Part Nine:
Things went on okay with Craig and Ashley. They never mentioned him
kissing Lori again. Meanwhile, Lori and Sean had talked the day after
the dance, and decided to be "just friends". But Lori still felt hostile
towards Emma.
One day, Craig and Lori got a message at school: they were to walk home.
No big deal: it wasn't like it was that far or anything. But what was going
on? Was Angela okay?
When they got home that afternoon, Joey's car was in the driveway. Wasn't he
going to work? There was also a beat-up, old brown van. It looked pretty shabby,
especially next to Joey's nice convertable.
"What's going on?" Craig wondered aloud. He and Lori went in, and found Joey
sitting in the living room, talking to someone. Joey looked up as the kids
came in, and the man turned around. He was sort of dirty-looking, and he had
a shaggy beard and an unclean face. His eyes sort of had a blank look to them.
Craig had no idea who this man was. He looked at Lori. Her face had turned grey.
She knew who this man was. She'd seen his picture, millions of times. In them,
he was clean-shaven, young, and bright-eyed. Though this man was anything but
clean, young, or lively, she knew who he was without a doubt.
Her father.
Lori ran up the stairs and to her room. She slammed the door and sat on her bed,
stunned. What the hell did he want? She'd never met him in her life, and here
he was, just months after her mother died. How had he found her?
There was a knock on the door. "Go away!" she yelled, thinking it was Joey, coming
to scold her for being rude to guests.
"Lor? It's me." Craig.
"Come in."
Craig came in. "Joey told me. That man...your father-"
"He's no father to me." Lori words came out so vicious and cold that Craig almost
stepped back. But he had a message to deliver.
"He wants to talk to you."
"I don't care," Lori said with a slight laugh. "He's never even sent me a damn
birthday card in fifteen years. Now he wants to talk? He can forget it."
"Lori, he..." But Craig couldn't say it. Even if this guy was her father, he'd never
done anything for her. At least I'd had a father, even though he was a fucking asshole,
he thought.
Lori sighed. "I'm curious. I'll go down there." She must have seen the look on Craig's
face.
They walked down the stairs together. Lori saw the man...her father...stand up. She
wouldn't look him in the face as she muttered, "I had to drop my stuff off."
Joey cleared his throat. "Um, Craig? Will you drive the car to go pick up Angela?" Even
though he didn't have his license yet, this was an emergency.
"Yeah!" Craig got the keys to the convertable from Joey and ran out the door.
An akward silence followed. "Lori," Joey began. "This is-"
"I know," she cut in quickly. She finally looked at the man, who was giving her
an anxious look. "My...father." She could fell her eyes fill with tears. In spite of
herself, she looked into his eyes. "I've never even met you before. What do you want?"
The man looked discouraged, but he said, in a deep, raspy voice, "I heard about your
mother. I'm sorry."
"I'll bet," Lori muttered sarcastically. Joey shot her a look, and she said, "How did
you find me?"
"The agency gave me this address. I just wanted to see you, to see if...you were okay."
"Why? You never gave a shit about me before!"
"Lorilei!" Joey yelled.
Lori sprang to her feet, ignoring her foster parent's warning. "I never heard from you
my whole life. You didn't care that me and Mom were living in shit, that we were barely
making it-"
"You don't understand," her father said desperatly. "I had to leave. It was the best
thing."
"Mom told me all my life that I had ruined hers by being born. That I was the reason you
left."
"That's not true," he said. "I...didn't even know about you until a couple of months
ago."
A silence filled the room.Lori sat dwon. She couldn't believe it. Lies. That's all her mother had
ever told her. The whore didn't even tell him about me! she thought angrily. "You didn't..."
"Your mother and I broke up, I guess right after she got pregnaut with you," he said.
"She may not have even known she was pregnaut until afterwards. I'm sorry, Lorilei, I really
am."
"Yeah?" she demanded. She stood up again. "Well, that didn't save my mother's life, now
did it?" And with that, she went up to her room.
The van was gone a few minutes later.
Joey came up to her room. "Lori?" he asked as he knocked. "Can we talk?"
Lori opened the door. "Please, Joey, I don't want lectures..."
"I'm not here to lecture you," he said. "Let me in. I just want to talk to you."
"Okay," she said, warily. She let him in, and they sat on the bed.
"Lor," he said. "I'm sorry about that..."
"It's okay," Lori said. She didn't want him to feel bad. "I'm not bitter with him anymore.
And I'm glad that I know the truth."
"Are you okay?"
Lori sighed. "Maybe."
Joey hugged him foster daughter. "It'll be okay, Lor. You've been through a lot."
"Things are a lot better now, Joey," she assured him. "You and Angela and Craig...you're all the
family I never had."
But was everything really okay? Or was everything about to fall apart?
Read and review! Thanks!
Things went on okay with Craig and Ashley. They never mentioned him
kissing Lori again. Meanwhile, Lori and Sean had talked the day after
the dance, and decided to be "just friends". But Lori still felt hostile
towards Emma.
One day, Craig and Lori got a message at school: they were to walk home.
No big deal: it wasn't like it was that far or anything. But what was going
on? Was Angela okay?
When they got home that afternoon, Joey's car was in the driveway. Wasn't he
going to work? There was also a beat-up, old brown van. It looked pretty shabby,
especially next to Joey's nice convertable.
"What's going on?" Craig wondered aloud. He and Lori went in, and found Joey
sitting in the living room, talking to someone. Joey looked up as the kids
came in, and the man turned around. He was sort of dirty-looking, and he had
a shaggy beard and an unclean face. His eyes sort of had a blank look to them.
Craig had no idea who this man was. He looked at Lori. Her face had turned grey.
She knew who this man was. She'd seen his picture, millions of times. In them,
he was clean-shaven, young, and bright-eyed. Though this man was anything but
clean, young, or lively, she knew who he was without a doubt.
Her father.
Lori ran up the stairs and to her room. She slammed the door and sat on her bed,
stunned. What the hell did he want? She'd never met him in her life, and here
he was, just months after her mother died. How had he found her?
There was a knock on the door. "Go away!" she yelled, thinking it was Joey, coming
to scold her for being rude to guests.
"Lor? It's me." Craig.
"Come in."
Craig came in. "Joey told me. That man...your father-"
"He's no father to me." Lori words came out so vicious and cold that Craig almost
stepped back. But he had a message to deliver.
"He wants to talk to you."
"I don't care," Lori said with a slight laugh. "He's never even sent me a damn
birthday card in fifteen years. Now he wants to talk? He can forget it."
"Lori, he..." But Craig couldn't say it. Even if this guy was her father, he'd never
done anything for her. At least I'd had a father, even though he was a fucking asshole,
he thought.
Lori sighed. "I'm curious. I'll go down there." She must have seen the look on Craig's
face.
They walked down the stairs together. Lori saw the man...her father...stand up. She
wouldn't look him in the face as she muttered, "I had to drop my stuff off."
Joey cleared his throat. "Um, Craig? Will you drive the car to go pick up Angela?" Even
though he didn't have his license yet, this was an emergency.
"Yeah!" Craig got the keys to the convertable from Joey and ran out the door.
An akward silence followed. "Lori," Joey began. "This is-"
"I know," she cut in quickly. She finally looked at the man, who was giving her
an anxious look. "My...father." She could fell her eyes fill with tears. In spite of
herself, she looked into his eyes. "I've never even met you before. What do you want?"
The man looked discouraged, but he said, in a deep, raspy voice, "I heard about your
mother. I'm sorry."
"I'll bet," Lori muttered sarcastically. Joey shot her a look, and she said, "How did
you find me?"
"The agency gave me this address. I just wanted to see you, to see if...you were okay."
"Why? You never gave a shit about me before!"
"Lorilei!" Joey yelled.
Lori sprang to her feet, ignoring her foster parent's warning. "I never heard from you
my whole life. You didn't care that me and Mom were living in shit, that we were barely
making it-"
"You don't understand," her father said desperatly. "I had to leave. It was the best
thing."
"Mom told me all my life that I had ruined hers by being born. That I was the reason you
left."
"That's not true," he said. "I...didn't even know about you until a couple of months
ago."
A silence filled the room.Lori sat dwon. She couldn't believe it. Lies. That's all her mother had
ever told her. The whore didn't even tell him about me! she thought angrily. "You didn't..."
"Your mother and I broke up, I guess right after she got pregnaut with you," he said.
"She may not have even known she was pregnaut until afterwards. I'm sorry, Lorilei, I really
am."
"Yeah?" she demanded. She stood up again. "Well, that didn't save my mother's life, now
did it?" And with that, she went up to her room.
The van was gone a few minutes later.
Joey came up to her room. "Lori?" he asked as he knocked. "Can we talk?"
Lori opened the door. "Please, Joey, I don't want lectures..."
"I'm not here to lecture you," he said. "Let me in. I just want to talk to you."
"Okay," she said, warily. She let him in, and they sat on the bed.
"Lor," he said. "I'm sorry about that..."
"It's okay," Lori said. She didn't want him to feel bad. "I'm not bitter with him anymore.
And I'm glad that I know the truth."
"Are you okay?"
Lori sighed. "Maybe."
Joey hugged him foster daughter. "It'll be okay, Lor. You've been through a lot."
"Things are a lot better now, Joey," she assured him. "You and Angela and Craig...you're all the
family I never had."
But was everything really okay? Or was everything about to fall apart?
Read and review! Thanks!
