Chapter 2:
At 7 'o clock that night Bethany was in the apartment she shared with her mom getting ready to meet her dad. She had to get on the bus in fifteen minutes and then she'd have to walk the rest of the way to the church. She walked into the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror, "Not great . . ." She thought to herself, "but good enough". She grabbed her wallet, stuffed it in her pocket, and walked down to the bus stop. She was waiting for less than five minutes before the bus got there. Sitting in the back of the bus Bethany thought about her father. Going back to her fantasies about him . . .thinking about what he looked like and how he talked. She thought about her mom, lying in a hospital bed wanting Bethany to meet her dad. The bus stopped and Bethany started walking down the sidewalk to the church.
It took her about 20 minutes to find the place and then 5 more to find Eric's office. Once she was outside she took a deep breathe and knocked on the closed door. Someone called, "Come in!" And Bethany timidly walked in. Sitting at the desk was a man who looked to be about 25. "That can't be him!" She thought to herself. She was silent for a minute until the man said, "Can I help you?"
Bethany regained her composure and said, "Yes, I'm looking for Rev. Camden. You're not him, are you?"
The man chukkled and said, "No, my name is Chandler, I'm the Associate Pastor. Are you Bethany?"
"How did you know my name?"
"Eric called and told me to tell you he'd be a little late." Chandler replied, "You can have seat and wait for him if you want."
Bethany sat down in the seat Chandler pointed to and said,"Thanks."
"So, why are you meeting Rev. Camden?" Chandler asked in a tone that suggested suspicion.
"Umm . . ." Bethany tried to think of what she should say. "Oh he's my father but he doesn't know about me."? She didn't think that would be the best answer. So instead she said, "We just have something to talk about." Bethany was glad Chandler left it at that.
15 minutes passed by until Eric got to the church. Bethany couldn't see him because her chair wasn't facing the door. She could only hear him. He was saying, "I'm so sorry I'm late. I had a little car trouble. Um . . .Chandler would you excuse us?"
"Sure." Chandler got up and left. Bethany closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened her eyes Eric was just sitting down in his chair. He was tall with brown hair that seemed to be receding. He looked very nice, but not like any of the men from Bethany's book. "Are you Bethany?" He asked her once he was sitting down. Bethany nodded. Before she could say anything he said, "Do I know you? You look really familiar."
Bethany swallowed trying to get the lump out of her throat, "Um . . .no. But, you know my mom. Laura Roberts?"
Eric's face suddenly changed. He looked more curious now, "That's it. You look just like your mom. How is she?"
"She's actually not doing too good. She's in the hospital with cancer."
Eric's face was now sympathetic now along with curious, "Oh, I'm sorry. That must be hard for you."
"Yeah, it kind of is." Bethany again took a deep breath and said, "Umm. . . she wanted me to call you and tell you something for her." Eric didn't flinch. He just kept watching her. So she continued, "She um . . . she wanted me to tell that . . .um . . . you're . . . she . . ." Bethany wanted to cry. She couldn't stand having to be the one to tell Eric she was his daughter. How are you supposed to tell a man that? She stopped stuttering and breathed in a few times after realizing she wasn't breathing.
Eric smiled at her and said, "It's okay. Take your time." Bethany couldn't help smiling when he said that. He was patient and understanding. Two of the qualities her imaginary dad had.
She closed her eyes for a second, opened them, and said, "She wantedme to tell you that . . ." She closed her eyes again, "You have a daughter with . . . with her." She wouldn't open her eyes. She didn't want to see his reaction. But when he didn't speak for a while she opened them to make sure he hadn't passed out or anything.
"And . . ." Eric tried to register what Bethany had just said. "you're . . . her?" Bethany slowly nodded, "Why . . . Why didn't your mother tell me before?"
Bethany shrugged, "I don't know. I think she didn't want to disrupt your life anymore than she already had."
"She didn't want to disrupt my life? I have a dughter that I didn't know about for fifteen years! Telling me wouldn't have been a disruption!" Eric said quite loudly.
"But . . .but . . ." Bethany was getting closer and closer to tears, "she was only trying to keep your family from, like . . . like a fight or something that ruin your family." The more she went on the more she felt like crying.
Eric sat down in the chair next to Bethany. He put his anger at Laura aside and said, "Don't cry. It's okay. Everything's okay."
Bethany was in tears by now, "No, it's not!" She cried, "You're mad at me and my mom and my mom's going to die soon and I'll e all alone! Everything's not okay!"
Eric put his arm on her shoulder, "I'm not mad at you." Bethany looked at him as if to say yeah right, "I'm not. And I'm not mad at Laura, either. I'm just a little frustrated. I don't know why she thought it would be a disruption for her to tell me about you." Eric looked Bethany in the eye, "And you're not going to be alone. I can promise you that. You'll come live with me when . . . when you're mom. . ."
Bethany was still crying when she said, "Just like that? You're just going to accept me as part of your family?"
Eric said,"Yeah. Just like that." He gave her a long hug and said, "Don't cry anymore . . .please?" But Bethany couldn't. She couldn't stop the tears. She was happy and sad and scared and in desbelief all the same time. Eric wasn't like any of the men Bethany thought could be her dad. He was old and balding but he was better then she could have imagined. How many guys would have just accepted her like that? She was still scared, but not bearly as much as before.
At 7 'o clock that night Bethany was in the apartment she shared with her mom getting ready to meet her dad. She had to get on the bus in fifteen minutes and then she'd have to walk the rest of the way to the church. She walked into the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror, "Not great . . ." She thought to herself, "but good enough". She grabbed her wallet, stuffed it in her pocket, and walked down to the bus stop. She was waiting for less than five minutes before the bus got there. Sitting in the back of the bus Bethany thought about her father. Going back to her fantasies about him . . .thinking about what he looked like and how he talked. She thought about her mom, lying in a hospital bed wanting Bethany to meet her dad. The bus stopped and Bethany started walking down the sidewalk to the church.
It took her about 20 minutes to find the place and then 5 more to find Eric's office. Once she was outside she took a deep breathe and knocked on the closed door. Someone called, "Come in!" And Bethany timidly walked in. Sitting at the desk was a man who looked to be about 25. "That can't be him!" She thought to herself. She was silent for a minute until the man said, "Can I help you?"
Bethany regained her composure and said, "Yes, I'm looking for Rev. Camden. You're not him, are you?"
The man chukkled and said, "No, my name is Chandler, I'm the Associate Pastor. Are you Bethany?"
"How did you know my name?"
"Eric called and told me to tell you he'd be a little late." Chandler replied, "You can have seat and wait for him if you want."
Bethany sat down in the seat Chandler pointed to and said,"Thanks."
"So, why are you meeting Rev. Camden?" Chandler asked in a tone that suggested suspicion.
"Umm . . ." Bethany tried to think of what she should say. "Oh he's my father but he doesn't know about me."? She didn't think that would be the best answer. So instead she said, "We just have something to talk about." Bethany was glad Chandler left it at that.
15 minutes passed by until Eric got to the church. Bethany couldn't see him because her chair wasn't facing the door. She could only hear him. He was saying, "I'm so sorry I'm late. I had a little car trouble. Um . . .Chandler would you excuse us?"
"Sure." Chandler got up and left. Bethany closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened her eyes Eric was just sitting down in his chair. He was tall with brown hair that seemed to be receding. He looked very nice, but not like any of the men from Bethany's book. "Are you Bethany?" He asked her once he was sitting down. Bethany nodded. Before she could say anything he said, "Do I know you? You look really familiar."
Bethany swallowed trying to get the lump out of her throat, "Um . . .no. But, you know my mom. Laura Roberts?"
Eric's face suddenly changed. He looked more curious now, "That's it. You look just like your mom. How is she?"
"She's actually not doing too good. She's in the hospital with cancer."
Eric's face was now sympathetic now along with curious, "Oh, I'm sorry. That must be hard for you."
"Yeah, it kind of is." Bethany again took a deep breath and said, "Umm. . . she wanted me to call you and tell you something for her." Eric didn't flinch. He just kept watching her. So she continued, "She um . . . she wanted me to tell that . . .um . . . you're . . . she . . ." Bethany wanted to cry. She couldn't stand having to be the one to tell Eric she was his daughter. How are you supposed to tell a man that? She stopped stuttering and breathed in a few times after realizing she wasn't breathing.
Eric smiled at her and said, "It's okay. Take your time." Bethany couldn't help smiling when he said that. He was patient and understanding. Two of the qualities her imaginary dad had.
She closed her eyes for a second, opened them, and said, "She wantedme to tell you that . . ." She closed her eyes again, "You have a daughter with . . . with her." She wouldn't open her eyes. She didn't want to see his reaction. But when he didn't speak for a while she opened them to make sure he hadn't passed out or anything.
"And . . ." Eric tried to register what Bethany had just said. "you're . . . her?" Bethany slowly nodded, "Why . . . Why didn't your mother tell me before?"
Bethany shrugged, "I don't know. I think she didn't want to disrupt your life anymore than she already had."
"She didn't want to disrupt my life? I have a dughter that I didn't know about for fifteen years! Telling me wouldn't have been a disruption!" Eric said quite loudly.
"But . . .but . . ." Bethany was getting closer and closer to tears, "she was only trying to keep your family from, like . . . like a fight or something that ruin your family." The more she went on the more she felt like crying.
Eric sat down in the chair next to Bethany. He put his anger at Laura aside and said, "Don't cry. It's okay. Everything's okay."
Bethany was in tears by now, "No, it's not!" She cried, "You're mad at me and my mom and my mom's going to die soon and I'll e all alone! Everything's not okay!"
Eric put his arm on her shoulder, "I'm not mad at you." Bethany looked at him as if to say yeah right, "I'm not. And I'm not mad at Laura, either. I'm just a little frustrated. I don't know why she thought it would be a disruption for her to tell me about you." Eric looked Bethany in the eye, "And you're not going to be alone. I can promise you that. You'll come live with me when . . . when you're mom. . ."
Bethany was still crying when she said, "Just like that? You're just going to accept me as part of your family?"
Eric said,"Yeah. Just like that." He gave her a long hug and said, "Don't cry anymore . . .please?" But Bethany couldn't. She couldn't stop the tears. She was happy and sad and scared and in desbelief all the same time. Eric wasn't like any of the men Bethany thought could be her dad. He was old and balding but he was better then she could have imagined. How many guys would have just accepted her like that? She was still scared, but not bearly as much as before.