Sometimes, trust is lost and relationships within families fizzle out. But more often than not, love still exists. That is what was realized in our story today which was inspired by the readers of AmoMama. In a small town down south, lived a father and daughter, named Carl and Jessica. The two shared a relationship much like most families, but what was different is that Jessica’s mom had disappeared when she was four years old. This made a huge impact on Carl’s ability to raise Jessica because he had to work hard to be able to support their life together.
Father and Daughter
When Jess was young, she and her father were very close. They would talk about anything and everything, they kept nothing from each other, and they had a lot of trust between them. In her later years, Jess took on the role of a typical teenager. This worried Carl because he was not able to be around as much as he would like. Jess went from the talkative young girl to a secretive and aloof young woman in the blink of an eye! Carl found that he had to start fishing for information about her life, and he was usually met with disgruntled responses. This is not so different from most teenagers, and Carl would try to convince himself every day that their relationship would get better, and that Jess was just going through a phase.
Confrontations
Carl had always been proud of Jessica’s achievements, which included her sporting abilities. She was a great basketball player and Carl would try to fit in time to watch her play. When he found out that she had quit the team, he knew something was going on for sure. But, when she started coming home with the distinct aroma of cigarettes hanging on her clothes, he knew it was time to intervene.
There is never a good time to make confrontations with a teenager, they are ticking time bombs, and always on hyperalert with their defense systems. Carl decided to wait for her to come home and pose the question while the evidence was still pungent. When he finally mustered the courage, he asked her flat out if she had started smoking. He was met with a look of pure disdain and unmistakable hurt. She of course flat-out denied it claiming that she did not. When he told her that her clothes smell of smoke, she blamed it on the fact that some of her friends smoke. Carl just raised an eyebrow, after all, he was once a teenager too.
Anger and Shock
Jessica was furious! She accused him of not trusting her, and that she never thought this day would come. Carl was shocked, and he just stared as she flew up the stairs to her bedroom, slamming the door loudly as she went in. The muffled sound of music followed, and Carl was left standing in the hallway, wondering what on earth just happened. All he wants is to keep her safe.
The next morning, there was a resounding iciness in the air. Jessica was still peeved, so Carl was walking on eggshells, trying not to upset her any further. Jessica was impatient to leave, taking her breakfast on the go. She shouted something about spending the afternoon with her friend, Kathy, and made a snarky comment about not having to send a spy after her. Carl sighed as she left the house, reminding himself that this too shall pass.
Suspicions
He turned to the refrigerator where last night’s dinner was calling his name. He opened the door, expecting to see the roast chicken he had bought from the roasted whole chicken, but alas, there was nothing of the sort. How puzzling, he was pretty convinced that he had put it there the night before, after the argument with Jess. He shrugged it off, thinking it was a great opportunity to have pizza that night.
When Carl arrived home, the lights were not on, meaning Jess was still at Kathy’s. As he walked in the front door, the phone was ringing. He answered it, and Kathy’s voice greeted him, asking to speak to jess. Confused, he told Kathy that Jessica was meant to be with her. There was a moment of silence. Kathy stumbled through an explanation that Jess had just left her house but she had left something behind and promptly put down the phone. When Jess got home, Carl could have sworn that he saw a flash of guilt in her eyes when he told her that Kathy had just called, but he said nothing about it.
Realizations
Carl had had enough of Jessica’s secret life. He wanted to be included, even if that meant following Jessica after school. So, he waited outside her school until he saw her walking out of school grounds, heading in the wrong direction. He wondered to himself where she might be going. Especially because she was heading to the outskirts of town. He followed her to the old trailer park, and his mind was reeling with ideas on why she might be there.
A fire had rampaged through this trailer park not so long ago, and many of them still looked uninhabited. Carl was starting to feel all panicked, trying not to ask himself if his daughter was on drugs. Memories of himself as a teenager were racing through his head, and he was desperately trying to block them out – he had wanted a different life for his daughter. Had his efforts to raise her “right” been in vain? He was suddenly filled from top to bottom with deep feelings of guilt and shame for not having had enough time to spend with her, he should have done better.
Unexpected
He was so busy beating himself up inside his head, that he almost didn’t notice that Jess had reached a trailer and stopped outside. It was one of the few trailers that were still in decent condition. But still, it was somewhat worn out. The car waited with bated breath as she knocked on the door of the trailer, and went inside.
Carl could not bear it any longer. A form of rage washed over him and he stomped down the hill towards the trailer. He banged on the door, intent on solving the mystery. A very shocked Jessica opened the door, and she stammered and stuttered through some excuses, but Carl did hear any of them. He pushed past her and stood inside, looking around feverishly for something, anything that might give him a clue. What he saw was the last thing he expected.
Resolutions
Inside the trailer was a neatly laid table with two places set. There was an entire roasted chicken, not unlike the one he had bought the day before, and sitting at one of the plates, was his wife, Jessica’s long-lost mother.
There was a moment of intense emotion, Carl could not understand. He just stood there, his mouth gaping wide. When he realized himself again, he blinked, and could not hold back the tears. He called her name, as if he were dreaming, or seeing a ghost. She smiled awkwardly and stood up. Suddenly, Carl found his voice again, and angrily asked why she had been gone for so many years, and how could she possibly think it would be okay to just rock up here unannounced.
Love Everlasting
Jessica was crying, but she managed to shout out that her mom was only gone because she thought it was the right thing to do. The two of them explained to him that she had been diagnosed with schizophrenia when Jessica was a young girl. She didn’t want her to grow up with a crazy mother. Carl was dumbfounded. He told her he would have helped her work through it, that he loved her. And of course, that he still loves her now.
Carl took his wife’s hand, and Jessica grabbed them both into a great big hug. They agreed that they should all be together again and that, if this was going to work, there would be no more secrets. Jessica could not remember the last time she was this happy. Her family was together again, and her mom had only left because she thought she was protecting her.
This story was inspired by an original piece of fiction that first appeared on AmoMama. Any similarities between this story and actual people is purely coincidental
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