Sweet Child of Mine
Trouble
I wake up in the middle of the night to the sound of my phone ringing next to me. I grunt and roll over but the ringing doesn't desist. I reach over and pick up the receiver.
"Hello." I mumble.
"Dad." a crying voice asks.
"Amanda?"
"Can you come pick me up?"
"Where are you?" I ask with a sudden burst of energy.
"The Mc Donald's on Walton Ave." she says as the phone goes dead.
"Who was it?" Adie mutters next to me.
"Amanda, she's in trouble." I say getting out of bed and pulling on a pair of pants and t-shirt which were lying on the chair in the corner.
"What's going on?"
"I'm not sure." I say as I grab my keys and head out my bedroom door.
I drive down to the specific Mc Donald's and park the car and run in. The only people inside are a couple of employees, a couple of night clubbers who are ending the night with a big mac and a shady old man. I look back into the parking lot to see Amanda with some guy. I run outside and see she's arguing with him.
"Is there a problem?" I ask.
"No problem sir, just a tiff." The guy says tightening his grasp on my daughter's arm. She jerks away and we walk back to the car in silence.
We drive a couple of moments in silence.
"So what was that all about?"
"Nothing." She mutters.
"Then why'd you call me a 2AM?"
"That was Alex."
"As in your boyfriend." She just nods.
"Tonight Mom and Keith went out of town for their anniversary and. . ."
"Keith?"
"My step-father." She says casually, "Anyway they said I could stay over at Alex's tonight."
"What?" I ask slightly pissed.
"It's not like you think, Mom knows his parents really well and when I sleep over I sleep in the same room as his little sister."
"Okay." I say calming down. "Then how'd you end up at Mc Donald's?"
"Well in the middle of the night Alex comes into his sister's room to get me. Naturally, I went with him back to his room. All I wanted to do was sleep spooned in his arms, nothing more."
"I believe you." I say to reassure her.
"But he wanted more, I told him no but he wouldn't listen." She says quietly, "So I left his room and he got pissed so I grabbed my bag and left."
"Then he followed you?"
"Yeah." She says looking out her window. "Thanks for picking me up."
"No problem." I say as I pull into my driveway. "That also explains why you're in sponge bob pajama pants?"
"Yeah." She says laughing lightly.
I walk into the house and see the kitchen light on.
"Hey Adrienne." I say yawning.
"Is she okay?"
"Yeah, just little ruffed up." I say pouring myself a glass of water.
"What happened?"
"Boyfriend wanted more then she wanted to give." I say after taking a few gulps of water.
"What? Then why didn't she just tell her mom?"
"She's out of town."
"Oh. Well, where is she now?"
"She went straight to her room."
"Okay." Adie says leaving the kitchen. I finish up my glass of water and go to bed.
***
"When did you get here?" Jake's voice asks from the other side of my bedroom door.
"Last night." Amy's voice says casually. "Dad came to pick me up."
"He didn't tell me you were coming."
"It was sort of last minute." Amy says nervously.
"Why?"
"Jakob, stop asking your sister so many annoying questions!" I call out.
"Fine." Jakob mumbles.
A few minutes later I walk down to the kitchen where the smell of pop tarts fills the air.
"G'morning." I murmur as I walk into the kitchen a pour myself a glass of orange juice.
"Morning." Adie says looking up from the entertainment section of the news paper.
"Are you okay?" I ask Amy quietly.
"Yeah." She says shyly.
"So when's your Mom getting back." I ask as I take a seat at the table.
"Two days." She mumbles.
"Do have any guitar classes or band practices that I should know about?"
"Well, today is an all day band practice because we have a gig tomorrow."
"Really, you have a show?" I ask intrigued.
"Yeah, at Firefly." She says taking a sudden interest in the conversation, "Do you want to come?"
"Of course."
"Okay, I think Gabby has a few more tickets."
"How many more?" I ask.
"About ten, if she hasn't sold anymore."
"Alright I'll buy whatever's left."
"What?" she says in disbelief.
"Yeah." I say solemnly.
"Okay, well the tickets are like fifteen dollars each."
"Fine with me." I say getting up from the table.
"Can we go?" Joey asks.
"Yeah," I say, "and if there's enough tickets Frankito and Estelle can come too."
"Mike and Tre's kids?" Amy asks.
"Estelle is Mike's and Frankito is Tre's." I explain.
"There's also Ramona right?" she asks quizzically.
"Yeah but she's in New York with her mother right now."
"Okay, I read something on the internet about that when you first told me everything."
"So when do you have to be at your band practice?" Adie asks casually.
"In about two hours."
"Alright, I'll drive you; it's on the way to Joey's soccer practice." Adie offers.
"Thanks."
"Hello." I mumble.
"Dad." a crying voice asks.
"Amanda?"
"Can you come pick me up?"
"Where are you?" I ask with a sudden burst of energy.
"The Mc Donald's on Walton Ave." she says as the phone goes dead.
"Who was it?" Adie mutters next to me.
"Amanda, she's in trouble." I say getting out of bed and pulling on a pair of pants and t-shirt which were lying on the chair in the corner.
"What's going on?"
"I'm not sure." I say as I grab my keys and head out my bedroom door.
I drive down to the specific Mc Donald's and park the car and run in. The only people inside are a couple of employees, a couple of night clubbers who are ending the night with a big mac and a shady old man. I look back into the parking lot to see Amanda with some guy. I run outside and see she's arguing with him.
"Is there a problem?" I ask.
"No problem sir, just a tiff." The guy says tightening his grasp on my daughter's arm. She jerks away and we walk back to the car in silence.
We drive a couple of moments in silence.
"So what was that all about?"
"Nothing." She mutters.
"Then why'd you call me a 2AM?"
"That was Alex."
"As in your boyfriend." She just nods.
"Tonight Mom and Keith went out of town for their anniversary and. . ."
"Keith?"
"My step-father." She says casually, "Anyway they said I could stay over at Alex's tonight."
"What?" I ask slightly pissed.
"It's not like you think, Mom knows his parents really well and when I sleep over I sleep in the same room as his little sister."
"Okay." I say calming down. "Then how'd you end up at Mc Donald's?"
"Well in the middle of the night Alex comes into his sister's room to get me. Naturally, I went with him back to his room. All I wanted to do was sleep spooned in his arms, nothing more."
"I believe you." I say to reassure her.
"But he wanted more, I told him no but he wouldn't listen." She says quietly, "So I left his room and he got pissed so I grabbed my bag and left."
"Then he followed you?"
"Yeah." She says looking out her window. "Thanks for picking me up."
"No problem." I say as I pull into my driveway. "That also explains why you're in sponge bob pajama pants?"
"Yeah." She says laughing lightly.
I walk into the house and see the kitchen light on.
"Hey Adrienne." I say yawning.
"Is she okay?"
"Yeah, just little ruffed up." I say pouring myself a glass of water.
"What happened?"
"Boyfriend wanted more then she wanted to give." I say after taking a few gulps of water.
"What? Then why didn't she just tell her mom?"
"She's out of town."
"Oh. Well, where is she now?"
"She went straight to her room."
"Okay." Adie says leaving the kitchen. I finish up my glass of water and go to bed.
***
"When did you get here?" Jake's voice asks from the other side of my bedroom door.
"Last night." Amy's voice says casually. "Dad came to pick me up."
"He didn't tell me you were coming."
"It was sort of last minute." Amy says nervously.
"Why?"
"Jakob, stop asking your sister so many annoying questions!" I call out.
"Fine." Jakob mumbles.
A few minutes later I walk down to the kitchen where the smell of pop tarts fills the air.
"G'morning." I murmur as I walk into the kitchen a pour myself a glass of orange juice.
"Morning." Adie says looking up from the entertainment section of the news paper.
"Are you okay?" I ask Amy quietly.
"Yeah." She says shyly.
"So when's your Mom getting back." I ask as I take a seat at the table.
"Two days." She mumbles.
"Do have any guitar classes or band practices that I should know about?"
"Well, today is an all day band practice because we have a gig tomorrow."
"Really, you have a show?" I ask intrigued.
"Yeah, at Firefly." She says taking a sudden interest in the conversation, "Do you want to come?"
"Of course."
"Okay, I think Gabby has a few more tickets."
"How many more?" I ask.
"About ten, if she hasn't sold anymore."
"Alright I'll buy whatever's left."
"What?" she says in disbelief.
"Yeah." I say solemnly.
"Okay, well the tickets are like fifteen dollars each."
"Fine with me." I say getting up from the table.
"Can we go?" Joey asks.
"Yeah," I say, "and if there's enough tickets Frankito and Estelle can come too."
"Mike and Tre's kids?" Amy asks.
"Estelle is Mike's and Frankito is Tre's." I explain.
"There's also Ramona right?" she asks quizzically.
"Yeah but she's in New York with her mother right now."
"Okay, I read something on the internet about that when you first told me everything."
"So when do you have to be at your band practice?" Adie asks casually.
"In about two hours."
"Alright, I'll drive you; it's on the way to Joey's soccer practice." Adie offers.
"Thanks."