Chapter 7

The tour came to an end, and Bert was happy for it. He had a great time, and made some pretty good green along the way. But he was exhausted, and he had a bumpy end to the tour. He came back home with mixed feelings. With Lisa in hand, he was so happy to see the gang again.

"Hey guys, I missed you so much!" cried Bert. The gang gave a big group hug. "What's new?"

"Well," said Ralph "not much. It has been pretty relaxed here, almost dull without you here this summer. I'll tell you, Jack hasn't changed one bit! He left last weekend; his columns were okay, but I can't wait for yours again!"

"You know Pop is always looking for that new business venture," said Cedric. "He started working on an idea that involved eyeglasses changing into sunglasses in the sun; it's kind of crazy. And the pigs, well, they are the pigs."

"Oh, you're forgetting one thing, Cedric," chimed in Sophia, as she held out her hand. "We're getting married, Bert!"

"That's great!" said an ecstatic Bert, his eyes widening looking at the huge rock. "Congratulations you two! Boy, I have a whopper of a story to tell you guys, but that can wait for now. What's new, Schaeffer?"

"Oh, not much. Just gearing up for the fall fair. At least now we have our main act back to perform!" smiled Schaeffer.

"You and I definitely have to have a little chat," said Bert. "Don't be so modest. I think you're happy for another reason." Bert winked at Schaeffer, and Schaeffer smirked a bit.

And with that, everyone helped with Bert's luggage, and were off to the Raccoondominium.

Later on that evening at the Raccoondominium, it was just like old times. As Melissa was preparing supper, they chatted back and forth about the stories of the tour and the Evergreen Forest. Then Bert dropped the bombshell.

"There is something I need to tell you guys," said Bert, quelling the chatter. "Remember I said earlier that I had a whopper of a story, well here's front page material. Do you guys remember Delilah from university?"

Ralph grinned. "Yeah, you two were basically inseparable in school. I was surprised when you two called it quits."

"You were a very cute couple," added Melissa.

"Well, she came to my show in Edmonton. It was nice to see her again, but not for THIS reason."

"What reason?" they asked.

"I have a daughter."

The couple couldn't believe their ears. "Good one, Bert," said Ralph. "And the dish ran away with the spoon."

"No, it's true. It was winter break in Jasper. It was about two weeks before we broke up. There was one night..."

Ralph gulped and Melissa stood at the stove as if a dazed cloud came over her. She was so stunned, that Melissa dropped her wooden spoon in the stew.

"We used protection every other time we had sex," remembered a dejected Bert. "We both had a little too much to drink, and we did love each other."

"Well, everyone makes mistakes in life," said Ralph, trying to lighten the mood. "But some are easier to back track than others. What are your plans now?"

"I actually went and saw my daughter in Edmonton after my performance. Cynthia is four now. She is such an angel," smiled Bert. "I only saw her while she was sleeping; afterwards Delilah told me that she would call me to talk about this situation after the tour."

"That could be anytime now. How did Lisa react?" asked a still shaken Melissa.

"She was very angry and hurt at first," said Bert. "But then she realized that I was kept in the dark all this time, and I was as hurt as much as she was. That's the great thing about Lisa; she is so caring and forgiving."

"She definitely is a balanced young woman," noted Ralph of his niece.

"But it gets more complicated than a soap opera," said Bert. "Delilah's younger brother is David Blackmask, who was Lisa's high school sweetheart. David never told her who Cynthia's father was, or if he knew at all."

"Wow, just like Another World," said Melissa. "Unfortunately, this is real life. You have to figure out how to balance this dilemma. Whatever route you choose, Ralph and I will back you one hundred percent."

"Thanks guys, I really needed to hear that," said an appreciative Bert. "But hey, this is supposed to be a fun night! Let's enjoy it!"

A few days later, after everything settled down, Delilah contacted Bert.

"I have been doing some thinking, and I really want to be a part of Cynthia's life," said Bert over the phone.

"I knew you would want that," replied Delilah. "That's the noble part about you; you always try to look for a solution. But it's not going to be easy. I live two hours away from the Evergreen Forest."

"I want to see her as often as possible," said Bert, trying not to sound too desperate. "Weekends, holidays..."

"I know, Bert. But I don't want to uproot her right away from the only life she's known," as Delilah cut off Bert. "How about I'll bring her out for Thanksgiving. As long as you're still in the Forest at that time."

"Actually I will be leaving for Vancouver right after that weekend, so that would be great."

"Changing the subject, what does your girlfriend think of this?" asked Delilah. "This would be quite a shock for her."

"Well, Lisa is okay with it," replied Bert. "She is a great girl..."

"You said Liiisa?" stumbled Delilah. "As in Lisa Raccoon?"

"Yep, Lisa Raccoon, David's ex," said Bert.

Delilah didn't know what to say. She had told David to lie all these years about Cynthia's real father. She knew this was not going to go over well.

"You better talk to Lisa first," said Delilah. "I'll get back to you in a few days." Abruptly, Delilah hung up without saying good-bye.

"That's odd," said a baffled Bert. "I better check with Lisa again, but I thought she told me that it was okay. I never heard Delilah that nervous," he told himself.

This upcoming weekend is always a special one in the forest; it's the fall fair. The booths were crowded with friends and relatives; everyone was enjoying themselves. The pigs were banned from judging any competitions and the mountain was dormant; so the weekend went on without a hitch. Except for one thing.

"George, have you heard from Lisa?" asked Bert as he was helping serve ribs at George's cook-off booth.

"Yeah, she said that she would be here tonight, just in time for the hoedown," said George. "She told me she had a basketball camp this weekend, so she couldn't get away any earlier. But one thing worries me, Bert. She seems a little aloof lately. Do you know what's wrong?"

Bert remembered he had only told Lisa, Melissa, Ralph and Cedric about his daughter. Just then, Schaeffer came by, which was a real welcome distraction.

"Hey Bert, do you want to help judge the jam competition?" asked Schaeffer. "But there's no peanut butter, so the choice is up to you."

"That aside, of COURSE!" Bert shouted happily. As he left, George had this weird feeling in his stomach, something that both Lisa and Bert weren't telling him.

Later on that evening, the hoedown came and Lisa still wasn't around. Bert was getting a bit worried; so were Lisa's parents. It wasn't like her to skip out on her plans. Besides, Bert and Lisa have been basically inseparable since Mount Vulcan erupted.

After performing a few songs for the hoedown, Bert grabbed a chair and started drinking a Pilsner, waiting for his sunshine to come around. He was growing more disappointed as the evening progressed.

"Why so sad, Bert?" asked Bentley, coming over after just dancing with Annie. He looked around, and couldn't spot his sister. "I thought my sis was coming home."

"I haven't seen her, lil' buddy," said a somber Bert. "Go have fun. I'll be fine." As Bentley left, Bert started to chug another brew.

The gang came over and tried to cheer Bert up throughout the evening. But they thought something was up too. Ralph and Melissa knew about the friction between the young couple lately; they just didn't seem as close as they were before the tour. That was understandable. But Schaeffer didn't seem to notice. He was too busy with Zoey.

"Oh, I love this song; wanna dance?" asked Zoey, as the cover band started playing a Garth Brooks tune.

"I'm, I'm kinda clumsy," said Schaeffer.

"Come on!" said Zoey as she pulled Schaeffer from his seat. Schaeffer tried his best to just get through the song without stepping on her toes. Right at this moment, he felt something that his heart has been longing for quite a while. That fire that needed stoking. He just had to ask, no matter what the answer was.

"Do you want to go on a dat...I mean dance again?" asked Schaeffer, nervously.

Zoey just smiled. "I would love to do both, Schaeffer."

Relieved, Schaeffer grabbed Zoey and started waltzing around the room. "You're not as clumsy as you let on," laughed Zoey.

"Well, now you found him, so what do you really want?" yelled Lisa. "Now that he is pursuing his dreams, you just want to bring him down!"

"That's not true!" cried back Delilah, almost in tears. "I knew Bert was a talented musician, but his tour had nothing to do with telling him about his daughter. He needed to know sometime."

"I just find it pretty convenient that you came out with it now," chimed Lisa. "I have known you for about the last five years; the whole time Cynthia has been alive. Why would you lie to your family and friends about her father? What would you have to lose?"

"Like I told you, Bert and I went our separate ways," said Delilah. "We actually broke up before you started seeing my brother. I didn't even know that Bert and you were together until he told me on the phone last week. That aside, we couldn't be a couple now."

"Really?" asked a confused Lisa. "I thought you just wanted Bert and his new found wealth."

"Come on, Lisa, you know me better than that," replied Delilah. "I have always put Cynthia first. I sacrificed a career; my dreams for her. Trust me, when you have a child of your own, you'll know."

Lisa then backtracked in her mind to the times she would come over with David to Delilah's. She was always working two jobs; just trying to make ends meet. But Cynthia would always be number one. Actually, Lisa could remember taking Delilah shopping with her one time; they had a blast. They became friends. And she adored Cynthia as well. Lisa shook away the memory from her mind and saw Delilah looking at her saddened and afraid; afraid of what she might say next.

"I'm sorry, Delilah," sighed Lisa. "Bert and I have cleared so many hurdles; we have come such a long way. And after I heard that he was a father, I just felt so..."

"Unimportant?" finished Delilah. "You felt that you were number two now, no matter what Bert said. But trust me, Bert will always care for you. When we were together, he was great. So adventurous, so kind."

"And he still is," said Lisa. "After he told me, he reassured me that he wanted to be with me and still sort everything out. He really cares. He wears his heart on his sleeve."

"I don't want to push him into fatherhood; I just want him to know his daughter," said Delilah. "If he wants to know her more, I won't deny it. As long as you're comfortable with it."

"I enjoy Cynthia, I really do," smiled Lisa. "She is a great little girl. I can't wait to see her on Thanksgiving."

With that, they hugged. They both knew deep down that they could be friends again. As she left the house, Lisa felt guilty that she stood up Bert; but she needed to do it for their relationship. Now she had that peace of mind that their relationship has been missing for a while.