Mark checked his mail and sighed loud. Once again Lacy had returned the check he had sent. It had taken two weeks for some of the anger to leave him and he realized that Lacy could barely afford the kids she had. He decided to do the right thing and started sending her a check. He was very generous wanting to make sure she had enough to take care of all the kids. A couple of days later she had returned the check with a note saying no thank you that her and her baby would be just fine. Mark at first thought she was playing some kind of game so for the next three months he and kept sending a check and she kept returning it.
"Damn stubborn woman." He muttered to himself. He wondered if she even had money to go to the doctor. He wondered if the kids had enough to eat. Mark had at first gone back to his party life style, drinking and women, but he soon became bored with it. Now he sat around his big house all alone tinkering with his Harleys and thinking about Lacy and the kids. He laid his mail done and noticed another envelope with childish scrawl on it. He tore it open, it said: Dear daddy, I miss you. We have to move to the city. Mommy didn't say why but I think its cause we don't have enough money. I didn't want you to come here looking for us and not know where were at, cause I know someday you will come back. Mommy is having a baby you know, you are the real daddy of this baby, don't that make us a real family now? I have to see you daddy I know if I see you I can make you come home. I am coming to see you. I got your address. I will call you when I get to Texas..I love you …Jessie.
Mark put the letter down, what did she mean she was coming to Texas. Mark had a bad feeling about this. He picked up the phone and dialed Lacy's number.
"Hello." Lacy said in a voice filled with tears.
"Lacy what's wrong?" Mark asked.
"Mark, Jessie has disappeared. She was gone when I got up this morning." Lacy said bursting into tears.
"Lacy calm down, I got a letter from Jessie today. She said she was going to come to see me. Sounds like she took off, She can't have got that far." Mark said.
"Mark something awful could happen to her. How can I find her? I called the police and there looking." Lacy said.
"Darlin I want ya to set tight. I'm going to check all the terminals and airports here in case by some miracle she figured out how to get a ticket or something. Then I will be there to help ya look for her, okay?" Mark said.
Lacy was silent for a moment.
"Lacy are ya there girl?" Mark said.
"Yes, thank you Mark, I'm just so scared I don't know what to do.' Lacy said.
"We'll find her, I promise, okay." Mark said gently.
"Okay." Lacy said.
"I'll call ya back and let ya know when I'll be in." Mark said.
"Okay, bye." Lacy said and hung up.
Mark picked up his cell and started calling airports.
Ethan stood looking at Lacy.
"What did he want?" Ethan asked.
"He got a letter from Jessie saying she was coming to see him. We think she must have run away trying to go see him. He going to check the airports and bus terminals and then come down here." Lacy said.
"We don't need his help!" Ethan yelled.
"Ethan I know you're still angry at him, but what we did was wrong and he had a right to be mad." Lacy said.
"He left you pregnant mom." Ethan said frustrated that she would still defend him.
"Ethan he has sent me money every month, I just refused to take it. He was trying to do the right thing." Lacy said.
"You still love him don't you?" Ethan asked.
"You do to don't you?" Lacy said.
Ethan nodded and looked away.
Lacy turned and sat down hoping Jessie would be found soon.
Mark had called both airports seeing if there was a Jessie Coleridge on any incoming flights but no luck. He called the bus terminals too, but no luck. Then he had a idea. He called back and asked if there was a Jessie Callaway coming in from any fights.
"Well yes sir. On flight 302 coming in Montana, straight flight. She what we call a unescorted child. She is coming in to visit her dad." The lady said.
"I'm her dad Mark Callaway. He mother forgot her flight number and I was kind of frantic." Mark said.
"Well sir, she will be at the terminal in two hours." The lady said. Mark sighed in relief. First he had to call Lacy then he had to get to the airport. Thank God Jessie was alright. He was going give her the biggest hug in the world and then he was going to tan her butt till she couldn't sit for a week.
