\nI Hired a Caregiver for My Elderly Father \u2014 Then He Told Me, \u2018She\u2019s Not Who She Says She Is\u2019\n
I figured hiring a caretaker for my father, Frank, would make things easier.
\nIt was supposed to provide peace of mind, not paranoia. But that\u2019s exactly what happened when our personal belongings started missing.\n
After a minor fall left my father injured and unable to care for himself, he had no option.\n
His doctor believed he needed help, and for once, I refused.\n
I told him. \u201cYou need someone.\u201d\n
That\u2019s when Tessa came into our life.\n
In her late 30th, she exuded a friendly demeanor that made others feel at ease. She was patient, sweet, caring, sensitive, and professional!\n
\n
Dad warmed up to her more quickly than I imagined!\n
She had him giggling within days, which I hadn\u2019t seen in months!\n
At first, I was relieved by the additional assistance. For the first time in months, I didn\u2019t feel forced to pick between my profession and caring for him. Unfortunately, the relief was short-lived.\n
One evening, as I was clearing the dinner plates long after Tessa had gone home, Dad grasped my wrist with such urgency that I shivered!
\nHe had a fearful expression on his face that I hadn\u2019t seen since I was a child.\n
\u201cSweetheart, she\u2019s not who she says she is,\u201d he whispered, despite us being the only people in the house. \u201cAnd she takes things.\u201d\n
He openly hesitated before he spoke. \u201cSmall stuff. My old flannel shirt. A book I\u2019ve had since college. That pocket watch your mother gave me before she passed.\u201d\n
\u201cDad, maybe you misplaced them. You know how forgetful you\u2019ve been lately.\u201d\n
That night, however, something bothered me. Dad has never ac:cus:ed somebody lightly. And why was he afraid?\n
I arrived home late from work, weary, and slipped in through the back door to avoid waking him.\n
But as I entered the hallway, I heard Tessa\u2019s voice, low and desperate.\n
\u201cNo, it\u2019s not the time yet,\u201d she murmured. \u201cHe\u2019s weak. I think I need a week or two.\u201d\n
I snuck away before she noticed me and shut myself in my room, my heart racing.\n
The next morning, I kept an eye on her.
\nI made up my mind right there: I will fire her that evening. There is no discussion. But I never had the opportunity\u2014because fate had other intentions.\n
Then I heard it: crying.\n
Not just any sobbing; his crying!\n
Panicked, I hurried toward the sound, my heart pounding against my ribs!\n
Tessa, across from him, was on her knees, holding a stack of papers and shivering with tears.\n
I was about to shout or phone the cops when my sight shifted to the coffee table\u2026\n
There lay Dad\u2019s old flannel shirt. My blouse is missing. And, in Tessa\u2019s hands\u2014my heart nearly stopped\u2014a DNA test!\n
\u201cI only took the shirt and your blouse because I needed hair samples for the DNA test.\u201d
\nHe looked at me, then back at her. He swallowed hard. \u201cShe\u2019s my daughter. Your older sister, Monica.\u201d\n
\u201cBut the strange phone call you made yesterday\u2014I heard you. Who were you talking to about waiting for the test results?\u201d I asked.\n
\u201cI was talking to a private investigator (PI) I hired recently after saving up enough to afford him after all these years. His job was to track down my biological father,\u201d Tessa explained.\n
And, for the first time, I was not terrified of Tessa. I was awed by her.\n
And just like that, everything changed.\n
We weren\u2019t strangers anymore. We were family.Family vacation packages\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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