Oh Daddy!! by Debbie Lacy (good books to read txt) 📖

daddy that I would never tell our secret but deep down inside me, that quilt was eating away at me so why we were on the subject, I was determined to find out some things because it was time for some answers.

 

“Mom, do you really love daddy?”  And if you don't, why are you still married to him?”

 

She smiled and said, “I'll tell you what, let's put this discussion off for a later time okay?  Just let me get these meetings behind me and I promise you we're going to have a serious talk.”  She glanced at her watch to notice the time when she laid her credit card on the tray and beckoned for the waitress to check us.  “But for now, let's ride over to the Orlando Conference Center.  My first meeting just happens to be at 3 pm.”  She smiled.

 

Once again, I didn't get the answers I was hoping for but mom promised we'll talk later and I was going to hold her to it.  I waited in the huge lobby area of the convention center and it was quite impressive as I roamed around taking pictures, looking at the artifacts and sculptures.  I also wandered into an adjacent gift shop where I purchased significant souvenirs for Cory and Nick.  I also found some very nice postcards for the rest of my friends where I'd addressed them and dropped them off in the convention center's mailbox so that they would be on they're way for delivery.  I glanced at the time and it had been two and a half hours since mom went into that meeting.  Had I known it was going to take a while, I would have stayed at the hotel then I remembered, mom brought me a track phone to use while I was on the trip, so I grabbed it from my bag and to make a quick call to Nick and Cory.  They both sounded so sad and couldn't wait for my return.  Cory spoke about us getting together when I got back but my heart skipped a beat and my body throbbed to the thoughts of getting together with Nick.

 

The next day, mom had to attend her big board meeting at 9 am and it was supposed to last until 12noon, so I spent most of the late morning out at the pool.  I finally had a chance to wear my new red open-sided swimsuit with my soft blue, white and red shawl.  I was glad to have gotten my swim in because it was beginning to get crowded.  I was entertained by a couple fashion magazines I purchased chi'lin on one of the chase-recliners by the pool when I caught a glimpse of these two good-looking guys attempting to get in for a swim.  I didn't want to stare but they were definitely fine, taking occasional glances through my sunshades and they were also checking me out.  They commenced to play volleyball in the water when one of them intentionally threw the ball over and it landed on top of me.

 

“Aww, we're sorry beautiful!  We apologize.”

 

So I smiled then threw it back to them and soon their splash was beginning to sodden my magazines.

 

“Hey what's your name beautiful?  Where are you from?”  It was one question after another then they wanted me to come into the pool and play with them.

 

“No, not right now,”  I told them.

 

“Aw c'mon!  We know you swim otherwise you wouldn't be in your bathing suit!”  They insisted.

 

“Yes I swim but I've been swimming most of the morning!”

 

“Damn, I told you we should have come down here earlier!”  They discussed.

 

I laughed because they were so funny!

 

“What's your names?”  I asked them.

 

“I'm Damien and that's Andre.  Hi!”  Andre spoke.

 

“Hi!”  I smiled.

 

Damien seemed to be the aggressive one because he just wouldn't let up.  So I figured, I am on vacation and I've been bored most of the summer so I might as well enjoy myself.  So I got up and took off my shawl, I could hear their sudden jabber, “Damn!  Aw, man, she's fine!”

I stepped in when we started to play and soon another girl named Skylar joined us so it became two against two.  We had so much fun and since we were all staying at the same hotel, we decided to hang out together.  During our lite dinner, I told mom about my new friends and that we planned to hang out together that evening, she was glad to know I met some new acquaintances.  Within an hour later after we arrived back into our hotel suite, they were knocking at the door.  I introduced mom to them for a little minimal chit-chat and it was so ironic that she knew Skylar's mom as one of the members on the board.  Then avidly, she encouraged us to go, be careful and not stay out too late but subsequently, I got the notion that mom obviously had a little something planned for the evening.  In any event, we scurried off and our first stop was the Arcade down the strip, afterward, we catch the shuttle for a quick visit to the Orlando Museum of Art and being intrigued by the theater, we visited the Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre and that was cool.

 

“Okay y'all, I've had enough of the theatrical scene, I'm ready for some fun so tomorrow, let's all plan to visit the Universal Studios or the Island of Adventure or something!” Damien voiced.

 

“I don't know you guys, my parents were planning to go to Sea-World tomorrow,”  Skylar mentioned.

 

“You know it's really so much to see, if each of us split up to visit one theme park, there will be still more we haven't seen!” Andre added.

 

“I was hoping to visit the Wet-n-Wild!”  I admitted.

 

“Hold up, hold up!  All of this drama is making me hungry and I know of this great little spot where we can go get our grub on!  I know y'all will love it then we can make plans to roam tomorrow. C'mon let's go!”  Damien insisted.

 

It was obvious that Damien was the oldest and leader of the pack, he was seventeen and had been to Orlando so many times, he couldn't count his visits on both hands or both feet.  He spawned from a very rich family, his father was a Neuro-Surgeon and his mother was a Corporate Attorney and from my understanding, there were several uncles and aunts who were doctors in his family also.  He was really a funny guy, he had us all cracking-up and when we arrived at the restaurant, we pretended to be a couple, Damien and I and Skylar and Andre.

 

He held the door open for me saying, “After you madam!”  He joked.

 

When the waiter led us to our table, the gentlemen displayed incredible idiosyncrasy in pulling the chairs out for us ladies to sit.  They acted that way the entire time we were in that restaurant, I guess because it was quite upscale.  The waiter came to refill my glass with peach tea when my eyes glanced over at a nearby table and I was shocked to see my mother having dinner with some other man!  My first impulse was to rush over there to ask, “Mom, who is this man?”  But instead, I chilled to check things out.  The more I stared, I observed that they were sitting rather close.  This wasn't some casual date, this was serious!  I noticed the way she laughed with him and her body language said it all.  As usual, she was dressed very nicely as her voluptuous bosom seem to blossom for his viewing pleasure.  I must admit she was stunning!  They were quite engaged in one another, I watched as he held her hand and the way she wiped away the crumbs from his lips.  Could this man be the reason why she no longer loves my daddy?  At the moment, my heart went out for my dad, now I understand the real reason why she had to take these business trips, mom had been equivocating and giving his stuff away.  I was appalled and suddenly became quiet and my friends noticed.

 

“It seems my dearly beloved has drifted away from us!  What's the matter lovely?”  Damien teased.

 

“Oh, I'm just fine my dear!  I guess I'm just a little famished.” We all laughed.

 

I held the menu close to hide my face so she wouldn't notice me when they strolled by attempting to leave the restaurant.  I had to get a good look at him, he was much taller than daddy, he was well groomed and he was good looking.  Who was this mystery man that had swept my mom off her feet!  About an hour later I received a text on my phone from her inquiring of my whereabouts and to not be out too late.  I told her we were grabbing a bite to eat and that I'll be on soon.

 

Later, when I arrived back at the hotel room, mom was in bed working on her laptop.

 

“Hey, sweetheart!  Well, you have a good time with your friends?  I was worried about you?”

 

I thought, “You were worried about me!  When did you have time for that?  So I responded, “Oh yeah, we had a fantastic time!  They were pretty cool!”

 

“Well, I'm glad!  It's nice to meet some kids your own age to hang out with and there is so much to do here in Orlando!”

 

“So what did you do mom?  Did you just hang out here and work?”  I inquired to see if my mother would lie to me.

 

She closed her laptop and said, “No, I went out with a very dear friend of mine.”

 

“Oh, yea!  Is she staying here at the hotel too?”  I asked getting out of my Nike's

 

“Well actually it's a he and yes, he's staying here at the hotel.” I was pleased she didn't lie about it.

 

“Oh, so have you been seeing him for a while?”  I probed.

 

“Yes, we've been seeing one another off and on.”  She could tell I was getting a little flustered about all this when she added, “Sweetheart, I think this would be a good time to have that talk.”

 

“Yes, it would be, I'm listening!”  I voiced laying on the bed giving her my undivided attention.

 

“Sweetheart, to answer your question yesterday, if I loved your daddy?  Well, the answer is no!  At one time I considered him to be a compassionate and decent man but that changed over the years.”

 

“Well, what happened, mom?”  I queried.

 

“You were a little girl when I told you this and you may not remember much if any at all, just as I chose not to remember any of it but your real father's name is Travis Samples and I was madly in love with him!  I was young and naïve, he was a great looking boxer and also a great charmer.  I had just turned twenty when we met.  I remember my girlfriend and I used to argue over which one of us could land him.  Sometimes he would flirt with her and other times he flirted with me.  She played hard to get but I was trying to land him for myself, so when he came on to me again, I slept with him that way I knew he'd be back and he did.  In fact, I had won him over and we started to date but it wasn't long before I became pregnant with Rodrick.  My dear mother, rest her soul was so disgusted with me, I shamed her and she put me out.  She told him that he would have to take care of me and his child and he promised her he would do his best.  We started off living in his mother's old run down trailer out in back of her house.  The only real money he made was fighting at the arena on Friday and Saturday nights for a $150 a night and that was hardly enough to pay for a roof over our heads, food for us