DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN LIZZIE MCGUIRE! Oye! Summer is leaving and going away. I start school on Monday, so updates will be even less often. I apologize, but I can't let this get in the way of school. Also, don't know anything about Stuttgart except it in Arkansas, Southeast of Little Rock. I only assume it has a hospital and a hotel (anniversary party), and with that assumption, I think this story is all good. In other words, names of places are made up.
Coin-ki-dink
~Gordo~
The next day, Gordo drove into Stuttgart, Arkansas dreading the next few weeks. He was convinced that this was some sort of test his parents wanted to put him through. Yep, it would be typical. Despite all the stuff he had been through and the fact hat he may never find his child, they wanted to see how he could handle fatherhood.
Leave it to his parents to come up with something like this. He did realize in the back of his head that this was an emergency and they really did need a baby-sitter, but he liked to pretend this was just some sort of obstacle.
The city of Stuttgart was about the size of Hill Ridge. The first thing he passed after the "Welcome to Stuttgart! Population: 10,000" sign was the hospital. Gordo always had an eerie feeling when passing hospitals, but the feeling in his gut was especially strong that day. It was really weird, too.
After the hospital, came a few hotels, a mall, a few shopping centers, grocery stores, schools, car dealerships, smaller stores, and then the neighborhoods and apartments. The apartment he was looking for was located on Clinton Avenue. He didn't have much trouble finding it, as the apartment he was looking for was on a main street.
Gordo pulled in and parked in the parking lot. He looked at himself to make sure he looked presentable. He didn't really care, but at the same time, he didn't want to seem like a slob. His mom even had the decency to call him and ask for him to stop somewhere and take a shower before he came. Therefore, when Gordo was driving through Little Rock, he stopped and took a shower at a Motel. He had been driving a lot in the past two days, so the shower felt good.
He looked at his clock. It was four in the afternoon. They didn't expect him until the next day. Was this too early? Would these people be ready for him? Was he ready to face them? He could only hope.
He figured it was now or never. If he left now, he might convince himself not to come back tomorrow. He got out of the car and retrieved his suitcases. His amount of luggage was still quite small. He would have to take an opportunity at some point to go shopping.
The funny thing about this whole situation was that Gordo didn't really mind the whole child thing. To him, this wasn't a babysitting job. This was a break from hotels. He would be living somewhere for the longest time since his sentence at the Turkish Jail. It would mentally prepare him for his journey before it really began. The child would just be there. He could take it along with him wherever he went. He just hoped that the child didn't have crazy parents who raised the child vegetarian or something. He would be in trouble if that were to happen.
This whole thing was basically a mystery. He didn't even know the child. He only knew the child by association, and the association wasn't even direct. He didn't know the child's name, sex, or age. Well, he knew the child was almost two. That was how old his child was. While driving to Stuttgart, Gordo had really begun thinking about his child. The child he could only call, "it." He tried to imagine what it looked like, but it was hard, not knowing if it was a boy or a girl. He just wished he could meet it and have some sort of influence on its life.
He walked to apartment 19. That was the number he was supposed to be presenting himself. He rang the doorbell and waited for someone to answer. For a few seconds, he thought no one would answer. A woman opened the door a few seconds later, though.
Gordo wasn't sure how formal he should be, "Hi, I am David Gordon."
The woman stuck out her hand, "Hi, I am Janet Head," she said. She looked thrilled to see him.
"Yes m'am," he said.
"Come right on in," she said, "You may not remember me, but we have met before."
"Oh?"
"Yeah," Janet said, "Well, you were only about two. Can I get you anything to drink?"
"No thank you. Where should I put my stuff?"
"Oh, actually, you are staying in Lucy's apartment," Janet said.
"Lucy?"
"Yeah, Lucy Nelson. She is the woman who is hospitalized. She really is a nice woman. I think she is about your age," she said. They sat down in the living room.
"Oh?" Gordo said, politely. He pretended to act interested.
"Yeah, well, you are early, but early is a good thing," Janet assured him.
"Good," Gordo said.
"My husband, Jack, is actually at the park with the child. The child really is the cutest thing," Janet said, "She has really pretty blue eyes, like you, as a matter of fact. I am sure you will get along lovingly. Do you like children?"
"Yes m'am," Gordo said.
"Oh, please, don't call me m'am. It makes me feel so old," Janet said.
"Okay, Mrs. Head."
Janet shook her head, "No, call me Janet. I insist."
"Okay."
"I hope this isn't too much of an inconvenience for you," Janet said.
"No, not at all," Gordo said.
"Good. Do you have a girlfriend or wife?"
Gordo laughed vacantly, "No. No girlfriend or wife."
"Really? A cute thing like you not attached? Maybe that will change by the end of your stay," Janet said, "Unless you aren't looking for some reason."
Gordo chose not to reply to that. He didn't want to get into the story of his life and how he planned on being celibate and single unless he found his one true love.
"Are you okay?" Janet asked, "You are being particularly quiet."
Gordo, who was staring at the floor prior to that, looked up at Janet, "Am I? I am sorry."
"That's okay. Just don't act like this around Sarah. I think Lucy wants Sarah learn to talk, not learn to be silent," Janet jested.
Gordo laughed a little at that, "Is that the name of the child?"
"Yeah. Sarah Nelson. Isn't that a pretty name?"
Gordo nodded his head. He honestly didn't want to talk to Janet right now. He just wanted some sleep.
"Yeah, Sarah Nelson. I have always wondered what her middle name was. Lucy never told me. Lucy has had a hard life, you know," Janet said.
"Yeah," Janet said, "You know, Sarah's father died before Sarah was even born in a car accident or something. I think Lucy is trying to remain tough, though. I don't think she has gotten over him though. It was the strangest thing. They weren't even married."
Gordo wasn't really paying attention to what Janet was saying. "That is unfortunate. Listen, I don't mean to be rude, but when can I get into my apartment?"
"Oh, I am so sorry. You must be so tired! Unfortunately, Jack has to let you in. I don't have the key. We weren't expecting you so soon, but now that you are here, we could use the extra time for packing. Sarah should be pretty tired. I guess while we are waiting, I should tell you some things about Sarah."
"Okay," Gordo said.
"Well, Sarah goes to nursery school, as Lucy works as a teacher. She goes five times a week, but while you are here, you don't have to take her. Lucy, may like to see her at some point and she may call you. Or you can schedule some time with the hospital. I don't know many of the hospital rules, but maybe Jack does."
"Okay, I will see about all of that. How long will Lucy be ay the hospital?"
"Oh, a few weeks. No longer than three. Jack and I are going to be away for a month. Mr. Liam in apartment 34 will be handling the apartment. We really do appreciate you doing this on such last minute, and we assure you that you will be paid and rent is absolutely on us."
"Well, thank you very much, Janet."
Just then, from the outside of the apartment, they heard a key rattle and the door opened.
"Jack? Is that you, honey?" Janet yelled.
"Who else would it be?" Jack yelled.
"Did you and Sarah have a good time?"
"As a matter of fact, we did. Sarah and I had a lovely conversation and played in the sand, didn't we Sarah?" Jack asked. The last part was obviously directed toward Sarah.
"Well, you will never guess who is here," Janet said, smiling at Gordo.
"You're right, I will never guess. Who is here?"
"David Gordon."
"No kidding," Jack yelled, "Well that explains the car outside."
"Don't you want to come in and meet him?"
"Hold your horses. I am trying to help Sarah clean herself up."
"Well, get in here because I am sure Sarah would like to meet David and I know David is eager to meet Sarah," Janet said.
"All right," Jack yelled back, "I am coming." Jack walked into the room with Sarah. Gordo stood up with the intention of meeting Sarah and Jack.
Gordo looked at Sarah. Sarah had long, dark brown, curly hair and intense blue eyes. Sarah smiled at Gordo. Gordo smiled back.
"Dada!" Sarah said, holding up her arms trying to get Gordo's attention.
~~~
I know, I am so evil. Listen, I could go on and on and really want to go on, but I have a book to finish before Monday and stuff to do. I will tell you what I will try to do. I can't make any promises on whether I can update tomorrow, but I can tell you I will try really hard to update. Book, then update. I have like eighty pages to go, and I plan on reading tonight, so no telling where I will be tomorrow. I will know more after tonight. As my last night of summer, I say the night is still young. In the mean time, please review! The more reviews, the more I read. The more I read, the more I write, the more I write, the more I update. The more I update, the happier I am. The happier I am . . .
Coin-ki-dink
~Gordo~
The next day, Gordo drove into Stuttgart, Arkansas dreading the next few weeks. He was convinced that this was some sort of test his parents wanted to put him through. Yep, it would be typical. Despite all the stuff he had been through and the fact hat he may never find his child, they wanted to see how he could handle fatherhood.
Leave it to his parents to come up with something like this. He did realize in the back of his head that this was an emergency and they really did need a baby-sitter, but he liked to pretend this was just some sort of obstacle.
The city of Stuttgart was about the size of Hill Ridge. The first thing he passed after the "Welcome to Stuttgart! Population: 10,000" sign was the hospital. Gordo always had an eerie feeling when passing hospitals, but the feeling in his gut was especially strong that day. It was really weird, too.
After the hospital, came a few hotels, a mall, a few shopping centers, grocery stores, schools, car dealerships, smaller stores, and then the neighborhoods and apartments. The apartment he was looking for was located on Clinton Avenue. He didn't have much trouble finding it, as the apartment he was looking for was on a main street.
Gordo pulled in and parked in the parking lot. He looked at himself to make sure he looked presentable. He didn't really care, but at the same time, he didn't want to seem like a slob. His mom even had the decency to call him and ask for him to stop somewhere and take a shower before he came. Therefore, when Gordo was driving through Little Rock, he stopped and took a shower at a Motel. He had been driving a lot in the past two days, so the shower felt good.
He looked at his clock. It was four in the afternoon. They didn't expect him until the next day. Was this too early? Would these people be ready for him? Was he ready to face them? He could only hope.
He figured it was now or never. If he left now, he might convince himself not to come back tomorrow. He got out of the car and retrieved his suitcases. His amount of luggage was still quite small. He would have to take an opportunity at some point to go shopping.
The funny thing about this whole situation was that Gordo didn't really mind the whole child thing. To him, this wasn't a babysitting job. This was a break from hotels. He would be living somewhere for the longest time since his sentence at the Turkish Jail. It would mentally prepare him for his journey before it really began. The child would just be there. He could take it along with him wherever he went. He just hoped that the child didn't have crazy parents who raised the child vegetarian or something. He would be in trouble if that were to happen.
This whole thing was basically a mystery. He didn't even know the child. He only knew the child by association, and the association wasn't even direct. He didn't know the child's name, sex, or age. Well, he knew the child was almost two. That was how old his child was. While driving to Stuttgart, Gordo had really begun thinking about his child. The child he could only call, "it." He tried to imagine what it looked like, but it was hard, not knowing if it was a boy or a girl. He just wished he could meet it and have some sort of influence on its life.
He walked to apartment 19. That was the number he was supposed to be presenting himself. He rang the doorbell and waited for someone to answer. For a few seconds, he thought no one would answer. A woman opened the door a few seconds later, though.
Gordo wasn't sure how formal he should be, "Hi, I am David Gordon."
The woman stuck out her hand, "Hi, I am Janet Head," she said. She looked thrilled to see him.
"Yes m'am," he said.
"Come right on in," she said, "You may not remember me, but we have met before."
"Oh?"
"Yeah," Janet said, "Well, you were only about two. Can I get you anything to drink?"
"No thank you. Where should I put my stuff?"
"Oh, actually, you are staying in Lucy's apartment," Janet said.
"Lucy?"
"Yeah, Lucy Nelson. She is the woman who is hospitalized. She really is a nice woman. I think she is about your age," she said. They sat down in the living room.
"Oh?" Gordo said, politely. He pretended to act interested.
"Yeah, well, you are early, but early is a good thing," Janet assured him.
"Good," Gordo said.
"My husband, Jack, is actually at the park with the child. The child really is the cutest thing," Janet said, "She has really pretty blue eyes, like you, as a matter of fact. I am sure you will get along lovingly. Do you like children?"
"Yes m'am," Gordo said.
"Oh, please, don't call me m'am. It makes me feel so old," Janet said.
"Okay, Mrs. Head."
Janet shook her head, "No, call me Janet. I insist."
"Okay."
"I hope this isn't too much of an inconvenience for you," Janet said.
"No, not at all," Gordo said.
"Good. Do you have a girlfriend or wife?"
Gordo laughed vacantly, "No. No girlfriend or wife."
"Really? A cute thing like you not attached? Maybe that will change by the end of your stay," Janet said, "Unless you aren't looking for some reason."
Gordo chose not to reply to that. He didn't want to get into the story of his life and how he planned on being celibate and single unless he found his one true love.
"Are you okay?" Janet asked, "You are being particularly quiet."
Gordo, who was staring at the floor prior to that, looked up at Janet, "Am I? I am sorry."
"That's okay. Just don't act like this around Sarah. I think Lucy wants Sarah learn to talk, not learn to be silent," Janet jested.
Gordo laughed a little at that, "Is that the name of the child?"
"Yeah. Sarah Nelson. Isn't that a pretty name?"
Gordo nodded his head. He honestly didn't want to talk to Janet right now. He just wanted some sleep.
"Yeah, Sarah Nelson. I have always wondered what her middle name was. Lucy never told me. Lucy has had a hard life, you know," Janet said.
"Yeah," Janet said, "You know, Sarah's father died before Sarah was even born in a car accident or something. I think Lucy is trying to remain tough, though. I don't think she has gotten over him though. It was the strangest thing. They weren't even married."
Gordo wasn't really paying attention to what Janet was saying. "That is unfortunate. Listen, I don't mean to be rude, but when can I get into my apartment?"
"Oh, I am so sorry. You must be so tired! Unfortunately, Jack has to let you in. I don't have the key. We weren't expecting you so soon, but now that you are here, we could use the extra time for packing. Sarah should be pretty tired. I guess while we are waiting, I should tell you some things about Sarah."
"Okay," Gordo said.
"Well, Sarah goes to nursery school, as Lucy works as a teacher. She goes five times a week, but while you are here, you don't have to take her. Lucy, may like to see her at some point and she may call you. Or you can schedule some time with the hospital. I don't know many of the hospital rules, but maybe Jack does."
"Okay, I will see about all of that. How long will Lucy be ay the hospital?"
"Oh, a few weeks. No longer than three. Jack and I are going to be away for a month. Mr. Liam in apartment 34 will be handling the apartment. We really do appreciate you doing this on such last minute, and we assure you that you will be paid and rent is absolutely on us."
"Well, thank you very much, Janet."
Just then, from the outside of the apartment, they heard a key rattle and the door opened.
"Jack? Is that you, honey?" Janet yelled.
"Who else would it be?" Jack yelled.
"Did you and Sarah have a good time?"
"As a matter of fact, we did. Sarah and I had a lovely conversation and played in the sand, didn't we Sarah?" Jack asked. The last part was obviously directed toward Sarah.
"Well, you will never guess who is here," Janet said, smiling at Gordo.
"You're right, I will never guess. Who is here?"
"David Gordon."
"No kidding," Jack yelled, "Well that explains the car outside."
"Don't you want to come in and meet him?"
"Hold your horses. I am trying to help Sarah clean herself up."
"Well, get in here because I am sure Sarah would like to meet David and I know David is eager to meet Sarah," Janet said.
"All right," Jack yelled back, "I am coming." Jack walked into the room with Sarah. Gordo stood up with the intention of meeting Sarah and Jack.
Gordo looked at Sarah. Sarah had long, dark brown, curly hair and intense blue eyes. Sarah smiled at Gordo. Gordo smiled back.
"Dada!" Sarah said, holding up her arms trying to get Gordo's attention.
~~~
I know, I am so evil. Listen, I could go on and on and really want to go on, but I have a book to finish before Monday and stuff to do. I will tell you what I will try to do. I can't make any promises on whether I can update tomorrow, but I can tell you I will try really hard to update. Book, then update. I have like eighty pages to go, and I plan on reading tonight, so no telling where I will be tomorrow. I will know more after tonight. As my last night of summer, I say the night is still young. In the mean time, please review! The more reviews, the more I read. The more I read, the more I write, the more I write, the more I update. The more I update, the happier I am. The happier I am . . .