The Contingency Plan (The Lonely Heart Series) by Latrivia Nelson Page A

planted into the mattress, drool coming from his mouth.  “I’m up.  What’s wrong?” he asked, alarmed.  Quickly, he jumped out of bed, nearly falling over his own boots to meet her at his open door.
    His daughter came barreling through the door, throwing her coat on his floor to reveal denim overalls and a pink turtleneck.  Her cheeks were red and rosy from the cold chill of the weather and excitement of the correspondence.  “Daddy!  Read this!” she said, eyes bright with excitement. 
    “Read what?” he asked, trying to calm his heart. “Don’t ever scream like that unless something is wrong.  You nearly gave me a heart attack.”  And she did. He was an older man now, unable to handle girlish screams anymore. 
    “Sorry, Daddy, but just read it,” she said, jumping up and down.
    Taking the letter, he squinted as he looked at the seal of the White House stamped on top. “Get my glasses, baby,” he said, pulling the letter closer to his face.  It was addressed to the Charlize Orrin.  His Charlie.
    She gave him his glasses quickly, and they both sat on the end of his bed in front of the fireplace and the ignored football game while Sully read the letter quietly.  When he was done, a bright smile crossed his face.
    “This is amazing, sweetheart,” he said, shaking his head in amazement.
    “I know. I was picked.  It said that there were 100,000 entries and they picked me.”  She was still out of breath from her sprint back from the mailbox and all the excitement.  “They want us to come to the White House!  I get to meet the president’s children, Robin and Victory.”
    “I know,” Sully said, rubbing her back.  “You are the best, Charlie. I knew that they would pick you.” He said so in a matter-of-fact tone that embodied his paternal pride.
    Charlize was glowing, radiating with youthful bliss that could only be appreciated, admired but not captured.  And her father basked in her beauty.  In ten years, she had completely engulfed him.  He was nothing without her and her brother. His existence had become all about his twins, his light in the dar k ness of this world.  And he knew that he had never known true happiness before being a parent.
    However, he was blessed beyond the normal standards.  His children reciprocated his affection.  They loved their father, hung on to his every word and adored him almost as much as he adored them.  They were a team, and played their respective roles with great pride.
    “I’ve got to call your uncles and cousins about this.  They are going to be thrilled.”
    “Oh, while we are in D.C., can we go and see U n cle Will?” she asked, clasping her little hands together.
    “Do you think he’d let us out of the city without seeing him?”  Sully bent and kissed the top of her head, which smelled like strawberries.  “Now, off with you.  Go and tell your brother.  Stop in my office and make a copy of the letter to show your friends, but leave the original on my desk.”
    He watched her run out of the room and down the corridor before he laid his head back on the bed.  Looking up at the ceiling, he smiled with pride but at the same time, remembered his promise to Charlie. 
    Eleven years ago they agreed to keep this entire arrangement under wraps, but he was no fool.  There was going to be loads of press behind this story.  They were going to interview the shit out of the entire family and eventually some reporter would ask where Mom was.  Then he’d have to share with not only the world but also his kids that while he did go through with the In Vitro process, as he had told them , he did know who the donor was, which he had not shared . 
    It had been hard enough to try to explain to them how they had arrived in this world, but he had left out the part about knowing the mother for their own good.  Charlie had been right about her concerns. 
    The children were far brighter than he ever r e membered being at their age.  They often