Private Dancer
Youngblood
I stood up quickly from my chair realizing that Leland had just walked in with my daughter. My daughter Abigail whom I hadn't seen in twenty years. I rushed toward her and threw my arms around her, I felt her body stiffen as she looked over at Leland with panic in her eyes. "Oh Abby, you look just like your mother." I say still holding on to her. "You mean the one you abandoned?" she says coldly. "What... I didn't abandon your mother, or you for that matter." I tell her and break the embrace.
"That's what she told me when I came home from school and you were gone." she says not backing down from her fight. "No... no...that's not at all what happened." I say guiding her into a nearby chair, I see Leland come quickly to her side and sit down. I couldn't help but smile at how protective he was of her. I hear Duane say that maybe he should give us some privacy and starts to stand. "No, please stay. I want everyone to know what happened. I cant have my own daughter thinking that I abandoned her." I say, and they all sit back down to listen.
"You only know your mother's side of the story, you never got to see what really happened sweetie." I say looking into her eyes. "I came home early that day and found your mother
in bed with our neighbors husband. We got into a huge fight, I punched the guy and broke his nose, she gets into the middle of it and I accidentally hit her with my elbow causing her to have a black eye.
By that time, the cops show up and take me off to jail and charge me with domestic violence. Which was a complete accident but who ever believes that. So a few months later I get out of jail and try to come home to see you, but she moved. I spent months and months looking for her and when I finally found her she wouldn't allow me to see you, she said that she had a restraining order out against me so I couldn't come any closer or I would be violating my probation and be taken back to jail. Eventually I lost all hope, when I was at my lowest point I met Duane and we moved to Hawaii to start a new life." I explain to her, finishing up my story.
"I never knew." Abby says quietly. "Why haven't you tried to find me after all this time, You knew how old I was, you knew that I wouldn't live with her forever." she says crying. I watch as Leland comforts my daughter, something I had longed to do but was never able. "I didn't know what to do, I promise I never once forgot about you. I always loved you Abigail, I still do" I say as I place my hand on her knee. She gives me a small sad smile "All I ever wanted was my father. All the other little girls got to go to the father-daughter dances and things like that and I never got to go. I don't know if I'm more angry at momma for what she did or at you for not trying to make it right."
I could see the concern and questions in everyone’s eyes as they watch the scene unfold. I thank the lord that we are in a private dining area. "If you can forgive me, I promise to make it right this time." I tell her. She just shakes her head yes and leans into Leland to cry. "Its okay baby" he says to her and hold her tight. After composing her self she looks at me and says "I cant say that I'm surprised by what momma did, she hasn't changed much in the past twenty years."
We make it through dinner with out any further incident. She talks openly and candidly with my "extended family." I can tell that they have fully excepted her as my daughter and Leland's girlfriend.
I ask Leland as we leave the restaurant if I might take her back home so that we can talk, "I just want to spend some time with her." I say. Abby looks at me and says "I just need a little time, I hope you understand Tim." I watch her get into Leland's car and drive away.
Nothing could hurt a father more than being called by their first name and not Dad. Considering what happened, I would just have to get use to it and pray that the future would be better. I just smile and say "Of course I understand."
A few days had passed and I talked several times at length with Abby over the phone, trying to get to know the daughter that had suddenly come back into my life. It didn't take long for me to realize that she was a smart, beautiful and kind woman. I wanted to ask her to come home with me to Hawaii, but I didn't know if it was too soon, or if she would even want to.
"Hey Youngblood." Leland says walking through the front door of the house. "Hey I wanted to talk to you about Abby. I think I'm going to ask her to come home with me. I want her to work for me in my office in Kona. She...she has a job here, but its not a good job and I think I can take care of her if she's closer to me. What would you think about that?" he asks me.
"Leland, I think it would be the smartest thing you've ever done!" I tell him as I hug him. "I would love to have her that close to me. I just want to get to know her, make up for lost time, I guess you could say."
Later that night:
Leland's POV
I knocked lightly on Abby's front door and waited for her to answer. "Coming" I hear her scream through the wood of the front door. Hmmm.. I wish she was coming...no, I couldn't let me mind linger there it was too soon, I thought to myself.
She opens the door looking pale and sweaty. She had something white on her nose. Is she on drugs, I suddenly thought to myself. What I making a mistake asking her to come home with me. I had heard about strippers doing drugs...was she one that did?
"Are you doing drugs?" I ask loudly, almost angry. "What? No...why would you think that?" she says laughing and kissing me. "You have something white on your nose." I tell her as I point to it." She laughs and crosses her eyes trying to look at her nose. At least she had a sense of humor.
"So what is it your doing, if its not drugs?" I wasn't trying to accuse her... well maybe I was. "I'm baking, nosy butt. Cant you smell the cookies? I must have flour on my face" she says and walks to the kitchen.
"Sorry... suspicious bounty hunter, cant help it" I say smiling as I grab a cookie. "Well, you'll have to get over that" she tells me trying to look very serious, before she starts laughing again. "So, why are you baking cookies?" I ask. "Well...I thought since you were leaving tomorrow you might like to take some cookies with you, and I thought I might give some to my...to my father." she says taking a cookie for herself.
I just smile at her. "I think your father would love that... and so would I...but there was something else I was hoping to take with me Abby." I say hesitantly. "And what is that?" she says raising her eyebrows. "You" I say taking her cookie from her and biting into it. "I never thought you'd ask!" she says throwing her arms around my neck. I let out a sign of relief and squeeze her tight. I knew that from this moment on my life would forever change.
Three Years Later:
Thinking back to the day we flew off into the sunset eager to start a new life, each of us were gaining something we had been missing for a long time.
With Abby, I gained the unconditional love of a beautiful, intelligent and funny woman who would later make me the father of two precious girls, with another on the way.
Abby would gain the father she had missed for twenty years and the love of her husband for eternity. She would learn what it meant to be a mother and wife, and to truly belong to a loving family.
Tim, he gained the love of a daughter who he thought had long since forgotten him and in the years to come he would gain three grandchildren who loved their papaw.
~The End~
"That's what she told me when I came home from school and you were gone." she says not backing down from her fight. "No... no...that's not at all what happened." I say guiding her into a nearby chair, I see Leland come quickly to her side and sit down. I couldn't help but smile at how protective he was of her. I hear Duane say that maybe he should give us some privacy and starts to stand. "No, please stay. I want everyone to know what happened. I cant have my own daughter thinking that I abandoned her." I say, and they all sit back down to listen.
"You only know your mother's side of the story, you never got to see what really happened sweetie." I say looking into her eyes. "I came home early that day and found your mother
in bed with our neighbors husband. We got into a huge fight, I punched the guy and broke his nose, she gets into the middle of it and I accidentally hit her with my elbow causing her to have a black eye.
By that time, the cops show up and take me off to jail and charge me with domestic violence. Which was a complete accident but who ever believes that. So a few months later I get out of jail and try to come home to see you, but she moved. I spent months and months looking for her and when I finally found her she wouldn't allow me to see you, she said that she had a restraining order out against me so I couldn't come any closer or I would be violating my probation and be taken back to jail. Eventually I lost all hope, when I was at my lowest point I met Duane and we moved to Hawaii to start a new life." I explain to her, finishing up my story.
"I never knew." Abby says quietly. "Why haven't you tried to find me after all this time, You knew how old I was, you knew that I wouldn't live with her forever." she says crying. I watch as Leland comforts my daughter, something I had longed to do but was never able. "I didn't know what to do, I promise I never once forgot about you. I always loved you Abigail, I still do" I say as I place my hand on her knee. She gives me a small sad smile "All I ever wanted was my father. All the other little girls got to go to the father-daughter dances and things like that and I never got to go. I don't know if I'm more angry at momma for what she did or at you for not trying to make it right."
I could see the concern and questions in everyone’s eyes as they watch the scene unfold. I thank the lord that we are in a private dining area. "If you can forgive me, I promise to make it right this time." I tell her. She just shakes her head yes and leans into Leland to cry. "Its okay baby" he says to her and hold her tight. After composing her self she looks at me and says "I cant say that I'm surprised by what momma did, she hasn't changed much in the past twenty years."
We make it through dinner with out any further incident. She talks openly and candidly with my "extended family." I can tell that they have fully excepted her as my daughter and Leland's girlfriend.
I ask Leland as we leave the restaurant if I might take her back home so that we can talk, "I just want to spend some time with her." I say. Abby looks at me and says "I just need a little time, I hope you understand Tim." I watch her get into Leland's car and drive away.
Nothing could hurt a father more than being called by their first name and not Dad. Considering what happened, I would just have to get use to it and pray that the future would be better. I just smile and say "Of course I understand."
A few days had passed and I talked several times at length with Abby over the phone, trying to get to know the daughter that had suddenly come back into my life. It didn't take long for me to realize that she was a smart, beautiful and kind woman. I wanted to ask her to come home with me to Hawaii, but I didn't know if it was too soon, or if she would even want to.
"Hey Youngblood." Leland says walking through the front door of the house. "Hey I wanted to talk to you about Abby. I think I'm going to ask her to come home with me. I want her to work for me in my office in Kona. She...she has a job here, but its not a good job and I think I can take care of her if she's closer to me. What would you think about that?" he asks me.
"Leland, I think it would be the smartest thing you've ever done!" I tell him as I hug him. "I would love to have her that close to me. I just want to get to know her, make up for lost time, I guess you could say."
Later that night:
Leland's POV
I knocked lightly on Abby's front door and waited for her to answer. "Coming" I hear her scream through the wood of the front door. Hmmm.. I wish she was coming...no, I couldn't let me mind linger there it was too soon, I thought to myself.
She opens the door looking pale and sweaty. She had something white on her nose. Is she on drugs, I suddenly thought to myself. What I making a mistake asking her to come home with me. I had heard about strippers doing drugs...was she one that did?
"Are you doing drugs?" I ask loudly, almost angry. "What? No...why would you think that?" she says laughing and kissing me. "You have something white on your nose." I tell her as I point to it." She laughs and crosses her eyes trying to look at her nose. At least she had a sense of humor.
"So what is it your doing, if its not drugs?" I wasn't trying to accuse her... well maybe I was. "I'm baking, nosy butt. Cant you smell the cookies? I must have flour on my face" she says and walks to the kitchen.
"Sorry... suspicious bounty hunter, cant help it" I say smiling as I grab a cookie. "Well, you'll have to get over that" she tells me trying to look very serious, before she starts laughing again. "So, why are you baking cookies?" I ask. "Well...I thought since you were leaving tomorrow you might like to take some cookies with you, and I thought I might give some to my...to my father." she says taking a cookie for herself.
I just smile at her. "I think your father would love that... and so would I...but there was something else I was hoping to take with me Abby." I say hesitantly. "And what is that?" she says raising her eyebrows. "You" I say taking her cookie from her and biting into it. "I never thought you'd ask!" she says throwing her arms around my neck. I let out a sign of relief and squeeze her tight. I knew that from this moment on my life would forever change.
Three Years Later:
Thinking back to the day we flew off into the sunset eager to start a new life, each of us were gaining something we had been missing for a long time.
With Abby, I gained the unconditional love of a beautiful, intelligent and funny woman who would later make me the father of two precious girls, with another on the way.
Abby would gain the father she had missed for twenty years and the love of her husband for eternity. She would learn what it meant to be a mother and wife, and to truly belong to a loving family.
Tim, he gained the love of a daughter who he thought had long since forgotten him and in the years to come he would gain three grandchildren who loved their papaw.
~The End~