It has been eight long year's since I have seen Johnny Castle, and it has felt like an eternity. Life has been hard since that faithful day that I left Kellerman's, not long after I came home I found out that I was pregnant. I tried very hard and long to try and find Johnny, but I never did. Things have not been going very well for until the last three month's. i married a horrible man, he gave me a very hard life in the few year's that we were married. I am now divorced, and me and my daughter Sarah are living fine with out him. Things I hope will look better in the future. This is how it all began.
Mother and I had went out for brunch on on Saturday afternoon, the conversation was deep. I didn't realize that I had been sitting behind Penny..I knew that I had known that voice, and deep insideI knew to whom the voice belonged. I causally turned around and spoke her name."Penny is that you?" Penny jumped at the sound of my voice, I think that she knew it was me as well. Penny turned and looked at me all shocked, jumped up and screamed "Baby, Baby Houseman, is that really you, I can't believe it." I smiled warmly at her and stood and gave her a great big hug.
"Yes Penny it's me, how are you, I have missed you so much, how have things been for you?" Penny and I spoke for a long time about where we had been and what we had been doing with ourselves since that summer of 63. I knew that the Johnny's name would soon come up and I was bracing myself for that to happen. What would I say? What would I do? Should I tell her about Sarah or that I looked for him, or what a mistake I had make of not trying harder to find him.
I knew that Penny would be excited and that would have kept contact with Johnny, now was my time , time to let it all at. I told Momma, "Momma I was to talk to Penny alone , would you please excuse us?" Mother got up and made her excuses:Penny, Baby , I will see you soon, I hope that you keep in contact Penny." mother smiled, "Oh and Penny Jake would love to see you dear, stop by sometime."
"I will Mrs, Houseman, and tell Dr. Houseman that I would love to see him sometime, so I can thank him one more time for what he did for me." Penny got up and gave mother a hug and a swift kiss on the cheek, and mother left. I looked at Penny and she looked at me and I know she knew that there was something that I really needed to tell her, she just came out and asked, "Baby is there something that you would like to talk to me about?"
"Yes Penny there is , but could we go somewhere else, because this is kinda private?"
"Ofcourse Baby, where would you like to go" PEnny smiled,"We could go to my apartment, if that is ok with you?"
"Yes that would be great Penny, there is something that I need to get off my chest, and oh Penny, I hope that you will please understand."
"I am sure I will Baby, don't worry, it can't be that bad." Penny and I left , it was a short walk to her apartment. She lived on the 10th floor and it was a beautiful place, considering I had nothing compared to this. When me and Shawn went our different ways, I let him have everything. Penny brought me out of my thoughts she said" Baby are you ok?"
"Yes I am , I am so much better now, you have no idea how much better I am now." I knew that was going to be hard, but it all had to be said and I know that Penny will be my only hope of telling Johnny that he has a daughter. "Baby should we get to this conversation that we are needing to have, because I am getting curious to what it is that you want to talk to me about"
"Yes Penny it is now or never." Ok so here it goes , bare with me here. When I left Kellerman's I was sick and didn't know it , I was pregnant and now Johnny and I have a daughter, her name is Sarah." Penny's face drained of all it's color, I was starting to get worried that she may pass out on me. "Penny she is a beautiful little girl, she looks just like Johnny , but with my hair." She does know that my exhusband Shawn is not her Daddy and that I looked for her Daddy and could not find him, and this is where you come in." Penny was still looking at me with worried eye's." I want you to please either tell her daddy about her or have him get in touch with me, can you do that for me please?"
"Baby this really does come to a shock, I mean after all that happen to me and you two still let you get pregnant. I cannot believe this, this is great, Johnny has no kids and you the one person in this world that he really actually cared about, had his baby." Baby smiled at Penny, I am so glad that she is taking this very well. I don't know what I would have done if she had not believed me. I think that would have been an disaster.
"Well Penny what do you say, would you get up with Johnny for me, he really need's to know about Sarah, and her him as well."
"You know I will Baby and lucky for you he has never forgotten about you girl."
"What do you mean Penny?"
"Well he mention's you from time to time, he wonder's how you are and if you are ok."
"Well I have had a constant reminder of him everyday."
"Yes Baby , I say you do, do you have anymore kids other than Sarah?"
"No Shawn and I never had any kids, he was a violent man, and I never wanted any from him. " I was happy with just Sarah."
"What about this Shawn guy what was his deal, did he beat you or something?"
""Not really, more mentally, emotionally, things like that and I know that he loved Sarah , but he was not her father and he showed her difference. It really was not fair"
"Well Baby what do you say about making a phone call, we won't tell him about Sarah yet , OK."
"That's fine with me, I will know when to tell him, I don't want to shock him to bad Penny." We both laughed at that, we both knew that Johnny was going to be shocked and I was going to be hurt to see him hurt , because of me. Penny picked up the phone and dialed the number and after a few second's she said "Hey Johnny how's it going?" I felt the tears welt up in my eyes and my heart pound, all the memories of him and I can rushing back. I heard her tell him that I was here and that she ran into me during lunch and we went back to her place to catch up. I had also heard that me , my marriage was bad , abusive and Penny thought that he could be someone that I could lean on. Oh one more thing she told him that I had a daughter that was beautiful, with cloudy eye's, dark hair with the curl's of her mother. By that time I was sweating just thinking about what was going on in his head. What was he saying, then I knew, Penny reach me the phone. I was stunned almost froze. I got the phone and put it to my ear, I was so scared, then he spoke"Baby , how are you sweetie, are things ok, you ok?" I just burst out crying, I didn't know what to say, he was there he really was there. I missed him so bad, more that anything in this world. "Baby are you ok, come on you can talk to me, you know you can, speak please." I cried even harder, Johnny must have thought that it had to do with Shawn , but it wasn't. "Johnny I said weakly." I could feel Pennys eyes bore down on me, Penny nudged me. "Johnny I am sorry I didn't mean to cry, you know I guess it is I am just a bundle of nerves. My palms were wet with sweat and my heart was racing. "Ugh so, how are you Johnny? Fine I hope."
"Oh yes, I am ok, things are a little better for me now, considering that I have my own dance studio."
"Oh you do, that is terrific, I would love to see it sometime, if the misses would mind." I knew that he was not married, Penny told me, I wanted to hear him tell me.
"I don't have a misses as you call it Baby, your something else girl."
"Why do you say that I just meant that I would not want to get you in trouble if you had a wife or something." My insides were laughing and he was enjoying the conversation.
"Baby, when I was driving the other day I heard that song Hey Baby, I thought about you, isn't that weird and now look here you are after all these years. I grant you, you have been married and had a child. By the way how old is the child?"
Oh no this is the moment, will he put 2 and 2 together, oh god what do I do? "She is 7 Johnny and as beautiful as a child that you will ever see, she looks like her daddy with the hair of her Mommy."
" I bet she is beautiful, if she looks like her Monther."
"She is, so do you have any kids"
"No, but I wish to have some someday I guess." Johnny grunted and I think that the thought of not having a woman and that I had had a kid so early after having been with him hurt him. He must have thought that I had jumped from him to another man and not have given him another thought. That wasn't the case.
"Look Baby, I have to go , but I am having a dance party tonight at my dance studio, would you like to come?"
"Really you would want me to come? Ofcourse I will be there."
"Well have Penny to give you the directions, make sure that you come, I would like to catch up."
"I will, I will see you tonight, have a good day, nice talking to you."
"Nice to hear from you again, I will see you tonight, wear something that you can dance in."
"I will Bye."
"Bye."
Penny looked at me" Well how did it go?"
"It went good, he wants me to come to his dance party at his studio tonight. He said to wear something that I can dance in."
"Well what are you going to wear, I have something that you can wear, if you have nothing."
"I don't know, I have not danced in a long time, you know how things are you get to busy to do anything."
"Well you can borrow a beautiful dress that will just make his eye's pop out , hold on I will go and get it and you can go and get ready."
"Ok." Penny brought back the dress and I tried it on , it looked beautiful on me, Johnny would love it. I said my thank you's and left, I had to go and tell my mother what had happened. I got home and hollered for Mother and she came running down the stair's ." What is it Baby, why such a fuss?"
"I talked to him Mommy, where is Sarah."
"She is next door playing and whom did you talk to dear."
"Johnny Mom, he wants me to come to a dance party at his dance studio. I am going to go, Penny gave me a beautiful dress to wear, I can't wait."
"Baby think about this, are you going to tell him about Sarah, what will he think about having a daughter for seven year's and not being able to be there." Mommy looked at me so serious and I knew that she was looking out for Sarah, but Sarah was my daughter and I had to do what was best for her and her knowing her Dad was best for her. I had to make things right and the only way that I was going to be able to do that was through Johnny. He was the link to Sarah and I's happy existence. He was the last piece to the puzzle to our lives. I am not going to try to make him be with us but I am going to make the effort to be with him if the feeling is still there for me with him. I hope that it is still there. I love him so much. I want an ending to my fairytale summer that I didn't have.
