Later that night, after a wonderful dinner prepared by Dotty and the boys,
Amanda and Lee retired to her room. Amanda had left the agency at three-
thirty, as usual, and had gone home to tell her mother the news. Billy had
taken Lee home with him, so that he could shave and get washed up before
going to Amanda's. Francine ran to the store and bought him a new pair of
jeans and a shirt. Amanda had saved some of Lee's clothes, but gave most
away to homeless shelters and the Salvation Army. One bit of clothing she
kept: the blue flannel shirt he had worn so often in their early years
together. Always the sentimental one, the shirt was hanging in Amanda's
closet next to her red one. Neither had been worn in over a year and a
half.
Amanda explained the day's events to her family, when the boys came home from school. She reminded them that Lee had never met his daughter, and would probably be too tired to talk too much about what happened. All the boys and her mother had known was that he and another Documentary Reporter from IFF (International Federal Film, the agencies' cover) had been attacked while on location in Libya, and that Lee had been kidnapped and most likely killed. She told her family that the Libyan government was afraid that they and found out too much, but didn't kill Francine because she's a woman. Only Jamie found this suspicious, as he had studied the Middle East in his advanced Social Studies class, and thought it made little sense to allow someone with vital and damaging information to live simply because of her gender, but he didn't push the issue.
The West-King family pulled together beautifully, and made dinner for Lee while Amanda went to 'pick him up from the government interrogation place.' She took the baby with her. Lee was thrilled by the sight of the little girl he didn't know he had, but, like Amanda, felt somewhat depressed by how much he had missed. On the drive to Billy's house, Amanda had taught her daughter to say "Da-da," and Lee melted when he heard the words. He was still weak and tired, but he insisted on holding his eleven-month-old child.
"Hello there, Jennifer Dorothy Stetson. I'm your father." Lee asked, holding his daughter's hand. He loved the name Amanda had given her, Jennifer, for his mother, Dorothy, after hers. He smiled, and she giggled. "Have you been a good little girl for your mother while I've been away?" He asked her, still smiling.
"No-no," she replied, and Amanda agreed.
"But she'll be good now, won't you, angel?" Asked Amanda.
"No-no." They laughed.
"We'll see about that," Lee said, hugging the small child.
Amanda took her---their---daughter and buckled her into her carseat. She and Lee climbed into the front, and she started her station wagon. On the ride home Amanda told him about everything.Jennifer's first steps, first words, ("Ba," meaning bird, then Mama.") and
They pulled in the driveway about fifteen minutes later, and Amanda let Lee get baby Jenn out of her carseat.
They were just in time for dinner. Jamie had set five places at the table (and put a plastic plate and baby spoon the the tray of Jennifer's highchair) and Dotty was just finishing up the mashed potatoes. Phillip poured them all something to drink (Milk for everyone except Lee."I haven't had soda in forever!") and they sat down to supper, the six of them, as a family.
Topic of conversation remained pretty average (weather, baseball, school, Jennifer) until almost the end of the meal.
"So, Lee," Phillip began. "You got kidnapped by Libyans? That is so coo! Hey, did they like---OUCH! Mom, Jamie kicked me under the table."
"That wasn't Jamie," Dotty informed him.
"Oh. Mom, Grandma kicked me under the---OUCH!"
Dotty laughed.
"That was Jamie," she said.
"Okay, children. That includes you, Mother. No more kicking people under the table," Amanda ordered.
"Kick!" Jennifer shouted, pumping her little legs in her high chair and tossing potatos from her spoon that landed with a splat on the kitchen floor.
"Me kick Jay-Jay!" (Jay-Jay is Jamie).
Lee couldn't help but grin.
"No-no, Jenn," he said laughing.
Jennifer giggled. "Yes-yes, Da-da!"
Amanda explained the day's events to her family, when the boys came home from school. She reminded them that Lee had never met his daughter, and would probably be too tired to talk too much about what happened. All the boys and her mother had known was that he and another Documentary Reporter from IFF (International Federal Film, the agencies' cover) had been attacked while on location in Libya, and that Lee had been kidnapped and most likely killed. She told her family that the Libyan government was afraid that they and found out too much, but didn't kill Francine because she's a woman. Only Jamie found this suspicious, as he had studied the Middle East in his advanced Social Studies class, and thought it made little sense to allow someone with vital and damaging information to live simply because of her gender, but he didn't push the issue.
The West-King family pulled together beautifully, and made dinner for Lee while Amanda went to 'pick him up from the government interrogation place.' She took the baby with her. Lee was thrilled by the sight of the little girl he didn't know he had, but, like Amanda, felt somewhat depressed by how much he had missed. On the drive to Billy's house, Amanda had taught her daughter to say "Da-da," and Lee melted when he heard the words. He was still weak and tired, but he insisted on holding his eleven-month-old child.
"Hello there, Jennifer Dorothy Stetson. I'm your father." Lee asked, holding his daughter's hand. He loved the name Amanda had given her, Jennifer, for his mother, Dorothy, after hers. He smiled, and she giggled. "Have you been a good little girl for your mother while I've been away?" He asked her, still smiling.
"No-no," she replied, and Amanda agreed.
"But she'll be good now, won't you, angel?" Asked Amanda.
"No-no." They laughed.
"We'll see about that," Lee said, hugging the small child.
Amanda took her---their---daughter and buckled her into her carseat. She and Lee climbed into the front, and she started her station wagon. On the ride home Amanda told him about everything.Jennifer's first steps, first words, ("Ba," meaning bird, then Mama.") and
They pulled in the driveway about fifteen minutes later, and Amanda let Lee get baby Jenn out of her carseat.
They were just in time for dinner. Jamie had set five places at the table (and put a plastic plate and baby spoon the the tray of Jennifer's highchair) and Dotty was just finishing up the mashed potatoes. Phillip poured them all something to drink (Milk for everyone except Lee."I haven't had soda in forever!") and they sat down to supper, the six of them, as a family.
Topic of conversation remained pretty average (weather, baseball, school, Jennifer) until almost the end of the meal.
"So, Lee," Phillip began. "You got kidnapped by Libyans? That is so coo! Hey, did they like---OUCH! Mom, Jamie kicked me under the table."
"That wasn't Jamie," Dotty informed him.
"Oh. Mom, Grandma kicked me under the---OUCH!"
Dotty laughed.
"That was Jamie," she said.
"Okay, children. That includes you, Mother. No more kicking people under the table," Amanda ordered.
"Kick!" Jennifer shouted, pumping her little legs in her high chair and tossing potatos from her spoon that landed with a splat on the kitchen floor.
"Me kick Jay-Jay!" (Jay-Jay is Jamie).
Lee couldn't help but grin.
"No-no, Jenn," he said laughing.
Jennifer giggled. "Yes-yes, Da-da!"