Sydney stepped out of her elementary school automatically searching for Edith, her full-time nanny, waiting to pick her up. She became scared and a bit nauseated when she didn't see her. Edith was never late, NEVER. When Sydney looked again, she realized, with great surprise, that her father was standing next to his car waiting for her. She sighed deeply, wondering what the occasion was as he never picked her up from school.
"Dad, where is Edith? She didn't tell me she wouldn't be coming this afternoon."
"She's at home, starting dinner. She's fine, I promise. I just thought it would be nice if I picked you up for a change."
Sydney shrugged and got into the front passenger seat. Jack frowned, though his daughter didn't see it. He had hoped she would be at least a little pleased to see him. He'd been out of the country for three weeks.
Sydney only spoke again when they were halfway home.
"Did you just get home today? And you'll have to leave again soon, won't you?" She said this last with great bitterness, already knowing what the answer would be. She really didn't know why she continued asking.
"Unfortunately, yes."
"Where is it this time? Mars?"
"Sydney, please. I'll be going to France for a week."
"And then Italy and then China and then Chile and then Greenland and then ..."
"Sydney!"
"Yeah, sorry," she mumbled.
The school was barely three blocks from their house, and Syndey couldn't understand why she couldn't walk. She would have liked that much better.
A moment later, they were home. Sydney got out of the car, slammed her door and went inside without another word. By the time Jack had gathered his things and come in the front door, he heard the door to Sydney's room closing loudly at the back of the house. Sighing, he decided to join Edith in the kitchen for a while before trying to talk to his daughter again.
Edith knew Jack's relationship with his daughter was certainly not the best and knew they must have been at it again when she saw the look on his face.
"Tell me something, Edith."
"Yes, Mr. Bristow?"
"Is she always that difficult?"
"More than I'd like, sometimes. Though it's usually while you're..." Edith looked away, ashamed of what she'd almost said, and knowing that Jack had gotten the point anyway.
"When I'm here," He finished, frowning. "She has a right to be angry at me. I'm gone too much, she's growing up without me."
Edith didn't know what to say to make either of them feel better, and so she only sighed and went back to her cooking. After a few moment, Jack stood and went to his daughter's room.
Sydney was doing her homework. She was very astute, and it never took her long. Soon, she'd be reading a book or watching something on her small television set.
Jack knocked and entered, sitting on the corner of his daughter's bed.
"What?" she asked a bit angrily.
"I thought it would be best if we had a little talk."
"It better be little. I have homework." Jack looked at Sydney's papers. They were giving her more advanced mathematics and reading work to do because she was so much smarter than her fellow students. Sydney greatly hoped to be able to skip sixth grade and move onto seventh at the end of the school year. She didn't tell her father this, of course.
"I'll only be a few minutes, then. I just wanted to say that I know you're angry because I'm not here very much. if I could be, I would be."
Sydney looked him directly in the eye, obviously not believing him.
"Oh, really? How much fun would it be to stay here, after going all around the world like you do? Mom never liked being home either, she never did talk to me much. You're just like that! Half the time I wonder what you two even had me for!"
Jack wasn't about to admit that Sydney wasn't planned. Actually, he was more afraid that she already knew. Then it came.
"I know that I was an 'accident.' Why did you keep me? Your relationship was horrible already! How did you think I would help you? If anything, I've made things worse."
"Sydney, stop it."
"No. Don't I have a right to be angry?"
"Yes, you have a right to be angry, but I can only take so much."
"You can only take so much? How do you think I feel, knowing that I was just a mistake in the first place, and that both of you have probably never wanted me?? Now Mom is gone, and you're stuck with me. Or at least I thought you were. Instead, I've got someone who's old enough to be my grandmother that has to stand in for both of you!"
Jack started to say something but decided it was best not to.
"GOOD, don't say ANYTHING! Just GET OUT! GET OUT, GO AWAY!" Sydney was jumping on her bed screaming at him now. He felt this was a bit uneccessary, but she was still right. He obeyed and left her be, for now. He was leaving again soon, that was correct, but he still had some time to try and fix things. He would have to ask Edith how.
Sydney stayed very angry for a long while. She didn't even finish her homework, she was that angry. At first, she thought about doing badly at school to get back at her father. He wasn't proud of her for being a good student, but she realized that she was very proud of herself, and shelved that idea. She turned on her tv to pass some time, though she didn't really watch it, and had it turned up loud so she couldn't hear anything else.
Amazingly, Sydney fell asleep with the tv blaring like that, and only woke up when her father came in and turned it off. Assuming it was Edith, Sydney sat up and began to say something. Almost immediately, she was silent again, throwing fierce looks in her father's direction.
"Don't you look at me like that, young lady. For as infrequently as I'm able to be here, this is still my house, you're still my daughter, and you should follow my wishes. Understand?"
This all felt totally wrong to Jack, but it was what Edith had told him to do. Be firm, and eventually Sydney would settle down and talk to him. Seeing the look on his daughter's face, Jack honestly didn't think that was so.... but it was worth a try. He walked toward her bed, and asked to sit.
"Dad, where is Edith? She didn't tell me she wouldn't be coming this afternoon."
"She's at home, starting dinner. She's fine, I promise. I just thought it would be nice if I picked you up for a change."
Sydney shrugged and got into the front passenger seat. Jack frowned, though his daughter didn't see it. He had hoped she would be at least a little pleased to see him. He'd been out of the country for three weeks.
Sydney only spoke again when they were halfway home.
"Did you just get home today? And you'll have to leave again soon, won't you?" She said this last with great bitterness, already knowing what the answer would be. She really didn't know why she continued asking.
"Unfortunately, yes."
"Where is it this time? Mars?"
"Sydney, please. I'll be going to France for a week."
"And then Italy and then China and then Chile and then Greenland and then ..."
"Sydney!"
"Yeah, sorry," she mumbled.
The school was barely three blocks from their house, and Syndey couldn't understand why she couldn't walk. She would have liked that much better.
A moment later, they were home. Sydney got out of the car, slammed her door and went inside without another word. By the time Jack had gathered his things and come in the front door, he heard the door to Sydney's room closing loudly at the back of the house. Sighing, he decided to join Edith in the kitchen for a while before trying to talk to his daughter again.
Edith knew Jack's relationship with his daughter was certainly not the best and knew they must have been at it again when she saw the look on his face.
"Tell me something, Edith."
"Yes, Mr. Bristow?"
"Is she always that difficult?"
"More than I'd like, sometimes. Though it's usually while you're..." Edith looked away, ashamed of what she'd almost said, and knowing that Jack had gotten the point anyway.
"When I'm here," He finished, frowning. "She has a right to be angry at me. I'm gone too much, she's growing up without me."
Edith didn't know what to say to make either of them feel better, and so she only sighed and went back to her cooking. After a few moment, Jack stood and went to his daughter's room.
Sydney was doing her homework. She was very astute, and it never took her long. Soon, she'd be reading a book or watching something on her small television set.
Jack knocked and entered, sitting on the corner of his daughter's bed.
"What?" she asked a bit angrily.
"I thought it would be best if we had a little talk."
"It better be little. I have homework." Jack looked at Sydney's papers. They were giving her more advanced mathematics and reading work to do because she was so much smarter than her fellow students. Sydney greatly hoped to be able to skip sixth grade and move onto seventh at the end of the school year. She didn't tell her father this, of course.
"I'll only be a few minutes, then. I just wanted to say that I know you're angry because I'm not here very much. if I could be, I would be."
Sydney looked him directly in the eye, obviously not believing him.
"Oh, really? How much fun would it be to stay here, after going all around the world like you do? Mom never liked being home either, she never did talk to me much. You're just like that! Half the time I wonder what you two even had me for!"
Jack wasn't about to admit that Sydney wasn't planned. Actually, he was more afraid that she already knew. Then it came.
"I know that I was an 'accident.' Why did you keep me? Your relationship was horrible already! How did you think I would help you? If anything, I've made things worse."
"Sydney, stop it."
"No. Don't I have a right to be angry?"
"Yes, you have a right to be angry, but I can only take so much."
"You can only take so much? How do you think I feel, knowing that I was just a mistake in the first place, and that both of you have probably never wanted me?? Now Mom is gone, and you're stuck with me. Or at least I thought you were. Instead, I've got someone who's old enough to be my grandmother that has to stand in for both of you!"
Jack started to say something but decided it was best not to.
"GOOD, don't say ANYTHING! Just GET OUT! GET OUT, GO AWAY!" Sydney was jumping on her bed screaming at him now. He felt this was a bit uneccessary, but she was still right. He obeyed and left her be, for now. He was leaving again soon, that was correct, but he still had some time to try and fix things. He would have to ask Edith how.
Sydney stayed very angry for a long while. She didn't even finish her homework, she was that angry. At first, she thought about doing badly at school to get back at her father. He wasn't proud of her for being a good student, but she realized that she was very proud of herself, and shelved that idea. She turned on her tv to pass some time, though she didn't really watch it, and had it turned up loud so she couldn't hear anything else.
Amazingly, Sydney fell asleep with the tv blaring like that, and only woke up when her father came in and turned it off. Assuming it was Edith, Sydney sat up and began to say something. Almost immediately, she was silent again, throwing fierce looks in her father's direction.
"Don't you look at me like that, young lady. For as infrequently as I'm able to be here, this is still my house, you're still my daughter, and you should follow my wishes. Understand?"
This all felt totally wrong to Jack, but it was what Edith had told him to do. Be firm, and eventually Sydney would settle down and talk to him. Seeing the look on his daughter's face, Jack honestly didn't think that was so.... but it was worth a try. He walked toward her bed, and asked to sit.