Elijah gave a shrug. "I am not sure. While all the students in our classes have fathers, we do not. All I wanted to know was if we had any. You've never talked about him, and I have never seen him before." 

Elijah did not speak; instead, he remained silent and paid attention to Michael's words. She was at a loss for words. He was correct; neither she nor they had seen him since birth, nor had they ever talked of him. Although she understood kids should know about their father, she did ...