Chapter 34
Later that evening the family were sitting at the table. When Gemma walked in the conversation stopped & all eyes turned to look at her. She kissed her Dad & told him she'd missed him & said she had some great news to tell them all. Her Dad looked at the cuts on her face & her rapidly swelling eye with great interest! Kellie put the food on the table & as they all tucked into dinner, Gemma's Dad had a few questions he wanted answers to!
"What happened to your face?" he asked sternly.
"Oh.....I.....er...."
"She had a bit of a tiff with someone Dad!" Said Michael trying to play down the all out war he'd witnessed in the yard earlier!! "nothing serious!"
"Oh?" Her Dad raised his eyebrows. "And do you want to tell us the name of the truck that hit you Gemma?!"
"Dad it was nothing, really! I have something really important to tell y...."
"GEMMA?"
She sheepishly looked up at her father & knew she wasnt gonna get out of this one!
"Yes Dad?"
"Who've you been fighting with?"
"Macey."
"Oh I see." Her Dad didnt seem all that surprised. "Are you hurt badly?"
"Oh....erm.......no, nothing serious!"
Her Dad stopped eating & looked at her. "I was over at Gilbert's today. Apparently Macey & Jeff have er...split up is that right?"
"Yes they have."
"Did you ....." he paused, "Well did you have something to do with it Gemma? What Im trying to say is are you & Jeff erm..."
"DAD NO!"
Chris choked on his food & sniggered. Kellie looked at her husband in disgust!
"JACK! Leave the girl alone will you!"
"Yeah Dad chill out! From what I hear Macey was the one with the bit on the side!!" Pat said trying to defend his little sister.
Gemma just sat there in silence, not quite believing her Dad just said that!! Jack nodded & carried on eating. Thankfully the subject was dropped & they all ate their dinner in silence for the next few minutes! Gemma didnt feel much like announcing her good news anymore & she hoped they'd just forgotten all about it....and they had......all except Rhett!
"So Gem what's this great news you were gonna tell us then?" he said grinning. Gemma could have gleefully knocked him off his stool!!!
"Yeah Gemma! C'mon spill the beans!!" Greg joined in! She gulped, 'here goes nothing' she thought.
"Well.....everyone.....you all know Ive been to the WWF HQ these last few days with Matt & Jeff. Well....while I was there something kinda...unexpected happened!" She looked around the table at the seven faces all focused on her! "I.....I...kinda got a job!"
Her Dad's fork stoped in mid air & the rest of them looked at her like goldfish!
"You're not seriously gonna be a wrestler are you!" Chris asked. Her Dad choked.
"NO NO NO!! Nothing like that!! Im gonna be a reporter....well kinda! Im gonna take photographs & do write ups of shows that kinda thing!! Isnt that great!!!" She beamed at them & they all stared blankly at her. Then Michael jumped up out of his seat & hugged her!
"Way to go little sis!!"
They all congratulated her in turn, all except her father.
"Dad? Are'nt you pleased?"
He looked up at his daughter, his only daughter & sighed.
"College Gemma? I take it this will be after you graduate?"
Gemma's eyes widened! The rest of them saw the look on her face & all remembered some place they urgently needed to be!! Gemma was left alone with her father.
"Sit down a moment Gemma."
She sat back in her seat next to her Dad. She'd been so caught up in everything she completely forgot that her Dad didnt even know she'd quit college!!
"Dad......I......I.....I quit college." She put her head down.
"I know. They called while you were away to ask when you were gonna pick up the rest of your stuff."
"Oh. Im sorry dad!"
"Why Gemma? I thought things were going ok at college?"
"Im so sorry to let you down Dad! I hated college, the stress, the people........everything! I was so depressed I just couldnt deal with it any more."
He put his hand on top of hers.
"Why couldnt we talk about it......about this job even? You need to trust me with these things Gemma!"
"The job was a total shock to me! I didnt go there looking for work Dad I swear! It just happened & I didnt really have much time to think about it....I just thought it was a once in a lifetime thing y'know? I couldnt risk losing out on such an experiance!! As for college....I was gonna tell you dad, really I was....but I just thought you'd...."
"Get mad & demand you go back there?" he interrupted.
"Well, something like that yeah!"
"Gemma Im not an ogre! Im not gonna pretend Im happy about this! The thought of you going off God knows where with a bunch of strangers....well anyway I just want you to be happy! Just promise me this will make you happy Gemma! All I ever wish for is that my kids are happy!"
"Oh Daddy!" She threw her arms around his neck "I will be happy! This is gonna be the best thing that's ever happened to me I know it!! Ive never felt so sure about anything in my life!! And I'll be with Matt & Jeff....I'll be fine! They look after me y'know!"
"Yeah, like their little sister huh?"
"Yeah! Like I dont have enough big brothers already!!" They both laughed.
Just then her cell phone rang. "Excuse me!" She said & answered it. "Hello?....Oh Adam! Hi!......Yeah! Listen can I call you back in five? ok .....yeah.....ok.....bye then..bye."
She put her phone on the table & looked up at her Dad.
"Thankyou dad! Thankyou so much! I wont let you down I promise!!" she hugged him again. Michael walked into the room & smiled at them both. She grinned at him & went to walk out of the door.
"Gemma?"
"Yes Dad?"
"You might wanna take your phone if you wanna make that call!" Her Dad held up her cell phone & she blushed. "Erm.....and Adam is...?"
"Oh erm....he's just a wrestler I met while I was away!"
"A WHAT?"
"Gotta go! Bye Dad! Love you!" She bolted out of the door.
"GEMMA??!!"
Jack looked at his eldest son & sighed. "I swaer Michael she gets more like you every damn day!" he smiled.
"Yeah but Im not such a bad kid am I Dad!?" He put his arm around his Dad's shoulders.
"I guess not! If anyone of you lot is gonna turn my hair white it will be that one..." he gestured to the back door"...Im sure of it!"
They both laughed.
Later that evening the family were sitting at the table. When Gemma walked in the conversation stopped & all eyes turned to look at her. She kissed her Dad & told him she'd missed him & said she had some great news to tell them all. Her Dad looked at the cuts on her face & her rapidly swelling eye with great interest! Kellie put the food on the table & as they all tucked into dinner, Gemma's Dad had a few questions he wanted answers to!
"What happened to your face?" he asked sternly.
"Oh.....I.....er...."
"She had a bit of a tiff with someone Dad!" Said Michael trying to play down the all out war he'd witnessed in the yard earlier!! "nothing serious!"
"Oh?" Her Dad raised his eyebrows. "And do you want to tell us the name of the truck that hit you Gemma?!"
"Dad it was nothing, really! I have something really important to tell y...."
"GEMMA?"
She sheepishly looked up at her father & knew she wasnt gonna get out of this one!
"Yes Dad?"
"Who've you been fighting with?"
"Macey."
"Oh I see." Her Dad didnt seem all that surprised. "Are you hurt badly?"
"Oh....erm.......no, nothing serious!"
Her Dad stopped eating & looked at her. "I was over at Gilbert's today. Apparently Macey & Jeff have er...split up is that right?"
"Yes they have."
"Did you ....." he paused, "Well did you have something to do with it Gemma? What Im trying to say is are you & Jeff erm..."
"DAD NO!"
Chris choked on his food & sniggered. Kellie looked at her husband in disgust!
"JACK! Leave the girl alone will you!"
"Yeah Dad chill out! From what I hear Macey was the one with the bit on the side!!" Pat said trying to defend his little sister.
Gemma just sat there in silence, not quite believing her Dad just said that!! Jack nodded & carried on eating. Thankfully the subject was dropped & they all ate their dinner in silence for the next few minutes! Gemma didnt feel much like announcing her good news anymore & she hoped they'd just forgotten all about it....and they had......all except Rhett!
"So Gem what's this great news you were gonna tell us then?" he said grinning. Gemma could have gleefully knocked him off his stool!!!
"Yeah Gemma! C'mon spill the beans!!" Greg joined in! She gulped, 'here goes nothing' she thought.
"Well.....everyone.....you all know Ive been to the WWF HQ these last few days with Matt & Jeff. Well....while I was there something kinda...unexpected happened!" She looked around the table at the seven faces all focused on her! "I.....I...kinda got a job!"
Her Dad's fork stoped in mid air & the rest of them looked at her like goldfish!
"You're not seriously gonna be a wrestler are you!" Chris asked. Her Dad choked.
"NO NO NO!! Nothing like that!! Im gonna be a reporter....well kinda! Im gonna take photographs & do write ups of shows that kinda thing!! Isnt that great!!!" She beamed at them & they all stared blankly at her. Then Michael jumped up out of his seat & hugged her!
"Way to go little sis!!"
They all congratulated her in turn, all except her father.
"Dad? Are'nt you pleased?"
He looked up at his daughter, his only daughter & sighed.
"College Gemma? I take it this will be after you graduate?"
Gemma's eyes widened! The rest of them saw the look on her face & all remembered some place they urgently needed to be!! Gemma was left alone with her father.
"Sit down a moment Gemma."
She sat back in her seat next to her Dad. She'd been so caught up in everything she completely forgot that her Dad didnt even know she'd quit college!!
"Dad......I......I.....I quit college." She put her head down.
"I know. They called while you were away to ask when you were gonna pick up the rest of your stuff."
"Oh. Im sorry dad!"
"Why Gemma? I thought things were going ok at college?"
"Im so sorry to let you down Dad! I hated college, the stress, the people........everything! I was so depressed I just couldnt deal with it any more."
He put his hand on top of hers.
"Why couldnt we talk about it......about this job even? You need to trust me with these things Gemma!"
"The job was a total shock to me! I didnt go there looking for work Dad I swear! It just happened & I didnt really have much time to think about it....I just thought it was a once in a lifetime thing y'know? I couldnt risk losing out on such an experiance!! As for college....I was gonna tell you dad, really I was....but I just thought you'd...."
"Get mad & demand you go back there?" he interrupted.
"Well, something like that yeah!"
"Gemma Im not an ogre! Im not gonna pretend Im happy about this! The thought of you going off God knows where with a bunch of strangers....well anyway I just want you to be happy! Just promise me this will make you happy Gemma! All I ever wish for is that my kids are happy!"
"Oh Daddy!" She threw her arms around his neck "I will be happy! This is gonna be the best thing that's ever happened to me I know it!! Ive never felt so sure about anything in my life!! And I'll be with Matt & Jeff....I'll be fine! They look after me y'know!"
"Yeah, like their little sister huh?"
"Yeah! Like I dont have enough big brothers already!!" They both laughed.
Just then her cell phone rang. "Excuse me!" She said & answered it. "Hello?....Oh Adam! Hi!......Yeah! Listen can I call you back in five? ok .....yeah.....ok.....bye then..bye."
She put her phone on the table & looked up at her Dad.
"Thankyou dad! Thankyou so much! I wont let you down I promise!!" she hugged him again. Michael walked into the room & smiled at them both. She grinned at him & went to walk out of the door.
"Gemma?"
"Yes Dad?"
"You might wanna take your phone if you wanna make that call!" Her Dad held up her cell phone & she blushed. "Erm.....and Adam is...?"
"Oh erm....he's just a wrestler I met while I was away!"
"A WHAT?"
"Gotta go! Bye Dad! Love you!" She bolted out of the door.
"GEMMA??!!"
Jack looked at his eldest son & sighed. "I swaer Michael she gets more like you every damn day!" he smiled.
"Yeah but Im not such a bad kid am I Dad!?" He put his arm around his Dad's shoulders.
"I guess not! If anyone of you lot is gonna turn my hair white it will be that one..." he gestured to the back door"...Im sure of it!"
They both laughed.