Chapter 9
"Lizzie can you drop me off at my house first?" Miranda questions.
"Why?"
"This is more a family thing, you guys don't need me getting in the way."
"What?! You are family Miranda, maybe not by blood but you are going to be cool Auntie Miranda."
Miranda smiles, "I appreciate it, but can you just drop me off at home?"
"If that's what you want." Lizzie sighs pulling onto Miranda's street.
By the time Lizzie pulls into her own driveway she can see Roberta's silver Mercedes Benz is all ready pulled along side the road. Pushing open the door Matt is sitting in front of the TV, "Gordo's mom is here." He informs.
Lizzie nods, "I know, thanks Matt. Scoot over I'm exhausted." Slowly Lizzie lowers herself onto the couch, and once the task is complete the phone rings. "Matt could you get that?"
"I don't want to get up." Matt responds.
"I'll give you a dollar."
"Still don't want to get up."
"Then let the machine get it."
After 4 more rings the machine did pick up, "Hello you've reached Sam, Jo, Lizzie, Gordo and Matt leave a message and we will get back to you."
"Hello this message is for Elizabeth McGuire, this is LeeAnne MacGreggor from Bright Academy if you could call me at your soonest convenience." And with that the messages stopped.
"Who's LeeAnne MacGreggor?" Matt asks turning to face his sister.
Lizzie shrugs, "what's Bright Academy?" Matt shrugs also and Lizzie states, "oh well I will call when Gordo's mom leaves."
"And when Mom and Dad get home, maybe they know who she is."
Lizzie nods, "yeah probably."
Just as the siblings turn their attention back to the television the sliding glass door opens and Gordo leads his mother into the house. "Lizzie I am assuming you knew my mother was here?" Gordo questions.
Lizzie nods as she rocks so that she can move to her feet, "I kind of stopped by her office today after school."
"I knew you were up to something." Gordo responds, but he smiles at Lizzie and then turns to his mother, "and my mother has something that she would like to say to you."
Roberta takes Lizzie's hands and states, "thank you so much for making me realize that I have been dumb, and that if I loved my son I would come see. I also want to apologize for the way my husband has acted in the past and especially for the way he acted at the mall the other day. I know the way you were treated can never truly be erased but I was wondering if I could take you, and even Miranda if she wants to go shopping for baby things."
Lizzie's smile brightens and she states, "Mrs. Gordon food and shopping can make anything go away."
Everyone laughs at Lizzie's comment and Roberta pulls out her date book, "when is your next day off?"
"I actually don't have anymore days off any time in the future, only because I want to be able to work as much as possible while I can." Lizzie responds but responding quickly as Roberta's face falls she adds, "I don't actually work until 5:30 on Sunday if you want to do something earlier in the day."
"That would be great Lizzie, I will pick you up for breakfast if you want." Roberta offers.
Lizzie smiles back at Roberta, "that sounds fine."
"Call Miranda and see what would be a good time for both of you, I am free all day." Roberta states, "but I really should be getting home."
May 18th
"Lizzie are you sure you want to go out?" Jo and Gordo both ask at the same time that Sunday morning.
Lizzie yawns and runs a hand through her hair focusing on anything but the cup of coffee in Jo's hand. "Of course I want to go out."
"Lizzie we all know you were up most of the night." Gordo informs.
"Gordo if I didn't feel up to it, then I wouldn't go." Lizzie retorts.
"Lizzie you worked until 11:30 last night, you had our anniversary party before that and you were up most the night, maybe you should call Roberta and reschedule."
"I'm not rescheduling OK? I'm fine," Lizzie snaps before turning on her heel and walking out of the kitchen and seconds later the TV in the living room is turned on.
Jo and Gordo sigh but go back about their business in the area surrounding the phone and answering machine. Pressing a button on the machine Jo plays back the message from Tuesday, "Hello this message is for Elizabeth McGuire, this is LeeAnne MacGreggor from Bright Academy if you could call me at your soonest convenience."
"Lizzie what's this?" Jo calls into the living room.
Lizzie suddenly appears around the corner, "oh that, I have no idea. She called Tuesday and I completely forgot, I've never heard of Bright Academy. I figured you had."
"I'll have your dad get on the internet and see if he can find anything out about if before you call the woman back." Jo states.
"I can do it." Gordo offers.
"Don't worry about it Gordo you have plenty of other things you could be doing." Jo waves Gordo off.
"I just signed onto the internet with my laptop it's not a problem, I can look quick now before my mom gets here." Gordo insists.
"Well if you insist." Jo responds as she, Lizzie and Gordo crowd around the laptop.
Within a few simple minutes Gordo has all ready pulled up the website. "Bright Academy was established and in 1997 for young teenage mothers, as a way for them to attend to get a high school education while managing to take care of their children." Gordo reads aloud.
"How in the world would they have gotten your name?" Jo questions staring at Lizzie.
Gordo's expression darkens, "my father."
"You don't think?" Lizzie asks.
Gordo shakes his head, "no, I know."
Lizzie shrugs, "it's not necessarily a bad idea."
"You mean you would actually consider it?" Jo and Gordo both look stunned at Lizzie.
"Well, I mean not necessarily, but it's a good idea." Lizzie responds. "I mean if I thought it was better for me and the babies and if Gordo wasn't so involved then I would go. For me things are OK, but for other girls they probably aren't and this is probably really good for them. So in a way I appreciate your dad for thinking of it Gordo."
"Whatever, I'll I'm..." Gordo's sentence is silenced by the doorbell ringing.
"Gordo please don't make a big deal about this, you just got back to talking to your mother, please don't blow it." Lizzie pleads walking toward the living room.
Gordo nods, "fine."
Lizzie smiles and pulls the door open to reveal Gordo's mother dressed out f her normal suits and in a pair of jeans and a nice shirt, "hello David dear." Roberta greets her son and then Lizzie and Jo in the same manner.
"Lizzie are you ready to go?" Roberta questions.
Lizzie nods, grabs her purse and follow Roberta out of the house with a wave toward her mother and Gordo.
"Lizzie can you drop me off at my house first?" Miranda questions.
"Why?"
"This is more a family thing, you guys don't need me getting in the way."
"What?! You are family Miranda, maybe not by blood but you are going to be cool Auntie Miranda."
Miranda smiles, "I appreciate it, but can you just drop me off at home?"
"If that's what you want." Lizzie sighs pulling onto Miranda's street.
By the time Lizzie pulls into her own driveway she can see Roberta's silver Mercedes Benz is all ready pulled along side the road. Pushing open the door Matt is sitting in front of the TV, "Gordo's mom is here." He informs.
Lizzie nods, "I know, thanks Matt. Scoot over I'm exhausted." Slowly Lizzie lowers herself onto the couch, and once the task is complete the phone rings. "Matt could you get that?"
"I don't want to get up." Matt responds.
"I'll give you a dollar."
"Still don't want to get up."
"Then let the machine get it."
After 4 more rings the machine did pick up, "Hello you've reached Sam, Jo, Lizzie, Gordo and Matt leave a message and we will get back to you."
"Hello this message is for Elizabeth McGuire, this is LeeAnne MacGreggor from Bright Academy if you could call me at your soonest convenience." And with that the messages stopped.
"Who's LeeAnne MacGreggor?" Matt asks turning to face his sister.
Lizzie shrugs, "what's Bright Academy?" Matt shrugs also and Lizzie states, "oh well I will call when Gordo's mom leaves."
"And when Mom and Dad get home, maybe they know who she is."
Lizzie nods, "yeah probably."
Just as the siblings turn their attention back to the television the sliding glass door opens and Gordo leads his mother into the house. "Lizzie I am assuming you knew my mother was here?" Gordo questions.
Lizzie nods as she rocks so that she can move to her feet, "I kind of stopped by her office today after school."
"I knew you were up to something." Gordo responds, but he smiles at Lizzie and then turns to his mother, "and my mother has something that she would like to say to you."
Roberta takes Lizzie's hands and states, "thank you so much for making me realize that I have been dumb, and that if I loved my son I would come see. I also want to apologize for the way my husband has acted in the past and especially for the way he acted at the mall the other day. I know the way you were treated can never truly be erased but I was wondering if I could take you, and even Miranda if she wants to go shopping for baby things."
Lizzie's smile brightens and she states, "Mrs. Gordon food and shopping can make anything go away."
Everyone laughs at Lizzie's comment and Roberta pulls out her date book, "when is your next day off?"
"I actually don't have anymore days off any time in the future, only because I want to be able to work as much as possible while I can." Lizzie responds but responding quickly as Roberta's face falls she adds, "I don't actually work until 5:30 on Sunday if you want to do something earlier in the day."
"That would be great Lizzie, I will pick you up for breakfast if you want." Roberta offers.
Lizzie smiles back at Roberta, "that sounds fine."
"Call Miranda and see what would be a good time for both of you, I am free all day." Roberta states, "but I really should be getting home."
May 18th
"Lizzie are you sure you want to go out?" Jo and Gordo both ask at the same time that Sunday morning.
Lizzie yawns and runs a hand through her hair focusing on anything but the cup of coffee in Jo's hand. "Of course I want to go out."
"Lizzie we all know you were up most of the night." Gordo informs.
"Gordo if I didn't feel up to it, then I wouldn't go." Lizzie retorts.
"Lizzie you worked until 11:30 last night, you had our anniversary party before that and you were up most the night, maybe you should call Roberta and reschedule."
"I'm not rescheduling OK? I'm fine," Lizzie snaps before turning on her heel and walking out of the kitchen and seconds later the TV in the living room is turned on.
Jo and Gordo sigh but go back about their business in the area surrounding the phone and answering machine. Pressing a button on the machine Jo plays back the message from Tuesday, "Hello this message is for Elizabeth McGuire, this is LeeAnne MacGreggor from Bright Academy if you could call me at your soonest convenience."
"Lizzie what's this?" Jo calls into the living room.
Lizzie suddenly appears around the corner, "oh that, I have no idea. She called Tuesday and I completely forgot, I've never heard of Bright Academy. I figured you had."
"I'll have your dad get on the internet and see if he can find anything out about if before you call the woman back." Jo states.
"I can do it." Gordo offers.
"Don't worry about it Gordo you have plenty of other things you could be doing." Jo waves Gordo off.
"I just signed onto the internet with my laptop it's not a problem, I can look quick now before my mom gets here." Gordo insists.
"Well if you insist." Jo responds as she, Lizzie and Gordo crowd around the laptop.
Within a few simple minutes Gordo has all ready pulled up the website. "Bright Academy was established and in 1997 for young teenage mothers, as a way for them to attend to get a high school education while managing to take care of their children." Gordo reads aloud.
"How in the world would they have gotten your name?" Jo questions staring at Lizzie.
Gordo's expression darkens, "my father."
"You don't think?" Lizzie asks.
Gordo shakes his head, "no, I know."
Lizzie shrugs, "it's not necessarily a bad idea."
"You mean you would actually consider it?" Jo and Gordo both look stunned at Lizzie.
"Well, I mean not necessarily, but it's a good idea." Lizzie responds. "I mean if I thought it was better for me and the babies and if Gordo wasn't so involved then I would go. For me things are OK, but for other girls they probably aren't and this is probably really good for them. So in a way I appreciate your dad for thinking of it Gordo."
"Whatever, I'll I'm..." Gordo's sentence is silenced by the doorbell ringing.
"Gordo please don't make a big deal about this, you just got back to talking to your mother, please don't blow it." Lizzie pleads walking toward the living room.
Gordo nods, "fine."
Lizzie smiles and pulls the door open to reveal Gordo's mother dressed out f her normal suits and in a pair of jeans and a nice shirt, "hello David dear." Roberta greets her son and then Lizzie and Jo in the same manner.
"Lizzie are you ready to go?" Roberta questions.
Lizzie nods, grabs her purse and follow Roberta out of the house with a wave toward her mother and Gordo.