"Do you know him?" She asked casually.
"No, my father is a loser who baled on me and my mom when I was a baby." She was changing the subject, but I let her.
"Have you ever thought about him?"
"Of course, I always wanted to know who he was, but my mom would never tell me. But what does this have to do with what we were talking about?" I was getting a little annoyed.
"Jenny, Nathan and I went to high school with your mother and father."
"WHAT?" Both Nathan and I said stunned. Haley glanced back and looked into her husband's eyes for the first time.
"Nikki Turner." She told him, and his faced gazed over like everything fit together. He stepped close to me and pulled me into a hug. Like Haley, he didn't let go for a good while. I could feel his embrace tighten as I tried to break away from him. He placed his hands on my shoulders and stepped back, looking at me.
"Jenny?" He said in disbelief. I stepped backwards.
"Yes. What is wrong with you people?" I was getting scared. "Were you guys friends in high school?"
"No. We were good friends with your father," Haley sad softly.
"What? I can't believe that you guys are friends with him. He deserted his child." I was shocked, angry, and surprised all at once. I didn't know what emotion to go with, so I just stood there numb. My mother lied to me about Haley and Nathan, she just wanted me so angry with them that the truth about my father wouldn't come out. But what was the truth? What they were about to tell me, or what I have known my whole life?
"Jenny, he's not a bad guy."
"I don't care. Maybe not now but back then…" Tears fell from my eyes, all of this was too much to handle. Haley hugged me close.
"It's not how it seems dear."
"Then what happened? What was so bad that he just had to up and leave me?"
"Those are the things he has to tell you."
"NO!"
"Jenny…"
"No, I don't want to meet him and that's final." I pushed myself away from Haley and stepped back. My eyes quickly changed from hurt and sadness too angry and fire. I refused to meet this man that wanted to have nothing to do with me.
"Ok, but Nathan and I have to tell him…"
"NO!"
"It's not fair if we keep this secret. He would want to meet you." Nathan gently said.
"It wasn't fair that he left me alone." I told them, but nothing I said or did was going to change their minds. They were going to tell him. They looked at me through pity filled eyes, and I couldn't take it anymore. "This isn't fair to me, and what about Beth. Fine, can you at least wait to tell him for a few days so that I can get my head settled and talk to my mom."
"I don't think that's smart." Haley replied.
"Please, I really want to talk to my mom and tell her how I feel. Please just let me do that. The next visitation is in two days." I pleaded with them.
"Haley, he's waited this long, two days won't matter." Nathan told her.
"Ok." She agreed. I had two days to come up with a plan, a plan to escape so they wouldn't force me to bond with this man who left me 'high and dry'.
"I'm going to bed. Good night." I left the room without waiting for their responses. I needed money and an idea, so I called my only friend, someone I knew I could trust.