Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone.
A/n: please r/r
Chapter 10 – Finding Dad ~ part one
It had been hours since Leila had slammed that front door behind her. Through her anger and tears she tried to comprehend what had happened and why her mother had needed to lie to her for so long. Walking around the familiar streets of where she lived she had the chance to think of things that she needed to do in order to find her father. Thankfully Claire had told her a few things that she would need to use in order to find him, but what would she do if he didn't want to know her. She seated herself on the bench that doubled as a waiting stop for the Chicago Bus, and began to contemplate what she would do and say to this man she didn't know and what, if anything, she believed he would say to her; I don't want to know you or I want to get to know you. Her other problem this evening was what she was going to do about tonight. In all the years she had been able to argue with Claire she had never once taken to running off. This had been the first time, they both had always known where the other was. She could go to one of her friends homes but felt that over the last few days she would probably have outstayed her welcome, plus the fact that she didn't have anything with her, she was totally unprepared; and she didn't fancy spending the night tucked up on the bench she was sitting on at the moment. She knew her uncle and his family were on vacation and if they had been at home they would have started to ask questions. And she certainly couldn't bring herself to break into their house to spend the night either. She only had one option left, for tonight anyway, and knew it was the safest and best.
"Brian?" Leila spoke cautiously through the handset of the public telephone.
"Leila is that you? Your mother has been so worried about you, she's at her wits end."
"She deserves it" she spat out, and then more emotionally "Is she there with you?"
"No. I guess this phone call is for a bed for the night, I kind of thought you might ring."
"I'm sorry Brian, I don't want to put you out or anything, I can spend the night at friends if you'd rather."
"No. At least I'll know you'll be properly rested before you go gallivanting halfway across Illinois state tomorrow … Where are you, I'll come pick you up."
Within half an hour Leila had been fed, had had a shower and was ready to speak to Brian before she went to bed. "Brian" she asked "Is mum okay, I mean did she sound okay when you last spoke to her?"
"Would you? If you knew you had hurt someone really badly don't you think you would be feeling cut up?"
"I suppose. Did you know?"
"No, not at first. She told me last Friday."
"How did you react?"
"Pretty much the same way you did. It hurt, a lot, but I guess I always knew she still loved John very much. To be honest, after Sunday evening, I think I can safely say that John still loves your mother."
"You know I have to find him don't you, have to find out who he is?"
"Yes. Why do you think I agreed to let you stay, at least this way I know you won't be tired and under-nourished when you try to find him tomorrow. Did Claire tell you where he works?"
"The 'Tribune', so I shall start there."
"Know what your gonna say to him?"
"No. We'll have to play that by ear."
"Well, I have no doubt that he will know exactly who you are without you saying a thing."
"Oh yeah, and how exactly do you work that one out?" she said, a smile touching her lips for the first time that evening.
"You wait, I can also guarantee you'll know him too." Brian said, half teasing.
"Mmm. We'll see. Goodnight Brian" she said and lent in to kiss him on the cheek.
"Goodnight Leila, oh and just keep calling me tomorrow okay. At least I can tell your mum your alright if you keep telling me."
"Okay! Wish me luck?"
"Good luck, you won't need it though," he said, although not believing it entirely.
***
The early morning sun streamed through the gaps in the meeting edges of the curtains to fall over Leila's face. Opening her eyes she read the time on the clock. 9 am. All in the apartment was quiet, knowing that Brian would have left for work well before now. She hurriedly washed, dressed and fed herself and left a note for Brian, thanking him for his kindness.
Leaving his apartment she found her way out of the building and onto the next available bus for the city. It took little more than an hour and following the directions she had been given by the lady in the information kiosk, she soon found the building she had been looking for. It stood tall and proud in front of her with the 'Tribune's' emblazoned characters reaching across the top layer. 'Here goes' she thought.
Walking into the foyer she made her way across to the security desk and asked the guard on duty if she would be able to see a Mr John Bender.
"I'm sorry girlie" he snorted "but the gentleman you are after hasn't signed in this morning, he's probably out and about today, you know sometimes they give him a story to check out if one of the reporters is off sick."
"Thanks … Graham" she said, finding his name on his badge. "Thanks, you don't possibly know where he is, do you?"
"No I'm afraid I don't, I'm not informed of anyone's whereabouts when they're not on site. But that gentlemen with the case by the lift will probably know, they work in the same department."
"Thanks" she exclaimed and gave chase after the man waiting at the lift. "Excuse me … excuse me …" she wailed to try to catch his attention.
The man looked around noticing the teenager running towards him. "Yes?" he questioned.
"Excuse me, do you know Mr Bender?"
"What John, yeah, sure I do!"
"You don't know where he is today do you?"
"You know I do, he told me last night he had been given this assignment for some school or other. Some High School … where was it now?"
"It is really important that I find him today" she said forcefully but pleasantly.
'I've seen that anger somewhere else before,' he thought, "Ah wait, yes, Shermer, Shermer High School."
"Thank you" she said, "thank you so very very much, you don't know how much you've helped."
"Okay" he said thinking, 'if I didn't know any better I'd have said she was John's kid.' With that he walked into the waiting lift and went about his daily business.
Leila walked from the building, she had to get to Shermer High, and she had to get there fast. The train would take her into the centre and a taxi to the school, running for the station she made the next train out just in time. Finding herself a comfortable spot she sat down and watched the world go by, thinking how great it would be to finally meet the man who had so far eluded her. It was easily another hour until it was time for her to get off at her stop and once off she found the next awaiting taxi and ordered it on its way to the High School.
She looked at the building and immediately recognised it from the picture that Claire had in the top drawer of her dresser. The secret drawer that held the memories of the 'Club' and John Bender. She recognised the grey drabness of the building but in the picture it had been lit up for the prom. And there the five of them had been right in the front of the doors, dressed up to the nines; all the guys in tuxedos, John's being styled to reflect his own personality she had noticed, and the two girls in beautiful dresses.
A man in a brown polyester suit spotted her and called out. "Hey missy, no loitering, what lesson are you supposed to be in right now? Whatever it is you should get to it quick before you get detention."
"I'm not a student here," she said as she walked towards the man.
"Well what are you doing here then?" he replied. She was in front of him know and he felt uncomfortable, what was it about this girl that made him feel so uncomfortable.
"My name is Leila Standish, Claire Standish's daughter, she graduated from here in 1985."
Now he had it, if she was who she said she was there was no denying who her father was, John Bender.
"I'm looking for my father" she continued, "I believe he's here today doing some article for the 'Tribune'."
"Hah!" he shot out, "Bender's here is he, and working for the 'Tribune' no less, there is no way Miss Standish that he is here under that guise, your father was a drop out, why on earth would the 'Tribune' give him a job as a reporter." He knew it was cruel but didn't care, he had seen a gentleman walking the corridor's of the school this morning – on his way to the sports hall from what he could tell – but there was no way that that refined, smart gentleman was this girl's father.
"Your Mr Vernon aren't you?" she asked, tears prickling her eyes.
"Yes" He said cautiously, not expecting what was to come next, " How did you know?"
"Because of your connotations about my father, no one else would dare to talk about him like that, not even my mother or Brian Johnson" she blurted out.
'Brian Johnson, how could he ever be involved?' he thought, "Listen, missy …" he began – 'you see us as you want to see us' rattling through his mind.
"When my mum and Brian, and possibly their friends, find out how cruel you have been to me and about my father, Mr Vernon, there will be hell to pay" and with that she turned on her heel and left the school grounds.
Phoning Brian on her cell phone she proceeded to tell him about events passed and found it difficult to decide what to do next. Brian remarked that as he didn't believe she would now be welcomed into the school with open arms in order to find anything out from Andrew Clarke, it would perhaps be better if she could try to find his wife, Allison, who had a studio in the town; maybe she could find out more there. Making her way back into the town she made her enquiries along the way and soon found out where the business was situated. She made herself ready for the meeting with one of her mother's best friends, checking what she could see of herself in the window she pushed the door open and entered the building. No one was in the front of the gallery but she heard voices coming from the back.
"Andy said I should drop by and at least pick up the painting" A man's voice said.
"Well, I'm glad you did. Can you stop a while we need to talk. Perhaps we could go get something to eat" a woman replied.
"Yeah, okay," the reply had been.
Making her way through to the back she called out "Hello", the talking stopped and Allison popped her head from around the corner of the open doorway. Allison knew at once who it was.
"Hello there" Allison said kindly.
"Hi are you Allison Clarke?" Leila asked.
"Yes I am, and you must be Leila."
"How did you know?"
"I can see your mother in you" she replied and taking her hand she led her towards the back room, "Perhaps we should have a chat." Once Leila made it into the back she could only just make out a figure sitting near the window as it was quite bright in contrast to the gallery itself. Her eyes began to adjust and she saw something she couldn't fathom. Looking back at her from the other side of the room were her own eyes. Her throat constricted and dried, the only word she got out before tears welled in her own eyes was "Dad?"
A/n: please r/r
Chapter 10 – Finding Dad ~ part one
It had been hours since Leila had slammed that front door behind her. Through her anger and tears she tried to comprehend what had happened and why her mother had needed to lie to her for so long. Walking around the familiar streets of where she lived she had the chance to think of things that she needed to do in order to find her father. Thankfully Claire had told her a few things that she would need to use in order to find him, but what would she do if he didn't want to know her. She seated herself on the bench that doubled as a waiting stop for the Chicago Bus, and began to contemplate what she would do and say to this man she didn't know and what, if anything, she believed he would say to her; I don't want to know you or I want to get to know you. Her other problem this evening was what she was going to do about tonight. In all the years she had been able to argue with Claire she had never once taken to running off. This had been the first time, they both had always known where the other was. She could go to one of her friends homes but felt that over the last few days she would probably have outstayed her welcome, plus the fact that she didn't have anything with her, she was totally unprepared; and she didn't fancy spending the night tucked up on the bench she was sitting on at the moment. She knew her uncle and his family were on vacation and if they had been at home they would have started to ask questions. And she certainly couldn't bring herself to break into their house to spend the night either. She only had one option left, for tonight anyway, and knew it was the safest and best.
"Brian?" Leila spoke cautiously through the handset of the public telephone.
"Leila is that you? Your mother has been so worried about you, she's at her wits end."
"She deserves it" she spat out, and then more emotionally "Is she there with you?"
"No. I guess this phone call is for a bed for the night, I kind of thought you might ring."
"I'm sorry Brian, I don't want to put you out or anything, I can spend the night at friends if you'd rather."
"No. At least I'll know you'll be properly rested before you go gallivanting halfway across Illinois state tomorrow … Where are you, I'll come pick you up."
Within half an hour Leila had been fed, had had a shower and was ready to speak to Brian before she went to bed. "Brian" she asked "Is mum okay, I mean did she sound okay when you last spoke to her?"
"Would you? If you knew you had hurt someone really badly don't you think you would be feeling cut up?"
"I suppose. Did you know?"
"No, not at first. She told me last Friday."
"How did you react?"
"Pretty much the same way you did. It hurt, a lot, but I guess I always knew she still loved John very much. To be honest, after Sunday evening, I think I can safely say that John still loves your mother."
"You know I have to find him don't you, have to find out who he is?"
"Yes. Why do you think I agreed to let you stay, at least this way I know you won't be tired and under-nourished when you try to find him tomorrow. Did Claire tell you where he works?"
"The 'Tribune', so I shall start there."
"Know what your gonna say to him?"
"No. We'll have to play that by ear."
"Well, I have no doubt that he will know exactly who you are without you saying a thing."
"Oh yeah, and how exactly do you work that one out?" she said, a smile touching her lips for the first time that evening.
"You wait, I can also guarantee you'll know him too." Brian said, half teasing.
"Mmm. We'll see. Goodnight Brian" she said and lent in to kiss him on the cheek.
"Goodnight Leila, oh and just keep calling me tomorrow okay. At least I can tell your mum your alright if you keep telling me."
"Okay! Wish me luck?"
"Good luck, you won't need it though," he said, although not believing it entirely.
***
The early morning sun streamed through the gaps in the meeting edges of the curtains to fall over Leila's face. Opening her eyes she read the time on the clock. 9 am. All in the apartment was quiet, knowing that Brian would have left for work well before now. She hurriedly washed, dressed and fed herself and left a note for Brian, thanking him for his kindness.
Leaving his apartment she found her way out of the building and onto the next available bus for the city. It took little more than an hour and following the directions she had been given by the lady in the information kiosk, she soon found the building she had been looking for. It stood tall and proud in front of her with the 'Tribune's' emblazoned characters reaching across the top layer. 'Here goes' she thought.
Walking into the foyer she made her way across to the security desk and asked the guard on duty if she would be able to see a Mr John Bender.
"I'm sorry girlie" he snorted "but the gentleman you are after hasn't signed in this morning, he's probably out and about today, you know sometimes they give him a story to check out if one of the reporters is off sick."
"Thanks … Graham" she said, finding his name on his badge. "Thanks, you don't possibly know where he is, do you?"
"No I'm afraid I don't, I'm not informed of anyone's whereabouts when they're not on site. But that gentlemen with the case by the lift will probably know, they work in the same department."
"Thanks" she exclaimed and gave chase after the man waiting at the lift. "Excuse me … excuse me …" she wailed to try to catch his attention.
The man looked around noticing the teenager running towards him. "Yes?" he questioned.
"Excuse me, do you know Mr Bender?"
"What John, yeah, sure I do!"
"You don't know where he is today do you?"
"You know I do, he told me last night he had been given this assignment for some school or other. Some High School … where was it now?"
"It is really important that I find him today" she said forcefully but pleasantly.
'I've seen that anger somewhere else before,' he thought, "Ah wait, yes, Shermer, Shermer High School."
"Thank you" she said, "thank you so very very much, you don't know how much you've helped."
"Okay" he said thinking, 'if I didn't know any better I'd have said she was John's kid.' With that he walked into the waiting lift and went about his daily business.
Leila walked from the building, she had to get to Shermer High, and she had to get there fast. The train would take her into the centre and a taxi to the school, running for the station she made the next train out just in time. Finding herself a comfortable spot she sat down and watched the world go by, thinking how great it would be to finally meet the man who had so far eluded her. It was easily another hour until it was time for her to get off at her stop and once off she found the next awaiting taxi and ordered it on its way to the High School.
She looked at the building and immediately recognised it from the picture that Claire had in the top drawer of her dresser. The secret drawer that held the memories of the 'Club' and John Bender. She recognised the grey drabness of the building but in the picture it had been lit up for the prom. And there the five of them had been right in the front of the doors, dressed up to the nines; all the guys in tuxedos, John's being styled to reflect his own personality she had noticed, and the two girls in beautiful dresses.
A man in a brown polyester suit spotted her and called out. "Hey missy, no loitering, what lesson are you supposed to be in right now? Whatever it is you should get to it quick before you get detention."
"I'm not a student here," she said as she walked towards the man.
"Well what are you doing here then?" he replied. She was in front of him know and he felt uncomfortable, what was it about this girl that made him feel so uncomfortable.
"My name is Leila Standish, Claire Standish's daughter, she graduated from here in 1985."
Now he had it, if she was who she said she was there was no denying who her father was, John Bender.
"I'm looking for my father" she continued, "I believe he's here today doing some article for the 'Tribune'."
"Hah!" he shot out, "Bender's here is he, and working for the 'Tribune' no less, there is no way Miss Standish that he is here under that guise, your father was a drop out, why on earth would the 'Tribune' give him a job as a reporter." He knew it was cruel but didn't care, he had seen a gentleman walking the corridor's of the school this morning – on his way to the sports hall from what he could tell – but there was no way that that refined, smart gentleman was this girl's father.
"Your Mr Vernon aren't you?" she asked, tears prickling her eyes.
"Yes" He said cautiously, not expecting what was to come next, " How did you know?"
"Because of your connotations about my father, no one else would dare to talk about him like that, not even my mother or Brian Johnson" she blurted out.
'Brian Johnson, how could he ever be involved?' he thought, "Listen, missy …" he began – 'you see us as you want to see us' rattling through his mind.
"When my mum and Brian, and possibly their friends, find out how cruel you have been to me and about my father, Mr Vernon, there will be hell to pay" and with that she turned on her heel and left the school grounds.
Phoning Brian on her cell phone she proceeded to tell him about events passed and found it difficult to decide what to do next. Brian remarked that as he didn't believe she would now be welcomed into the school with open arms in order to find anything out from Andrew Clarke, it would perhaps be better if she could try to find his wife, Allison, who had a studio in the town; maybe she could find out more there. Making her way back into the town she made her enquiries along the way and soon found out where the business was situated. She made herself ready for the meeting with one of her mother's best friends, checking what she could see of herself in the window she pushed the door open and entered the building. No one was in the front of the gallery but she heard voices coming from the back.
"Andy said I should drop by and at least pick up the painting" A man's voice said.
"Well, I'm glad you did. Can you stop a while we need to talk. Perhaps we could go get something to eat" a woman replied.
"Yeah, okay," the reply had been.
Making her way through to the back she called out "Hello", the talking stopped and Allison popped her head from around the corner of the open doorway. Allison knew at once who it was.
"Hello there" Allison said kindly.
"Hi are you Allison Clarke?" Leila asked.
"Yes I am, and you must be Leila."
"How did you know?"
"I can see your mother in you" she replied and taking her hand she led her towards the back room, "Perhaps we should have a chat." Once Leila made it into the back she could only just make out a figure sitting near the window as it was quite bright in contrast to the gallery itself. Her eyes began to adjust and she saw something she couldn't fathom. Looking back at her from the other side of the room were her own eyes. Her throat constricted and dried, the only word she got out before tears welled in her own eyes was "Dad?"