Learning To Be Me

Chapter 1

When she woke up that morning, she didn't expect to be so anxious. Luce wasn't sure why she felt like this but she just couldn't figure it out. She got ready for work and left early so she could stop at her favorite coffee shop her mother and her often went to. She was sitting outside reading the paper when a strange man dressed in a three piece black suit; more handsome than anyone she had seen before with slicked back hair that had an Elvis wave approached her table and sat down. Not knowing what to do Luce got up to leave, grabbing her latte off the table when she suddenly felt the man's hand on her arm stopping her movements.

"Luce please do not leave I would like to speak with you." Slowly sitting back down Luce just looked at the man. He looked to be about 30 years old, and his face looked like it was cut from stone. He looked dangerous and angelic all at once.

"How do you know my name?" Luce said while quickly removing her arm from the man's grasp as if he burned her.

"My name is Lucien, I know many things about you Luce I have been watching you for quite some time now." Starting to get a really creeped out Luce started to leave again when this time the man put a hand on her shoulder and pushed her back down into the chair.

"Listen Asshole I don't know who you think you are but if you don't let me leave I'm going to call the cops." After a second with his hand still remaining firmly on her shoulder she started to fish her phone out of her purse, she pulled it out when suddenly it was no longer in her had but his. She just stared at him flabbergasted, with no clue what to do.

"Do not scream, I wanted to do this the easy way but as it seems you have more of me in you than your mother." Luce just looked at him her jaw dropping she tried to speak but no words came out.

"That got your attention now didn't it? I am going to let go of your shoulder and give you your phone back but I would really like you to sit and listen to what I have to say." Luce closed her mouth and nodded grabbing her latte so her hands didn't shake so much.

"You were named after me you know. Your mother and I we loved each other but it would have never worked. She was not cut out for living with me. So many times I took her to my home and she just couldn't do the move permanently. So as much as it pained me I let her go, it wasn't until a few months later that I was watching her that I saw she was pregnant. I was so shocked to see her just starting to show I thought she had moved on so quickly after we parted ways it made me angry. When I showed up at her house the next day she was just as shocked to see me standing there as I was to physically see her in that state. I started to yell as I was so angry, she just pulled me into her house and slammed the door and lit into me screaming back. When we were both done screaming the only thing I could remember that she said what that it was mine. The baby growing inside her was mine. I didn't know how to react, actually I reacted badly and I just disappeared from where I was standing right in front of her."

As he paused running his hands through his hair Luce finally found her voice. "My mother told me that my father left her before I was born, that was all she ever told me. Every time I tried to ask more questions she would get so sad, she said that when the time was right I would know, but no matter how many times I asked she always gave me that same answer now she is gone and I just figured it would be something that I would never figure out. Now you are telling me that you are my father? What do you have to prove this, I am not going to just take it on your word. Even if you were I am not going to just fall into your arms and call you daddy. You were not there when she and I needed you most. You just left her alone with no one to help her!"

Luce was starting to get angry that this man could thought he could just waltz into her life and try and worm his way into her life if he even was who he claimed to be. She was staring at him waiting for him to defend himself when he reached into his inside coat pocket and took out a letter. It was in a sealed envelope with her name on it. It was written in her mother's hand writing. "Open it, read it, there will be all the prof you need. I will come to your house in three days to see you and we will talk more then."

He set the letter down and just walked away getting lost in the crowd. Luce just stared at the letter with disbelief. Not knowing what to do she picked it up and put it in her purse as she got up to leave. Looking at her watch she realized she was late to work. Not wanting to go anyways she couldn't seem to feel anything but exhaustion at the thought of walking into the office and seeing all the pointed looks that would be sent her way.

She started to walk in the direction of the publishing house she worked in lost in the memories of the past few months.