CHAPTER 7
"Mom!" Emma hollered as she came in. Jake looked up from his breakfast and shushed her. "Your momma's still sleepin'. Where have you been, anyways?"
"Down by the sea" she replied, tugging her sandy boots off "met Bobby Ray." Jake nodded, his mouth full of food. "He's been missing you, you know. Always askin' after you." He swallowed and wiped his mouth on his sleeve. "Not that I've ever had much to tell him." Emma opened her mouth to make some retort but shut it as she remembered her promise. He didn't seem to notice however. "You had breakfast?" Emma shook her head. He stood up, as though to go and get her something to eat, but she pulled him back down and sat on a stool beside him.
"Naw, don't bother. I'm all right." They sat silently for a while, then Emma spoke. "Jake?"
"The name's dad. What?"
"Do you still love my momma?"
Jake sighed and avoided her eyes.
"Well do you?"
"Get me a beer, will you?"
"Can I……?"
"No." Emma could tell by the tone of his voice that he wasn't going to change his mind, so she swung off her chair and went to the fridge. Handing him the bottle, she sat back down and watched him drain half the liquid.
"Do you?"
"It's too early in the morning to answer questions, honey."
"Jake."
"Dad."
"Whatever. Do you still love my mom?"
"I still love her."
"But are you still in love with her? Do you fancy her?"
"Your momma's marrying some rich Yankee. It doesn't matter any more."
"Have you got a girlfriend?"
"I got a girl."
"So you don't love mom?"
"People change sweetheart. Your momma's changed a lot. She's not the Felony Melanie that I married any more. She's just this snotty, Yankee bitch."
"Thanks Jake." Emma and Jake swung round. Melanie was standing in the doorway, arms folded, having heard most of the conversation. Emma took advantage of Jake's distraction to sneak a bit of toast from his plate, pick up his half finished beer bottle and go back upstairs, leaving Jake to worm his way out of another uncomfortable situation.
"Why do you always have to make out like I'm the villain? Last night you succeeded in making my own daughter hate me. Have you any idea how that makes me feel?"
"You've spent the past seven years making my daughter hate me. Of course I know how it feels."
"Why won't you just sign the bloody papers and I can just get out of your life and on with my own?"
"I'm not signing."
"Why not? Could you just give me one good reason as to why you have to make this so difficult?
"The only reason I ain't signing is coz you've turned into some hoity toity Yankee bitch and I'd like nothing more than to piss you off!"
"JAKE!"
"What?"
In despair and frustration, Melanie flung up her hands, grabbed her jacket and stormed out. Emma put on her music and turned it up as loud as it would go.
"Emma turn that down!" Jake hollered from downstairs. She switched it off completely, but the silence was too much for Jake just then so he yelled at her to put it back on. Slightly confused, but happy she had got her own way, Emma did.
"Mom!" Emma hollered as she came in. Jake looked up from his breakfast and shushed her. "Your momma's still sleepin'. Where have you been, anyways?"
"Down by the sea" she replied, tugging her sandy boots off "met Bobby Ray." Jake nodded, his mouth full of food. "He's been missing you, you know. Always askin' after you." He swallowed and wiped his mouth on his sleeve. "Not that I've ever had much to tell him." Emma opened her mouth to make some retort but shut it as she remembered her promise. He didn't seem to notice however. "You had breakfast?" Emma shook her head. He stood up, as though to go and get her something to eat, but she pulled him back down and sat on a stool beside him.
"Naw, don't bother. I'm all right." They sat silently for a while, then Emma spoke. "Jake?"
"The name's dad. What?"
"Do you still love my momma?"
Jake sighed and avoided her eyes.
"Well do you?"
"Get me a beer, will you?"
"Can I……?"
"No." Emma could tell by the tone of his voice that he wasn't going to change his mind, so she swung off her chair and went to the fridge. Handing him the bottle, she sat back down and watched him drain half the liquid.
"Do you?"
"It's too early in the morning to answer questions, honey."
"Jake."
"Dad."
"Whatever. Do you still love my mom?"
"I still love her."
"But are you still in love with her? Do you fancy her?"
"Your momma's marrying some rich Yankee. It doesn't matter any more."
"Have you got a girlfriend?"
"I got a girl."
"So you don't love mom?"
"People change sweetheart. Your momma's changed a lot. She's not the Felony Melanie that I married any more. She's just this snotty, Yankee bitch."
"Thanks Jake." Emma and Jake swung round. Melanie was standing in the doorway, arms folded, having heard most of the conversation. Emma took advantage of Jake's distraction to sneak a bit of toast from his plate, pick up his half finished beer bottle and go back upstairs, leaving Jake to worm his way out of another uncomfortable situation.
"Why do you always have to make out like I'm the villain? Last night you succeeded in making my own daughter hate me. Have you any idea how that makes me feel?"
"You've spent the past seven years making my daughter hate me. Of course I know how it feels."
"Why won't you just sign the bloody papers and I can just get out of your life and on with my own?"
"I'm not signing."
"Why not? Could you just give me one good reason as to why you have to make this so difficult?
"The only reason I ain't signing is coz you've turned into some hoity toity Yankee bitch and I'd like nothing more than to piss you off!"
"JAKE!"
"What?"
In despair and frustration, Melanie flung up her hands, grabbed her jacket and stormed out. Emma put on her music and turned it up as loud as it would go.
"Emma turn that down!" Jake hollered from downstairs. She switched it off completely, but the silence was too much for Jake just then so he yelled at her to put it back on. Slightly confused, but happy she had got her own way, Emma did.