AUTHOR'S NOTE Don't kill me for what I did to poor Slater! I heart him, but there had to be conflict, hehe.
DISCLAIMER Made up Maribel, but that's it. Don't own the others.
…
Maribel – "Bitter, Consecrated to God" Spanish
Southern California was cooler than she expected. From the way her mother talked about it, Maribel expected it to be over 100 degrees every day. Nevertheless, it was much warmer than her home in New York. She wasn't sure why her mother said so often she'd never come back.
Maribel sighed and looked around the airport lobby for a taxi. She was avoiding calling her mother again. She had been furious and sick with worry when Maribel had called her from the terminal in Denver. She had no interest in reliving that lecture.
She stepped out onto the sidewalk, frustrated not to be immediately surrounded by yellow cabs like she would have been at home. Throwing an arm in the air, she called, "Taxi!"
Pleasantly surprised by the car that pulled up in front of her, Maribel quickly threw her bag in the back seat and climbed in after it. "Where ya going?" the cabbie asked.
"The high school," Maribel replied. "I don't know the address."
"Which one?" he asked. "Lotsa high schools around here."
"Uh…" She thought for a moment. "Baywatch?"
The cabbie laughed. "Bayside, you mean."
She nodded. "That's it."
She watched nervously out the window during the long ride. Blanching at how much the ride had cost her, Maribel paid the driver and stood in front of Bayside High School alone. Taking a deep breath, she made her way toward the door.
The bell rang just as she put her hand on the handle and she had to jump to the side to avoid being trampled. She let the wave of students past and cautiously opened the door again.
"Excuse me," she said as she approached a blonde boy.
He turned and looked her up and down. "Hey there, baby."
Maribel's face burned. "Can you tell me how to get to the principal's office?"
"Right behind you."
"Thanks."
He grinned. "Anytime doll." He winked. "See you around."
She knocked softly on the orange door marked "Principal."
"Come in."
Maribel took a moment to compose herself and pushed open the door. An older bald man sat behind a desk. "Are you Mr. Belding?" she asked timidly.
"Yes." He looked up. "Are you a new student?" he asked.
"Uh, no."
"Come in, sit down," he said, standing up. Maribel sat uncomfortably. "Now what's your name?" Mr. Belding asked.
"Maribel," she answered. Hesitantly, she added, "Spano."
"Maribel Spano?" he repeated. "Hey, you aren't by any chance Jessie Spano's daughter, are you?"
Maribel nodded. "We live in New York."
Mr. Belding was thrilled. "Your mother was one of the best students I've ever seen come through this school and I've been here a long time. Is she here? I'd love to see her again."
The teenager shifted uncomfortably. "Uh, no. She doesn't ever want to come back to California." She noticed Mr. Belding's face fall in disappointment, but continued anyway. "I came here to ask you a question, Mr. Belding. My mother refuses to tell me anything about my father. All I know about him is that he was her boyfriend in high school. I want to know about him. I want to know why she doesn't talk about him."
The principal sat down heavily at his desk. "Oh boy," he muttered.
"What?" Maribel demanded. "Did you know my father?"
"Yes," Mr. Belding said slowly. "I knew that whole group very well."
"My mother had a group?"
He was shocked. "Of course! Your mother and her friends ruled Bayside from the time they were freshman until the graduated."
She leaned forward eagerly. "Tell me about them!"
Mr. Belding's eyes grew distant. "Well Jessie was one of the smartest girls in school. She was very driven."
"Oh, I know." The girl smiled proudly. "She was Valedictorian!"
'Actually she wasn't,' Belding thought. He didn't tell Maribel that, though. If Jessie hadn't told her daughter about Screech's sacrifice, then it wasn't his place to explain.
"Jessie's best friend back then was Zack Morris – the ultimate pain in my side." Maribel held in a laugh. It was obvious that Mr. Belding remembered Zack with fondness. "He's been married to Kelly Kapowski, another one of their group, for years.
"Lisa Turtle and Screech Powers were the odd ones in the group. Lisa was a fashion queen and Screech, well, everyone kind of thought he was a nerd. He was in love with Lisa for years, but never got her."
Maribel fidgeted. "And my father?" she pressed.
Mr. Belding sighed and took off his glasses. "His name was A.C. Slater. He and your mother were an unlikely pair. He was on the football team, the wrestling team, the basketball team, and the track team."
"A jock, huh?" Maribel cracked a smile. "What happened? Where is he now?"
But she paled when she saw Mr. Belding's face. "Maribel, I don't know quite how to tell you this. After college, your father decided to follow in his father's footsteps and joined the army. He, uh, he left for Iraq a few years ago. He never came back."
Maribel slumped in her chair. "He's dead."
"No," Mr. Belding said slowly. "Missing. But he hasn't been heard from in years."
Maribel fought against tears that she didn't understand. "Mr. Belding?" she asked in a small voice. "Can I call my mom?"
"Of course." He slid the phone toward her.
Jessie Spano was thrilled, relieved, and furious to hear her wayward teenage daughter say, "Mom, I'm coming home."