Samantha Jordan Walker was ecstatic. Today was the best day of her life. Today was the day she had been waiting for since she was five. Today, Samantha turned eighteen. Today, she was moving into her new apartment. Samantha was no longer in foster care and was finally free. She put every penny she had into this apartment and worked ten-hour shifts at Henry’s Diner just to get this apartment. She sold every present she ever received. Henry, the owner of the diner, was like the father Sam never had.
When Sam was five her world turned upside down. Her mother and sister got into a devastating car accident that killed them both instantly on their way home from the grocery store. Sam’s dad was so depressed, he drowned himself in alcohol and was no longer able to take care of Sam. Ever since then, Sam has lived in foster care. Henry’s daughter died when she was five of heart failure and his wife left him soon after, so when he met Sam he took her as his own. Sam trudged through the New England snow, half sprinting, to Henry's diner to tell him the news. “Henry! Henry! Its here, its finally here!” She ripped open the diner door carrying legal documents for the apartment in one hand and the hood of her blue winter jacket in the other, “I move into the apartment today! I am free!” Everyone stopped eating and stared, “Sorry!”, piped Sam to the whole diner.  She sprinted to the kitchen where Henry worked as a chef and told him everything.
“Happy birthday Sam! Congratulations!” Henry pulled a shiny baby blue frosted cake with navy blue sprinkles out of the oven. His plaid shirt was covered with frosting and flour and his gray hair looked as if he had just gotten out of bed. He lit the candles, “Make a wish,” he smiled.
“I wish that one day I can meet my father. I wish that I can look him in the eyes and ask him why he put me through hell.” Sam's lip quivered and a lump grew in her throat. Her hazel eyes turned cloudy and her big white smile disappeared. “I’m sorry, it's just, every day I think about him and sometimes I get flashbacks of him playing guitar and singing to mom and his favorite plaid shirt that smelled like the cigars he smoked.” Sam sighed and put a smile back on her face, “Thank you so much for this cake Henry. Your cooking reminds me of my fathers”.
“Don't mention it Sam, it's the least I could do for you after all you have been through,” Henry smiled and gave Sam a hug. “Enjoy your apartment you deserve it!”
“Thank you Henry. I will see you tomorrow for my shift!” Sam put her jacket back on and smiled as she walked out of the diner, the cold air hit her face like an oncoming train when she opened the door and her straight blond hair blew in the wind, The streets of Boston were empty for once because of the extreme temperatures but at this moment, nothing could stop Samantha from stepping foot into her new apartment, She was finally on her own.
As she reached the red apartment door her face turned white. Yes, Samantha was excited but deep down she was sad because other than Henry, she has no one to share this moment with. Her four years in high school were the worst of her life. Samantha’s good looks had all the boys wanting to date her and all the girls wanting to befriend her, but once they got to know Samantha they stopped trying. Nobody quite understood Samantha. They couldn't comprehend the fact that she did not have a loving family to come home to. She did not have an older sister to vent to or a protective older brother. She didn't even have a mother and father who loved and cared for her.
Sam pulled out her new shining gold key and opened the door. The apartment smelt of fresh paint and Fabreeze. It had a chandelier over the kitchen table and there wasn't a speck of dust on any piece of furniture. Finally, something I can call my own, thought Samantha as she began to unpack the few necessities she had in her backpack.
Weeks had passed and Samantha was still in love with her apartment. She grew even closer with Henry and often invited him over for dinner. She cooked her famous pot-pie every time he came over because that was the first meal at the diner Henry ever taught her to make. Samantha’s daily routine consisted of, getting up at four o’clock every morning, checking to see if she had any mail and going to work. Samantha loved getting mail from her pen-pal in Italy. Knowing that someone took time out of their busy lives to write to her made her feel like she mattered and kept her going.
One routine Monday morning, Sam walked to her mailbox as she did every morning and got the mail. “Junk, junk, junk, junk,” Sam sorted through her mail pile praying she would see something good. “What is this?” The last piece of mail in the pile was a blue envelope, Sam’s favorite color. There was no name on the return address leaving Sam intrigued. She found a park bench not too far away to sit and read the mysterious letter. When she opened the letter she immediately noticed the baby picture of herself inside. It was a picture she recognized from her old home before her life took a turn for the worst.  She was smiling a smile so big, it almost looked too big for her face. She was wearing a Huggies diaper that looked like it needed to be changed and she was not wearing a shirt. Her forehead crinkled and she wondered how anyone could have gotten this photo. She moved her eyes to the letter.

Dear Samantha,
I don't know how to say this, and believe me, I have wanted to for a while now, but I just did not know how.  I love you more than a man loves his cigars. You may not feel the same, but I would love to talk to you. Please give me a shot and meet me at the park tomorrow at five o’clock.
Love,
Your father
   Sam dropped the paper instantly and her face turned and white as the snow on the ground. Her hands were shaking and her heart skipped a step.  She slowly stood up and walked to work with questions racing through her head. How does he know where I live? If he really loves me, why did he leave me?
Samantha was late to work that day. The second she walked into the door Henry knew something was wrong.
“What’s wrong Sam? You are always happy for work.” Henry said to her as she walked into the kitchen. Sam was holding the letter in her right hand.
“My father tried to contact me,” she handed him the letter. “I don’t know what to do. I want to ask him so many questions, but I don’t know if I could ever forgive him.” Henry Stared intently at the paper and his eyes grew cloudy.
“I love you Samantha, you know that.  I can not tell you what to do, but I can tell you what I think. I think that you should see your father. He may have a different perspective. Sam, you were only five when the accident happened and it may have been a lot harder on your father than it was on you. What he did was wrong, but I think you should hear him out,” Henry took a deep breath and spoke softly, “ I wont get the chance to see my wife again, but you have the chance to see your father.” Henry brushed away tears. His beard was long and his brown eyes looked tired.
“Thank you Henry. Tomorrow I will go to see my father,” Sam replied.
The next morning Sam woke from a horrible night's sleep. She had gotten an hour of sleep at most and had bags under her eyes. She threw on sweatpants and flopped on the couch, waiting for five o’clock to come.
At four thirty Sam left the house. She did not even bother to put on a jacket because she was so nervous. When she reached the park, it was five o’clock exactly. She looked around but the park was empty. There wasn’t even birds flying in the sky.
Thirty minutes had passed and every part of Sam’s body was growing numb. She was filled with disappointment and sadness. Just as she stood up to leave, she saw a black figure in the distance. It was Henry. He was dressed in a plaid shirt and had his hair neatly combed. His hands were shaking. Before Sam even got a chance to speak, Henry spoke, “I am your father Sam.”