah took three gasps of air as she tried to fight back another bout of sobbing. “He was like supposed to be my Daddy, and now he is gone! He left me all alone!”

Closing her eyes for a second Megan pulled Leah closer, holding her tight, everything she was saying was pulling on her heart making it ache more and more. She was still angry, she was furious, but that emotion wasn't’ going to help her right now and she tried to push it to the side, not forgotten. “You can come live with me if you want, maybe I could even adopt you. I could be your mother. Would you like that?” The offer was real, but never had she even considered something like this before, she just knew that she wanted Leah to feel whole. The pain Leah was going through echoed through her own chest, she did love Leah in a paternal way and she would do anything to help her right now.

“You can’t do that… you wouldn’t do that. You should just go, I will be… okay alone.” Leah tried to pull away, but she didn’t try very hard.

“I can do it, it will not be easy and it will be expensive, but I think I can pull just enough strings to make it fast. I’m willing to adopt Leah Megan Summers and make her my daughter Leah Megan Best, but only if that is something you really want. I am here for you Leah, and if you need a parent I would be proud to be your Mom.”

“Really? Like really, really!? You would want to be my Mom? My Mom and Daddy are gone, even make fake Daddy is gone. You don’t want me.”

“I do, I want you to join my family Leah, I want you as part of my family. OOF!” Megan wasn’t done talking when Leah slammed into her and squeezed her tight with both hands.

“Could I call you Mom?”