When Bobby finished blessing the house and chasing out any unwanted supernatural squatters, Joannie met him on her front porch. "You need a lift home? Or at least to the end of the driveway?" she asked.
Bobby shook his head. "Nah, a good walk will help clear my head. And don't look like that," he added quickly as he gave her mother's beads back to her. 'It's nothing to do with this house. You don't have any Amityville Horrors lurking in there. I just wish …" He broke off and put his arm around her waist. Well, I wish a lot of things, but for now, I wish you didn't have to let him in here."
Joannie looked up at the ceiling in mock despair. This made bobby laugh.
"It's kind of a last-minute decision. But he's my dad, Bobby. What am I supposed to do. I couldn't just leave him in jail or on the streets. My Mom would turnover in her grave if I did. And besides, you worry too much," Joannie tried to assure her friend. "I can handle him. It might be the only part of my life I have a definite grip on, but that's better than nothing."
"I know. I know. You can handle just about anything, Pretty Little J," Bobby agreed, but he still looked concerned.
"Will you stop calling me that!" Joannie protested, glaring up at her long-time friend. She gave him a gentle, playful shove and planted an elbow firmly in his side.
"Oof," bobby grunted, before reaching down and literally sweeping her off her feet again. He twirled her around the porch, much the same way he had done in the garage, except this time he went ahead to serenade her with his badly offkey rendition of 'You Are My Sunshine.' That made her laugh in spite of herself, but when he started to sing 'Can't Change That', Joannie clapped both hands tightly over his mouth until he set her down, gently, into the big old porch swing.
"Will you ever grow up? I swear, you are still such a goofball!" Joannie gasped as the world swayed dizzily around her.
"Yes Ma'am, and God already knows that," Bobby confirmed cheerfully. "But your dad doesn't."
"What?" Joannie started to ask. Then, she saw the porch lights flick off and on several times.
"Oh! I don't believe him!" Reaching over, she tapped a disguised button on a nearby table and commanded, "Get away from the damn windows and stop that, Old Man!"
"Joannie, now just wait one minute," bobby held up one hand imploringly. "Just do me one tiny favor, okay? Just give me a quick call before you turn in tonight, just to let me know that things are cool, and that you haven't killed him yet. Or if you have, I'll help you with the, ahem, final arrangements. please?" Her brow furrowed, and when it looked like the woman would object, bobby added, "pretty please with a hot fudge sundae on top? Just for my peace of mind, I won't ask any questions, I swear. Please, please, p-l-e-a—"
"Oh god! Give me strength to deal with all the idiot men in my life," she burst out. "Okay, bob, a girl can only take so much begging. I'll give you a call. Now get off my property, Padre!"
"Bless you, my sweet beautiful child," Bobby bowed deeply to her and blew her a kiss before running off of her front porch and down her long driveway.
"Men," Joannie groaned, leaning her head back, putting one arm over her face and closing her eyes.
After she had yelled at him to stay away from the lights, John Kreese left his daughter's house through the back and headed down the driveway. He timed it perfectly. He was waiting for Bobby when the other arrived back at the gate.
"I knew you'd be waiting," the younger man commented gravely.
Kreese got right to the point. "What the hell is up with you and my little girl?"
"She's not a little girl anymore, Kreese. She's a grown up extraordinarily kind and lovely young woman. Her heart is so full of giving and kindness that it boggles my mind that she ever sprang from your seed. And that is all I'm going to say to you. if Joannie wants you to know all the ins and outs of our relationship, than she will tell you, herself."
John Kreese studied his former student for a long moment in contemplative silence. "She is so much like her mother." That's where most of her kindness and giving nature comes from." And you don't want me anywhere near her, do you?"
Bobby nodded. "Most? I'd say all. And you're right about that. I don't want anyone around who hurts her, not even you. But for some reason, she does want you here. And before you start posturing and puffing yourself up and playing Daddy, I know there's not a damn thing I can do about it.
Bobby laughed. "You know, when my pretty little J asked me to come and bless the new house for her, I had no idea that you would be one of the negative influences hanging around."
"And I had no idea you would be the man of the cloth she would call to bless her new house. So I guess we're even in the nasty surprise department, huh."
Bobby scowled, but said nothing.
Kreese stared right back at him and also said nothing, but the tension between the two was growing. Before the tension could escalate, a cry interrupted things. "Bobby"
Before either man could react, Joanie came tearing down the driveway. She put herself squarely between her estranged Father and her long-time friend, and both men backed off a bit.
Glaring at both of them the woman demanded, "What the hell is going on down here?" She spoke ostensibly to both men, but mostly to her father.
Kreese opened his mouth, but Bobby spoke first. "It's okay, J. Kreese was just remembering his Fatherly duties, that's all."
"Was he really?" Her voice dripped sarcasm.
When both men nodded, the woman raked her eyes over the two of them, looking for obvious signs of physical injuries. When she found none, she gave a long and relieved sigh. "Fine," she said and opened her gate. "Bobby, I'll talk to you later tonight, okay? And thanks for coming."
"Your wish has always been my command, Pretty J."
Kreese looked on in silence as Bobby gave his daughter another long hug before turning away,. The two men exchanged intense stares before the pastor strolled passed him and out of Joannie's front gate.
Kreese turned to his daughter. She said nothing to him. She turned and began walking away. With a growing feeling of helplessness, Kreese watched as his daughter started back up the long driveway. After a moment of seeing her figure grow smaller in the distance, the old Karate sensei had several quick flashbacks. They all showed him his precious little Joannie, his one and only girl, being taken away from him for one reason or another. True, it was mostly his fault, but he could not stand it another minute. He had to run to catch up with her.
How did such a petite woman moved so far so fast, anyway?
When he finally caught up to her, Kreese reached out and put a hand carefully on her shoulder. When she did not slap it away, it gave him hope.
"Honey, listen, you're right. I was way out of line with the porch lights," Kreese told his daughter. "I don't know. That's just how it was done in my day, you know, back in the old days, way back when dinosaurs roamed the land."
Her lips twitched, and his heart soared. He wanted nothing more than to see her smile. She was so beautiful when she smiled, just like her mother. He did not know how, but Kreese was determined to win a smile out of his daughter before the night was done.
A/n:
Greetings, long patient readers. I hope everyone is doing well. Thanks for reading. And a big welcome to any and all newcomers.