"Guile saved my life."
Saying this out loud gained Charlie an odd glance form the old lady who had seated herself next to him on the bench. His face immediately turned red from embarrassment. Ever since he was a small child, he was always blushing at the slightest embarrassing thing. Charlie quickly got up and once again attempted to control his hair by smoothing his hands over it. He got up from the bench and walked into a nearby phone booth. It was one of those classic red ones you always see on T.V. It gave the neighborhood a nice look. He picked up the phonebook and looked for Camilla's phone number. Charlie knew the address; hell he was only 2 blocks from her house. But he thought that it would be best if called before he came over. He found the number within seconds and dialed. The phone rang 3 times before he heard someone pick up.
"Hello?"
"Uh, yeah, Camilla?"
He knew it was her.
"Yes, this is she, may I ask with whom I'm speaking?"
"Um yeah.I.well.it's me, Charlie." He was answered with silence.
"Are you there?"
"Yes, I'm here. I was just a little surprised you called. It's been 4 years."
This was said with much harshness.
"Yeah, I know, that's why I called. Well.uh.I was a coward Camilla. I ran away with out even thinking of you and what you would have to go through. I had just managed to tell myself it was okay because of the circumstances of our relationship, or lack there of."
"Your damn bloody right you did. Just because you don't hold any responsibility to me doesn't mean you don't owe any to your child."
"I know I was wrong and dammit, Camilla, I'm trying to fix it now. To do the right thing, to be a part of her life."
"Her? How do you know she's a girl?"
"I checked newspapers for the birth announcement."
Camilla seemed to be touched by this.
"Well I guess I can't legally keep you from seeing her. So I agree on my terms. We can arrange a time for you to fly in and meet her."
"Well, that's another thing.I'm about 2 blocks away from your house right now."
"What?"
"I know it's short notice I was just scared that if I called too much in advance, that I'd wimp out. So I just came, my plane arrived about an hour ago."
"Charlie you are so impossible. Give me five bloody minutes to get her dressed. You can't pull this kind of stuff on me all the time."
"Okay, fine. Great. I'll see you in a."
Camilla slammed the receiver down. Charlie hung up the phone. He wasn't expecting that much hostility, but he planned on making it up to her. Never had he felt more scared or excited at the same time, in his life. He wanted to run, but knew that if he did he would arrive early. So he walked. As he looked ahead he could already see Camilla's house in the distance. It was small, probably barely enough room for two, another reason for her to resent him. Charlie knew that he was partly to blame for this, but was determined to fix it. He walked up the small porch steps and reached out to knock on the door. But before he could the door opened and he was net by Camilla. She had let her long, auburn hair grow down almost to her back. Her hair was always in perfect order, especially when compared to his.
"Hey Charlie, she insisted on dressing herself, she really is stubborn, even for her age. She will be out any minute. Come in."
Charlie walked in and shut the door behind him. He then took a seat on the small couch; Camilla remained standing.
"I really am sorry Camilla, I made a huge mistake."
"I don't want to worry about that yet, right now the only person I am worried about is her. She was really excited when I told her that her Daddy was coming to meet her."
"You already told her the truth about me?"
"Yes, I did, unlike some people, I don't like to keep things from her."
"I thought I explained that."
Just then Charlie heard the sound of little feet running down the hall towards him and Camilla. When the little girl rounded the corner, Charlie thought his heart would explode. She had long, blonde hair, which like his was strewn all about. He stood up which made his little girl look into his eyes and what he saw were his own green eyes staring back at him. With her eyes off where she was going, her little tiny shirt got caught on a loose nail and she stumbled to the ground.
"CAMMY!"
Charlie quickly looked over to Camilla as she ran to her daughter's side. She picked her up and ran into the kitchen. Charlie followed. Camilla put her onto the table and lifted the little girl's shirt only to expose a bleeding cut on her abdomen. At the sight of blood the little girl began to scream. Now Charlie thought his eardrums were going to explode. He ran to her side.
"Hey, look, I have a scar in that same spot."
He lifted up his shirt to expose his scar. Through tears and in between sobs, she managed to say,
"Mine is badder than yours."
"Well now it is, but mine is really old, it's going to be there forever. See yours won't because it's not that bad."
"Did it hurt?"
"Yeah, it hurt pretty bad but I'm okay, and now so are you."
Charlie had distracted her long enough for Camilla to clean the small cut.
"I am?"
This reaction made Charlie smile form ear to ear.
"My name is Charlie."
"Huh? Mum told me you were my Daddy."
"I am, but my name is Charlie."
"Not Daddy?"
"Well, yes, Daddy, but Charlie too!"
"Two names? That's weird."
"Your mother has two names also."
"Naw Uh!"
"Uh huh! Her name is Camilla."
"No that's my name, but I go by Cammy."
"Oh really? Well you know what that means?" "What?"
"That your mother named you after herself."
This thought seemed to confuse Cammy so she did what most little girls her age do when confused, changed the subject.
"How did you get your boo-boo?"
"Somebody shot me."
"Shot you!! With a gun? My Mum says that guns are dangerous and that I never want to see one 'cause if I do I'll probably get shot and that hurts doesn't it. That's what you said right? Did you get shot with a big gun?"
"Yes it hurt but no it wasn't a big gun. How about we go and sit in the living room so we can talk."
Cammy looked to her mother, who nodded, and then she said,
"Okay! All my good toys are in there anyways. Mum can never play with me too long 'cause she has to work."
"Well I'm going to make plenty of time to play with you from now on."
"Wow! Really? That makes me glad I finally have a Daddy."
"I'm glad I'm a Daddy now too."
Charlie surrendered to Cammy as she dragged him from toy to toy, talking up a storm.
Saying this out loud gained Charlie an odd glance form the old lady who had seated herself next to him on the bench. His face immediately turned red from embarrassment. Ever since he was a small child, he was always blushing at the slightest embarrassing thing. Charlie quickly got up and once again attempted to control his hair by smoothing his hands over it. He got up from the bench and walked into a nearby phone booth. It was one of those classic red ones you always see on T.V. It gave the neighborhood a nice look. He picked up the phonebook and looked for Camilla's phone number. Charlie knew the address; hell he was only 2 blocks from her house. But he thought that it would be best if called before he came over. He found the number within seconds and dialed. The phone rang 3 times before he heard someone pick up.
"Hello?"
"Uh, yeah, Camilla?"
He knew it was her.
"Yes, this is she, may I ask with whom I'm speaking?"
"Um yeah.I.well.it's me, Charlie." He was answered with silence.
"Are you there?"
"Yes, I'm here. I was just a little surprised you called. It's been 4 years."
This was said with much harshness.
"Yeah, I know, that's why I called. Well.uh.I was a coward Camilla. I ran away with out even thinking of you and what you would have to go through. I had just managed to tell myself it was okay because of the circumstances of our relationship, or lack there of."
"Your damn bloody right you did. Just because you don't hold any responsibility to me doesn't mean you don't owe any to your child."
"I know I was wrong and dammit, Camilla, I'm trying to fix it now. To do the right thing, to be a part of her life."
"Her? How do you know she's a girl?"
"I checked newspapers for the birth announcement."
Camilla seemed to be touched by this.
"Well I guess I can't legally keep you from seeing her. So I agree on my terms. We can arrange a time for you to fly in and meet her."
"Well, that's another thing.I'm about 2 blocks away from your house right now."
"What?"
"I know it's short notice I was just scared that if I called too much in advance, that I'd wimp out. So I just came, my plane arrived about an hour ago."
"Charlie you are so impossible. Give me five bloody minutes to get her dressed. You can't pull this kind of stuff on me all the time."
"Okay, fine. Great. I'll see you in a."
Camilla slammed the receiver down. Charlie hung up the phone. He wasn't expecting that much hostility, but he planned on making it up to her. Never had he felt more scared or excited at the same time, in his life. He wanted to run, but knew that if he did he would arrive early. So he walked. As he looked ahead he could already see Camilla's house in the distance. It was small, probably barely enough room for two, another reason for her to resent him. Charlie knew that he was partly to blame for this, but was determined to fix it. He walked up the small porch steps and reached out to knock on the door. But before he could the door opened and he was net by Camilla. She had let her long, auburn hair grow down almost to her back. Her hair was always in perfect order, especially when compared to his.
"Hey Charlie, she insisted on dressing herself, she really is stubborn, even for her age. She will be out any minute. Come in."
Charlie walked in and shut the door behind him. He then took a seat on the small couch; Camilla remained standing.
"I really am sorry Camilla, I made a huge mistake."
"I don't want to worry about that yet, right now the only person I am worried about is her. She was really excited when I told her that her Daddy was coming to meet her."
"You already told her the truth about me?"
"Yes, I did, unlike some people, I don't like to keep things from her."
"I thought I explained that."
Just then Charlie heard the sound of little feet running down the hall towards him and Camilla. When the little girl rounded the corner, Charlie thought his heart would explode. She had long, blonde hair, which like his was strewn all about. He stood up which made his little girl look into his eyes and what he saw were his own green eyes staring back at him. With her eyes off where she was going, her little tiny shirt got caught on a loose nail and she stumbled to the ground.
"CAMMY!"
Charlie quickly looked over to Camilla as she ran to her daughter's side. She picked her up and ran into the kitchen. Charlie followed. Camilla put her onto the table and lifted the little girl's shirt only to expose a bleeding cut on her abdomen. At the sight of blood the little girl began to scream. Now Charlie thought his eardrums were going to explode. He ran to her side.
"Hey, look, I have a scar in that same spot."
He lifted up his shirt to expose his scar. Through tears and in between sobs, she managed to say,
"Mine is badder than yours."
"Well now it is, but mine is really old, it's going to be there forever. See yours won't because it's not that bad."
"Did it hurt?"
"Yeah, it hurt pretty bad but I'm okay, and now so are you."
Charlie had distracted her long enough for Camilla to clean the small cut.
"I am?"
This reaction made Charlie smile form ear to ear.
"My name is Charlie."
"Huh? Mum told me you were my Daddy."
"I am, but my name is Charlie."
"Not Daddy?"
"Well, yes, Daddy, but Charlie too!"
"Two names? That's weird."
"Your mother has two names also."
"Naw Uh!"
"Uh huh! Her name is Camilla."
"No that's my name, but I go by Cammy."
"Oh really? Well you know what that means?" "What?"
"That your mother named you after herself."
This thought seemed to confuse Cammy so she did what most little girls her age do when confused, changed the subject.
"How did you get your boo-boo?"
"Somebody shot me."
"Shot you!! With a gun? My Mum says that guns are dangerous and that I never want to see one 'cause if I do I'll probably get shot and that hurts doesn't it. That's what you said right? Did you get shot with a big gun?"
"Yes it hurt but no it wasn't a big gun. How about we go and sit in the living room so we can talk."
Cammy looked to her mother, who nodded, and then she said,
"Okay! All my good toys are in there anyways. Mum can never play with me too long 'cause she has to work."
"Well I'm going to make plenty of time to play with you from now on."
"Wow! Really? That makes me glad I finally have a Daddy."
"I'm glad I'm a Daddy now too."
Charlie surrendered to Cammy as she dragged him from toy to toy, talking up a storm.