The house she was staying in was nice. It wasn't a big fancy place but it
was nice. It looked better than our house anyways. I was guessing her
friend was about middle class. I was getting more nervous by the minute. We
walked up to the front door and she unlocked it and led me in. "Is your
friend home?" I asked.
She shook her head. "No she's out for the night." I followed her further into the house and into a big bright room. On the floor with several scattered blocks sat a young teenage girl and a small infant. They both looked up when we walked in and the infant squealed at the site of Brooke. "Hi baby." Brooke said and went over to pick her up. "Hi, mama." I stared at the baby. She was beautiful. The most beautiful baby I'd ever seen. "Tracy, I know I'm back earlier than was expected. There was a small change of plans." Brooke said to the teenage girl who had stood up now and was looking back and forth from Brooke to me.
"Not a problem, Mrs. Talent."
Brooke paid her and she left. I was standing there in the room, awkwardly. Brooke broke out of her dais and came over to me, holding Katherine out. I looked at her wide eyed and hesitated. "Go on." Brooke laughed. "She doesn't bite."
I took the small child in my arms carefully and held her. She stared up at me with big green eyes and smiled. "badugwagusa." She said. Brooke and I laughed.
"When's her birthday?" I asked, just to be saying something.
"March 3, 1965." Brooke replied.
"March 3rd." I said, softly, studying my daughter and loving her more and more every second. Gosh it was weird loving someone that you'd just met.
"She's adorable, isn't she?" Brooke asked.
I nodded. "Precious. Absolutely precious." I held her for a few more minutes and then started asking a million questions. I didn't know anything about her. "Does she walk, what's she eat, can she talk yet, what was her first word?" Brooke answered all my questions and then Katherine gave me a demonstration of her walking skills. She walked from me to the couch and back and then let me pick her back up. "She's so small." I said.
Brooke laughed at me. "Well, baby's are small, Darry."
"I'd forgotten what baby's were like. I was only six when my youngest brother was born." I said. Now that I was here and I had met my daughter and become somewhat reacquainted with Brooke, something occurred to me. Was I going to be able to see my little girl periodically? Was Brooke gonna go back to California with Katherine? "Brooke, how long are you planning on staying in town?"
"For a little while." She said a bit to quickly for my liking. I really didn't trust Brooke. Not after what she did to me.
I was holding the baby so that her head was resting on my shoulder and she was chewing on a chain that hung around my neck. I didn't mind. It was actually really cute. "Well, it looks like there's an immediate father and daughter bond." Brooke said. I smiled and looked down at Katherine.
She caught my look and grinned back up at me. "Heeheeh!" She laughed. Her smile caught my attention right away. It looked just like Sodapop's. just without as many teeth. Gosh but she was the cutest little thing I'd ever seen. She didn't ever seem to quit smiling.
"I still wanna know why you decided to tell me now instead of before you disappeared." I said and Brooke looked away.
"Just because."
"Because why?"
"Because it was time, that's why."
"No, it was time to tell me two years ago when you first got pregnant." I said. "Do you need child support or something? Is that why you're telling me?"
"It's nothing like that!" She snapped and I didn't say anything further. "I don't wanna talk about this anymore. The point is I told you and now you know." She said.
"Fine but where'd you get the money to take care of her? You were working at a pizza joint last time I checked. How did you support yourself and a kid? I doubt your parents gave you the money to take off."
She glared at me. "I know how to take care of myself. I'm not as dumb as you think I am. I don't need to depend on anybody but myself." She said.
"That's a bunch of nonsense." I said. "What kind of money could you possibly be making without a college degree and a child to care for?"
"Listen I married a fifty year old rich bachelor before she was born. After I gave birth I divorced him and got a some change. Does that answer your question?
I stared at her shocked. This was not the Brooke that I remembered. No, the Brooke I new was sweet, considerate, smart. "Sounds to me like you do need somebody else to depend on if you're marrying a guy over twice your age just to steal his money."
"Oh shut up!"
"You are so full of it. Do you know that?" I said.
She simply ignored me and said "Watch her for a minute while I go to the bathroom, ok?"
I nodded and looked back down at Katherine. "How in the world am I gonna tell my brothers about you?"
***
I got home hours later at about eleven. I had been with them for a while talking about all sorts of things I'd missed out on. We also talked more about us. Me and Brooke I mean. I walked in and Pony was on the couch, staring at the TV. He looked up when I walked in the door. "Hey, Dar! Where the heck have you been?"
"It's kinda a long story. I'll tell you in the morning." I said.
He looked kinda disappointed but nodded. "All-right."
"Hey, where's Soda?" He didn't have to answer that though because there was a big smashing sound, like breaking glass from the kitchen and Soda came out with a coke. "You gotta be that loud while your getting something to drink?" I asked.
He looked at me sheepishly. "I really hope you ain't to fond of that blue mug because it's a. kinda all over the kitchen floor now."
I pointed back towards the kitchen and he got the idea. "Fine, where's the broom."
"Same place it always is." I said. "And watch out for your feet, since there's glass everywhere."
"Thank you, Darry. I hadn't thought of that." He said sarcastically. "Hey where have you been anyways?" He asked as he swept up pieces of the broken mug. "You pick up a hot chick or something?"
"Yeah, Darry." Pony said. "Ask her if she's got a little sister around my age."
"Very cute, you two." I said. "Actually I was with a girl. Two in fact." I muttered the last part. "Don't stay up to late, all-right?"
"But it's summer. I have all day to sleep tomorrow." Pony said.
"I don't care. I don't want you guys up all night, understand?" I said.
"Yes ma'am." They both chorused.
I sighed. "You had that planned, didn't you?" I asked.
"Maybe." Soda said, coming out of the kitchen and then they both made a dash for their room. I chuckled to myself and retired to my own room, flopping down on the bed in exhaustion. "How you gonna tell them about all this?" I asked myself out loud.
She shook her head. "No she's out for the night." I followed her further into the house and into a big bright room. On the floor with several scattered blocks sat a young teenage girl and a small infant. They both looked up when we walked in and the infant squealed at the site of Brooke. "Hi baby." Brooke said and went over to pick her up. "Hi, mama." I stared at the baby. She was beautiful. The most beautiful baby I'd ever seen. "Tracy, I know I'm back earlier than was expected. There was a small change of plans." Brooke said to the teenage girl who had stood up now and was looking back and forth from Brooke to me.
"Not a problem, Mrs. Talent."
Brooke paid her and she left. I was standing there in the room, awkwardly. Brooke broke out of her dais and came over to me, holding Katherine out. I looked at her wide eyed and hesitated. "Go on." Brooke laughed. "She doesn't bite."
I took the small child in my arms carefully and held her. She stared up at me with big green eyes and smiled. "badugwagusa." She said. Brooke and I laughed.
"When's her birthday?" I asked, just to be saying something.
"March 3, 1965." Brooke replied.
"March 3rd." I said, softly, studying my daughter and loving her more and more every second. Gosh it was weird loving someone that you'd just met.
"She's adorable, isn't she?" Brooke asked.
I nodded. "Precious. Absolutely precious." I held her for a few more minutes and then started asking a million questions. I didn't know anything about her. "Does she walk, what's she eat, can she talk yet, what was her first word?" Brooke answered all my questions and then Katherine gave me a demonstration of her walking skills. She walked from me to the couch and back and then let me pick her back up. "She's so small." I said.
Brooke laughed at me. "Well, baby's are small, Darry."
"I'd forgotten what baby's were like. I was only six when my youngest brother was born." I said. Now that I was here and I had met my daughter and become somewhat reacquainted with Brooke, something occurred to me. Was I going to be able to see my little girl periodically? Was Brooke gonna go back to California with Katherine? "Brooke, how long are you planning on staying in town?"
"For a little while." She said a bit to quickly for my liking. I really didn't trust Brooke. Not after what she did to me.
I was holding the baby so that her head was resting on my shoulder and she was chewing on a chain that hung around my neck. I didn't mind. It was actually really cute. "Well, it looks like there's an immediate father and daughter bond." Brooke said. I smiled and looked down at Katherine.
She caught my look and grinned back up at me. "Heeheeh!" She laughed. Her smile caught my attention right away. It looked just like Sodapop's. just without as many teeth. Gosh but she was the cutest little thing I'd ever seen. She didn't ever seem to quit smiling.
"I still wanna know why you decided to tell me now instead of before you disappeared." I said and Brooke looked away.
"Just because."
"Because why?"
"Because it was time, that's why."
"No, it was time to tell me two years ago when you first got pregnant." I said. "Do you need child support or something? Is that why you're telling me?"
"It's nothing like that!" She snapped and I didn't say anything further. "I don't wanna talk about this anymore. The point is I told you and now you know." She said.
"Fine but where'd you get the money to take care of her? You were working at a pizza joint last time I checked. How did you support yourself and a kid? I doubt your parents gave you the money to take off."
She glared at me. "I know how to take care of myself. I'm not as dumb as you think I am. I don't need to depend on anybody but myself." She said.
"That's a bunch of nonsense." I said. "What kind of money could you possibly be making without a college degree and a child to care for?"
"Listen I married a fifty year old rich bachelor before she was born. After I gave birth I divorced him and got a some change. Does that answer your question?
I stared at her shocked. This was not the Brooke that I remembered. No, the Brooke I new was sweet, considerate, smart. "Sounds to me like you do need somebody else to depend on if you're marrying a guy over twice your age just to steal his money."
"Oh shut up!"
"You are so full of it. Do you know that?" I said.
She simply ignored me and said "Watch her for a minute while I go to the bathroom, ok?"
I nodded and looked back down at Katherine. "How in the world am I gonna tell my brothers about you?"
***
I got home hours later at about eleven. I had been with them for a while talking about all sorts of things I'd missed out on. We also talked more about us. Me and Brooke I mean. I walked in and Pony was on the couch, staring at the TV. He looked up when I walked in the door. "Hey, Dar! Where the heck have you been?"
"It's kinda a long story. I'll tell you in the morning." I said.
He looked kinda disappointed but nodded. "All-right."
"Hey, where's Soda?" He didn't have to answer that though because there was a big smashing sound, like breaking glass from the kitchen and Soda came out with a coke. "You gotta be that loud while your getting something to drink?" I asked.
He looked at me sheepishly. "I really hope you ain't to fond of that blue mug because it's a. kinda all over the kitchen floor now."
I pointed back towards the kitchen and he got the idea. "Fine, where's the broom."
"Same place it always is." I said. "And watch out for your feet, since there's glass everywhere."
"Thank you, Darry. I hadn't thought of that." He said sarcastically. "Hey where have you been anyways?" He asked as he swept up pieces of the broken mug. "You pick up a hot chick or something?"
"Yeah, Darry." Pony said. "Ask her if she's got a little sister around my age."
"Very cute, you two." I said. "Actually I was with a girl. Two in fact." I muttered the last part. "Don't stay up to late, all-right?"
"But it's summer. I have all day to sleep tomorrow." Pony said.
"I don't care. I don't want you guys up all night, understand?" I said.
"Yes ma'am." They both chorused.
I sighed. "You had that planned, didn't you?" I asked.
"Maybe." Soda said, coming out of the kitchen and then they both made a dash for their room. I chuckled to myself and retired to my own room, flopping down on the bed in exhaustion. "How you gonna tell them about all this?" I asked myself out loud.