Not a day goes by where Erin Hannon doesn't think of her parents. She knew they were young, and she heard about suicides in her unknown family. She heard there was a high likelihood she had schizophrenia, along with epilepsy. She knew basic facts, but nothing about them physically, and few things personally.

The first time she thought of them was when she was about 5 and learned the norm was to live with her family. This little blonde girl with a deep tan, something new in Pennsylvania, was showing off a picture her parents sent from prison.

"See?" she said. "They do love me! They do!"

"Then why are they there and not with you?" asked a witchy looking girl.

"They say it's the popo's fault!" The blonde one screeched. "Why? Are you jealous?"

"Nope," the witchy girl said, "because parents suck."

"Suck" was a big no-no word, mostly because it was so commonly used and abused. The foster parents would make the kids who said swear words sit in time out for 15 minutes. It really wasn't different for Erin's normal self. She hid in her hair to avoid other kids, amazingly not being bullied.

Erin did observe other kids sometimes, like the two girls getting into an epic fight.

"Why didn't you try to stop them?" asked the foster mother, trying to tear the little girls apart. Little Erin cried, and the foster father let her have a cookie.

She ate her cookie on the swings, wondering what the other girls were talking about. She knew what parents were. She understood how mommies and daddies had babies. Erin always thought that it was normal to live with a bunch of families. The fight between the two girls changed her.

#

25 years later, Erin talks about it with her best friend by default, Kelly.

"Oh my god, Erin," Kelly says sympathetically while painting her nails, "that's awful! Did anyone ever try to beat you up?"

Erin shook her head. "I stayed out of other peoples way."

"Isn't that how kids get molested?" Kelly asked, still concerned.

"Typically," Erin said, "I used to be a bad secret keeper, so they kept me out of it."

Kelly jumped up and hugged Erin. "You're so strong," she whispered.

Erin blinked, mostly out of confusion and partly because her eyes were dry. "Thank you?" Kelly petted Erin's hair, shushing her the way people did in chick flicks.

"Remember when I thought Phyllis was my mom?" Erin asked.

Kelly gasped. "Was she?"

"No, that's why I said I thought." Erin was feeling sassy today. Michael would be proud. "Anyway, I've been doing some research on my parents."

"What all did you find?" Kelly was interested in Erin for once. It was usually Kelly being cool and Erin riding on the coattails. Erin had to show off her own skills.

"Well," she started, "she lives only a few hours away-"

"I'M GOING WITH YOU."

Erin blinked. "What?"

"You're going to find her, right?"

Kelly only cuts off the most important conversations. "Yeah," Erin smiled. "I guess I am."

"Oh my god," Kelly jumped out of her chair, "road trip!"

Erin hadn't gone to college, or had any good friends. She only had her license because she needed a job. The concept of a road trip road trip was a new concept. The concept of a trip in general was new.

Kelly, on the other hand, knew exactly what to do. She knew the right snacks, bars, clothes, audio books, and perfect amount of gas. Her parents paid for her to go to college so long as she had a job. Of course, the grocery store she worked at flooded right before spring break. She was able to take what was needed as she went with her friends. Not to mention, she was in a family of big travelers.

Meanwhile, Erin had been to both Disneyland and Disneyworld. That's something.

"Oh my god, Erin, this is going to be so much fun! Just us and Ryan-"

Erin sucked in air. "Do we need Ryan?"

Kelly stared blankly.

"I was hoping this could be a girls trip."

More blankness.

"Can he bring his own car?" Erin asked "And stay in a different hotel room?"

Kelly made a pshhh noise. "Of course. I mean, he's a boy. Like, ew!"

Erin felt relieved. "All rightie! Great! I just have to ask off…" The relief was short lived. Robert California was the branch manager now, and he scared Erin. Then again, most people scared Erin, but Robert replaced Michael, and kept Andy from the job.

NO! STOP THINKING ABOUT ANDY! His blue eyes and sweet voice and JUST STOP, ERIN!

Ad now Erin was standing outside Robert's office. The door was ajar. "Erin, are you just going to stand by my window poignantly or come in?"

Her eyes widened more. "Oh, uh, right. Sorry." She walked in the impeccable office. No knick knacks, no pictures of family, nothing fun, nothing familiar. Erin liked familiar. She liked when something was there she recognized.

"What would you like to talk about?" Robert leaned back in his chair, not unlike villains in movies.

"Kelly and I want time off," Erin said. She was a little proud of herself for spitting it out, but that kind of pride wore thin after too long. "We're finding my birth mother."

Robert nodded. "Who would do the phones while you're gone?"

"Kevin did them before me," Erin said, "maybe him?"

"Carpe diem, young Erin. You can leave Friday!"

"I'm a Phillies fan myself, but thank you so much!"

Erin proudly strolled back over to the annex, spontaneously tousling Andy's hair and smiling at Creed, who responded with holding his tongue through a peace sign. It must have been Swahili or something.

"We're in!" Erin said. She and Kelly screamed, jumped, and hugged at the same time, in that way women do, but more often younger girls.