Finding Daddy

Matt’s P.O.V.

“Matt?” I looked up from the newspaper spread out on the island in front of me to see Val leaning against the counter next to the stove, a mug of coffee cradled in her hands. She wasn’t looking at me though. She was looking past me, outside the window. I turned defensively, figuring she saw someone out there, but when I looked, there was nothing. I turned back to my wife with a soft frown.

“What’s wrong babe?”

“We need to have Charlie meet Danny soon.”

I almost spit out the coffee I had been taking a sip of. I began to cough after swallowing it, feeling like I was going to puke. When that finally passed, my eyes grew wide at my wife who stood unfazed by my actions. “Why?”

“You don’t feel that they should meet?” Val demanded, finally meeting my eyes. I placed down my mug with a sigh.

“Well no, but to protect my daughter from getting hurt justifies it a little. You know Charlie isn’t fully welcoming to the idea. When he sees her, I know he’s going to plow her to the ground.”

“And I don’t want her hurt either, but how do you think Charlie’s going to feel if we keep putting it off? Danny’s a strong girl, she can handle herself,” Val countered. I sighed, running a hand through my hair. I knew she was right. In the end, one of them might end up being hurt, or even angry, but we’ll just have to force through it.

“Alright Val, you win. I’ll call Danny and when she would prefer to meet him.” With that I stood and headed towards the backyard, only pausing to plant a kiss on the top of Val’s head. As I stepped outside, I pulled my phone from my pocket and dialed Autumn’s number.

When I was about to give up and hang up, the phone clicked to life. A tired voice on the other end of the line slurred, “Hello?”

“Danny?” The sound of rustling and a ‘thud’ met my ears. I heard groaning and two voices going back and forth. After a moment, more rustling was heard.

“Hello?” Danielle’s voice yawned out. I could hear her walking, probably to get away from Autumn who I had just woken.

“Hey Danny,” I greeted with a soft smile as I settled into one of the lawn chairs. She seemed to had woken up a bit at the sound of my voice.

“Oh, hey Dad! What’s up?”

“Not much. Did you sleep well last night?”

“Yeah, it was good. But I know you didn’t call just to see how I slept.” I fell silent. Danielle and her mother definitely had one thing in common; they knew when I was trying to put something off and had no intention of listening to me beat around the bush. “What’s going on?”

“Val and I were talking. I don’t know if you agree with it or not, but we told Charlie who you are over lunch yesterday.” When she failed to reply after a moment, I quickly continued on. “And he isn’t really too keen on the thought. Like I told you when we met, I’ve dealt with a lot of fakes before. He’s learned to put defenses up because of these people and I just thought it would be easier for him if he met you and got to know you.”

It was silent for a few minutes on the other end of the phone. I frowned, suddenly feeling guilty. I felt like I could have spoken to her about the idea before I just told him. I could have put off telling him until I checked with her. As I began to think it over, beating myself up, Danielle spoke again. “I’ll meet him. Today would be good.”

“Are you sure?” I inquired, a bit surprised. I figured she would have chosen for a later day. Maybe to get exactly what she wanted to say to him down. Or even let him calm down from the news and get a chance to absorb it. But I guess it’s better to get it over with sooner than later.

“Yeah. Don’t worry though, I can take anything he throws at me.”

“We weren’t really worried with - ”

“Can we do it around noon?”

“Why so sudden?” I asked surprised. One second I’m worried about how she’ll react to what I had to tell her, now I’m entering panic attack of her coming to tell him so soon.

“I don’t think this should be put off any longer either. So is noon okay?” I looked at the watch attached to my wrist and read that it was ten o’clock. That should be plenty of time to get Charlie up, dressed, and ready to go.

“Sure. Meet at the pier, I guess?”

“Yeah, I think that’ll be best.”

“Okay, see you then.” I hesitated for a moment as Danielle bid her own farewell. “I love you.”

I seemed to have taken Danielle off guard since she fell silent for a moment. “I love you too.”

With that we both hung up. I sighed, leaning back and running my hand through my hair, yet again. I had a feeling today was going to be one hell of a day.

Danielle’s P.O.V.

I nervously sat at the end of the boardwalk that stretched out over the ocean. Autumn, Jimmy, and Teri had decided to sit on the bench in front of the boardwalk to wait for Matt and his group. They had decided Charlie and I would need space, but they still wanted to stay close enough that if things were to hit the fan, they could be there in seconds flat.

I played with hem of my shirt, my anxiety taking over my thinking. This couldn’t end well and I couldn’t blame Charlie if he got angry at me. In a way I was like a home wrecker to his family. Maybe not in exactly the way it traditionally was considered, but it had the same thought to it. As I heard footsteps heading down the pier, I stood to my feet. The familiar messy headed boy was headed toward me. I quickly took in his appearance of blue skinny jeans and a Paramore shirt.

“Hello. You’re Danielle, right?” Charlie greeted first, holding out a hand.

“Yes, and you’re Charles?” I took his hand and shook it before we both let out hands fall to our sides.

“Please, call me Charlie.” I nodded. We fell into a silence for a few moments. Charlie was the one to break it. “So, what is this all about?”

“I’m your half-sister,” I blurted out. Charlie fell silent, looking at me through narrowed eyes. I fidgeted under his gaze. I was right on my thought earlier; he was at least two inches taller than me. “I know Dad told you this yesterday, and I guess you don’t like that phrase, but it’s true. I know you think I’m just trying to ruin your family or something, but I’m not.”

“Look, I don’t know how you managed to play my parents, but I’m not going to believe this. Are you just using them like the rest?” Charlie snapped. He reminded me a lot of how our father had reacted when I first told him. Like father, like son.

“You have to believe me, I’m not playing them. Matt is my father as much as he is yours.”

“Then why have you never been brought up before?” Charlie demanded. Dad surely must have told him? Fine, I’ll say it again. Maybe this time it will get through his thick skull!

“Because Dad and my mother went out in high school. She got pregnant, but didn’t tell him and moved away before he could find out. I sought him out within this week and that’s when he found out. Believe me Charlie, I don’t want to use them. I just wanted to meet my father and know who he is.”

Charlie was silent for a couple of minutes, staring out into the waves. He finally turned to face me with a tight line on his face. “How do you expect me to trust you?”

“I don’t expect you to right away, or if at all. That’s for you to decide. But I’m not a threat to you. I don’t plan on taking all the attention from your parents or for them to only care for me. I just want to get to know my father. This was my big, summer plan. After this summer, I’ll probably rarely be around, if ever.” Charlie still didn’t look too sure. I thought over what Jimmy told me last night and sighed. “Look, I know you have a lot you want to know about me. Ask me anything and I will answer honestly.”

Charlie stared at me for one more moment before beginning his firing round. “How old are you?”

“Sixteen.”

“Grade?”

“Junior this upcoming year.”

“How long have you known we had the same dad?”

“About five days.”

“Favorite music?”

“Rock of all kind.”

“Favorite band?”

“Papa Roach or Slipknot.”

“Any other siblings?”

“No.”

“Favorite ice cream flavor?”

“Strawberry.”

“Why not chocolate?”

“Too much makes me feel sick.”

“Can you play an instrument?”

“No.”

“What do you want to be when you grow up?”

“A nurse.”

Charlie finally stopped his shooting and thought over his next question. By how hard he was weighing his options, I could only assume it was his final one for the day. “What’s your relationship with your mom like?”

“We don’t get along. She blames me for all the problems in her life and she hates me.”

Charlie nodded; I guess his way as approving my answers. He finally turned to fully face me, holding out his hand. “I have given you the chance to earn my trust. By shaking my hand, we will begin the process.”

I took his hand and we each gave a firm shake. When we let go, he smiled and called for his father. I guess it was time for us to all get properly introduced. No lies this time.