A yellow cab pulled up in front of Morton Rainey's cabin. Rebecca
paid the driver the fare and stepped out of the car. Nervousness coursed
through her body as she walked up to the door. Before she knocked, she
thought, Wait. Should I be doing this? I haven't seen the guy for almost
fifteen years! She sighed. Oh well, what's the worst that could happen?
After knocking three times the door swung open. Rebecca stood there unable
to say anything.
"Can I help you?" Mort asked her. He thought to himself, This girl looks about fifteen. What could she possibly want?
"Are you Morton Rainey?" Rebecca managed to get out of her tongue- twisted mouth,
"Yes..." Mort replied slowly. "And you are?"
"Rebecca." Her hands were slightly shaking.
"Do you have a last name, Rebecca?"
"Yes...It's, um, Johnson. Rebecca Johnson. I need to talk with you."
Mort looked at the girl. She was about a head shorter than him and her chestnut hair fell down to her waist. Her eyes were a bright green. He stepped aside to let the girl in. They made their way to the couch where they both sat down. Just tell him already! The sooner he knows, the sooner I can get this over with. Rebecca thought as she cleared her throat.
"You don't remember, Mort, but I...um..." Rebecca started to say.
Mort looked at her questioningly with his dark brown eyes and said,
"You, what?"
"Do you remember about fifteen years or so ago, before you met Amy?" Mort's heart stopped. How does she know about Amy? He thought. But he continued to let her speak. "You were nineteen and you were dating a woman by the name of Rose Marley. Do you remember?"
"Yeah, but what does that have to do with you?" The image of his high school sweetheart popped into his head. She was a beautiful woman with long black hair and gorgeous green eyes.
"Do you also remember that Rose had gotten pregnant and that you both had put the child up for adoption?"
Mort slowly nodded. He looked at Rebecca's vivid green eyes, her very familiar green eyes.
"Are you telling me that you...that you are..." Now it was Mort's turn to be tongue-tied.
"Yes. I'm the child that Rose had had fifteen years ago."
They sat there in silence for a good five minutes. Mort's head spun with flashbacks from fifteen years ago. He remembered Rose getting pregnant and then he remembered holding baby Rebecca in his arms after she was born. After he and Rose had broken up, he had met Amy. The adoptive parents had lost contact with Mort only a year after Rebecca was born. A now tearful Rebecca interrupted his thoughts by saying,
"I knew I shouldn't have come here...I didn't mean to spring this on you like I did...My adoptive parents are..."
"Are what? What happened to them?" Mort's voice was filled with worry.
"They died two weeks ago...in a car crash...The cops asked me if I had anyone to stay with and I said that you lived here...and..."
"You told the cops that you were coming here?"
"Not exactly. I said that my father lived in Tashmore and that I might go see him..."
She was sobbing now and Mort didn't know what to do. He reluctantly wrapped his arms around her daughter and let her cry on his shoulder. I'm happy yet I'm sad. I'm happy to finally see my father and to finally be held by him but I'm sad because he's a total stranger to me, she thought.
"God, I'm so happy you're here." Mort said, still holding her.
"You are?" Rebecca said, calming herself down.
"Of course! The hardest thing I've ever had to do was give you away."
There was a loud knock on the door. Mort slowly got up off the couch and opened. Shooter was on standing on the porch with a Pall Mall cigarette in his mouth.
"Rebecca, go upstairs for a minute please." Mort said.
Rebecca obeyed and headed up the steps to the second floor.
"Well Mr. Rainey, mind if I come in?" Shooter said.
"Actually I do. What do you want this time?"
"You heard about them policemen who are after you right?"
"Who are after you." Mort corrected him.
Shooter decided to ignore that and said,
"I reckon you set things straight with them and turn yourself in."
"For something you did?! You're a lunatic!"
"Listen, if they catch you, which they will, you're going to tell them everything about me..."
"Of course I am."
"...And I can't have that. I ain't going to jail, Mr. Rainey."
"So you expect me to lie and confess to everything?"
"Pretty much."
"Screw off!"
Mort started to close the door when Shooter said,
"That's your daughter up there?"
Mort stepped out onto the porch and faced Shooter. Mort's eyes narrowed and he said threateningly,
"Now listen here Shooter. If you lay one hand on my little girl, I swear that I will kill you!"
"You know that your threats don't work on me. Now, you have three days to turn yourself into the police or else I'll make sure that you never see your precious little daughter again."
As he walked away, Mort stormed into the house and slammed the door behind him. I won't let that psychotic hick hurt anyone else.
"Is everything all right, Mort?" Rebecca asked, standing at the foot of the steps. She wasn't ready to call him 'dad', not yet anyway.
"Yeah, everything's fine." He ran a hand through his hair as he sat down on the couch. "You have nowhere to stay tonight, do you?"
"I don't have anywhere to stay any night. Since I'm not eighteen, I can't live on my own so I need a guardian."
Mort hugged her again and said,
"Don't worry about it. You can stay here."
"Thanks, Mort."
How do you guys like the story so far? I'm going to add more soon (I'm writing the next chapter as we speak) so don't worry! Review please!
"Can I help you?" Mort asked her. He thought to himself, This girl looks about fifteen. What could she possibly want?
"Are you Morton Rainey?" Rebecca managed to get out of her tongue- twisted mouth,
"Yes..." Mort replied slowly. "And you are?"
"Rebecca." Her hands were slightly shaking.
"Do you have a last name, Rebecca?"
"Yes...It's, um, Johnson. Rebecca Johnson. I need to talk with you."
Mort looked at the girl. She was about a head shorter than him and her chestnut hair fell down to her waist. Her eyes were a bright green. He stepped aside to let the girl in. They made their way to the couch where they both sat down. Just tell him already! The sooner he knows, the sooner I can get this over with. Rebecca thought as she cleared her throat.
"You don't remember, Mort, but I...um..." Rebecca started to say.
Mort looked at her questioningly with his dark brown eyes and said,
"You, what?"
"Do you remember about fifteen years or so ago, before you met Amy?" Mort's heart stopped. How does she know about Amy? He thought. But he continued to let her speak. "You were nineteen and you were dating a woman by the name of Rose Marley. Do you remember?"
"Yeah, but what does that have to do with you?" The image of his high school sweetheart popped into his head. She was a beautiful woman with long black hair and gorgeous green eyes.
"Do you also remember that Rose had gotten pregnant and that you both had put the child up for adoption?"
Mort slowly nodded. He looked at Rebecca's vivid green eyes, her very familiar green eyes.
"Are you telling me that you...that you are..." Now it was Mort's turn to be tongue-tied.
"Yes. I'm the child that Rose had had fifteen years ago."
They sat there in silence for a good five minutes. Mort's head spun with flashbacks from fifteen years ago. He remembered Rose getting pregnant and then he remembered holding baby Rebecca in his arms after she was born. After he and Rose had broken up, he had met Amy. The adoptive parents had lost contact with Mort only a year after Rebecca was born. A now tearful Rebecca interrupted his thoughts by saying,
"I knew I shouldn't have come here...I didn't mean to spring this on you like I did...My adoptive parents are..."
"Are what? What happened to them?" Mort's voice was filled with worry.
"They died two weeks ago...in a car crash...The cops asked me if I had anyone to stay with and I said that you lived here...and..."
"You told the cops that you were coming here?"
"Not exactly. I said that my father lived in Tashmore and that I might go see him..."
She was sobbing now and Mort didn't know what to do. He reluctantly wrapped his arms around her daughter and let her cry on his shoulder. I'm happy yet I'm sad. I'm happy to finally see my father and to finally be held by him but I'm sad because he's a total stranger to me, she thought.
"God, I'm so happy you're here." Mort said, still holding her.
"You are?" Rebecca said, calming herself down.
"Of course! The hardest thing I've ever had to do was give you away."
There was a loud knock on the door. Mort slowly got up off the couch and opened. Shooter was on standing on the porch with a Pall Mall cigarette in his mouth.
"Rebecca, go upstairs for a minute please." Mort said.
Rebecca obeyed and headed up the steps to the second floor.
"Well Mr. Rainey, mind if I come in?" Shooter said.
"Actually I do. What do you want this time?"
"You heard about them policemen who are after you right?"
"Who are after you." Mort corrected him.
Shooter decided to ignore that and said,
"I reckon you set things straight with them and turn yourself in."
"For something you did?! You're a lunatic!"
"Listen, if they catch you, which they will, you're going to tell them everything about me..."
"Of course I am."
"...And I can't have that. I ain't going to jail, Mr. Rainey."
"So you expect me to lie and confess to everything?"
"Pretty much."
"Screw off!"
Mort started to close the door when Shooter said,
"That's your daughter up there?"
Mort stepped out onto the porch and faced Shooter. Mort's eyes narrowed and he said threateningly,
"Now listen here Shooter. If you lay one hand on my little girl, I swear that I will kill you!"
"You know that your threats don't work on me. Now, you have three days to turn yourself into the police or else I'll make sure that you never see your precious little daughter again."
As he walked away, Mort stormed into the house and slammed the door behind him. I won't let that psychotic hick hurt anyone else.
"Is everything all right, Mort?" Rebecca asked, standing at the foot of the steps. She wasn't ready to call him 'dad', not yet anyway.
"Yeah, everything's fine." He ran a hand through his hair as he sat down on the couch. "You have nowhere to stay tonight, do you?"
"I don't have anywhere to stay any night. Since I'm not eighteen, I can't live on my own so I need a guardian."
Mort hugged her again and said,
"Don't worry about it. You can stay here."
"Thanks, Mort."
How do you guys like the story so far? I'm going to add more soon (I'm writing the next chapter as we speak) so don't worry! Review please!