Part 4
Soda's POV
"I think you're my father!" Excuse me, what did you say? As far as I knew, I only had one daughter, and she was only eleven months old, not a teenager. Kids grow up fast, but not that fast. I automatically glanced at Amy upon hearing the word daughter. I knew my face probably looked as shocked as I felt, but I couldn't help it. And like someone turning on the light in a dark room, I knew in an instant why the girl had seemed to familiar to me. Because she was Sandy's daughter, Daphne. The baby I'd christened Daffy. Here in Tulsa.
"What are you talking about?" I finally exclaimed. Oh, yes. Very adult of you, Sodapop. The girl makes what was probably the scariest confession of her life to you, and right away you lapse back to the time when you were a teenager. When all of this first started, and led right up to this mess. "I'm sorry, but there's no way I'm your father. It's impossible, Daffy."
"You know my name?" she sounded faintly surprised, but mostly sad. I could tell she'd hoped I'd have a better reaction. "If you aren't my dad then why did I find letters to you from my mom?"
This was news to me. I didn't know anything about letters from Sandy. I'd sure never received any after I told her not to call me when she went back to Florida. That was the last I ever had anything to do with her. "I don't know about any letters, but really, I'm not your dad. I'm sorry she never told you that herself. Sandy and I…well, we have a history, that's for sure."
Daphne looked eager to hear more. "What kind of history? Do you know who my dad is?"
I shook my head. "Sorry, no. I never met the guy," I said somewhat darkly, since, after all, he was shacking up with my girl behind my back. But that was a long time ago, I reminded myself. "But Sandy was my girlfriend about seventeen years ago."
"Then how do you know for sure you aren't my dad?" Daphne asked hopefully.
I sighed, and lifted Amy carefully out of the stroller, holding her on one hip. "I just know, Daf. You have to trust me on that one. But I want you to know that…even when I found out she was pregnant, I still loved Sandy, and I was going to marry her. But she didn't want things that way between us. So she left and I stayed here in Tulsa."
Now she just looked a bit annoyed. "Why didn't you follow her?" she demanded. It was more complicated than that! I wanted to scream. My baby brother was missing and then two of my friends died! Happy now?
But instead I just answered, adjusting the strap beneath Amy's chin, "There were some other things going on at the time. Family stuff."
Daffy nodded, disappointed. "Well, sorry to bother you," she mumbled, for the first time flushing in embarrassment. "I just—" and now I saw a few tears pool in her eyes before she hastily rubbed them away, "I just really wanted to find my dad. You know, to finally know who I am."
"Hey," I touched her cheek where a single tear had slid down and lay there, glistening in the sun. "Who your father is doesn't define you, Daphne."
"I know, but," Daffy tried to smile and failed miserably. "I just wish my mom had told me about him a long time ago, and none of this would've happened."
"Listen to me, kiddo," I offered her a grin since she couldn't herself. "Sandy loves you a lot. You're the most important thing in the world to her, and you know how I know that? Because she raised you without help from anyone, alone with a baby at sixteen, the age you are now, if my math is right." (Still detest math.) "Her parents kicked her out, she had to move to a different state, and the guy who helped make you didn't give a shit whether or not you got a good home. But she still kept you, because she loved you, and she still loves you. And all this time, not telling you about me, and your father and stuff, that was just Sandy's way of trying to protect you, because she had a huge firsthand look at how nasty the real world is, and she got hurt by it a lot. And like any mom, she just wants the best for you. And someday you're going to find your real father, and I really hope you're happy with what or who you find. But for now, you really need to let your mom know you're okay."
Whew. Long speech, especially considering I hardly knew the girl. Daphne nodded when I was finished, and sighed. "Thanks, uh, Mr. Curtis."
"Hey, call me Soda," I told her, putting Amy back down as she started to fuss. "By the way, you hungry?"
"Starving," she confessed, taking a step forward and smiling at my daughter.
"How bout I take you to a diner me and your mom used to eat at and tell you all about what happened with us?" I invited, "Mickey's has got some real tuff food and music, ya know. What do you say, Daffy?"
Daphne smiled for the first time and looked happier than I'd seen her since she first came over. "I say that sounds great, Soda."
All right. Was this one as good or not so much? Do ya think Soda would react like that? Thanks for your feedback, and please review:)
