I'm in awe over the response this story has gotten, so thank you very much. Here's the next installment and I hope you enjoy it.
I always started my couple song set with something to get the beat going. Tonight was a little Whitney and I was glad when I saw couples get up to start dancing. I was so happy I let Caroline convince me to come out one night several months ago to do karaoke. Now I had this and I loved it. The people who weren't dancing were clapping along with the beat and everyone seemed to enjoy it. It was my first time attempting Whitney and I worried it would be a total disaster. I didn't have to worry it seemed. When the song ended I took a sip of my beer and cued up my second song.
"How is everyone doing tonight?" I asked as I waited for my next song to start up. I always did a slow love song in the middle because once the party started there wouldn't be any love songs for the couples to dance too. Just because I didn't have someone didn't mean that no one else had someone. The cheers erupted and the first chords of "Can't help falling in love with you" started. It was my go-to love song because it was so simple to sing. I loved it. The dance floor filled up with couples holding each other as I sang into the microphone while watching the screen for the lyrics. I knew the lyrics to the song, but I was doing karaoke so I felt I should use the machine provided. Once I sang the final few words I took another drink and stood in front of the microphone again.
"What do you say to getting the party started again?" I asked and the bar cheered. Bonnie was standing behind the bar grinning at the cheers. People were coming up and refilling their drinks and taking their seats. I saw a few people from school sitting there including Damon Salvatore. Caroline had told me when we got home today that he was asking about me. I just couldn't understand why he would care. He probably didn't. I was unattainable and he liked a challenge. I cued up some vintage Shania and took a hold of the mic again as the song started up. I got a portion of Bonnie's tips for doing this and her tips were always high during Karaoke Girl's performance. I belted out the upbeat tune moving around on stage to entertain the audience. I always hated the final song of Karaoke Girl's performance because that meant it was almost over for another week. I finished off the song with a little bit of attitude with my hand on my hip before putting the microphone back on the stand and opening the floor for everyone else.
"Great job Lena." Bonnie said grabbing her tip jar from under the table and giving me the entirety of the jar.
"That's too much." I said with a shake of my head.
"And you say that every week and you're going to lose again. I'm open for several more hours yet and you're leaving. You deserve the first couple hours of proceeds." She told me shoving the crumbled bills into my hand.
"Fine. But I'm going to head out. I have homework to do and Scarlett should be asleep by now." I told her and she smiled.
"I'll see you next week." She told me and I walked to the door. I lived just down the street from Bonnie's, and when I got outside one of the two bouncers stepped away from the door.
"You ready to head out already?" Bill asked and I nodded.
"You don't have to keep walking me home." I told him.
"Yes I do. Bonnie would fire me if she knew you were walking home alone. It's not that small town you grew up in. Bad things happen to girls who walk home alone here." He told me and I sighed. I got the same lecture every single week and to be honest I liked that the big guy walked me back to my apartment. It made me feel safe. Ernest would be fine watching the door for a few minutes by himself. He always was. He walked me right to the door before turning and walking right back to the bar. I could see the lights from where I was. I unlocked the door and slipped inside before walking up the stairs and quietly unlocking the door.
"How was it?" Caroline asked from the couch where she was watching a movie with the volume down low.
"It was awesome. Damon Salvatore and his friends were there tonight." I said with a frown.
"He's there every week, it's just this week you noticed him because you knew he was asking about you. Did he recognize you?" She asked and I shrugged.
"I don't know. I left right after." I said taking the crumbled bills out of my purse and putting them in the box I hid all my tip money in.
"How much did you get tonight?" She asked as I counted out the bills.
"$180." I told her and she grinned.
"It totally pays to sing a couple songs." She said as I sunk into the couch beside her.
"I enjoy it." I said with my head on her shoulder.
"I know you do. You don't have to come with me tomorrow if you really don't want to. Damon Salvatore is probably going to try to talk to you." She offered and I shook my head.
"I want to come to work. Besides Mrs. Neal would probably kill me if I changed my mind now. She has this big idea to take Scarlett to the park." I told her and Caroline laughed.
"I wouldn't want to piss her off. That's for sure." Caroline joked and I agreed with her.
"Me neither. I'm kind of scared of her to be honest. But I'm beat, I'm going to head to bed." I told her standing up and stretching.
"Alright, I'll see you in the morning." She told me as she sank into the couch to finish watching her movie. Before I went to bed I went into Scarlett's room and gave my baby girl a kiss goodnight. She was fast asleep with her stuffed unicorn clenched tightly to her side and her blanket with a hole in the one corner in her other hand. My girl couldn't sleep without either of those 2 items.
"I love you to the moon and back sweetheart." I said into the darkness before shutting her door and going to my room next door to hers. I changed into my pyjamas and climbed into bed, falling asleep almost instantly.
The next morning, I woke up to two small hands on my face.
"Mama its time to wake up." She said and I opened my eyes to see my miracle smiling down at me. Her hair was messy and she looked happy.
"Why?" I asked her.
"Because I made you breakfast." She told me and I had to smile at her.
"Oh, you did, did you? What did you make?" I asked her and she smiled.
"Toast and yogurt. I'm not old enough to use the stove yet." She told me and I had to smile at her.
"Good girl. Why did you make breakfast?" I asked her as I sat up and wiped the sleep from my eyes.
"Because you're a good mommy and I wanted to show you how much I loved you." She told me matter of fact.
"I love you very much baby girl." I said kissing her.
"I'm not a baby anymore mommy. I'm a big girl now. I'm in school." She told me.
"I know but you're always going to be my baby no matter how big you get." I alerted her.
"Even when I'm big like you?" She asked.
"Even when you're big like me. But I guess I should go eat my breakfast and you should go wake up Auntie Care." I told her and she jumped off the bed and ran across the hall to Caroline's room. I heard the moment she jumped on Caroline, she always made this shocked spluttering sound when Scarlett did that.
"Alright alright monkey I'm awake." She said groggily. I quickly got out of bed and made it into the hall at the same time as Caroline. We walked down the hall with Scarlett skipping ahead of us. She always had so much energy in the mornings, I wished I was more like her. She could wake up incredibly early and be happy all day until bedtime came around.
"Sit." She ordered us and we both sat down. She poured us both a glass of orange juice before setting it in front of our plates.
"You're getting much better monkey, you didn't burn the toast this time." Caroline said impressed.
"I know. I'm getting good at breakfast." She said proudly as she sat down with us.
"So, are you still okay with going over to Mrs. Neal's house tonight so I can go to work?" I asked Scarlett. She finished chewing her toast before answering with a wide grin.
"I love Mrs. Neal's house. She lets me eat ice cream and colour in colouring books. Whenever I go over there at night we always have a dance party." She told me and I had to laugh. I knew they got up to something whenever she went over there but neither of them would ever tell me.
"Oh, you do, do you?" I asked and Scarlett clapped a hand over her mouth.
"You didn't hear that. It was a secret." She said and I nodded and made a show of zipping my lip.
"If I were you, I'd be more worried about Auntie Care. She's a blabbermouth." I warned her. Scarlett's eyes were wide as she turned to Caroline and begged her not to tell anyone about what she did at the babysitter's house.
Before we took Scarlett to Mrs. Neal's house, we went to the park to play for a while. It was a Saturday afternoon tradition. I was pushing her on the swing while Caroline sat on the swing next to her.
"I'm going higher than Auntie Care." She teased which prompted Caroline to kick off and start trying to catch up to Scarlett. I felt my phone buzz in my pocket and stopped pushing her.
"Pump your legs sweetheart, I have to answer the phone." I said to her. She started pumping her legs to propel herself higher on the swing as I glanced at the unknown number on my phone.
"Hello?" I greeted.
"Elena, how are you? I wasn't sure if you were going to pick up?" The voice said.
"I wouldn't have if I'd known it was you." I told him.
"Come on Lena, you know there is too much between us for you to ignore me." He told me and I fought the urge to just hang up on him now.
"What do you want Liam?" I demanded. I watched Scarlett protectively. She was all mine and there was no way I was sharing her now.
"I want us to be a family. I was immature back when you told me you were pregnant. I was in college and I wanted my youth. I'm done now. Now I want what I could have had back then." He said and he wasn't fooling me.
"You know I am where you were six years ago Liam, except that I found it in myself to be a parent and a student. I've done it all by myself for the past six years and even the nine months before that I was alone. I've gotten so used to being a single parent that no matter what you say I am not giving you anything." I told him. There would be no changing my mind. He didn't even stick around to see her. He was gone the second I told him I was pregnant. He didn't get to be here now when the first few years were up.
"Elena, I was immature. You've always been more mature than me. I loved you, I just couldn't be a good parent." He insisted.
"No Liam. There is absolutely nothing you can say that will make me let you be in her life. I'm sorry but it's true. Scarlett is my daughter and I'm not giving anything up. As far as she's concerned she doesn't have a daddy and that's how it's going to stay, at least where you're concerned." I told him firmly. He didn't have a leg to stand on and I knew it. He abandoned her before she was even born.
"I will get to meet my daughter Elena. I promise you that." He told me.
"You do what you have to, but just know I will fight you. I will make sure that you never get to see her." I told him my voice low so that Scarlett couldn't hear me. She was having fun and I wasn't going to let Liam confuse her. He made his choice and now I made mine. Caroline looked over her shoulder and saw me gripping my phone. She jumped off the swing which excited Scarlett and walked over to me.
"What's up?" She asked cautiously.
"You'll never guess who just called me." I said keeping my voice level.
"Who?" She asked.
"Liam." I answered.
"What the fuck did he want?" She asked softly.
"He wants us to be a family. I told him to bring whatever he wants, be it lawyers or money, whatever. He can bring it but I will still fight him off. He's not touching a single hair on my little girls head. She's all mine." I swore.