You know those days when everything that could possibly go wrong just does? Well, that was exactly the kind of day I was having.
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I actually woke up in a great mood, excited for an interview at a really good company. But that mood disappeared the second I walked into the kitchen.
Just my luck, I was out of coffee. On the way to the interview, my car broke down. Just stopped in the middle of the road.
I called a cab, and of course the driver took me to the wrong address. I ended up being late.
The interview itself went okay, I guess, but then I heard the classic, “We’ll be in touch.” Which always means one thing — they won’t.
The day was already a disaster. And then the hospital called. They told me my grandmother needed a new set of medications, ones that cost more than the last.
It could not have come at a worse time. I was still job hunting and barely had any savings left.
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But Grandma was my only real family. My parents had left me when I was a baby, I had never even seen them.
She raised me, gave me love, and I owed her everything. I would’ve done anything for her. But I had no clue where I was supposed to get the money for her new meds.
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Then fate, I guess, threw me a bone. On my way out of the interview, I passed a coffee shop and saw a sign on the window: Now Hiring. At that point, I was desperate enough to take whatever I could find.
I ordered a coffee and told the girl at the register I wanted to speak to someone about the job opening.
She told me to take a seat and said someone would come talk to me shortly.
A few minutes later, I saw a barista, a man in his fifties, walking toward me with a cup of coffee.
Right as he got close to the table, he tripped and spilled the entire drink all over me.
That was it. The last straw. I lost it. I was yelling, not just at him but at the entire universe that had decided to destroy my day.
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But he, unfortunately, became the face of everything that had gone wrong.
“Are you out of your mind?! I could’ve been burned!” I shouted.
“I’m so sorry, ma’am. I didn’t mean to—” he began.
“My clothes are ruined! Were you even looking where you were going?” I snapped.
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“I’ll grab something to help clean that up,” he offered quickly.
“It’s too late! What kind of worker are you? I want to speak to your manager,” I demanded.
“Let’s all calm down—” he tried.
“Calm down? Look at me! I was supposed to speak to someone about a job and now I look like this!” I cried, pointing at my coffee-soaked outfit.
“My name’s Drake,” he said slowly. “I own this coffee shop. You were actually scheduled to interview with me.”
“Oh,” I muttered, suddenly deflated.
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“Anyone else might’ve kicked you out for the scene you just caused,” Drake added, his tone softer now.
“But I believe everyone deserves a second chance. I’m guessing today just hasn’t been your day. If you still want to talk, we can go ahead with the interview.”
“I don’t need your charity,” I snapped, grabbed my bag, and stormed out of the café.
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Out on the sidewalk, regret hit me like a truck. What was I thinking? I needed a job. Badly. I took a deep breath and turned back.
Drake was still cleaning the coffee stain near the table where I’d been sitting. That was the moment I really looked at him for the first time and saw something that made my heart stop.
On his hand, there was a birthmark in the shape of a leaf. Why did that matter? Because I had the exact same one, in the exact same place.
My grandmother had always told me it ran in the family, but never said if it came from my mother’s or my father’s side.
I didn’t say a word. I just turned around and walked back out. But I knew I’d be back. I had to know who Drake really was.
Before I went back to see Drake, I needed to talk to Grandma. She hated discussing my parents, but I had to know who I’d run into at that coffee shop.
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I emptied what was left of my savings and transferred everything to the hospital on my way to her house.
When I walked in, I heard her moving around in the kitchen. “Grandma, what are you doing? You should be resting,” I called, stepping into the room.“I’ve got plenty of energy. Why should I rest?” she replied cheerfully. “I made your favorite pie.”
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“Thank you, but you really didn’t have to. The doctor said you should rest in bed,” I reminded her.
“I’ll rest when I’m dead,” she quipped. “You hardly come by anymore. Let me bake something for you while I can.”
“I’m sorry. I’ve just been so busy looking for work, I haven’t had time for anything,” I murmured.
“It’s alright, sweetheart,” she said, brushing it off.
“I actually came to talk,” I began hesitantly.
“About what?” she asked.
“Yesterday, at a café, I saw a man with the same birthmark I have. I think he might be my—”
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“I don’t want to hear it!” she snapped, cutting me off. “That man left you. He doesn’t deserve to know you.”
“But I want to talk to him,” I insisted.
“He didn’t care about you then. What makes you think he does now?” she demanded.
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“Maybe you’re right,” I sighed.
“Promise me you won’t go back there,” she said firmly.
“I promise,” I whispered.
But it was a promise I couldn’t keep. That evening, I stood outside Drake’s coffee shop again.
He was closing up, wiping down tables. I gathered my courage and stepped inside.
“We’re closed,” he said without turning around. Then, seeing me, he added, “Oh. It’s you.”
“I need to talk to you,” I told him.
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“I said I give people second chances, but I never give thirds,” he warned.
“This isn’t about the job. Though I am truly sorry for how I behaved yesterday. I came to ask… did you ever have a daughter you left twenty-six years ago?”
Drake frowned deeply. “I have two kids. I never left any of them.”
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“Are you sure there weren’t three?” I asked, stepping closer and showing him my birthmark.
His eyes widened. “Oh God… You’re Liv, aren’t you?”
“Are you my father?” I whispered.
“No… I’m afraid I’m not. But God, you’re all grown up,” Drake said, shaking his head in disbelief. “I never thought I’d see you again.”
“If you’re not my father, then who are you?” I asked.
“I’m your uncle. Older brother of your dad — Eren,” he explained.
“You’re acting like you’re happy to see me. Like you don’t know the story,” I muttered bitterly.
“Do you know the whole story? Really? Margaret raised you. I can only imagine what she told you,” Drake replied.
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“My grandma did everything for me! She had to. My mom and your brother abandoned me!” I snapped.
“You’re right about your mom. Jessica was scared. She ran the moment she found out she was pregnant. But my brother? No. You’re wrong about him. He tried everything to keep you. Margaret wouldn’t let him.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked.
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“They were just nineteen when they found out about you. Jessica said right away she didn’t want a child. But Eren insisted, he said he’d raise you himself. He was so ready to meet you. But the moment you were born, Margaret took you and sued for custody. She even got a court order to keep Eren away.”
“He could’ve found me. I’ve been grown for a while now,” I argued.
“You don’t know what Margaret’s capable of. She took you to another city, changed your last name. He had no idea where you were,” Drake said.
“I always knew we moved, but she told me it was for better living conditions,” I said slowly.
“No. It was to keep you away from your father. She thought he was too young to raise a baby.”
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I buried my face in my hands. “This is too much. My whole life I believed he didn’t want me. And now I find out Grandma made sure I grew up without him?”
“I know it’s a lot,” Drake said gently. “But I can take you to him. I know he’d love to see you.”
“Does he have a family now?” I asked quietly.
“No. He never could settle down after losing you.”
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“I need time,” I said.
“You know where to find me,” Drake murmured, and I nodded.
From there, I went straight back to Grandma’s house. I needed the truth.
When I arrived, I walked into Grandma’s bedroom and yelled, “You took me away from my real father?!”
“You promised you wouldn’t go to him!” she yelled back.
“That man turned out to be my uncle! I didn’t even know I had one!” I cried. “Now I understand why you didn’t want me to see him!”
“Your father didn’t deserve you!” she shouted.
“How would you know?!” I demanded.
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“He was just a kid — a child himself. He couldn’t have raised you right,” she argued.
“You didn’t even give him a chance!” I screamed.
“Your mom left, and he would’ve too. You would’ve ended up an orphan,” she insisted.
“You can’t know that,” I said.
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“I raised you. I loved you. What more do you want?” she challenged.
“The truth! You told me my dad abandoned me. But it was you who took me from him!” I shouted.
“And I’d do it again!” she barked.
“I can’t do this anymore. I won’t be coming around for a while. I can’t even look at you right now,” I said and walked out.
“Liv! Come back here right now!” she screamed after me.But I left the house in tears.
The next day, I went back to Drake and asked if he could take me to my father. He agreed immediately, left the young barista in charge, and we hit the road. On the way, I got an email. I read it and started smiling.
“Good news?” Drake asked, glancing at me.
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“I got the job. The really good one. I didn’t think they’d even respond,” I beamed.
“Congratulations,” he said with a grin. “Looks like I’ll still need to find someone for the café.”
“I thought you didn’t give third chances,” I teased.
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“That’s different. You’re family. And there’s no limit on chances when it comes to family,” he replied warmly.
It felt so good to know that I had someone, someone who cared, besides Grandma.
We reached my father’s house four hours later. My whole body trembled as we walked up to the front door.
Drake rang the bell. A few seconds passed, and then the door opened. For the first time in my life, I saw him.
“Hi… Dad,” I whispered.
He looked from me to Drake, disbelief in his eyes, and then pulled me into a hug.The tightest, warmest hug I’d ever had.
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