Sad_Girl
Blue Crack Supplier
*Disclaimer: ~ Though inspired in part by real people; none of the stuff in the story really happened or is intended to represent reality in anyway. It’s just a daydream.
Hi all
It’s been one hectic week around here! 
this is kind of a short chapter, but I figured I’d post what I had managed to get done in between presentations, term papers and final exams (on top of work and family!) Hopefully I’ll be able to get back into a rhythm with the story this coming week as things slow down a bit. Thanks for staying interested in my story!
The Promises we make pt 15
“I don’t understand, Trine. I thought you wanted to be in the band?” Tessa asked, looking across her desk at the girl. She had been excited for Trine, in fact, when she had asked her to come down to the office and talk to her about this. Adam, Cat and Larry had all discussed it and decided Trine had shown a lot of responsibility in the past months since the incident which resulted in her removal from the band. Larry in particular had been pushing for her reinstatement since the night she dove into the pool after Pauley.
“I did. I mean, I do. It’s just… if this is because of the thing with Pauley… I don’t deserve it. I was being irresponsible in the first place.” Trine told Tessa, staring at her hands as she spoke.
“Honey, that could’ve happened to anyone. He’s a little boy, and a particularly adventurous one at that. You were responsible enough to be right there and deal with it appropriately.” Tessa encouraged her.
“I should’ve been paying more attention to him. I was so busy daydreaming…” Trine argued with a shrug as if the end result was obvious. Tessa frowned and moved around the desk to sit on the corner of the desk nearer to her.
“Larry was there, too. He seems to think you’re a hero.” She said, watching the girls face closely for some hint what this was really all about. “Were you thinking about the band? Is that why you feel guilty about coming back now?”
“No.”
“Trine? You know you can talk to me, right? You can tell me whatever it is that’s bothering you, and I won’t tell anybody else. I might even have some advice.” She told her gently, and Trine smiled shyly.
“It’s stupid.” She told her with a dismissive shake of her head.
“Obviously not. You’re pretty upset.” Tessa pressed. Trine sat there silently staring at her hands for a long moment, before Tessa ventured a guess. “Is this because of Larry?” Trine’s head snapped up, her eyes round in surprise. Tessa might as well have read the girls mind.
“No! I mean… what do you mean?” She exclaimed, trying to change her reaction as understanding dawned on Tessa’s face.
“Sweetie, it’s not bad that you …” She paused here, deciding that the phrase ‘have a crush’ would only insult the girl. “are attracted to Larry. He’s a handsome man. If that’s what you were thinking about, it doesn’t make what happened any more your fault. Even if you were feeling jealous of his relationship to Pauley and Simone at the time.”
Tears of relief welled up in Trine’s eyes. She was relieved to hear someone say that it was ok, to have someone else know what had been going through her mind. To not even have told her, but to have her guess at what was bothering her, was an affirmation of her words. It wasn’t an unbelievable thing to have felt. Perhaps it was even normal.
Tessa gathered the girl up into her arms and hugged her close. She would not go back to her teenage years for anything. The self-doubt, the fears and confusion involved with growing up was just too difficult. She could only imagine how alone Trine must feel with no one her own age to talk to, thrust into a world so different from what she had known.
“Sweetie, nobody would ever blame you for that. And Pauley’s fine, thanks to your ability to react quickly and responsibly. Not just that, either. You’ve been really responsible in general lately. Adam and Cat said they were talking about the possibility of giving you the chance to re-join the group even before this happened.” Tessa informed her.
“Really?” She asked, and Tessa nodded and smiled at the girl.
“Really.” She laughed. “With the understanding, of course, that you could and would still be taken out of the band if you start having trouble with school or break the law again.”
“Yeah, I guess that’s fair.” Trine joked, wiping her eyes and sniffling.
“So is that a yes?” Tessa asked, circling around to the other side of the desk and having a seat in her chair once more.
“Definitely.” Trine agreed with that toothy smile which was so much like her fathers.
*************************************************************
Cat sat slouched back on the couch, listening to the song with a grim expression on her face. For an excruciatingly long moment after it had ended, no one said a word. Finally, after sitting perfectly still, with her fingers pinching the bridge of her nose as if she had a serious headache, Cat lowered her hand and looked around the room.
“It sucks.” She said, and it almost seemed as if everyone in the room breathed a sigh of relief. Everybody obviously agreed, but no one had wanted to be the one to say it out loud. “You were right, we weren’t ready.” She said, turning to face Larry who sat beside her on the sofa. He rubbed his nose and sighed, buying a moment to weigh his words carefully.
“You’re used to being a four or five man band. Suddenly here you are, thrust into a new situation, since you haven’t done much recording. You’re trying to write your own stuff, when you’re used to doing a lot of cover songs. Rushing this just will not end up in the quality of album you want.” He told her, never denying that the music was bad, but encouraging her not to throw it all away.
“You’re right. The reviewer from the benefit in Glasgow a couple of weeks ago was right, too. He said that we were running on empty, a bare minimum skeletal operation. Until Bono appeared and saved the day. I don’t want to do this if we can’t do it right.” Cat said, rising slowly and awkwardly from the couch. At nearly halfway through her pregnancy now, her stomach was becoming a slight hindrance. She did her best not to imagine what it would become before the baby was finally born.
“It’s not as bad as you think.” Bono told her, wrapping an encouraging arm around her shoulders. “ Don’t even think about giving up.”
“I wasn’t.” Cat assured him, rolling her eyes at the very idea that she would quit.
“What are you thinking?” Larry asked, his pretty blue eyes narrowing suspiciously.
“I’m thinking that even with Trine back, we aren’t a solid group. For one thing, we can’t count on Trine always being able to be with us, either. The whole agreement to bring her back in rests on her keeping up on her schoolwork and staying out of trouble.” Cat told them, one hand idly resting against her belly as she began to pace.
“I’m thinking we need someone who can, full time, take over Gunnar’s place. A man with a solid voice and some talent with a bass.” She sighed.
“Well that leaves me out.” Adam quipped as he entered the studio, just in time to hear the last part of Cat’s speech. She rolled her eyes at him and smiled, still getting a slightly giddy feeling whenever he entered a room and looked at her like that. As if, despite the fact that there were twenty other people around, she were the only one he saw. He strode quickly and gracefully across the room, wrapping an arm around Cats waist and greeting her with a soft, lingering kiss on the lips.
“Ugh!” Trine complained loudly, having followed Adam into the studio silently. "Don’t you guys ever get enough of that? Nevermind… don’t answer. Please!” She said, holding up her hands defensively. Adam smirked at her as she passed, moving to sit on the couch beside Larry.
“Sorry we’re late.” Adam told them, releasing Cat from his embrace and moving to find a seat for himself as well. “What have we missed?”
“Cat was just telling us that we suck and we can’t do this without more help.” Krash informed him dryly. “And I have a sneaking suspicion that I know what she’s about to suggest.” He added with a frown.
“Look, we sucked in New York when it was the three of us. We were better, but we weren’t great in Glasgow, with just the three of us. In L.A. with Trine, we did ok. Could’ve been better but we had very little practice time. With Shane… we rocked. We rocked hard.” Cat said as if presenting an argument before the supreme court.
“He’s an ass hole.” Alex groaned.
“I’m not arguing that.”
“What about his legal situation?” Krash asked, sounding awfully hopeful he had found the way out of calling Shane and asking him to come back.
“It won’t be easy to get around. I mean, it will if our producers are on board, but…” Cat said, letting her words drift off at the end and waiting for one of the guys to react.
“You already have this figured out, don’t you?” Bono asked with a playful smirk.
“If we pay off his back child support that he owes, and if we agree to set up a regular paycheck for him, a great percentage of which we would send directly to the court to disperse amongst his ex-wives and children… then he would be able to leave Texas and be with us wherever.” She informed them.
“So, basically, we assume his responsibilities for him.” Larry complained.
“I didn’t say I liked it. It’s just… we know he works well with us, we know his capabilities as a musician, and we know we need someone in the very near future if we can even hope to wrap this up in a timely manner. You guys are going to be off marketing your new Album starting in October or November, the baby is due in December. Then your tour starts in April. There’s just not a lot of time to waste.”
“It’s only July.” Bono told her, rubbing her tense shoulders.
“There is one other thing that’s going to be taking up some time between now and December, too.” Edge piped up for the first time. He glanced over at Tessa who looked around the room nervously. “We were going to tell you today, anyway…” He continued, and Cat gasped and grabbed Tessa by the wrist, dragging her left hand out of her jacket pocket.
“You’re getting married!” She exclaimed, inspecting the delicate engagement ring. She hugged Tessa, who laughed at Cat’s enthusiasm as the others took in the announcement. The others turned to Edge as if needing his confirmation before they began to congratulate him as well.
“I can’t believe you didn’t tell us before you actually did it.” Bono told his dear friend.
“Well, it didn’t happen exactly as I had planned. But it ended well.” He replied with a mischievous smirk. Tessa’s face flushed red and she tried to act as if she hadn’t heard him, but she couldn’t help but smile.
“When do plan on having the wedding?” Cat asked.
“December twentieth.” She told her.
“So soon?”
“It seemed like a good time, it won’t interrupt anybody’s work that’s already been scheduled, and we’re really not planning anything extravagant.” She replied.
“She just wants to hurry through the wedding and get to the honeymoon.” Bono teased, making Tessa’s face turn crimson as she hid behind her hands and laughed.
“All the more reason to have help on this. The last thing you need to be worried about right now is us.” Cat said, bringing the conversation back around to the original subject.
“I think it’s already been decided.” Edge teased her, and the whole group responded with a ripple of laughter. Cat was not easily swayed from a decision once she’d reached it.
“So, what now? We call Shane and organize things with the county or state of Texas?” Bono asked, not really wanting to argue with Cat. He may not like Shane’s attitude toward women and children, but he had seen the difference his presence made in the band.
“Well, no. Actually, we’re going to have to go down there in person.” She said, looking slightly wary of having to address this fact. It was an added inconvenience, in her eyes.
“So we’re goin’ to Texas?” Bono replied in his best mock southern drawl, making her smile with relief.
“We’re goin’ to Texas, pardner.” She agreed with a laugh.
*************************************************************
“Simone? What’s wrong?” Larry asked, knowing something was amiss even before he had stepped into the tiny little house she called home. It was too quiet. Normally he would hear her or Pauley singing or the two of them joking and playing before he ever reached the door.
He found her seated at the cramped kitchen table, her head in her hands and shoulders slouched defeatedly. Pauley sat beneath the table with his knees tucked up against his chest.
“My father…” Simone told him, her voice choked with tears. “My father’s in the hospital. He’s had a stroke.” Larry knelt beside her chair and wrapped his arms around her protectively. He didn’t know what to say. She had hardly mentioned him, and Larry had no idea what kind of relationship they had.
“I have to go.” She sniffled, pulling away from him.
“What?”
“I have to go.” She repeated, more assertively this time, almost as if becoming more convinced herself.
“Where?”
“Home. To my parents house, I mean. In Florida.” She told him brusquely, rising from her seat and hurrying into the other room to find a suitcase.
“Alone?”
“What?”
“You’re going alone?” He asked, standing in the doorway, watching as she carelessly tossed in handfuls of clothes. She stopped and stared at him as if he were asking her what color the sky was or speaking some strange foreign language.
“What?”
“You’re just going to take off alone, leave?”
“Who would be going with me? I mean, of course, Pauley and I are going alone. We travel just the two of us all the time.” She told him as if explaining a simple concept to a small child. Larry scowled at her, his silver eyes flashing impatience.
“For fuck’s sake, Simone, don’t act like I’m an idiot. You know what I mean.”
“No, I don’t… you aren’t honestly suggesting you should come with us?” She gasped, her eyes widening at the thought. She shook her head at him in horror. “No. No, I appreciate it, babe, but… no. no, no, no.”
“Why not? I can stay with Pauley while you spend time with your dad.” Larry argued, his hand resting on Pauley’s head now, Pauley’s arms wrapped around one of Larry’s legs and holding tight to him as if he were his only friend.
Simone sighed as she looked down into those big green eyes and thought about leaving Pauley with her family alone while she was at the hospital with her dad. He didn’t remember any of them, even though they had met. Had it really been two years since they’d seen him? Time passed so quickly, sometimes she would look up and realize she hadn’t spoken to her family in months.
“I’ve … look, Larry, I’ve never once introduced any of my l… boyfriends to my family. Not once. In high school, any boy who asked me out, or who was even just a friend, was quickly turned away by my family. To start now…” She shrugged in frustration. It just seemed too difficult.
“Look, I think I can handle your family.” He told her with a smile, reaching out and stroking her cheek tenderly. “And now is as good a time as any.”
“You don’t know my family.” She warned him, but then she sighed and closed her eyes, knowing she would not deter him. “Well, I guess. This will either kill my father or rile him up enough to make him heal faster so he can let me know what he thinks.”
“Why do you think they won’t like me?” He asked with a frown. Simone laughed softly.
“Let’s see. You aren’t an American. You were never in the military. You’re a musician. You’re outspoken, open-minded, an activist. You have long hair, a tattoo and earrings. You’re pretty much the mirror opposite of my father and brothers.” She told him, leaning against him and wrapping her arms tightly around his waist.
“Brothers? How many brothers do you have?” He asked, kissing the top of her head.
“Four brothers and one sister. Two naval officers, an Army heavy artillery specialist, and two hard core Marines. Semper fi, do or die.” She told him, pulling away to continue packing. “You still want to come along?”
“Yeah, of course.” He told her, though he was slightly subdued by her warning about her family’s nature. He looked down at Pauley and wondered where he would fit into that family picture. He smiled and winked at the boy, who rewarded him with a bright smile. Like it or not, he was a part of their family, now, Larry decided. As he had told Simone, now was as good a time as any to meet them.
Hi all
It’s been one hectic week around here! this is kind of a short chapter, but I figured I’d post what I had managed to get done in between presentations, term papers and final exams (on top of work and family!) Hopefully I’ll be able to get back into a rhythm with the story this coming week as things slow down a bit. Thanks for staying interested in my story!The Promises we make pt 15
“I don’t understand, Trine. I thought you wanted to be in the band?” Tessa asked, looking across her desk at the girl. She had been excited for Trine, in fact, when she had asked her to come down to the office and talk to her about this. Adam, Cat and Larry had all discussed it and decided Trine had shown a lot of responsibility in the past months since the incident which resulted in her removal from the band. Larry in particular had been pushing for her reinstatement since the night she dove into the pool after Pauley.
“I did. I mean, I do. It’s just… if this is because of the thing with Pauley… I don’t deserve it. I was being irresponsible in the first place.” Trine told Tessa, staring at her hands as she spoke.
“Honey, that could’ve happened to anyone. He’s a little boy, and a particularly adventurous one at that. You were responsible enough to be right there and deal with it appropriately.” Tessa encouraged her.
“I should’ve been paying more attention to him. I was so busy daydreaming…” Trine argued with a shrug as if the end result was obvious. Tessa frowned and moved around the desk to sit on the corner of the desk nearer to her.
“Larry was there, too. He seems to think you’re a hero.” She said, watching the girls face closely for some hint what this was really all about. “Were you thinking about the band? Is that why you feel guilty about coming back now?”
“No.”
“Trine? You know you can talk to me, right? You can tell me whatever it is that’s bothering you, and I won’t tell anybody else. I might even have some advice.” She told her gently, and Trine smiled shyly.
“It’s stupid.” She told her with a dismissive shake of her head.
“Obviously not. You’re pretty upset.” Tessa pressed. Trine sat there silently staring at her hands for a long moment, before Tessa ventured a guess. “Is this because of Larry?” Trine’s head snapped up, her eyes round in surprise. Tessa might as well have read the girls mind.
“No! I mean… what do you mean?” She exclaimed, trying to change her reaction as understanding dawned on Tessa’s face.
“Sweetie, it’s not bad that you …” She paused here, deciding that the phrase ‘have a crush’ would only insult the girl. “are attracted to Larry. He’s a handsome man. If that’s what you were thinking about, it doesn’t make what happened any more your fault. Even if you were feeling jealous of his relationship to Pauley and Simone at the time.”
Tears of relief welled up in Trine’s eyes. She was relieved to hear someone say that it was ok, to have someone else know what had been going through her mind. To not even have told her, but to have her guess at what was bothering her, was an affirmation of her words. It wasn’t an unbelievable thing to have felt. Perhaps it was even normal.
Tessa gathered the girl up into her arms and hugged her close. She would not go back to her teenage years for anything. The self-doubt, the fears and confusion involved with growing up was just too difficult. She could only imagine how alone Trine must feel with no one her own age to talk to, thrust into a world so different from what she had known.
“Sweetie, nobody would ever blame you for that. And Pauley’s fine, thanks to your ability to react quickly and responsibly. Not just that, either. You’ve been really responsible in general lately. Adam and Cat said they were talking about the possibility of giving you the chance to re-join the group even before this happened.” Tessa informed her.
“Really?” She asked, and Tessa nodded and smiled at the girl.
“Really.” She laughed. “With the understanding, of course, that you could and would still be taken out of the band if you start having trouble with school or break the law again.”
“Yeah, I guess that’s fair.” Trine joked, wiping her eyes and sniffling.
“So is that a yes?” Tessa asked, circling around to the other side of the desk and having a seat in her chair once more.
“Definitely.” Trine agreed with that toothy smile which was so much like her fathers.
*************************************************************
Cat sat slouched back on the couch, listening to the song with a grim expression on her face. For an excruciatingly long moment after it had ended, no one said a word. Finally, after sitting perfectly still, with her fingers pinching the bridge of her nose as if she had a serious headache, Cat lowered her hand and looked around the room.
“It sucks.” She said, and it almost seemed as if everyone in the room breathed a sigh of relief. Everybody obviously agreed, but no one had wanted to be the one to say it out loud. “You were right, we weren’t ready.” She said, turning to face Larry who sat beside her on the sofa. He rubbed his nose and sighed, buying a moment to weigh his words carefully.
“You’re used to being a four or five man band. Suddenly here you are, thrust into a new situation, since you haven’t done much recording. You’re trying to write your own stuff, when you’re used to doing a lot of cover songs. Rushing this just will not end up in the quality of album you want.” He told her, never denying that the music was bad, but encouraging her not to throw it all away.
“You’re right. The reviewer from the benefit in Glasgow a couple of weeks ago was right, too. He said that we were running on empty, a bare minimum skeletal operation. Until Bono appeared and saved the day. I don’t want to do this if we can’t do it right.” Cat said, rising slowly and awkwardly from the couch. At nearly halfway through her pregnancy now, her stomach was becoming a slight hindrance. She did her best not to imagine what it would become before the baby was finally born.
“It’s not as bad as you think.” Bono told her, wrapping an encouraging arm around her shoulders. “ Don’t even think about giving up.”
“I wasn’t.” Cat assured him, rolling her eyes at the very idea that she would quit.
“What are you thinking?” Larry asked, his pretty blue eyes narrowing suspiciously.
“I’m thinking that even with Trine back, we aren’t a solid group. For one thing, we can’t count on Trine always being able to be with us, either. The whole agreement to bring her back in rests on her keeping up on her schoolwork and staying out of trouble.” Cat told them, one hand idly resting against her belly as she began to pace.
“I’m thinking we need someone who can, full time, take over Gunnar’s place. A man with a solid voice and some talent with a bass.” She sighed.
“Well that leaves me out.” Adam quipped as he entered the studio, just in time to hear the last part of Cat’s speech. She rolled her eyes at him and smiled, still getting a slightly giddy feeling whenever he entered a room and looked at her like that. As if, despite the fact that there were twenty other people around, she were the only one he saw. He strode quickly and gracefully across the room, wrapping an arm around Cats waist and greeting her with a soft, lingering kiss on the lips.
“Ugh!” Trine complained loudly, having followed Adam into the studio silently. "Don’t you guys ever get enough of that? Nevermind… don’t answer. Please!” She said, holding up her hands defensively. Adam smirked at her as she passed, moving to sit on the couch beside Larry.
“Sorry we’re late.” Adam told them, releasing Cat from his embrace and moving to find a seat for himself as well. “What have we missed?”
“Cat was just telling us that we suck and we can’t do this without more help.” Krash informed him dryly. “And I have a sneaking suspicion that I know what she’s about to suggest.” He added with a frown.
“Look, we sucked in New York when it was the three of us. We were better, but we weren’t great in Glasgow, with just the three of us. In L.A. with Trine, we did ok. Could’ve been better but we had very little practice time. With Shane… we rocked. We rocked hard.” Cat said as if presenting an argument before the supreme court.
“He’s an ass hole.” Alex groaned.
“I’m not arguing that.”
“What about his legal situation?” Krash asked, sounding awfully hopeful he had found the way out of calling Shane and asking him to come back.
“It won’t be easy to get around. I mean, it will if our producers are on board, but…” Cat said, letting her words drift off at the end and waiting for one of the guys to react.
“You already have this figured out, don’t you?” Bono asked with a playful smirk.
“If we pay off his back child support that he owes, and if we agree to set up a regular paycheck for him, a great percentage of which we would send directly to the court to disperse amongst his ex-wives and children… then he would be able to leave Texas and be with us wherever.” She informed them.
“So, basically, we assume his responsibilities for him.” Larry complained.
“I didn’t say I liked it. It’s just… we know he works well with us, we know his capabilities as a musician, and we know we need someone in the very near future if we can even hope to wrap this up in a timely manner. You guys are going to be off marketing your new Album starting in October or November, the baby is due in December. Then your tour starts in April. There’s just not a lot of time to waste.”
“It’s only July.” Bono told her, rubbing her tense shoulders.
“There is one other thing that’s going to be taking up some time between now and December, too.” Edge piped up for the first time. He glanced over at Tessa who looked around the room nervously. “We were going to tell you today, anyway…” He continued, and Cat gasped and grabbed Tessa by the wrist, dragging her left hand out of her jacket pocket.
“You’re getting married!” She exclaimed, inspecting the delicate engagement ring. She hugged Tessa, who laughed at Cat’s enthusiasm as the others took in the announcement. The others turned to Edge as if needing his confirmation before they began to congratulate him as well.
“I can’t believe you didn’t tell us before you actually did it.” Bono told his dear friend.
“Well, it didn’t happen exactly as I had planned. But it ended well.” He replied with a mischievous smirk. Tessa’s face flushed red and she tried to act as if she hadn’t heard him, but she couldn’t help but smile.
“When do plan on having the wedding?” Cat asked.
“December twentieth.” She told her.
“So soon?”
“It seemed like a good time, it won’t interrupt anybody’s work that’s already been scheduled, and we’re really not planning anything extravagant.” She replied.
“She just wants to hurry through the wedding and get to the honeymoon.” Bono teased, making Tessa’s face turn crimson as she hid behind her hands and laughed.
“All the more reason to have help on this. The last thing you need to be worried about right now is us.” Cat said, bringing the conversation back around to the original subject.
“I think it’s already been decided.” Edge teased her, and the whole group responded with a ripple of laughter. Cat was not easily swayed from a decision once she’d reached it.
“So, what now? We call Shane and organize things with the county or state of Texas?” Bono asked, not really wanting to argue with Cat. He may not like Shane’s attitude toward women and children, but he had seen the difference his presence made in the band.
“Well, no. Actually, we’re going to have to go down there in person.” She said, looking slightly wary of having to address this fact. It was an added inconvenience, in her eyes.
“So we’re goin’ to Texas?” Bono replied in his best mock southern drawl, making her smile with relief.
“We’re goin’ to Texas, pardner.” She agreed with a laugh.
*************************************************************
“Simone? What’s wrong?” Larry asked, knowing something was amiss even before he had stepped into the tiny little house she called home. It was too quiet. Normally he would hear her or Pauley singing or the two of them joking and playing before he ever reached the door.
He found her seated at the cramped kitchen table, her head in her hands and shoulders slouched defeatedly. Pauley sat beneath the table with his knees tucked up against his chest.
“My father…” Simone told him, her voice choked with tears. “My father’s in the hospital. He’s had a stroke.” Larry knelt beside her chair and wrapped his arms around her protectively. He didn’t know what to say. She had hardly mentioned him, and Larry had no idea what kind of relationship they had.
“I have to go.” She sniffled, pulling away from him.
“What?”
“I have to go.” She repeated, more assertively this time, almost as if becoming more convinced herself.
“Where?”
“Home. To my parents house, I mean. In Florida.” She told him brusquely, rising from her seat and hurrying into the other room to find a suitcase.
“Alone?”
“What?”
“You’re going alone?” He asked, standing in the doorway, watching as she carelessly tossed in handfuls of clothes. She stopped and stared at him as if he were asking her what color the sky was or speaking some strange foreign language.
“What?”
“You’re just going to take off alone, leave?”
“Who would be going with me? I mean, of course, Pauley and I are going alone. We travel just the two of us all the time.” She told him as if explaining a simple concept to a small child. Larry scowled at her, his silver eyes flashing impatience.
“For fuck’s sake, Simone, don’t act like I’m an idiot. You know what I mean.”
“No, I don’t… you aren’t honestly suggesting you should come with us?” She gasped, her eyes widening at the thought. She shook her head at him in horror. “No. No, I appreciate it, babe, but… no. no, no, no.”
“Why not? I can stay with Pauley while you spend time with your dad.” Larry argued, his hand resting on Pauley’s head now, Pauley’s arms wrapped around one of Larry’s legs and holding tight to him as if he were his only friend.
Simone sighed as she looked down into those big green eyes and thought about leaving Pauley with her family alone while she was at the hospital with her dad. He didn’t remember any of them, even though they had met. Had it really been two years since they’d seen him? Time passed so quickly, sometimes she would look up and realize she hadn’t spoken to her family in months.
“I’ve … look, Larry, I’ve never once introduced any of my l… boyfriends to my family. Not once. In high school, any boy who asked me out, or who was even just a friend, was quickly turned away by my family. To start now…” She shrugged in frustration. It just seemed too difficult.
“Look, I think I can handle your family.” He told her with a smile, reaching out and stroking her cheek tenderly. “And now is as good a time as any.”
“You don’t know my family.” She warned him, but then she sighed and closed her eyes, knowing she would not deter him. “Well, I guess. This will either kill my father or rile him up enough to make him heal faster so he can let me know what he thinks.”
“Why do you think they won’t like me?” He asked with a frown. Simone laughed softly.
“Let’s see. You aren’t an American. You were never in the military. You’re a musician. You’re outspoken, open-minded, an activist. You have long hair, a tattoo and earrings. You’re pretty much the mirror opposite of my father and brothers.” She told him, leaning against him and wrapping her arms tightly around his waist.
“Brothers? How many brothers do you have?” He asked, kissing the top of her head.
“Four brothers and one sister. Two naval officers, an Army heavy artillery specialist, and two hard core Marines. Semper fi, do or die.” She told him, pulling away to continue packing. “You still want to come along?”
“Yeah, of course.” He told her, though he was slightly subdued by her warning about her family’s nature. He looked down at Pauley and wondered where he would fit into that family picture. He smiled and winked at the boy, who rewarded him with a bright smile. Like it or not, he was a part of their family, now, Larry decided. As he had told Simone, now was as good a time as any to meet them.
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i just finished my last final yesterday!! yay!
