I looked at Wesley as we stood in the driveway of the house. It was white, with a dog pen and a chicken pen in the backyard. I was hesitant to start walking towards the porch, but Wesley gave me a nudge, and I started walking up the path. I didn't even make one step when they burst out the door.
“JOANNA! WESLEY!” a woman, who I don't recall as my incubator, ran down the step and embraced me as tightly as she could. I was taken aback, but I recognized the perfume. It was my incubator alright. She had worn that perfume when we were children as well.
When she let go, I was engulfed by my sperm donor, and when I was finally released from his heart warming embrace, I was able to get a good look at them both.
My incubator had lost a lot of weight, and she was wearing make-up. There were no bruises, or scratches. There was no trace of bodily harm, and she was wearing a tank-top and shorts, so there wasn't really anything she could hide, unless it was on her stomach or back. I found myself smiling. My heart was slowly mending itself, and we hadn't even gotten settled in yet.
My sperm donor, on the other hand, had gained weight, and had lots of nasty scars, most from the war when he was in the army, some from knives and dishes thrown at him throughout the first ten years of my life. He was glowing with joy, and he was topless, so all his fat was hanging out. I felt almost safe, with him around. He looked like a shaved Santa, with his joyous eyes. I felt myself tearing up, but then I walked towards the car, to start unloading our stuff before I could let them realize that my heart of gold had taken place of my heart of stone, as Wes would say.
Maybe I'm wrong in referring to them as Incubator and Sperm Donor, but for the past seventeen years of my life, that's all I've ever felt from them. Not mother and father. They're not worthy of the title. They're not worthy of being parents, at least they weren't whenever we were younger. But, according to them and the state, they had changed. I laughed. Outer appearances weren't what I bargained for. I bargained for the truth under the outer layer.
Wesley, on the other hand, believed every word of it. Ate it up like he had been starving for it for years, which he had.
“Mom, I can't believe I'm here!” he exclaimed, as tears of joy flowed down his face. I looked at Wesley once again, and I smiled. He was beaming brighter than the sun. He was happier than he had been when he made the football team; happier than when he found out we were going back to our parents. And now, that he's actually here, in their presence, he was about to piss in his pants. The smile on his face didn't fade away. It didn't go anywhere. I couldn't help but feel joy in my heart for how happy he was, and it was all because I agreed and they agreed.
Our incubator was crying herself, and they were tears of joy, not of pain. My heart smiled a little more at that sight. I opened the car door, and pulled out Wesley's tub of stuff. It wasn't much, but it was all his clothes, trophies and possessions that he had collected the past seven years.
All of the sudden, Sperm Donor was at my side. “Here Honey, let me take that.” he said, gently grabbing the tub from me. “I'll put it in Wesley's room for him.” he added, smiling genuinely.
Wesley all of the sudden was at my side, and grabbed my tub out of the other side of the car. “I'll carry yours to your room, Joe.” he said, smiling at me with the same genuine smile our sperm donor had.
I smiled, and nodded. “Thanks, Wes.” I laughed, and walked over to Incubator. I looked at her. I had her eyes, her hair, and her petite figure. It was shocking how many features we shared. I looked at the ground and shuffled my shoes.
“So, Mom,” I said, straining to get the word out, and she looked at “What shall we do?” I asked, trying to accept that I was really in her presence.
She smiled, and looked down the road, nodding her head slightly. “Well, first you should say hello to someone else.” she laughed, disappearing into the house.
I looked at her confused, and turned, and up the road came this boy with brown hair, and a smile brighter than the sun. I couldn't help but running towards him, as he ran towards me, and when I embraced him, he picked me up and swung me around holding me tight. Just like he held my hand the night he rescued Wesley and I.
