Chapter 19: Ashley Spinelli Detwieller
The group got up and slowly made their way to the kitchen. What they saw stunned them all. There standing on a chair over the stove was a little girl stirring what looked to be spaghetti sauce. Next to her looked to be a large pot spaghetti.
The girl turned and smiled at the group before turning attention back to the sauce. She looked about six or seven, was dressed in a pink dress with Spinelli's big blue apron over it. She had long black hair that was pulled up into a high ponytail with long bangs framing her face much like Spinelli's hairstyle. In fact the girl looked shockingly like a younger version of Spinelli save the girl's brown eyes and more European skin tone.
The group, mostly Spinelli, just stood there and looked the girl stunned by the fact there was a girl cooking in their kitchen and the girl's resemblance to Spinelli.
"Sorry, but dinner will be a few minutes. You can all go to watching the news. I'll call when the food is ready." The girl said in a light soothing voice.
"Who are you and just what do you think you're doing in our house little girl?" Vince said taking on the role of speaker.
The girl stopped her stirring and put the lid on the pot before turning her attention to Vince. She stood there with her arms crossed, armed with the wooden spoon she had been using in one hand, and looked Vince up and down a few times. Despite Vince's obvious height advantage by a couple of feet the girl seemed to stand on equal footing as far as stance and determination. Vince was trying to use his size to get some answers and was staring down at the girl who was staring right back at him.
"So you're Mr. La Salle. Daddy's to me some stories about you. And this isn't your house. It belongs to Daddy." The girl said in a more serious tone.
Vince blinked at the girl. How could the girl know his name and know the house didn't belong to them? The house did belong to TJ but TJ didn't have any kids. Still this girl seemed insistent that the house belonged to her father. If that was true then…
The rest of the gang seemed to be thinking along the same lines. They all looked at each other silently asking if what they were thinking was true. Vince didn't know and he was the closest to TJ among the guys. Vince just shrugged his shoulder at the questioning looks. Everyone then turned their questioning looks to Spin. During their high school years TJ had started to disappear more and more from the gang but Spin had kept in contact with him the best. Spin the shrugged as Vince had. She was pretty sure that TJ didn't have a kid because TJ definitely wasn't married. To her knowledge at least, but this little girl was testing that knowledge.
Silence ensued and the girl turned off the stove. Then the girl turned back to the group and said; "Daddy's home" before marching past the group and going into the living room. The gang quickly followed. Just then the gang heard the front door open and watched as TJ came walking in with a smile on his face.
"DADDY!" The girl cried before running and jumping up into TJ's out stretched arms.
TJ caught his child and spun her around a few times before drawing her close and hugging her. "What my little girl doing here?" TJ asked as he kissed the top of the girl's head.
The gang could only watch the scene unfold before them. All they thought they knew about TJ was forever put into doubt; did any of them really know TJ? The gang didn't have long to ponder on that train of though for a loud thud drew everyone's attention to the floor. Spinelli had fainted right there.
"You didn't tell them about me did you daddy?" The girl said as she looked over at Spinelli's body that lay on the sofa where Gus and Mikey had moved her.
"No, Ashley, I didn't." TJ said plainly as he put Ashley down.
"No wonder they all looked at me strangely. Oh well, I made dinner and if we all just stand here it will get cold." Ashley said changing the subject and pulling her father into the living room.
Spinelli was awoken for dinner. Dinner was mostly silent; the only conversation was between Ashley and TJ. Spinelli spent the time staring dagger at the little girl. To Spinelli Ashley seemed to ruin everything she had wanted in life, all she had hoped for. If TJ had a daughter that he had kept a secret all this time it meant that TJ also had a wife somewhere or at sometime at least.
After dinner TJ sent Ashley to bed before taking out a bottle of vodka from the liquor cabinet. TJ poured five glasses and slid four of them to his friends. "Your pregnant" was his simple explanation as to why Gretchen didn't get a glass. Sitting back down at the table TJ downed his drink and poured himself another one. "So, start asking."
Spinelli proceeded to get herself mighty drunk but not drunk enough to not remember what was being said. Apparently it all started in high school. TJ had met a girl and gotten her pregnant. That was why he had disappeared so much from the gang's life; he was working to support his daughter, Ashley Spinelli Detwieller. It made Spinelli's blood boil just thinking that the girl had her name. She even had the Detwieller part as well.
"So how old is she now?" Gus asked.
"She's turning seven this Christmas." TJ answered. Another long silence ensued. That was how it had been going. One of them would ask a question and he would answer then, silence.
"Why you name her Ashley Spinelli Detwieller?" Mikey asked.
"I was insistent on only the Detwieller part. Her mother named her after a relative of hers."
Silence.
"Did your parents know?" Gretchen asked. TJ had no doubt that the question was a way of Gretchen asking for advice on what to do when her own child came along.
"No one knew but then I was only 15, what do you think my parents or you guys would have thought? I think you should tell your parents though, I'm sure they would be happy to know they have a grandchild." TJ answered. He knew that neither Vince's or Gretchen's parents would be too happy about the timing but being grandparents must be something at least. He knew he was happy when Ashley had been born even though the first few years were hard.
Silence.
"So what kind of jobs you do?" It was Vince who spoke this time.
"Odd jobs, mostly hard labor. Menial tasks but I'm sure you will be able to get better jobs then I had to take."
Silence.
"Does she make you happy?" Spinelli asked in a heated voice. TJ attributed it to the alcohol Spinelli had drunk.
"Of course she makes me happy. How can a child not make you happy? Just wait until you have your own, children will bring you the most joy in the world." TJ answered.
Spinelli had had enough. Upon hearing TJ's reply so drank the last of the strong liquor in her class, slammed the glass down on the table, walked over to TJ and slapped him as hard as she could. Then Spinelli turned and walked out of the room. That was the last the gang saw of her that night but they didn't see her run to her room and cry herself to sleep.
Sorry it is short and not a very good chapter. It's late; my mind has been dulled by late nights and too much work. Well this should clear up just a few of the many twists. Wonder who the relative is, don't you? Well it's late and I need sleep. As always keep reviewing please. I'm up to 80 reviews; you have no idea how happy that makes me. I'll try to make the next installment longer but I can't say when that will be; it is the end of the trimester, work is always piled on at this time of year, and the annual science fair is coming up in a few weeks, so understandably my energies will have to exerted in other areas for a little bit. LockDown out…