"All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way."Leo Tolstoy , Anna Karenina
April 13, 2007
Joey waited for Pacey to come to get Daisy since she had to be with Harley in an hour to help her study for her English exam. Joey looked at her watch to see she had half an hour and the drive was at least a fifteen-minute drive. She wasn't sure if Pacey got held up at work or if he was coming so she decided to call him while Daisy was playing with her baby dolls.
"Hello?" Pacey answered.
"Hey, are you coming? I have to go study with Harley for her exam."
"I am sorry, Jo. I got held up at work. Is there any way you could bring Dais with you?"
"Yeah, I can bring her. Do you think you could get her at a restaurant called Pops?"
"Yeah sure, is it like 8 o'clock ok? I am almost done but I have the last meeting that's at 6 til 8?"
"Yes, that's ok."
"See you then."
"See you," Joey said and hung out the phone. She looked at Daisy who was now feeding her babydoll. Ever since Dawson and her breakup Pacey had been helping out a lot more. He made sure to take Daisy on Fridays and even got off work early and picked Daisy up at the apartment. Joey knew that night she scared Daisy with her sobs for a week Daisy was so careful to not make Joey upset. Joey felt like an awful mother for making her five-year-old daughter feel like she had to tiptoe around to not upset her mom.
Things did get better. Although Dawson did call her for a week straight multiple times after they broke up. She never listened to any of the voicemails but she did call Jen that week and explained everything to her. Jen listened and even came over an hour after she explained what happened to her with a pint of ice cream before Joey had to go to work.
Even though things got better. Joey was scared over what effect Dawson had on her. He had his effect on her since she was a little girl to hold on to him and she was scared that if he came back she wouldn't be able to say that things change and he can't do this every day.
Joey picked up Daisy's princess backpack along with her coloring books and a few snacks such as Goldfish and pretzels and then put a couple of toys that Daisy liked.
"Alright, baby girl. We need to go, Daddy can't pick you up so we are going to Harley's house."
Daisy froze as she heard this and looked at her baby doll. She obviously didn't want to leave or go and Joey felt a tantrum coming on as Daisy shook her head.
"I want to play with my baby doll."
"Well, we can-"
"I want to play with my baby doll!" Daisy yelled.
"Honey, we gotta go. You can play with your baby doll once we get to Har-"
"NO!!" Daisy yelled as she started to go on the floor and kicked her legs. Joey took a deep breath and covered her face with her hands. Daisy wasn't normally like this but when her random tantrums would come on it would take everything for Joey to not cry along with her or give in and cancel all her plans and stay home. But Joey couldn't do that if she wanted to get paid or if she wanted to show that you can't just do something just because you didn't get what you wanted.
When Joey uncovered her face she was surprised to meet her eyes with Daisy looking up at her with little tears coming down her face. Daisy's eyes were red and her lip was in the form of a pout as she looked at Joey.
Joey held out her hands and Daisy basically crawled over to Joey to be in her eyes. Joey quietly got the princess bag and her bag as she walked out the door. She rubbed Daisy's back softly as she walked over to Harley's apartment who lived right around the corner. When they got there, Joey set Daisy down and lifted her chin to meet her eyes.
"Listen to me. We are going to go to the apartment and you have a coloring book and snacks in your bag. Then we are going out to eat with Harley until eight then you are going home with Daddy, okay?"
Daisy looked away and another little tear came down her little face and suddenly Joey felt like this was more than leaving the baby doll.
"Daisy, look at me." She said and moved her daughter's chin to look at her. "Are you upset because you couldn't go with Daddy tonight?"
Daisy nodded her head. "He going to go and get you after okay. Daddy has to work."
"You and Daddy always have work," Daisy whispered as she rubbed her eyes. "I want to be with both of you."
Joey sighed as she looked at her daughter. The little pout on her lips and the big teary blue eyes cause Joey's heart to ache for the knowledge of not knowing what a real family is. Joey pushed back Daisy's brown hair and smiled up at her daughter.
"How about we all do something tomorrow? You, Daddy, and me. Does that make sense?"
Daisy shook her head. "Then what do you want, baby?"
"I want to have you and Daddy in one place. I want what my friend Mia has. She has both mommy and daddy living with her. It's not fair that I have to go to both places." Daisy whispered to her. Joey pulled Daisy into her arms. What she had feared for the last five years came out to haunt her. All she wanted to do was protect her baby girl and she had failed at that.
"You know it's so cool that you live in two places and I know it's hard because you want to be in one place. But sometimes mommies and daddies have to do that for reasons that they don't understand. But listen, don't let anyone tell you how and what you should do to live your life because baby you have a mama and daddy that loves you so very much you know that right?"
Daisy nodded her head as she looked up at Joey with a smile. "And just because Mia's family is different from ours doesn't mean our family is less of a family, okay?"
Daisy nodded her head and looked at her mom's eyes.
"I love you, Mommy," Daisy whispered.
"I love you more, my little Daisy," Joey said and kissed her daughter's forehead. She then looked at her watch and saw it was almost six-fifteen. She was fifteen minutes late. She gave Daisy her backpack and then took her hand as she knocked on the door.
Professor Hector opened the door with a frown as he looked at Joey. He luckily didn't say anything that made Joey or her daughter feel worse than they already did but Joey could feel the eye of judgment on her and she felt like that was enough to make her feel bad about herself.
"Harley is upstairs, I am guessing studying. I'm hoping. Honestly, I don't know which makes me very very nervous. I'll be back by ten." He told her and then walked out of the apartment without another glance.
Joey gulped as Daisy and she went into the apartment."Alright, I got to get Harley downstairs, you color while I get her okay?" Joey told her as she then walked upstairs to get Harley.
She knocked on the door that was blasting music from the bedroom. Joey didn't bother to knock a second time as she heard low whispers following the bedroom. She walked in to see Harley on her back studying the book that was upside down.
Harley looked up and smiled. "Oh hey, Joey." She said,
"Your book is upside down," Joey said with a smile as she turned off the music.
"Oh…yeah." She said and turned her book around. "Ohh, please don't. I can hear myself thinking when it's this quiet. It scares me."
"I would be scared too if you were too. I mean Harley you should be writing your essay about Romeo and Juliet but instead, you are reading your book upside down and have Paul in your closet."
"No, I don't…" Harley started and then Joey walked to the closet where Paul fell out of the closet.
"Subtle, Paul. Real subtle." Harley said as she covered her book over her face.
"Now, Paul," Joey said as she pushed him out of the room and made him walk down the stairs as Harley followed behind. "Come on, Joey! We have the same class, he could totally study Romeo and whatever her name is with us."
Daisy watched in awe as her mom pushed the boy with his back to the door. Paul waved and smiled at her and she smiled back shyly even though she had never seen him before.
"Ok, fine," Joey said in defeat. "Sit at the kitchen table."
She watched as Harley ran upstairs and then came back down with her book. "What page are you on, Paul?"
"I haven't read this," Paul said with a laugh. "Really? I'm shocked!" Joey said sarcastically as she eyed Harley.
Daisy walked over which surprised Paul since he had never seen her before. "Who are you?" He asked.
"I'm Daisy." She sat as she sat in Joey's lap. "Mommy, can I watch tv?" She asked sweetly.
"You have a daughter?!" Paul asked in shock. "Yes," Joey said to Paul and then looked at Daisy and nodded at her. That's when Joey had an idea and Harley could see it on her face.
"Oh, come on." She said as she covered her forehead with her head.
"Daisy, why don't you color with Paul till we are done studying," Joey said to Daisy.
"Ok. But do I have to share my goldfish?" The five-year-old asked as she jumped down from the seat.
"Not if you don't want to."
"Okie," Daisy said as she walked over to Paul and took his hand. "Uh ok." He said as he followed along with the five-year-old.
"Perfect, now what page are you on, Harley?" Joey asked the teenager who glared at the girl.
"Act 2," Harley said as she flipped there with Joey.
An hour and a half later, Joey closes her book and looks at Daisy who was cuddling with a pillow on the couch while watching television. Joey looked at Harley who was looking longly at Paul as he was on the other side of the couch quietly watching television with her.
"Hey, you two want to get some dinner?" Joey asked Paul and Daisy. Daisy nodded her head while Paul shrugged.
"Get your things together, Daisy," Joey said and watched as Paul helped her get them together then held Harley's hand afterward. She smiled at him in a lust sort of way and Joey looked at her daughter to make sure she didn't see that.
When they got to Pops, Daisy got chicken tenders with Mac and cheese. Daisy was playing tic-tac-toe while waiting for her food with Paul who was holding Harley's hand and in between his girlfriend and the little girl while Joey was across the table watching the two.
That's when Pacey walked in. When she saw him she couldn't help but think about the meltdown earlier with Daisy. How upset she was that Mia got a mom and dad who loved each other while Daisy got a mom and dad who hardly spoke to one another. But it wasn't that got Joey's attention, it was the fact that Joey wanted that life for Daisy. To not have to spend the nights with her Dad instead of her mom and Dad. To be able to know that their home was their home and no question about it.
She watched him walk in as he looked around and Joey gave him a wave and Daisy spotted him and ran to him. Harley, who had never seen Pacey before, suddenly had a lot of questions on why Joey would end things with this man. Joey smiled as she watched Pacey pick Daisy up and kiss her cheek.
"Hey, baby girl." He said as he hugged her tightly. "I missed you." He said as he carried her to the table and wave at Harley, Paul, and Joey who were all staring at him. That was when the food came out and Daisy look more excited to see her chicken tenders than to see or talk to her Dad.
"Hey uh. I need to talk to you." Pacey whispered in her ear, close enough where Joey could feel his hot breath in her ear. Joey then excuse herself from the table and walked over to the other side where she could still see the three kids.
"What's up?" Joey asked as she lead against a wall.
"I have this work event, and I was wondering if you would like to be my date?"
"Your Date?" She asked as she pushed back her hair.
"Yeah, it's well a big opportunity for me and we are supposed to bring a date and why not bring the-"
"Mother of your child?" Joey said nervously.
"Yeah well…yeah," Pacey said.
"Daddy!" Daisy said as she wave for him to come over. Pacey without hesitation came over leaving Joey standing there in a blush. She love the way he dropped everything and went over to their daughter. She love the way he thought of her.
When she went back to the table she watched as Paul, Pacey, and Daisy played tic tac toe. She shouldn't say no to something just because she is afraid. She told Daisy that before coming here. She knew that this was important to him and she should say yes. So the next time he looked up at Joey, she nodded her head at him as to say yes. He smiled and whispered next Saturday at six pm. Joey gave a thumbs up and they continue like nothing happened like her whole life wasn't about to change.