Wrong Life Swap: Both Families Want Me Back

Every month on the 15th is the day I swap lives with Melody Foster. 18 years ago, a hospital mix-up places our IVF embryos in each other's mothers. After the truth comes out, my biological parents want their real daughter, and my adoptive parents want theirs. They arrange for Melody and me to rotate between the two homes on a monthly basis, switching every 15th. From then on, I become the burden neither family wants. In whichever home Melody stays, there are endless snacks and drinks, thousands of dollars in monthly allowance, and the sunny bedroom is always reserved for her. In whichever home I stay, there's nothing but plain meals and a windowless storage room. 18 years later, I find out I have kidney failure, and Melody turns out to be a compatible donor. My adoptive parents toss me a form to sign away my right to treatment. "We raised you, and that's more than enough. Go ask your real parents for money. You're not getting our daughter's kidney, so don't even think about it." My biological parents fall to their knees, begging. "We know we've failed you, but losing you we can live with. Melody is our whole world!" Just then, I get a call from the hospital. "Sorry, we mixed up the records again. The one with kidney failure is actually Melody." Everything clicks into place. I sell the jewelry my grandmother left me, buy a camera and a full set of gear. From now on, I'll be a lone traveler, roaming wherever the road takes me. Chapter 1 "We're truly sorry. You and Melody Foster both have a rare blood type, and your names and your mothers' names are so similar that the records were mixed up when your birth files were created. They still haven't been corrected. Would you mind letting your family know?" I hung up the phone. My adoptive parents were sitting across from me, staring at my medical report with grim expressions. "So, um..." I barely got a word out before my adoptive father, Brent Fowler, slammed his fist on the table. "What? You want my daughter to give you a kidney?" The words died in my throat. Part of me wanted to test how much I actually mattered to them. After all, I'd been their daughter for 18 years. "The doctor said donating one kidney won't affect life expectancy. The donor can still live a perfectly healthy life afterward." My adoptive mother, Karen Bradford, was so furious she started crying. "How can you be this selfish? Why should my daughter trade her health for your life? 18 years raising someone else's kid, and all we got is a parasite. What did I do to deserve this?" The words hit me like a slap. I swallowed my hurt and kept going. "But I'll die." Brent scoffed. "Then die. You're not ours anyway. Rotten to the core, just like I always said. If Melody had kidney failure, she would never stoop so low as to beg someone for a kidney!" Karen hurried off and came back with a pen and paper. She scrawled "Organ Donation Waiver" across the top. "You're not getting a kidney. Go beg your real parents for money. You've been leeching off us for over a decade. If you had any shame, you'd jump off a building. At least that way you'd have repaid us for raising you." Brent picked up the phone and called his lawyer friend right then and there. "This agreement is too sloppy. What if she finds a loophole? We raised this little wretch for 18 years. You think we don't know what she's like? If we don't lock this down, she'll come after us for more." I stared at the agreement, my nails digging into my palms. But I understood. They were only my adoptive parents, after all. So, what would my real parents do? With that thought, I headed to my biological parents' house. Chapter 2 The door was ajar, and I could hear laughter spilling out from inside. "Welcome home to your palace, princess!" That was my brother, Carson Foster. Every 15th that Melody came home, the house felt like Christmas morning. I could smell the cooking from the hallway. Meanwhile, I hadn't even had a bite of the leftover cabbage Karen reheated back at the Fowlers. I pushed the door open, and the room went dead silent. My mom, Karina Bradley, was the first to recover, forcing an awkward smile. "Melanie, what are you doing here? Have you eaten? Let me grab you a plate." She set a paper plate down next to Melody's porcelain bowl, the one with "Princess" painted across it in gold. Carson quietly started shoving the ribs and chicken wings into the fridge. I didn't move. "Mom, did you look at my test results?" She paused, pretending she hadn't heard. "Let's just eat first." I wasn't letting it go. "I have kidney failure!" My dad, Craig Foster, exploded. "So, what do you want us to do about it? You think because we owe you, you get to use that to blackmail us?" I was stunned. "That's not what I meant. Melody and I are a match. If she could just give me one kidney, I would be fine." Mom recoiled like she'd touched a live wire. "Enough!" Then, catching herself, she forced a strained smile. "I'll do what I can to help you get treatment, okay? Here's a thousand dollars. Have your adoptive parents take you to the hospital first. I can't get away right now, but I'll look into finding you a donor." I looked at Melody. Mom couldn't get away because she had a homecoming celebration to finish. And that thousand dollars was pressed into my hand like a handout. Melody shifted uncomfortably. "Melanie, it's not that I don't want to help, but you know my dream is to be a dancer. How am I supposed to dance with only one kidney?" I fought back tears, practically begging. "We both have a rare blood type. Finding a donor is so much harder for people like us. "Mom, Dad, I could actually die." Mom broke down. "So what? Melody is my daughter too! Am I supposed to throw away her dreams just to save you?" "I'm begging you, please. Melody is my whole life. Don't take her from me. If it comes down to it, take my life instead." She dropped to her knees, sobbing, and pitched forward, hitting her forehead against the floor so hard the skin split and started to bleed. Melody rushed over in tears and pulled her up, then turned to me with pure hatred in her eyes. "Melanie, if I were the one who was sick, I would never put you, or Mom and Dad through this." Dad was so furious he slapped me across the face. "Look at her and then look at you. I have no idea where you get this selfishness. "You're someone else's daughter. We agreed to help with your treatment, and that's already more than generous. Don't push your luck." I stood there frozen, hand pressed to my stinging cheek. Both sets of parents had practically said the same thing. I was someone else's daughter. So, where did I actually belong? I walked out in a daze, and I barely reached the stairs when someone shoved me hard from behind. My face hit the ground and split open. Bruises bloomed across my body, and the pain was so sharp I could barely breathe. I looked up, and it was Carson. "You worthless little mutt!" he screamed down at me. "Go back to wherever you came from and don't ever set foot in my house again! Melody is my only sister!" Then he slammed the door shut. Chapter 3 I dragged my aching body down the street. Tears ran into the cuts on my face, and the sting made me shake all over. But I had nowhere to go. I didn't have any money on me, so I found a park bench and sat there the entire night. At 3:00 am, Karen called. "Get home now. We need to talk about your situation." A spark of hope flared in my chest. Had they changed their minds? If they were willing to help, then I'd tell them the truth and donate my kidney to Melody. And maybe, if I did that, I'd finally have what Melody had always had. Two families that loved me. I half-ran the whole way back. When I walked through the door, everyone was there, both sets of parents, along with a notary. Before I could say a word, Karen shoved a contract into my hands. "We had a lawyer draw this up. Sign it." The terms were laid out clearly. I would make no claim to any of Melody's organs. I would forfeit my right to any inheritance. My treatment costs would be split, with the Fowlers covering 20 percent and the Fosters covering 80 percent. Dad looked at the contract, annoyed. "Why are we paying 80 percent? It should be 50-50." Brent slammed his fist on the table. "She's your kid! You should be grateful I'm paying a dime!" Dad shot back, irritated. "I never wanted to claim her. Melody is my only daughter." I stood there while they haggled over me like I was a piece of junk at a yard sale. They went back and forth until they finally agreed to add another clause. If treatment costs exceeded 100 thousand dollars, I would be required to voluntarily give up treatment. Mom looked at me, guilt written all over her face. "I'm sorry, Melanie. If we could afford it, we'd give you everything we had. "It's just that Melody needs money to study dance abroad, and your brother just started high school. He needs money too. I just don't have it. If it comes down to it, I'll sell my own kidney to pay for your treatment." Melody immediately rushed over and grabbed her. She shot me a resentful look. "Melanie, this is on you. Stop putting Mom and Dad in this position." I almost laughed. I looked her dead in the eyes and asked, slowly and deliberately, "Melody, if it were you, would you sign this contract?" Melody looked taken aback for a second, then drew herself up. "Of course! I know how hard things are for Mom and Dad. If I were the one who got sick, I'd throw myself off a roof before I let myself become a burden. I'd never drag them down with me." Both mothers burst into tears and practically tripped over each other, rushing to hug her. Brent looked at Melody with pure adoration, then turned to me with disgust. "That's my girl. Not like you, ready to drag everyone else down just because of your own selfishness." I turned to face all four of my parents. "Then let me put it another way. If Melody were the one who was sick, would you make me give up a kidney?" Dad answered almost instantly. "Of course not! You're both my daughters, no matter what. What kind of person sacrifices one daughter's life for another's? "Just because you're rotten doesn't mean everyone else is! Any normal person would be ashamed to even say the things that come out of your mouth!" I listened, and something inside me settled. I nodded calmly. "Good. I hope you all remember that. "I'll sign. But I'm adding a clause of my own. From now on, if anything happens to any of you, don't come looking for me." Chapter 4 Brent let out a cold laugh. "What would we ever need you for? My daughter inherited my genes. She's perfectly healthy." Karen sneered from the side. "She's probably cursing us, hoping we all drop dead like her. Spiteful little creature." Melody picked up a pen and added a line to the contract herself. "It's fine, let her add it. Mom and Dad always said they'd treat us fairly, right? "I just hope that from now on, if you need something, you come to me, not Mom and Dad. They're not obligated to pay for your treatment." She handed the contract back to me. The dense lines of text blurred together, and I couldn't take in a single word. All I could see was the word, "Waiver." I let out a bitter laugh and signed my name under the weight of everyone's stares. The notary recorded a video for the record, and I heard the entire room exhale. Mom, who hadn't said a word the whole time, walked over and spoke gently. "Don't worry, Melanie. I'll always be here for you. It's late. Get some sleep, and I'll take you to the hospital tomorrow." She guided me into the storage room. About an hour later, her voice came through the door, cautious and quiet. "Melanie, are you asleep?" I didn't answer. Soon, I heard Brent's voice. "She's out. Hurry up and start packing. You guys too. Melody already got into college, so it's not like you can't just move to a different city. "Don't feel too bad about it. It's just her bad luck. The other kids are young and have their whole lives ahead of them. You can't let one person drag the whole family down." I sat on the hard metal cot, listening to the shuffling and rustling on the other side of the door until it faded to nothing. The front door clicked shut, and the house went completely silent. I walked out to the living room. The place had been stripped almost bare. On the coffee table sat a single envelope, and inside was a small amount of cash and a note. "You're both my daughters. I can't sacrifice Melody for you. Please don't blame me." I laughed out loud. I wiped my face and realized it was already soaked with tears. Back in the storage room, I pulled out a metal box. Inside were a few pieces of solid gold jewelry, the jewelry my grandmother left me before she died. She was an elderly woman in her 80s, barely literate, from a small rural town. But she'd gone out of her way to have someone help her draft a will and get it notarized, just to make sure no one could take these from me. She was also the last person on earth who loved me. Home was wherever there was someone who loved you. After she was gone, I had no one. Everything since then had just been borrowed time in someone else's house. If I didn't have a home, then the whole world would be my home. I sold the jewelry for a little over 50 thousand dollars. I bought an action camera and a full set of gear, and I hit the road heading west. I started a travel blog and called it "The Solo Adventures of an 18-Year-Old Wanderer". My first video blew up a little, and I earned my first real bit of money. There were plenty of naysayers, but the support outweighed them by far. Over six months, I traveled an entire cross-country loop. Whenever I passed through a small town, the locals would welcome me like an honored guest, with home-cooked feasts and warm, clean rooms. These were things I'd never once experienced in my own home. I thought I'd wander forever, drifting from place to place for the rest of my life. But today, out of nowhere, I got a call from Karen. She was gasping for breath on the other end of the line, and it took her a long time to steady herself enough to speak. "The one with kidney failure isn't you. It's Melody."