Chapter 6

Later that night, Erica was on her computer. All of a sudden, the screen went black. She checked the plug. No, it was still plugged in. She tried to restart it. Nothing happened. By this time, she was quite frustrated. She tried everything she could think of, and nothing helped. She went downstairs, picked up the phone and dialed her boyfriend's home number.

"Hello?" James asked in his heavy British accent.

"Hey, baby, this is Erica. I'm having some technical difficulties with my computer, and I was wondering if you could help me."

"Of course, honey! What's wrong with it?"

"Well, I was chatting with one of my friends, and the screen all of a sudden went black. I don't know what happened, and now I'm mad."
"Did you check the plug?"

"I checked every nook and cranny on the dumb thing, and I couldn't find anything."

"That's odd. Would you mind if I came and took a quick look-see?"

"Not at all. Maybe you can fix it."

"I'll be over in a few seconds. See you then, love!"

"Seeya then." They both hung up. Erica's new boyfriend was much nicer than Derek. James Farthington had moved here from Great Britain in his sophomore year. He was quite tall, with dark blue eyes, spiky brown hair, and slight stubble. He was also a technology expert. He had all the mannerisms, and politeness of a true Englishman. He was always holding the door open for people, and always pulled out Erica's chair for her.

Just like he promised, he was there within a few minutes. Erica and James were almost neighbors. There were two houses in between theirs, so they saw each other quite a bit. One of them was constantly at the other's house. Erica rushed over to greet him with a kiss on the cheek and a hug. She showed him the computer.

"Aah, so here's the little bugger." He looked at it intently. He pressed the power-switch, and it turned right on, as if nothing was wrong.

"There's the problem. It was just overheated. All you have to do if this happens again is wait about ten minutes, turn it on, and Bob's your uncle!"

Erica looked at him puzzlingly.

"Nooo… Bob's my dad…" She looked utterly confused.

"No! That's just an old British expression meaning 'There you go!' or 'Viola!'" he said with a laugh. Then it dawned on him.

"Wait, I thought Enzo was your father…"

"No, he's just my step-dad. My real father is named Robert. Or Bobby."

"Wait. I thought you didn't know your father."

"Well, I didn't. But I met him a day ago. Purely on accident. It's a rather long, confusing story."

"I understand. So how are you coping with your mom… you know…"

"Dieing? Well, I haven't been the most social person lately, and I'm not the easiest person to get along with right now. I just want to curl up in a little ball and hide for a few years. Or decades…" Erica's voice started to waver, then she burst into tears. James reached over and gave her a hug and held her there until she felt better.