Chapters (16)
Being tall had not only made her stick out in school, but even in her own family. Her mother was average height, and her father was too, although she didn’t like to think about him. After her parents divorce when she was in fourth grade, her father had left the picture and started a whole new family across the country. She hadn’t spoken to him in years. She’d tried to reach out a few times over the years, but he finally admitted to her that he didn’t want contact. He wanted his new family, and that was that.
Nobody knew where she got her unusual height. Her mother once said it must’ve been a distant relative, but Kate didn’t know much about her extended family tree. She’d often thought about getting one of those DNA test kits she saw online, but never really got excited enough to actually pay for one.
“I just don’t get it. My asthma has been under control since I was a kid,” she said to her doctor.
“Sometimes stress can aggravate it. Have you been under stress lately?” Dr. Alvarez asked.
Kate laughed out loud. “Nah. I just have an out of control teenage daughter and a fledgling business. No big deal.”
The doctor smiled slightly. “Sounds like you need some support, Kate. Have you thought about…”
“What? Counseling? No thanks. I’ve had my daughter in counseling for years, and a lot of good it’s done.”
“Well, what about family? Anyone who can help, maybe take the strain off of you a bit?”
Kate sighed. “Look, doc, I don’t really have access to that sort of thing. I have a couple of pretty decent friends, but that’s about it. My mother passed away when I was twenty, Evie’s father is absent and I have no siblings.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. You know, it’s also possible that your asthma has a genetic component. Might be good to get that checked out for your daughter’s sake.”
“How do I do that?”
“You can get an online DNA test. Might also help you find some relatives you didn’t know you had.” She smiled as she handed Kate a piece of paper. “This is the company I recommend. Turnaround is a few weeks, though, so be prepared for a wait.”
“I do know that I’m a mix of German and Austrian,” she said, looking down at the paper.
“Hmmm,” the doctor said, tilting her head.
“What?”
“Well, it’s just that I see a lot of people, and I’ve seen a lot of DNA results. I wouldn’t have pegged you for German or Austrian. More like Irish and English.”
“Really? Well, maybe you’ll be surprised when I bring my results in next time,” she said with a chuckle.
“Maybe so.”