Chapter 20—Asking Daddy for a huge favor
January 29th, 2000
Bella's POV
Charlie got a copy of his birth certificate this week, that had his father's name on it. Michael Ronald Conway. Charlie went down to the state offices to get the copy on October 29th and found out that he was going to need $20 in cash to get a copy of the birth certificate. It was January 1st, before he had the money. Thanks to the tire that blew out on Charlie's Jeep in November and then Christmas presents in December. He and I went down to the vital statistics office on the third. We filled out the paperwork and was told it was going to take 2-3 weeks to have a copy mailed to us. The birth certificate arrived on Wednesday. We went to a private detective on the 27th after school and found out he wanted one hundred dollars an hour to find his father. We had no choice but to go to my parents; my real parents to ask for help.
I had been spending more and more nights with Phillip and Seraphina, usually going home on the weekends. I went to get Charlie at his house that afternoon. I told him to wear a tie to dinner.
"How do I look?" Charlie asked.
"Great, Daddy will be really impressed," I said.
"Good, I hope that he will help us out," Charlie said.
"Me too," I said.
I had told mom about me dating and being engaged with Charlie. Mom sort of broke the news of the engagement to Dad. He wanted to meet the man that I was going to get married to. Even though he had met Charlie several times before this night. When I pulled up the driveway to my parents place, I said "Relax, we are going to be fine."
"I know, it feels like we are asking a lot of your parents," Charlie said.
"I know," I said.
"So, Charlie what grade are you in?" Dad asked.
"I'm a senior at Eden Hall," Charlie said.
"Oh, good for you and college?" Dad asked.
"Um, Going to University of Wisconsin in Madison next fall," Charlie said.
"Good, Bella will have someone there that she can talk to and protect her," Dad said.
"Yeah, well I have been protecting Bella for a long time," Charlie said as he winked at me.
"What are you thinking of majoring in Charlie?" Mom asked.
"Uh, I was thinking maybe business administration or social work, I don't know," Charlie said.
"Oh, Charlie you have plenty of time to figure out what you want to do," Mom said.
"Social work, interesting, why?" Dad asked.
"Because of my background," Charlie said.
"Oh, and what kind of background is that?" Dad asked.
"Um because Charlie's mom raised him and he was in the lower socioeconomic groups growing up," I said.
"I think that is admirable Charlie, don't you think so Phillip?" Mom asked.
"Wait a minute, Lower socioeconomic groups growing up. You're from the poor side of town, aren't you?" Dad said.
"Dad," I said.
"Phillip," Mom said.
"Well how do I know if he intends to provide for my daughter?" Dad said.
"Daddy there are lots of things that Charlie could do with Social work, degree," I said.
"Yeah, name three," Dad said.
"There is Behavior Management, Probation officer, Human Services caseworker," I said.
"So, in other words, getting people money to live without actually going out and doing the work themselves," Dad said.
"No, that is not always the case. My mother was years in low-income housing because of her job and we had to go on a few assistance programs to get by," Charlie said.
"How in the hell is your mother able to afford Eden Hall if she is so poor?" Dad said.
"I am there on a scholarship with the rest of the ducks," Charlie said.
"YOU WHAT? ISABELLA LILLIAN BANKS, WHY ARE YOU DATING THIS LOSER?" Dad spat.
"Daddy he isn't a loser. So, he comes from a poor background, big whoop. You came from the same poor background. And despite his faults I think Charlie has done all right for himself. He got into Wisconsin didn't he? And he is going to play hockey for the Badgers," I said.
"Bella I wanted to see you marry someone that is closer to our area of income, instead of this loser," Dad said.
"Phillip that is enough," Mom said.
"HOW IS HE GOING TO TAKE CARE OF MY LITTLE GIRL ON A SOCIAL WORKERS SALARY?" Dad asked.
"WHAT IS THIS THE NINETEEN FIFTIES? I do plan on working daddy," I said.
"Average starting salary is 30 thousand a year," Charlie said.
"30 thousand a year? That is not going to be enough to support you two," Dad said.
"Daddy did you not hear me? I said that I plan on working too," I said.
"Oh, doing what Ace?" Dad said.
"I was thinking of becoming a lawyer," I said.
"Good girl," Dad said.
"You okay with Bella making more money than you, Charlie?" Mom asked.
"Yeah, she can do whatever her heart desires," Charlie said and then he kissed my knuckles, I giggled at that.
"Yeah well you watch Seraphina. They will move in here with their 2.5 kids, 5 years after Bella gets her law degree because Mr. Social Worker here, could not make it on 30,000 a year," Dad spat.
"Phillip, that is enough, we struggled the first ten years of our marriage. If it weren't for your contract extension when I was pregnant with the twins, they would have been born in a two-bedroom apartment that you have rented since 1974," Mom said.
"YEAH WELL I WOULD HAVE EARNED THAT MILLION DOLLARS IF MY KNEE DIDN'T BLOW OUT 2 YEARS BEFORE I WAS SUPPOSED TO EARN IT," Dad said.
"Million-dollar contract?" Charlie whispered to me.
"Yeah Dad was the first signed millionaire by the North Stars," I whispered back.
"PHILLIP YOU CAN'T CHANGE THE PAST. WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO LIVE WITH IT AND GO ON," Mom yelled.
"WHEN I AM DEAD! EXCUSE ME, I HAVE LOST MY APPETITE," Dad said and then he went downstairs to his office making sure to slam the door to the basement and the door to his office.
"I apologize for his rudeness, Charles," Mom said.
"That's okay Mrs. Banks. I can see where Adam and Bella got it from," Charlie said and smiled at me.
I rolled my eyes. We continued to talk, Mom had asked how we got engaged and I told her most of the whole story. Leaving out the parts about the sex in the hotel and pregnancy scare we had.
Dad was downstairs for a full hour after dinner was over, I could tell that he spent part of his exile down there hitting the punching bag in the gym. As I could hear the thumps of the boxing gloves hitting the bag. Dad was always good to do that when something really angered him.
"Oh my God that is too funny," Mom said as I finished the story of Ms. MacKay going into labor at Grandma Lebrie's house.
"Issy, Charlie and Sera. I am sorry for how rude I was earlier," Dad said.
"Phillip are you okay?" Mom asked as she got up to look at his hands. His hands were just slightly larger and a little more red in color, then they were before the argument at dinner.
"Yeah, I am fine I didn't use the right gloves for the punching bag," Dad said.
"It's okay Daddy," I said.
"I agree Mr. Banks," Charlie said.
"Good,' Dad said and then he kissed the top of my head and gave Charlie a firm hand squeeze on the shoulder. 'Just make sure you take care of my little girl, she's the only one that I have left."
"I promise I will take care of her. I love her like there is no tomorrow. I mean this is it, this is us. Forever and ever. We will figure it out if Bella wants to keep working when our children come or not," Charlie said.
"Which will hopefully be a long time from now right Charles? I am too young at 43 to have any grandbabies," Mom said.
"I promise not for a long time, scouts honor. We still have to graduate from high school, go to college, graduate from there, she has to attend law school and graduate and anything else she wants to do. I figured that the grandbabies won't be coming along until at least 2008. Which would make us to be about twenty-six," Charlie said and then he grabbed my hand.
"Good that is a more respectable number, I will be 52 by then," Mom said.
"My mom will be 46, which would make Phillip be…" Charlie started.
"Don't even start Charles," Dad warned.
"Got it," Charlie said as he smiled.
"Daddy would be 60 that year," I whispered.
"Ahh. Besides Bella won't be the first one to make you a grandparent that will be Ollie," Charlie said.
"OH God I hope not," Mom said.
"What is new with the losers that I call sons," Dad said.
"You mean both Adam and Ollie," I asked with a start.
"Yes," Dad said.
"Well Adam is having the season of his life, what is his goal count up to Charlie?" I asked.
"Like 15 I think or something like that," Charlie said.
"Really?" Mom said.
"Obviously it was enough for a full ride to the U," Charlie said.
"My son, got a full ride?" Mom asked.
"Yeah, I was only able to scrounge a partial scholarship," Charlie said.
"Part of Adam's scholarship is academic, mom;" I said.
"What about you Issy, what are you looking at scholarship wise?" Dad asked.
"Uh, well there isn't going to be much. But there is potential for more later," I said.
"In other words, you have to pay for yourself?" Mom said.
"Yeah, but that is only because the program is brand new. I mean they haven't even started playing yet," I said.
"Well, I guess that makes sense, Ace. You are making good grades right?" Dad asked.
"Yes, I think that I was like in the top ten percent at the close of last semester, so we will see," I said.
"Well, I am sure that if you do get a scholarship that we can help you out with the rest of your education, right Phillip?" Mom said.
"That's great mom, really. But I was hoping to ask you for help when I went to Law School," I said.
"No baby, we will pay for whatever your scholarship does not cover. I don't want to see my kid graduate with student debt," Dad said.
"What about Ollie I mean he is going to have student debt?" Charlie asked.
"Oliver had his chance; Charles and he blew it. Once you have blown it, there is no second chance when it comes to us paying for college," Dad said.
"Oh," Charlie said as he rubbed his neck.
"Besides Ollie would not take it anyway. He said it would be too much of a temptation for him to party again," I said.
"Good maybe he has learned his lesson then," Dad said.
"So, Bella darling what is it that you wanted to talk to us about?" Mom said.
"Well," I said.
"It's okay, it's totally stupid," Charlie said quickly.
"Charlie this is your father you want to find it is not stupid," I said.
"Huh, what do you mean Issy?" Dad said.
I took a huge breath before I said, "Well Charlie wants to find his father."
"I don't understand, hasn't he been a part of your life?" Mom said.
"No, mom and I left him before I was one. He hasn't been there to see me grow up," Charlie said.
"Oh, I see," Mom said.
"Anyway, we got a clean copy of Charlie's birth certificate, and we were wondering if you could help us. We would pay you back of course," I said.
"Pay us back? You mean hire a Private Investigator?" Dad asked.
"Yes," I said.
"Issy they can be expensive," Dad said.
"We know that the guy we looked into wanted $100 dollars an hour. We don't have that," Charlie said.
"Do you have your birth Certificate?" Mom asked.
"Yes, right here," Charlie said as he pulled his wallet out of his back pocket, grabbed the pink piece of paper that was his birth certificate and handed it to mom.
"Let's see here," Dad said as he pulled his glasses out of his jacket pocket and put them on.
"Charles Alexander Conway born to Cassandra Louise Conway, Maiden name Albertson and Michael Ronald Conway. August 15th, 1982, at 2:32 am. Mothers birthdate March 2, 1962, in Minneapolis Minnesota Mother's age at birth twenty. Fathers birthdate was December 25, 1961, in Youngstown, Ohio. Fathers age at birth twenty," Mom said.
"Huh and you have no idea where he is at?" Dad asked.
"Not a clue," I said.
"Did you try the phone book?" Mom said.
"Yes, there are listings for Michael A., Michael D., Michael L, Michael P, Michael, S and Michael W. Conway but no Michael R. He just took off, no hide nor hair of him. Since before the divorce was final. Mom said that the cops couldn't find him before it was final," Charlie said.
"I see," Dad said.
"There is one other thing," I said.
"What is that Issy, baby?" Dad said.
"I want to move back in," I said.
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