(When Branch came home, he flopped on his bed showing the biggest smile ever. He realized he missed out on this for the last 4 years. For once he did not feel lonely. Could all these feelings of sadness or anger have been avoided if he had just talked to her sooner? He couldn't focus on that part of the past. He felt overwhelmed by this happiness. He felt he could tackle one part of his past he had been avoiding. He thought about what Gristle said…he knew he was right…while Poppy brought some joy to him, she couldn't fix the other parts of his life. With a heavy heart, Branch dialed the number of his Dad's. As the phone was ringing, his stomach dropped. He felt like he had no control of what was happening and that someone else was moving through him. Breathe Branch breathe, don't say anything stupid.)
Bret: hello?
Branch: Dad?
Bret: son? Is that really you?
Branch: yes…
Bret: holy shit, I…I didn't expect to hear from you
Branch: is this a bad time?
Bret: I mean…a little bit, hold on
(Branch heard some talking in the background. There was probably silence for 5 minutes before his Dad came back on the phone.)
Bret: hey, you there?
Branch: yes, I'm here
Bret: I have to say son…this is a surprise, you told me you never wanted to see me again and ignored my calls
Branch: you are aware of the elephant in the room, right?
Bret: yes…how are you doing?
Branch: been better…
Bret: and your mother?
Branch: I'm not here to talk about her
Bret: common courtesy, I was just wondering
Branch: it's not my place to tell you that
Bret: ok then, um…how's your grandma?
(Branch bit his lip to prevent tears from spilling out.)
Branch: she's…doing really well, keeps me in check
Bret: I'd like to see you son
Branch: I don't know…
Bret: why are you so hesitate? I left your mom not you
Branch: correction, you cheated on my mom…which means you cheated on me
Bret: there's so much more to that story! I wish you would let me explain
Branch: explain? What's there to explain?
Bret: I've tried reaching out to you for so long, I'm sure your mom brainwashed you into thinking all these lies
Branch: don't you dare talk about her like that! I didn't call you to talk about her, I'm about to hang up
Bret: no Brandon! Please…why did you call me? I've tried for 4 years to make amends and be there for you, but you haven't allowed me
Branch: so much has happened…but you left so you wouldn't know, I'm only calling to make amends with myself, you hurt me
Bret: let me be there for you now son, let me explain everything
Branch: where do you even live now?
Bret: I've bounced around a lot but as of right now I've been in New York
Branch: so, you're saying you'd drive all the way here to see me?
Bret: yes, let me come Saturday, let me explain everything
Branch: you're not coming to the house, we'll meet up somewhere, and I have a right to get up and leave if it feels necessary
Bret: ok…I understand…well I'm finally getting the opportunity to tell you this, I'm so sorry son, I know anything I say won't help or change anything but I'm really sorry
Branch: are you still with her?
Bret: what?
Branch: are you still with that woman?
Bret: no…I'm not, to be honest I haven't been loyal to anyone, so I'm focusing on finding myself
Branch: if you're not with her anymore why didn't you come back?!
Bret: how could I Brandon? You practically hated me, and I knew I couldn't face what I did
Branch: you caused so much damage to my mom…I hope you know that…You broke me
Bret: please Brandon…let me make things right
Branch: we will meet Saturday at that ice cream shop the 3 of us went to in the past…I have the right to leave at any moment and you are not welcome to the house
Bret: ok…alright, thank you for calling me son
(Branch hung up the phone fast. The realization of what he had just done set in and anger started to overpower him as he walked down the stairs. He threw his books off the counter and threw a plate on the ground. He let out a furious rage before the tears stung his eyes threatening to leak. He allowed it as he sunk down to the ground burying his face in his knees. Had he just done this? Was he crazy for allowing the person who had broken up his family to come back into his life? He didn't feel that a was weight lifted, if anything it felt heavier. Maybe the relief would come when he would see his father face to face. Until then he allowed himself to be angry and sad. He was alone. He truly felt like he had no one. His dad left him, his mom was going downhill, and his grandma had died. He lived in this house empty for a long time. He wished someone could have been there with him when he made that call. Dr. Gristle was right…Poppy was just a band aid. Branch knew if he wanted to get better, he would have to do more than slap on a band aid on the wounds that hurt him. One thing was for sure though, he wasn't going to do this alone. Maybe it was time he told Poppy the truth.)
(When Poppy drove home, she was belting out singing which was something she did when she was happy. She could not wait to have lunch with Branch, she knew their friends would be suspicious and possibly tease her more, but she didn't care. Her dad wasn't home which was good with her, she could continue singing. As she hit a high note in her song, her phone rang. Could Branch be calling her already? A sigh of disappointment came when she saw it was Smidge.)
Poppy: hey smidge!
Smidge: hey poppy…um…I'm curious about something
Poppy: sure, what's up?
Smidge: well…um…I saw you and Brandon at Starbucks earlier, looked like you were studying
Poppy: oh…you did?
Smidge: yeah…why didn't you invite me? You know I'm struggling with this class too
Poppy: I'm sorry, I didn't mean to exclude you…this is hard to explain…I'm trying to ease Branch back up, I didn't want to overwhelm him with new people
Smidge: I guess so…I guess I don't get it because I'm new to the group
Poppy: I'm sorry if you felt like I left you out, that wasn't my intention
Smidge: I get it, you wanted your alone time with him
Poppy: what?
Smidge: it's obvious you like him…
Poppy: what?
Smidge: Aw come on Poppy, everyone in the group was talking about it, it's no big deal
Poppy: I'm trying not to scare him off
Smidge: you didn't deny it
Poppy: (rolls her eyes) you don't even know him
Smidge: I've seen the way he acts in Larkins class
Poppy: right now, I'm working towards my friendship with him, I've been trying for 4 years and he finally came back around…uh is there another reason you called?
Smidge: well since Brandon helped you, I was hoping you could explain one of the practice problems or were you too lost in his eyes?
Poppy: no I wasn't! Which problem was it?
(Poppy spent half an hour with smidge on the phone explaining the problem. When she hung up the phone, she felt guilty but annoyed at the same time. Smidge didn't know Branch like Poppy did. She felt like anyone in the group didn't know him as well as her. They were the closest. She was so tired of hearing that she should just admit her feelings for him, didn't they know it took time? Maybe they didn't respect his pace, but she did and that's all that mattered. She heard her dad come through the door, it sounded like he was on the phone with someone. Maybe Christine? She listened for a little bit more before she determined he was off the phone.)
Poppy: hi Dad
Peppy: hey poppy
Poppy: how was your day?
Peppy: busy, I just got off the phone with a client, I brought home a pizza, sausage and peppers your favorite
Poppy: it was like you read my mind
Peppy: I figured we could eat, make up for yesterday
Poppy: that'd be nice
Peppy: how was your non-date?
Poppy: (smiles) if you count studying fun then I guess it was great
Peppy: is studying a code word for something?
Poppy: no dad! God!
Peppy: I know how boys are Poppy
Poppy: it was with Branch, not a big deal
Peppy: Branch? Oh, you mean Brandon? Haven't heard about him for a while, he's in your class this year?
Poppy: calculus yes
Peppy: well that was nice of him, I always liked him, it better have been just studying
Poppy: yes dad!
Peppy: what ever happened to him? He used to be over all the time
Poppy: I wish I knew
Peppy: well I'm glad he helped you out
Poppy: Dad, can I ask a question? And can you please answer honestly?
Peppy: sounds like a serious question, ok what's up?
Poppy: Whenever I ask you always avoid, but I want to know. You brought her up yesterday and now I'm curious, what was mom really like?
(Peppy paused, he knew this was coming. He remembered what Dr. Cloud said about being honest towards her, he wasn't sure what to tell her, there were so many things he could say.)
Peppy: well…I guess I can start with how we met, I met her when we were 16 at a karaoke party. I wasn't much of a singer. But when I heard her sing up there, she got my attention. Her voice was the most beautiful thing in the world. That's where you get it from, your singing is from your mother. Just like your dark locks, your eyes, and your smile. That's all her. I see her in you.
(Flashback)
(A much younger looking peppy is shown surrounded by his friends. He was forced by his friends to come. They had come to originally make fun of the people singing karaoke, but his friends found themselves enjoying it and started singing. Peppy was bored, singing wasn't his scene. Most of these people were terrible and his friends were no exception. What a great way to spend a Saturday, he looked at his watch, 9:30pm. His friends didn't look like they were planning on leaving anytime soon and he didn't drive that night, so he was stuck. He groaned as he heard the person on stage finish singing. He decided he was going to leave; he'd call a cab. As he walked around looking for a phone, he heard the voice of an angel. He turned around and saw the girl who had taken the spotlight. She was singing a song from the movie Titanic; he couldn't think of the name of the song at the moment because he was lost in her voice. She looked to be about his age, her dark locks swept over her face as the emotions sang from her heart. He started feeling something inside of him. He had been in a bad mood all night, but his mood was lifted as he allowed her beautiful sound waves to enter his ears. Before he even knew it, the song was over. The audience applauded and cheered for her. She deserved it, he kept watch for her as she tried to enter the crowd back to her table. He spotted her back with her friends, he had to say something! It was so enchanting! He grew up the courage and went over to her table.)
Peppy: um…hi…I heard you sing, I thought you were really good, best I've heard all night
Joyce: Aw, well thank you
Peppy: you're welcome, just thought you should know (He wasn't sure what else to say, he didn't want to disturb her evening so he started to walk back towards his friends, but then turned around to find her following him)
Joyce: you give me a compliment and you're not even going to give me your name?
Peppy: oh…um…sorry, I'm Peppy
Joyce: (smiles) I'm Joyce, or Joy, very nice to meet you! You come here often? I've never seen you before
Peppy: no, actually I was kinda forced to come tonight
Joyce: we'll I'm glad you were, this club is so much fun
Peppy: (shrugs) not really my idea of fun
Joyce: maybe you just have to try it!
Peppy: no that's ok, I'd rather watch people like you sing
Joyce: what if you sing with me?
Peppy: maybe next time if I see you
Joyce: (smiles) oh really? You'll actually come on your own free will
Peppy: I guess so, I'm willing to give it a try, I got to warn you though my voice can't live up to yours
Joyce: well I'm looking forward to it, singing karaoke is fun whether you have a good voice or not
Peppy: what was that song you were singing?
Joyce: My Heart Will Go On, by the lovely Celine Dion
Peppy: Titanic
Joyce: such a good movie, I got to say it's a surprise hearing a guy our age appreciating a great movie like that
Peppy: I can be cultured
(They continued to talk all night and only realized it was late when Peppy's friends mentioned it was 2am and they were leaving soon. Though they knew they would be in trouble for staying out late, they didn't care. Something was happening here. They exchanged numbers before they left with the people they came with. As promised, Peppy came back to the club the next weekend and every weekend after that.)
*** (End of Flashback)
Poppy: I always wondered where I got it from, how come you never told me?
Peppy: (shrugs) I'm not very good at this, When I heard her sing, it was like everything and everyone disappeared around me and that's how I knew she was the one
Poppy: you asked her to marry you right then and there?
Peppy: (laughs) no, we did however talk all night. We didn't go to the same school, so we always came back to the karaoke club every weekend until I had the courage to ask her out. We dated for 3 years before I asked her to marry me and we married when we were 20.
Poppy: did grandma and grandpa approve of you guys marrying so young?
Peppy: oh, they thought I was crazy, they practically begged me not to because they thought id be throwing my life away, her parents too
Poppy: so how did you guys go through with it?
Peppy: well…we knew we were happy, so we decided to be together no matter what anyone said. I loved her so much, we had a small ceremony since we couldn't afford much at the time, but all that mattered was she became my wife. I was waiting until…well I guess it's been the right time for awhile now. (He pulls out a necklace) Your mother wore this all the time, this Poppy flower necklace…where your name came from. It only seems right to give it to you now
Poppy: (Takes the necklace and stares at it) wow…Mom wore this?
Peppy: I could never get her to take it off
Poppy: I wish I had known about it sooner…but thank you dad, I loved that story, will you tell me more?
Peppy: of course I will…is there anything else you want to know?
Poppy: well this might be a hard question, but was I there when she died? I was young so I don't remember
Peppy: (pauses) no…you weren't…she loved you Poppy, you were the center of her world
Poppy: how come you've never told me stories of her? I would've never known half of the things you're saying
Peppy: it's really hard to explain, I guess I never dealt with the hurt of losing her, so I suppressed all the memories of her
Poppy: well…thank you for telling me…this felt nice
Peppy: it did, you're right this should have been done long ago, would've saved us a lot of hurt, I'm realizing this from Dr. Cloud
Poppy: he's teaching me things too, I'm ready for Saturday to actually talk more, I feel like we're actually connecting more
Peppy: indeed, I love you Poppy
Poppy: I love you too Dad, thank you again and for the pizza, can't remember the last time we had a pizza night
Peppy: well…I got some work to do for my client, I'll be in the office if you need me
Poppy: ok, I'll be upstairs
(Poppy went upstairs and Peppy went to his office. Poppy went to her room and worked on assignments for other classes. Meanwhile Branch paced back and forth with his thoughts, what would he say to Poppy tomorrow? She always knew when someone wasn't feeling right. He knew he had to say something, but if he told her about his dad calling then it would unravel all his events. He assumed Poppy just figured that his parents were still together. They were there all the time when Poppy came over. He figured he should tell her about Creek since he was the first thing that started his downfall, but would Poppy believe him? Poppy was a bit naïve when it came to seeing the bad in people. She was always nice and made friends with everyone. That's why when the problems started with Creek, he never went to her for the fear of her choosing Creek over him. He was frustrated with himself because he could've saved himself some heartache if he had just told her years ago. He would try his best tomorrow to tell her, but in the meantime, he had a song to finish. He pulled out his guitar and wrote more lyrics to the song he was writing earlier. He sang the first verse again before he got to the end.)
Branch: (sings) And I hate that you're perfect… perfect for me… I hate that you're perfect…you're perfect for me…
(As he sang those last few words, he imagined Poppy listening to him and grabbing his hand. Together they were dancing around the room, Branch lifting her up and spinning her around. They joy they felt being close together filled the room.)
Branch and Poppy: (sings) What good are words when they always just get in our way…and it hurts the most just to know that you don't feel the same…the same…so sometimes I get down on my knees and I pray things will change, but life is what happens when things they don't work out our way…our way
(In his imagination he saw Poppy walking away from him and he found himself singing louder so she wouldn't walk from him.)
Branch: (sings) So I spend all my nights in the dark and afraid…mmm…cause I've tried to forget you, but these things just don't go away…away…
(Poppy rejoined him, hand in hand. Seeing what the emotion would be like on her face if she was there, as it got near to the end of the song…Poppy disappeared. Leaving Branch once more in the dark and afraid.)
Branch and Poppy: (sings) I hate that you're perfect…perfect for me…if I didn't know better than I would believe…we were made for each other…but I know the truth…you're no good for me…I'm no good for you…and I hate that you're perfect…perfect for me…I hate that you're perfect…perfect for me
(He placed his guitar down. He was impressed with himself; the words just came to him. His imagination of Poppy during the song…It made him think…if he was to confess his feelings for her, would she walk away and disappear or rejoice and dance with him…maybe he had watched too many chick flicks. One thing at a time Branch. Maybe Poppy being a band aid wasn't so bad, it didn't heal wounds, but it protected and relieved the pain, right? And that was much needed as he figured out ways to tackle on this thing, he called life.)
