I know it has taken me almost a year to update this story. I am so sorry! Being a responsible adult stinks! I have two jobs and I am doing an MA and well, life got in the way. But I haven't forgotten about this story. I hope this chapter is worth the wait. Thank you so much for all those reviews and PMs. Thank you for your support!
...
"Are you sure this is the right address?" Hiram asked his husband as they both stood in front of a tall building. It certainly wasn't what Rachel had described every time she talked about the loft she shared with Kurt and Santana.
"This is what Rachel texted, but I'm not sure we're in the right place." Leroy replied, as shocked as his husband.
"Excuse me, sir. We were given this address and the taxi driver drove us here, but I have a feeling he made a mistake." Hiram explained to the doorman, as he showed him the message Rachel had sent them. "We were told the apartment building was in Bushwick."
"You are in the right place. That address there is for Midtown Manhattan, not Bushwick." the doorman explained, reading the message. "Shall I tell Ms. Corcoran you are here?"
Hiram and Leroy looked at each other, silently asking one another the same question. Had the doorman just said Ms. Corcoran? Why were they standing in front of Shelby's apartment building when their daughter lived in Bushwick with her friends?
"Sirs, should I tell Ms. Corcoran you are here?" the doorman asked again, interrupting the men's silent conversation.
"We ... uh, we just ... Uh yes please." Leroy finally said.
The doorman welcomed them into the building and smiled politely. "The elevators are that way."
"Thank you." Hiram and Leroy said as they walked into the elevator.
"Do you have any idea why we are on our way to Shelby's apartment?" Hiram asked.
"I am sure we'll find out in a minute." Leroy replied.
As the two men were making their way upstairs, Rachel was standing by the door with a worried look on her face.
"Rach, honey, it's going to be okay." Shelby reassured her daughter, giving her a warm smile.
"This was a mistake, mom. I shouldn't have asked them to come here. I should've met them at a restaurant or at the park." Rachel declared, shaking her head. "They've never liked surprises."
Shelby was about to answer when the doorbell rang.
"Are you going to open the door, Rach?" Shelby asked, noticing Rachel was rooted to her spot and was just staring at the door. "I don't think your telekinetic powers are working. You should try using your hand."
Rachel glared at her mother, as she hadn't found that joke even a little funny and then took a deep breath. She changed her frown to her signature show business smile and opened the door. "Dad! Daddy! Welcome!"
"Please come in." Shelby said, trying to hide the fact that she was as nervous as her daughter. "Hiram, Leroy, it's so nice to see you again."
"How have you been, Shelby?" Hiram asked.
"You haven't aged one bit." Leroy added, winking at her.
Shelby smiled at Leroy. She had always been closer to the shorter man than the taller one. "Neither have you."
Hiram walked into the apartment and as much as he wanted to ask his daughter what they were doing in Shelby's apartment, he knew the questions could wait. He hadn't seen Rachel in over six months and all he wanted to do was hug his little girl. He smiled at Rachel and gave her a big hug, lifting her up the ground and spinning her, just like he used to do it when she was little.
"I've missed you so much" Hiram said, giving his daughter a kiss on the forehead before he put her down.
Rachel sighed in relief as she smiled at her dad. "I've missed you too, daddy."
"Give me a hug, Rach." Leroy asked, opening his arms. "How has your dream city treated you?"
"I have no complaints." Rachel replied in her dad's arms.
"Make yourselves at home." Shelby said, leading them to the living room. "Can I offer you anything to drink?"
Leroy sat down on the couch as he looked around the apartment. "I'll have some water, please."
"Some water too." Hiram added, sitting next to his husband.
"I'll help you, mom." Rachel told Shelby, silently pleading not to be left her alone with her fathers.
Hiram and Leroy glanced at each other the moment they heard their daughter call the woman in front of them, mom. They realized there were many things they didn't know and that was starting to make them upset. What else had Rachel hidden from them?
"I think Shelby can pour two glasses of water by herself. Sit down with us." Leroy told his daughter.
Rachel looked nervously at Shelby and then nodded, sitting on the sofa across from Leroy and Hiram.
After a minute of silence, Hiram spoke. "So, Rachel, this apartment doesn't look like the loft you described over the phone. And correct me if I'm wrong, but this neighborhood doesn't seem as dangerous as you made it sound."
Rachel rolled her eyes and then panicked as she looked at her dads. For a moment, she had forgotten Hiram and Leroy had never made a big deal about her rolling her eyes unlike her mother.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you I had moved here. It happened all of a sudden and I wasn't able to let you know." Rachel explained.
"So this is recent?" Leroy inquired.
Rachel shrugged, wondering why her mom was taking so long in the kitchen. Shelby had told her she would help her explain everything to her fathers.
"How long have you been living here, Rachel?" Hiram asked.
"For a couple of months." Rachel replied.
"A couple of months? We talk every Sunday. You had plenty of chances to tell us about your new living arrangements!" Hiram said, raising his voice.
Rachel jumped as her dad's voice went up. "I didn't know how to tell you. You hate Shelby, remember?"
"We don't hate her. How could we hate the woman who gave us the most precious gift anyone could ever give us?" Leroy declared. "I have to admit we weren't happy when she got your hopes up and then walked away, leaving you brokenhearted. But we don't hate her."
"Your father is right. We could never hate Shelby. You are our world, Rachel, and you are here because of her." Hiram added.
Rachel smiled as she stood up and sat between Hiram and Leroy. "I'm so glad you're okay with this."
"This is not over, though. We still want to know why you lied to us." Hiram claimed.
While Rachel talked to her fathers, Shelby was waiting by the door in the kitchen, eavesdropping on their conversation as she didn't want to interrupt that chat between her daughter and the two men. She smiled as they both said they didn't hate her and decided it was a good time to walk out of the kitchen and join them, so she could offer her daughter the help she had promised.
"Three glasses of water." Shelby said, holding a tray. "I thought you might also want one, Rach."
"Thanks, mom." Rachel replied. "My dads don't hate you, isn't that wonderful?"
Shelby smiled at the two men and then at her daughter. "That is a relief."
Hiram cleared his throat as he looked at his daughter. "Rachel, why did you lie to us? The last time we spoke, you told us you loved living with Kurt."
Rachel looked at her dad and frowned. When had her dad become so forceful? He actually looked upset. She was wondering if she could still use the same techniques to get out of trouble as she did when she was little. "It was because of the contract."
"The contract?" Leroy asked. "The contract that stated Shelby could not contact you before you turned 18?"
Rachel nodded. "I was afraid you would ask me to leave."
"Are you happy here?" Hiram asked, and received a nod in response. "Then, we would never ask you to leave. Your happiness has always been what matters the most to us. I do have to say that we were shocked to learn we were in Shelby's building when we got off the taxi."
"But aren't you happy I am no longer living in a dangerous neighborhood? Though it was a good acting exercise to pretend I wasn't afraid every time I walked from the subway to the loft, I am much happier here." Rachel said.
Shelby shook her head and tried to hide a chuckle, as she witnessed her daughter's antics. Rachel was always trying to get herself out of trouble by using what she thought was logical reasoning.
"So, Rachel, how did you end up living with Shelby?" Leroy inquired.
"It is a very interesting story …" Rachel said, as she started telling her fathers all about Santana's betrayal and backstabbing. She talked for over five minutes, glancing between Leroy and Hiram. "And that is how I ended up living with mom."
Every time the men heard their daughter call Shelby mom, their heart skipped a beat. They didn't want to admit they were jealous that Shelby was in their daughter's life, but it was evident for both men that they both felt that way.
"Oh and I have a sister now!" Rachel announced, smiling.
"Quinn Fabray's baby girl, right?" Hiram asked.
Rachel shook her head. "No, it's not Quinn's. It's mom's. Quinn may have carried her, but from the moment Beth was born, she has been mom's. She is my little sister."
Shelby beamed with pride as Rachel fully acknowledged Beth while the two men became even more jealous. Rachel had asked them for a sibling every year on her birthday, she had even written a song about being an only child. As the minutes went by, they were starting to realize Rachel had everything she'd always wanted and they weren't the ones providing it.
"I'm glad you're so happy." Hiram said, smiling sweetly at his daughter.
"But I've missed you and daddy." Rachel added, when she noticed how sad Leroy suddenly looked.
"You raised a wonderful girl." Shelby told the two men.
Hiram and Leroy smiled proudly as they looked at their daughter. After a few seconds, Hiram added, "So, Rachel, no more lies, okay?"
Rachel nodded as she looked down. "I'm sorry, daddy. I'm sorry, dad."
Shelby was about to speak when the bell rang. "That must be Megan with Beth."
"You're not angry, right?" Rachel asked Hiram and Leroy when Shelby moved to open the door.
"Of course not, sweetie." Leroy replied, hugging Rachel.
"We were shocked, but we are not angry." Hiram added.
Rachel smiled, as all those memories from her childhood came flooding down. One pout was enough to soften their fathers. She had always had them wrapped around her finger. And it wasn't different now.
"Wachel! Megan and I went to the zoo!" Beth announced, as she ran towards Rachel. "We saw penguins!"
"I love penguins! I used to have a sweater that had a penguin! I loved that sweater." Rachel told her little sister. "I might still have it. You can have it when you are older."
Hiram and Leroy chuckled. They hoped that little girl there had a better taste in clothes than their own daughter did.
Beth clapped and hugged her big sister. "Thank you, Wachel!"
"Dad, daddy, this is my little sister Beth" Rachel said. "Beth, these are my dads."
Beth tilted her head as she stared at the two men, and then, with a frown, she added, "I don't have a dad."
"But you have a mom and a sister who love you very much, right, Beth?" Shelby said.
Beth nodded and smiled. "And one day, I'll have a prince like Cinderella!"
"He will be a lucky man." Hiram told the little girl.
"When Rachel was your age, she also dreamed of finding a prince." Leroy added.
"That is not entirely accurate. I did dream of finding a prince, but he was not a Disney prince. I always dreamed of finding my Marius." Rachel explained.
"We remember that!" Leroy said, chuckling. "Hiram, do you remember how many times a day we had to listen to that song about our little girl being on her own?"
"That's the reason why we had to get the basement soundproofed. The neighbors were starting to complain." Hiram added.
"I still can't believe our neighbors were so ignorant. They failed to appreciate my talent." Rachel responded with a huff.
"How old were you?" Shelby asked, wishing she had known Rachel as a child.
"I was four and even at that age, it was clear I would grow up to be a Broadway star. My voice was extraordinary." Rachel boasted.
"It certainly was." Leroy affirmed. Seconds later, Hiram echoed what his husband had said.
Shelby shook her head. She could see now why her daughter was so conceited at times. Her fathers had always boosted her ego.
"We would love to see that theater where you'll be performing." Hiram told Rachel.
"I could take you there and then, I could give you a tour around the city. There are so many wonderful places you need to see. We could go to those neighborhoods and locations where West Side Story took place and we could see some locations from Rent!" Rachel ranted. "Let me get my purse and we can leave!"
Rachel rushed to her room, excited to go out with her dads. She had always enjoyed spending time with them. She got her hair in a ponytail and grabbed her purse. She was smiling as she walked out of her room. "I'm ready to go."
Hiram and Leroy were listening to Beth tell them about the zoo and they were laughing at the little girl's story. Shelby thought it would be the perfect chance to remind her daughter about the part of her punishment that was still pending.
"Hey Rach, before you go, remember you still have to work on that presentation" Shelby told her daughter. "I know your dads are in town, but that doesn't excuse you from getting that presentation finished."
Rachel glanced at her dads, making sure they were still busy with Beth and then whispered, "Mom, I won't have time to do it. Can't it wait?"
"It can't. You knew it had to be finished by tonight." Shelby reminded her daughter.
Despite having been paying attention to Beth, Hiram and Leroy could also listen to what Shelby was saying. As soon as Beth was finished with her story, both men told her they wished they had gone to the zoo with her and then approached their daughter.
"What's the presentation about?" Hiram asked. "We might be able to help."
"No, it's okay. It's just a presentation. I can do it by myself." Rachel replied, refusing to look at Shelby and hoping her mother wouldn't mention anything.
"What class is it for?" Leroy asked.
"It's not for a class, daddy." Rachel admitted. "It's just a presentation I have to do, but it's not for school."
Hiram and Leroy looked confused as they wondered what else their daughter was hiding from them.
"What is the presentation about, Rach?" Hiram insisted.
"It's about the dangers of drinking." Rachel quickly said. "So, are you ready to go now?"
"Not yet." Leroy stated. "Why do you need to make a presentation about the dangers of drinking?"
Rachel sighed as she looked at Shelby. "There was an incident. I was at a party with some of my co-stars and some of the people who will be working in the musical with me and you know what those show business parties are like. I was drinking some water, but then, Santana …"
Shelby cleared her throat as she gave Rachel a stern look. She couldn't believe her daughter was trying to blame it all on Santana again.
Rachel chose to ignore her mother's warning and continued with her story. After all, she knew her fathers would agree with her that it hadn't been such a big deal. "As I was saying, Santana went to the bar and got us some drinks. But I only had one or two, daddies."
Shelby wanted to speak, but decided to wait and see how Hiram and Leroy handled the new pieces of information Rachel was sharing with them.
"You're not 21 yet, Rachel." Hiram reminded her daughter. "You shouldn't be drinking."
"I know. But as a Broadway star, I will sometimes need to have a drink or two on stage, so in order to be able to play that part well; I need to at least know what alcohol tastes like." Rachel claimed.
"We understand that, honey. We still believe you are too young, though." Leroy explained in a gentle tone.
"I agree with your dad. What we don't understand is why you have to work on that presentation." Hiram added.
Rachel took a deep breath as she spoke, "Well, daddies, mom wasn't very happy about it and she asked me to work on a presentation about the dangers of drinking."
"Rach, drinking underage is unsafe. You shouldn't have done that." Leroy declared.
Rachel nodded as she pouted. "I'm sorry. I was just doing it for the sake of my career."
Hiram and Leroy nodded along with their daughter, as they looked at each other. After a couple of seconds of silence, Hiram spoke. "Just don't do it again, okay?"
"I won't, daddy." Rachel promised, hugging Hiram and then, she moved to hug Leroy. "I'm sorry."
Shelby was shocked at how everything was handled. She couldn't believe both men had reacted that way. She knew Hiram and Leroy were not big on disciplining their daughter, but what she had just witnessed was worse than she thought. She was speechless. All she could do was shake her head as she looked at her daughter, who was proudly sporting a smile that meant she knew, once again, she had gotten out of any trouble with her dads.
"Shelby, would you and Beth like to join us? Lunch is on us." Leroy offered.
Shelby shook her head as she declined, "Thank you, but I think Beth and I will have lunch here. Rachel needs to spend some time alone with her dads. We could meet for dinner. I can make a delicious vegetarian lasagna, right, Rach?"
"Oh yes! It's the best lasagna you could have!" Rachel exclaimed.
"No, Shelby, we could go out. We wouldn't want to impose." Hiram said.
"It's no trouble at all." Shelby replied, smiling. "You go and have fun with Rachel. Dinner will be ready when you come back."
"Look at you, Shelby. Who would've thought that stardom-famished young woman we met all those years ago, who couldn't even fry an egg, would someday invite us over for dinner?" Leroy joked.
Shelby chuckled. "It's been almost nineteen years, Leroy. And I am a mother of two now."
"Are you ready to go? There's so much I want to show you and so little time!" Rachel pointed out. "Bye, mom! Bye, Beth!"
"Well, I guess we have to go now!" Hiram said, as his arm was pulled by his daughter. "Have a good day, Shelby. See you soon, Beth."
…
"I'm sorry we weren't able to see the theater where I'll be performing." Rachel apologized. "I am appalled by the guard not even knowing who I am!"
"He must be new, honey." Hiram said. "We'll be able to see that stage soon when you're on it."
"We can't wait!" Leroy added. "So, where shall we go next?"
"We can take a cab to 7th street to see the bar where La Vie Boheme was filmed!" Rachel excitedly exclaimed. "You will love it! And then, we can go to the playground where West Side Story was shot."
"I'm guessing we won't be seeing the Statue of Liberty on this trip, huh?" Leroy whispered to his husband.
"Not unless a musical was filmed there." Hiram replied.
Rachel and her fathers spent the rest of the afternoon visiting various movie locations from some of Rachel's favorite musicals. She was thrilled that she was able to show her dads that part of her world.
"Are you tired?" Rachel asked both men, as they both tried to suppress a yawn.
Leroy looked at his watch and was relieved to see that dinner time was approaching. "A little bit. How about we take a cab to Shelby's? It's getting late."
"But we still have one last stop to make." Rachel claimed. "The Navy Yard! That's where Fanny met Nick! You need to see it!"
"You can show it to us tomorrow, Rach. That way, we have something to look forward to." Hiram said.
Rachel thought about it for a second and then nodded. "That sounds perfect. We can go there tomorrow after rehearsal."
"Let's head back to Shelby's, then." Leroy said, hailing a taxi and then turning to his daughter. "Thank you so much for the tour. It was wonderful."
…
"You are going to love mom's lasagna." Rachel told her dads as they were making their way up to the apartment.
"Is it better than ours?" Hiram jokingly asked.
"It's not better, daddy. It's just different. She adds a white sauce I love. I am not sure what it is made of, though." Rachel explained. "I should probably ask mom what she uses. I mean, what if she is using something that doesn't meet my dietary restrictions?"
"I'm sure she knows what you can and cannot eat. Don't worry, honey." Leroy said.
A couple of minutes after Rachel and her fathers had arrived, Shelby announced. "Dinner will be ready in ten minutes."
"I'll set the table." Rachel offered.
"Thank you, Rach. And remember you still need to work on that presentation. You can do so after dinner." Shelby reminded her daughter.
"Mom!" Rachel whined. "My dads are here. I'll do it tomorrow."
"Rachel …" Shelby warned, hoping her daughter wouldn't make a scene in front of her dads.
"I will work on it tomorrow." Rachel declared. "I'll go and set the table."
"Would you excuse us for a minute?" Shelby said, looking apologetically at Hiram and Leroy. "Rachel, will you come with me, please?"
Rachel reluctantly followed her mother into her room, hoping her dads would do something to stop Shelby, but neither men spoke; instead, they both turned their attention to Beth, who was working on a jigsaw puzzle.
"This is unfair, mom. I shouldn't have to work on that presentation while my dads are here!" Rachel argued, crossing her arms.
"Rachel, this is not up for discussion. You knew you had to get that presentation done by tonight." Shelby stated. "So I suggest you lose the attitude, you wear a smile while we have dinner and then, you work on that presentation."
"You are being so unreasonable!" Rachel accused, raising her voice.
While Rachel and Shelby were arguing, Hiram and Leroy were fascinated looking at Beth. The little girl was talking to herself as she did her puzzle. She'd talk to every piece, asking it to show her where it went and when she found the right spot, she would clap and smile at the men, who in response, praised the girl.
The men spent some time paying attention to Beth, but the longer Shelby and Rachel were gone, the more distraught they got. They couldn't quite hear what was being said behind the closed door, but they noticed both Rachel and Shelby's voice kept getting louder and louder. They tried to ignore it and focus on the little blonde girl sitting on the floor in front of them, but it was proving to be harder with each passing minute.
"Enough!" Shelby exploded.
Both men were taken aback when they heard Shelby's reprimand. But they were even more shocked when they suddenly heard a sharp sound followed by their daughter's yelp. They shared a look as they both thought of the same thing, but it couldn't be. They were ready to dismiss that thought when they heard a second crack and their daughter's cry.
"Was that …?" Hiram started to ask.
Beth looked up from her puzzle and noticed the frown on the face of both Leroy and Hiram. She didn't know why they had that look on their faces. Nonchalantly, Beth uttered, "Mom spanked Wachel."
Hiram and Leroy looked at Beth with a shocked expression. Had the little girl just said their daughter had been spanked? They didn't know how to feel about that new piece of information. Seldom had they even raised their voice when Rachel was a child. They were lost in their own thoughts when they saw their daughter and Shelby walk out of the bedroom. Shelby smiled at the two men while Rachel kept her eyes downcast until she was sure her fathers hadn't listened to what had just happened.
"Let's have dinner, shall we?" Shelby called, breaking the silence.
"Let me help you with everything in the kitchen." Hiram offered.
"I can set the table." Leroy volunteered. "Rach, why don't you show me where the silverware and the plates are?"
Rachel nodded and smiled at her dad. It didn't seem like they had heard anything, so she was starting to relax.
Shelby and Hiram walked out of the kitchen with the lasagna and some homemade bread just as Leroy and Rachel were adding the final touches to the table.
"The lasagna smells wonderful, Shelby." Leroy said. "I still can't believe you know how to cook."
"I had to learn how to do it after I moved out. I couldn't live on frozen food and bagels." Shelby explained as she served a slice of lasagna on everyone's plate.
"Yummy, mommy!" Beth exclaimed.
"This is delicious. You must give us the recipe!" Hiram added.
"Why do you want the recipe, daddy? Your cooking is much better." Rachel commented.
"But you said this was the best lasagna we could ever have." Leroy said, confused about his daughter's comment.
Rachel shrugged as she gave Shelby a cold glance, "It could be better."
Shelby shook her head, fully aware of the reason why her daughter had suddenly developed that attitude.
"Is there already a date for opening night?" Hiram wondered. "Your dad and I cannot wait to see our star on stage."
"Not yet. But it should be announced soon. The last investors will be coming in this week and after they have made their bid, a date will be set." Rachel explained. "As soon as it's announced, I'll get you front row tickets."
"Your grandmother and I are also looking forward to seeing you on the show." Shelby added.
Rachel pretended not to have listened to what her mother had just said, and continued chatting with her dads about how a Broadway show was put together. "You cannot imagine the number of people who are backstage!"
"We are so proud of you." Leroy said, looking adoringly at his daughter.
Rachel smiled widely at her fathers as she continued talking kindly and cordially with them.
"Would anyone like more lasagna?" Shelby asked.
"No, thank you. It was delicious, but I couldn't possibly eat more." Hiram said.
"Thank you, Shelby. It was wonderful." Leroy added.
"How about you, Rach? Would you like another piece?" Shelby asked her daughter.
"No." Rachel replied coldly, as she turned her attention back to her dads.
"Does anyone have any room for dessert? I made raspberry crumble pie." Shelby announced.
Rachel's mouth watered as she heard her mother announce what she had made for dessert. It was her favorite pie. But she couldn't admit that at the moment. She was angry at Shelby, after all. "I'm not in the mood for pie."
Shelby sighed as she nodded. "Okay, Rach, then I think it's time to go to your room and work on that presentation."
"What? My dads are still here!" Rachel whined.
"Your dads and I will have some pie in the living room while you work on that presentation." Shelby said. "We need to catch up, after all. We haven't spoken in eighteen years."
"Dad! Daddy!" Rachel pleaded, expecting her fathers to contradict Shelby.
Leroy spoke in a gentle tone. "Rachel, honey, you've always been very efficient with your homework. I am sure that presentation won't take too long."
Rachel opened her mouth to protest, but no words came out. She couldn't believe her dad had sided with her mother. She glared at her parents and stormed out, mumbling as she went into her room.
"I am sorry. She is angry at me." Shelby explained.
"There is no need to apologize, Shelby. We are used to those tantrums." Hiram admitted.
"She has stormed out ever since she learned how to walk." Leroy added.
Shelby couldn't hide her disbelief. It sounded as if Hiram and Leroy thought those storm-outs were cute. She wanted to yell at the two men, but she knew she couldn't do that.
"We know what you're thinking …" Leroy began. "We should've been stricter with her, but we were never able to resist those big brown eyes and that pout."
"And the way she hugged us when she knew she had done something wrong …" Hiram said. "We were never able to be stern with her. Besides, she has always been a very good kid."
"That is true. She is very sweet." Shelby replied. "You did a good job with her."
"But …?" Leroy wondered. He knew Shelby wanted to say something else. "Don't be shy, Shelby. We can take it."
Shelby took a deep breath as she thought of the right words to say. "I was raised in a very strict household, as you know, so my idea of parenting is a bit different than yours, but that does not mean one is better than the other. It's just different."
"We know our parenting style is not perfect, but Rachel has always been our princess." Hiram declared.
"She is very lucky to have you as her dads. You have always treated her as royalty. That is every girl's dream." Shelby said, smiling. "And she's lucky I wasn't around, because that princess would've turned into Cinderella every time she misbehaved."
"Oh she rarely ever did." Leroy admitted. "I mean, she did throw some tantrums and she did slam some doors, but it was never that bad. We knew she just needed to be left alone."
Shelby shook her head, since she didn't agree with the two men. "That might not always be the best solution. I know it's easier to wait until the child has calmed down, but you need to get to the root of the problem. You cannot ignore it and wish it goes away."
"We didn't ignore the problem." Hiram argued. "We simply allowed Rachel to sort out her feelings and realize what she had done wrong."
"On her own?" Shelby inquired.
Leroy nodded. "She always did."
"I'm sorry, but I don't agree on that sort of parenting. I genuinely believe children need some active parenting." Shelby affirmed.
Hiram and Leroy looked at each other and scoffed. "You mean like the kind of active parenting we heard when you and Rachel were in the bedroom?"
"What exactly did you hear?" Shelby asked. She didn't want to assume anything. What had happened had been a private moment between Rachel and her and she didn't want to reveal anything she shouldn't and embarrass her daughter.
"We heard you swatting our daughter and then Beth confirmed it." Hiram explained.
"You spanked Wachel, mommy." Beth added, when she heard her name. She was sitting at the table eating a piece of pie, but she was paying close attention to what the adults were talking about in the living room.
Shelby turned to look at Beth and then went back to the two men sitting on the couch. "As a matter of fact, yes, that's the kind of parenting I am talking about. It is our job as parents to teach our children right from wrong."
"You said it, Shelby, our children. But Rachel is no longer a child." Leroy argued.
"She is eighteen years old, Leroy, she's not exactly a senior citizen. And you'd be surprised to know how much she still needs a parent." Shelby replied.
As Rachel tried to work on her presentation, she could hear what it sounded as an argument. She had slammed her door in frustration, and she didn't want to open it and seem like she was eavesdropping, but she was curious about what was happening in the living room. She was about to walk closer to the door to see if she could hear anything when her little sister rushed through the door and pulled Rachel from what she was doing.
"Wachel! Wachel! Your daddies are yelling at mommy!" Beth said, with tears in her eyes.
"Why? What's wrong?" Rachel asked, standing up from her chair.
Beth shrugged as she pushed Rachel towards the door. "Make them stop!"
"Stay here, okay? I'll see why they're yelling." Rachel said. She was surprised to hear that about her fathers, since they rarely raised their voice. She walked into the living room and just as Beth had said, her three parents were arguing.
"She is eighteen years old!" Hiram yelled.
"Mom! Dad! Daddy! Stop!" Rachel ordered as loudly as she could. "Why are you fighting?"
"We are not fighting, Rach, we just have very different points of view about what raising a child entails." Leroy explained.
"Does that mean this fight is about me?" Rachel wondered.
"Honey, we don't agree on the way Shelby has handled certain things." Leroy admitted.
Rachel furrowed her brows, not being entirely sure what they were talking about. Her mother couldn't have told her dads that she had spanked her in two occasions, could she? "What do you mean, daddy?"
"We do not appreciate Shelby treating you like a child, honey." Leroy said.
Rachel sighed as she tried to put her thoughts in order. "I don't like it either, and I hate to be reminded that I am not as mature as I think I am. But I do have to say that being held accountable for my actions has helped in several occasions. I sometimes find it difficult to know when I go too far, and mom has helped me to think before I act."
Leroy and Hiram couldn't hide their surprise. They had no idea their daughter felt that way, they had no idea their daughter craved a more traditional upbringing. As the men were having a silent conversation between them, Shelby was smiling proudly at her daughter.
Rachel was expecting her fathers to comment on what she had just said, but when neither man spoke, she continued, "I am not saying that I am happy about having to work on a presentation about the dangers of drinking, especially because I know how dangerous it is and I didn't drink that much, but I do have to admit that some of the facts I was researching were eye-opening and whether I want to admit it or not, I have learned from this assignment."
"But Rachel, what about the …" Hiram was interrupted by Shelby who cleared her throat and gave her one of her signature looks. She knew what Hiram was about to ask, and she didn't want Rachel to be put in an awkward position.
Rachel looked at her mom, silently asking her if her dads knew about those other punishments she had received. She immediately got her answer when Shelby smiled at her and shook her head.
"Dad, daddy, I am so grateful for the way you raised me. I am the star I am today because of you. You gave the confidence to pursue my dreams. You taught me that nothing is impossible. You were always there for me." Rachel said, standing between Hiram and Leroy and taking their hands. She knew her fathers very well and she knew they were dejected as they heard how close Shelby and Rachel had become. "I have the best dads in the world."
"But you needed your mother. We are sorry for having been that selfish." Hiram spoke, trying to keep his tears at bay.
Before Rachel could reply, Shelby spoke, "You were not selfish. You have always been the kindest and sweetest men. Do you think I would have agreed to carry your child if I hadn't been sure that you would give her a good life?"
"But Shelby, you just told us we have no idea how to raise a child! You accused us of being too lenient." Leroy recounted.
"Yes, you were too lenient, but I never said you were bad parents. You gave Rachel what you thought she needed. That is what every good parent does." Shelby answered. "We might have different parenting styles, but you and Hiram were wonderful parents. Look at everything our daughter has accomplished."
"But …" Hiram was going to continue arguing when Rachel interrupted him by giving him a warm hug.
"I had a wonderful childhood and I have you to thank for that." Rachel said. "Now, with your example and with mom's, I am trying to become more responsible, more mature. It's just like Glinda says, people come into our lives for a reason. I was upset that mom had walked away when she did, but now I know that the time wasn't right."
Hiram and Leroy simply nodded, as they were speechless. Their daughter had always been good at expressing herself, but they could notice a real change in Rachel. They hated to admit it, but Shelby was a wonderful influence on their daughter.
"We love you so much, honey." Leroy said.
"So, does anyone want to listen to my presentation? It's ready." Rachel asked, changing the subject.
"Wouldn't you rather wait until your dads leave? You can spend some time with them. I can go into my room and watch some TV with Beth." Shelby suggested.
"No. I want them to hear. Let me just get my computer." Rachel replied, walking into her bedroom, getting her laptop and walking back into the living room. "And mom, Beth has fallen asleep, so I don't think she'd want to watch a movie, anyway."
Rachel stood in front of her three parents and gave them her best showbiz smile. Even though the presentation she was about to make was part of her punishment for having drunk underage, she was treating it as a performance. "According to a survey done by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, over 4000 young people under the age of 21 die every year from alcohol poisoning …"
Rachel continued talking for about fifteen minutes, as she showed some graphs and she explained everything she had learned about the dangers of drinking underage. "As a conclusion, I want to state that I will not be drinking anymore, as alcohol can affect brain development and I am too talented to ruin my career over some alcohol that I do not even like the taste of. Thank you so much for your attention."
"That was wonderful, Rach." Shelby said.
"Thank you, mom." Rachel replied. "Thank you for … uh … for making me do this. I had no idea alcohol could be that dangerous."
"I wish we had thought of this when you had that party at our house and you and your Glee friends broke into our liquor cabinet." Hiram said.
Rachel opened her mouth in shock, as she had no idea her fathers knew about that party. "You knew?"
"Honey, you filled our bottles of vodka with water. Of course we knew." Leroy explained.
"But you never said anything …" Rachel added.
Shelby gave her daughter a stern look. "You and your friends got drunk at your house? When did this happen?"
Rachel blushed as she sent her fathers an accusatory look. "It was just a small gathering, mom. We were juniors and well …"
"You are very lucky I wasn't around when that happened." Shelby told her daughter, raising her eyebrow in a threatening way.
Rachel gulped as she nodded. She didn't even want to think about what her mother would have done.
"I think we should go now. It's getting late." Leroy said, breaking the silence.
"Don't leave yet, please. We haven't even had pie yet." Rachel stated. "Mom's pie is the best pie you could ever eat!"
"Oh so we're back to liking mom's food, huh?" Shelby asked with a light tone of voice.
Rachel bit her lip and she shrugged. "I'm sorry."
"It's okay. Been there, done that." Shelby replied.
"Well, we've already had a piece, but I wouldn't mind having another one. It is delicious." Hiram said.
"I agree. I could eat another piece." Leroy added.
Shelby walked to the table and got the pie. She cut a piece for everyone and sat down on the couch. The whole family chatted and laughed. Shelby took a look at her daughter and smiled. Rachel looked truly happy. It felt as if they had always been a family. She knew that there would still be some issues to tackle along the way, but that night, everything was perfect.