Chapter 3

This Danny guy is my daddy? Why was I not informed? I want my daddy! A few minutes ago I didn't even have a dad, and now I know that he lives in New York.

I reach under my bed and pull out a backpack. I start to stuff it full of my pajamas, my teddy, and some M&M's if I get hungry on the way. I close it up and put it on my back. When Mom and Stephen aren't looking I go out the front door.

I think I was about 6 miles down the highway when Mom and Stephen pulled up beside me.

"Madison, what are you doing?" Mom sticks her head out the window and yells.

"I'm walking."

"Yeah, I see you're walking, but where are you going?" I can tell the car is moving very slowly so Mom can talk to me.

"To New York?" I say tentatively.

"New York? What for?" Mom is getting mad now. I can see the vein in her temple throbbing. I didn't even know it was there.

"To see Dad…"

Oh, shouldn't have said that. Mom is really mad now. She gets out of the car and pulls me to her. She almost shoves me into the back seat of Stephen's car, and we drive home. She's so mad that she tells me I'm grounded for a month, no TV, no radio, or phone. We get home and I run to my room, slamming the door.

"All I wanted was to know that I have a daddy!" I yelled, crying as I throw my blankets off my bed. "Why won't you let me see him?" I'm screaming now, unable to control myself. "I HATE YOU!" I keep screaming. "I HATE YOU. I HATE YOU. I HATE YOU!" I launch myself into a tantrum, kicking walls and throwing my books around the room.

Stephen rubbed his forehead, his elbows resting on the countertop by the sink. He couldn't stand to see little children upset. "That's quite a set of lungs she's got."

"Oh I know… I don't know what to do with her anymore," Lindsay was literally kicking herself. "I never expected her to find out about Danny. I didn't want her to find out about Danny, she doesn't need him to come into her life and walk out again. He did that to me, I will not let him do that to her."

"Don't you think she has a right to know who her daddy is?" Stephen reasoned with her, "after all, he is her dad. Does he know?"

Lindsay shook her head. "I left New York before I told him."

"Go back to New York," Stephen told her over the screams of the enraged 7 year old in the next room. "Let Danny see the beautiful little girl you two created. If she was my daughter I'd want to know about her."

Lindsay exhaled sharply and pondered her next move.

"Fine," she finally agreed, "hand me the phone."