Her Stories
As Caroline continued telling her stories about her twin at school, her father John started to think that maybe this wasn’t another one of those times she was talking about imaginary friends. She really seemed like she was talking about a real person, so what could be going on?
Talking To Her School
John decided he would go to find out more information directly from her school. He asked to speak to her teacher, and she told him something completely unexpected. He left the school to go talk to his wife, but then he got the shock of his life.
He Was Shaken
While he was still at the school, he saw something he could barely believe. Now he was filled with even more questions than before. Everything he thought to have known about his life was turned upside down. What did he see that made him feel this way? What caused him to want a divorce so suddenly?
Caroline’s Stories
Ever since she was young, Caroline always loved storytelling. She had an impressive imagination, which is why she had such an impressive cast of imaginary friends and imaginative make believe games with all of her toys and stuffed animals. Her parents, John and Emily, always encouraged her creativity and storytelling.
Her Twin Clara
When Caroline came home one day from school, she seemed more excited than usual. She told her parents that she had met her twin sister, whose name is Clara, and that she was so happy that her sister went to the same school. Emily laughed and made eye contact with John as they listened to her tale.
Playing Along
At first, Caroline’s parents went along with her story, which went on to describe Clara as having all the characteristics that Caroline lacked: being mischievous, daring, and outgoing. They thought it was cute that Caroline had such a creative imagination. They went along with it, asking her questions about Clara and telling her that they’d love to meet her one day.
Very Detailed
As Caroline continued telling more stories, they started to become more and more frequent, which led John to start to wonder. Was Caroline actually talking about a real person? She described Clara with such vivid details that it didn’t feel so far fetched that she could be real. Caroline never spoke so much about the same imaginary friend in the past, so what was going on?
He Began To Worry
John started to feel worried, and he shared his thoughts with Emily. However, she laughed it off and said that this couldn’t possibly be real. John told her that he was worried that some girl in Caroline’s class was telling her these stories and could be potentially influencing her negatively.
They Didn’t See Eye To Eye
Emily assured him that she was sure that it was all in Caroline’s head, since she had always made up creative stories. John felt that Emily made a good point. He also was present at Caroline’s birth, so he knew that she couldn’t possibly have a twin.
The Drawing
John decided to let it be, but everything changed the day that Caroline came home with a drawing that stopped him in his tracks. In the drawing, there were two girls, each with a different style. He recognized one as done in Caroline’s drawing style, but he didn’t recognize the other one. When he asked her about it, he was stunned.
Can’t Let It Go
Caroline happily explained to him that she drew one and Caroline drew the second one. She then placed the drawing onto the fridge with a magnet and headed into her room to continue playing. John couldn’t believe it, and he knew that he couldn’t let it go any more.
Taking It Down
He went to the fridge and took down the drawing immediately. The magnet that was holding it up fell to the ground. John couldn’t bear the thought that some other girl was influencing his daughter to think that they were twins, and he was determined to find out what was going on.
Doing Some Research
He looked up what was normal in terms of kids with imaginary friends. He thought that there might still be a chance that Clara was made up, and he just wanted to be sure. However, Caroline’s social skills were great and she was in good control of her emotions, so it appeared that there was some other answer.
Unsure What To Do
While John considered to ask his daughter some more about Clara, he was worried that his wife would get upset with him, as she had made it clear that she didn’t have a problem with Caroline’s friend Clara, who she was convinced was imagined. He went to her room and asked Caroline if they could play with her dolls. He then began to ask her some questions about Clara, trying to clear up the whole situation.
His Decision
After he realized he wouldn’t get any helpful information from his daughter, he decided it was time to go to her school to find out more. He took time off from work one afternoon and went to Caroline’s school during recess, so he could see who she was playing with without actually going in to the school. He felt strange about disguising himself and spying from her from afar, but he knew that it was the only way to find out more.
Playing Happily
He saw his daughter on a swing, being pushed by another girl. She did look similar to his daughter, as they had the same brown hair, but this girl definitely looked older. He couldn’t get a clear look at the girl’s face, but he was doubtful that this could be Clara, since she definitely looked older than Caroline.
He Was Seen
It looked like this girl and Caroline were not playing with any other kids, and John was happy that she had a friend to play with. She looked so happy, and it made him feel good, especially because he was worried that she was actually playing with an imaginary friend while at school. He was about to leave when he realized that a few teachers had noticed him looking. Luckily, a bus was arriving nearby, so he quickly hopped on to it.
Asking Her Teacher
As he sat on the bus, his thoughts were racing. He didn’t see anything unusual going on, but why did he still have a feeling that something was going on? He couldn’t stop thinking about everything the whole day, so he decided to email Caroline’s teacher to find out more. He asked if his daughter was friends with a girl named Clara in her class.
The Teacher’s Answer
Now that he had sent out the email, John was totally distracted. He kept checking his email, waiting for her teacher’s reply. When he saw her response in his inbox, he couldn’t wait to open it. However, his heart sank when he read her answer, which was that there was nobody named Clara in her class. She also let him know that she had been meaning to reach out to speak to him and his wife about Caroline’s social interactions.
She Was Furious
John felt terrible. Not only was he closer to getting answers, now the teacher was telling him that his daughter had social issues. He waited until his wife Emily came home from work to tell her about this, and she was furious with him that he had gone behind her back this whole time. He was pretty taken aback and confused as to why she was so angry. He thought she would be more concerned with Caroline’s behavior.
Meeting The Teacher
John felt that Emily didn’t grasp the severity of the issue at hand, and he decided to meet with Caroline’s teacher on his own, since her well being was his top priority. When he met with the teacher, he was glad that she was kind and seemed well-intentioned, making him feel slightly less anxious about the whole situation.
Alone In Class
Caroline’s teacher expressed concern that she was not interacting with any other kids in her class. While John listened, he was confused, as he had just seen Caroline so happy and playing with the other girl during recess the day before. The teacher explained that Caroline didn’t have any friends in her own class and that she often plays by herself. During recess, some older kids push her on the the swing or play with the jump rope with her, but she’s completely alone while in the classroom.
Noticing Something
John felt incredibly sad to hear this. While he knew that Caroline was often shy, he didn’t realize that it was this severe. He told her teacher that he would address the issue when he got home. However, on his way out of the building, he noticed something that caught his eye. At first, he couldn’t believe what he was seeing, but he couldn’t ignore what was right in front of his eyes.
Following Them
John saw a girl that looked exactly like Caroline, just a bit taller. He couldn’t believe it, and he watched her get in the car with who he assumed was the girl’s father. He got into his car and without thinking, began to follow them. They drove for about a quarter of an hour until they reached a suburban neighborhood that was quite nice.
A Nice Neighborhood
As they approached the house, he noticed that there were plenty of nice homes all around, as well as fancy cars, with man homes featuring more than one expensive car. The car he was following pulled into one of the driveways, and John parked a bit further down so that he wouldn’t attract attention. He also kept his sunglasses on and grabbed the newspaper that was near him in the car so he could hide his face a bit more as he observed them.
They Looked So Similar
John hated to admit it to himself, but looking at the home they arrived at made him feel a bit envious. The house was perfect, down to the perfectly manicured lawn. He wondered what it would be to live there with his own family when he noticed the father and daughter get out of the car. He was absolutely shocked when he saw the girl again: it was like he was looking at his daughter, just slightly taller and with brown eyes instead of blue.
Back To Reality
John was sure that this had to be the girl that Caroline kept telling her parents about, and was the very same girl who pushed her on the swing at recess the day before. He was relieved that his daughter wasn’t making stories up this time, but was still full of even more questions. He then realized that he received a text from his wife, asking him where he was. She was waiting for him to get home because she was going out to dinner with some of her friends, something John had completely forgotten about.
Finding An Excuse
He was suddenly jolted back into reality, but he knew that he also couldn’t leave right now without figuring out more information. He knew he had to give her some excuse and he ended up telling her that he had to work late. He felt bad bailing on her at the last second, but he had come too far to turn back now. Luckily, Emily was able to recruit their neighbor’s daughter as a last minute babysitter.
Waiting Around
John felt better knowing that Emily found a babysitter, and though he promised her that he would be home as soon as he could, he was not sure that this would be true. As he sat, he hoped that he would find something out that would make this worth his time. He texted Emily to make sure she was having a good time, and she assured him she was. She let him know that she couldn’t find her car keys, so she would stay at her friend’s place for the night.
Did They See Him?
John was pretty confused, why hadn’t Emily just asked him to pick her up from dinner on his way home? He thought about calling her, but then he noticed that from the house, the father opened up the blinds and was looking out onto the street. What was going on? He noticed the girl pointing outside, and he was nervous that they might have spotted him. What were they looking at?
They Were Waiting
John was worried he had been spotted, but he reasoned that if they had noticed him, surely the father would have come out to see what was going on. They seemed rather chipper, and looked like they were waiting for someone. He thought that they could be waiting for the girl’s mother to come home.
He Was There For A While
Not long after, John noticed the man and the girl leave the house. He saw them sit on the curb, and he was even more confused now. He began to feel silly just sitting out there, and on top of that, he was starting to get hungry. He had been there for so long and was so focused on this mystery, that he hadn’t realized that he skipped dinner. He managed to find a chocolate bar to tide him over. He saw the father and daughter playing, and it made him miss Caroline. He started to feel like he was acting completely crazy, he decided that it was time to go back home to his own daughter.
Who Was There?
Just as he was starting to go, he noticed the girl start to jump up and down with excitement. He looked around and saw a car pulling onto the street, and he figured that it was her mom. He was still planning to leave when he noticed something that stopped him in his tracks. He noticed that the car looked familiar, as it was the same one that Emily drives. He then looked at the license plate number…
He Couldn’t Believe It
Once the car pulled in closer, he saw Emily was in fact the driver. He was stunned as he saw her get out of the car and hug the girl, and then kiss the man on the cheek. John couldn’t believe his eyes, and he felt like he had been punched in the stomach. He didn’t know what to do next, and he couldn’t seem to make sense of seeing his wife talking to this strange man while the girl was hugging her legs.
Time To Confront
John felt so betrayed. How could she do this? He was also confused, as he was at Caroline’s birth, and she was definitely not a twin. He knew he needed to confront Emily before they all went back inside. He got out of the car and slammed the door, causing them to turn around. When Emily saw him there, her face drained of color.
So Much Confusion
As John made his way over, the man told the little girl to get back in the house. Emily looked surprised but also quite guilty. She didn’t need to say a word, John already understood. She asked him what he was doing there, and he told her he could ask her the same. The other man asked John who he was, to which he replied that he is her husband, and who was he exactly?
Explaining It To Him
The man looked at Emily, confused. John angrily said to him that Emily has been his wife of fifteen years and that they share a nine year old daughter together, who had been talking a lot about a girl named Clara who looked a lot like her. John asked the man if his daughter’s name is Clara, and the man nodded. The man looked over at Emily, and it looked like he was putting everything together too.
Emily’s Other Man
He asked Emily if this was true. She was already crying, and she had nothing to say. She reached her hand out to the man, who turned away from her. She looked extremely guilty, and John knew that she couldn’t hide the truth from either one anymore. The man, whose name was Thom, had been together with Emily for 20 years, and their daughter Clara was older than Caroline. Thom decided to have Clara transfer schools to one that was closer to home without Emily knowing.
So Much Time Away
Emily was able to spend so much time with John and Caroline because she had told Thom that her job was far away. Now it was clear that any time she said she was away for work, she had been spending time with her other family. Both men were completely heartbroken. Worried that the truth would come out, Emily had tried to transfer Clara back to her old school, but it had been too late, as the girl had made new friends and liked her new school. It was only a matter of time until this had all happened.
What Happened
John decided it was time to leave and returned home to Caroline. He was so confused about what to do, as he didn’t want his daughter to grow up with divided parents, but he knew that he couldn’t even bear the thought of talking to Emily again. Eventually, both men left Emily and were both awarded custody of their daughters. Thom and John kept in contact so that the girls could be in one another’s lives, and they formed a very strong bond. Emily did get visitation rights, but she was always left with the guilty feeling of what she had done.
**This story is completely fictional and is for entertainment purposes only**