The Truth According to Ginny Moon Benjamin Ludwig (books to read in your 30s .txt) 📖

“Go ahead and play some more,” my Forever Dad tells me. So I do. But when I pass the ball to Katie MacDougall I see my Forever Dad and the man in the leather Patriots jacket talking on the bleachers again. My Forever Dad is shaking his head and leaning with his chin out. He is talking loud and pointing but not yelling. I feel bad for the man in the leather Patriots jacket. It looks like he’s getting in trouble.

I am glad I didn’t hiss at him last week.

EXACTLY 10:55 IN THE MORNING,

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 20TH

We are in the car going to the park to see Rick. My Forever Parents will be with me the whole time so I won’t be able to just say all the things I want to say. Or ask him to drive me to Canada to meet up with Gloria and my Baby Doll. I have to be careful like I was in the letter. I will have to wait.

I pulled my socks up nine times when we left the house. I will pull my socks up again once more for good luck when we get there. It’s not very cold out even though it’s November but I’m still wearing my winter coat and hat.

When we get to the park I wait for my Forever Parents to get out of the car first. They always make me wait for them because I like to get out fast. They open the door. I jump out and pull my socks up one more time and then start looking for Rick. I don’t see him. I see only the parking lot and some trees with no leaves and the monkey bars and the swings moving in the wind.

Then I see a man standing next to the seesaw. He is wearing a blue-and-red Patriots jacket and a blue-and-red Patriots hat. My Forever Mom leans close to me and says, “There. Do you see him?”

And I say, “That’s the man from Special Olympics.”

“Actually, that’s your Birth Dad,” says my Forever Dad. “That’s Rick.”

So I say, “I’m guessing he likes blue and red.”

Rick walks over to us. He and my Forever Dad shake hands. Then he puts his hand out for me to shake. “Hey, Ginny,” he says.

I shake his hand. I can’t see his eyes because he’s wearing dark sunglasses. But I see two of me reflected in them. One in each eye.

I don’t say Hello, Rick or Hi or anything. I just shake his hand and stand there.

“It’s been nice coming to see you at Special Olympics,” he says.

That wasn’t a question so I don’t say anything. I don’t want to talk because I’m trying to figure out why he didn’t tell me who he was before.

“We wanted to get to know Rick before he met you,” my Forever Dad says. “We wanted him to see how you get along with other people.”

“I’ve heard a lot about you,” Rick says. “And honestly, it was hard not being able to meet as quickly as I would have liked. I haven’t seen you since you were a tiny baby. We only had one day together at the hospital. Going to see your practice was—It was really great.”

I am still thinking so I don’t say anything. I think and I think.

Rick keeps talking. “You understand, don’t you?” he says. “I couldn’t stay away. But your new folks wanted to be careful, after everything that happened. Can’t say I blame them.”

When he says your new folks he puts his head down a little.

Rick seems like a nice quiet man. I’m guessing he’ll bring me right to Canada if I ask. He’ll do his very best to try to help me. I just have to find a way to make my Forever Parents go away so I can ask him.

“Where is your truck?” I say.

“I don’t have one. I drive a little old Honda.”

“In your letter you said you drive truck.”

He smiles and he shakes his head. “I do,” he says, “but the trucks aren’t mine. I drive them for different companies. I’m even getting a special license so that I can haul some really important freight. Yep.” When he says Yep he smiles with his mouth a little on the side and he tugs with both hands on his jacket.

“So where is your little old Honda?” I look at myself swaying back and forth in his glasses. I wonder which one is Ginny and which one is (-Ginny). I wonder which one is the real me.

He points to the parking lot. I see a gray car there.

“Gloria has a green car. The window was broken,” I say. “But then it got fixed.”

“You remember your mom’s car? Heck, I remember that car, too.”

“I saw it on September 14th in the parking lot at school.”

“I think it’s time to go on the swings,” my Forever Dad says.

“You two can go on the swings,” I say. “I’ll stay here and talk with my Old Dad Rick.”

My Forever Mom laughs. “Sorry, but we need to stick together.”

I point at the swings. “You can stick together over there if you want,” I say, “and we’ll stick together right here.”

“Ginny, we’re not letting you out of our sight,” my Forever Dad says. “Not after what happened before.”

He means the kidnapping.

“You know, going on the swings sounds like a great idea,” says Rick. “I’m in the mood for a good swing.”

We walk to the swings. All of us together. I am mad because my Forever Parents won’t let me out of their sight. I’m wondering if they’ve got my number too.

I get on one of the swings and start swinging. Rick gets on the one next to me. The chains are cold. My Forever Parents stand in front of us watching. I don’t think I’m going to get to ask what I want to ask so I say, “Do you know if anyone is going to check on my