Ch. 13 - Unveiling Secrets
“Come on, Sam!” Lucy Hall said, grabbing Sam’s wrist and dragging him down the front porch of their home.
“Uh…mom?”
“What?” she asked determined.
“Where are we going?”
“We are going, well, you are going to get Laura a present!”
“O…kay? Why?”
“Why?” she asked, stopping suddenly. “Why? Why? Why? Why don’t you want to get her a gift? Don’t you love her? Don’t you miss her?” she said, demanding an answer with her eyes.
“Well, yes, but…I.”
“Then, there’s no question about it. We’re going to the store and you’re going to buy her something nice, even expensive if you want, right? Right!” she said stuffing two hundred dollars down Sam’s pant pocket.
“Mom!”
“What?”
“Have you gone insane? What is this all about?”
“Nothing!” she said trudging off again.
“But! But! Mom!” Sam said racing after his mother.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Back at the Chapman household, Tessa had gone for a walk to the park to clear her head, leaving Laura and her father alone in that big house. Only trouble could arise from that, and yet she had left, to release herself from the tight tension she had been living in for the past month or so.
“Laura,” Mr. Chapman said slightly above a whisper.
“What?” she snapped.
“Are you taking a temper with me?”
“Do you even have to ask?” she snapped even harder.
“I’d appreciate if..”
“…if I was perfect? Dad, come on! Be reasonable!”
“I’m not asking you to be perfect, I’m just asking you…”
“To be as close as I can get.”
Mr. Chapman was silent.
“Unbelievable,” Laura mumbled to herself. Not only am I apart from everything I hold dear, but now my dad wants me to be “perfect.” Fantastic!
“I’ve been through a lot, Laura!”
“And I haven’t?” Laura snapped, once again to her father.
“You, young lady, have been sneaking around without my permission!”
“I’m 18!”
“And that gives you a right to sneak?” he asked fuming.
“In certain circumstances…”
“What? You can have kids?”
“No! Daddy! Sam is a wonderful gu—”
“Oh, don’t even get me started about Sam!”
“I don’t know what you see in him that’s bad!”
“Oh, Laura,” he said cradling her head in the palm of his hands, “You’re blinded by your love. Unfortunately it’s fake, and you will be hurt in the end.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about! Sam wouldn’t do anything to hurt me and you know it!”
“Whatever Laura.”
“This is about your highschool sweetheart, isn’t it?”
“What?”
“Yeah, it is,” Laura said, figuring out the problem finally.
“No!”
“You’re highschool sweetheart, Elizabeth Sue Johnston. She was pretty wasn’t she?” she said, circling around her father.
“Leave me alone!”
“Long brown hair, big brown eyes, almost just like me…in fact she was me and you were Sam. You just can’t stand that Sam is better than you were.”
Mr. Chapman looked down at his feet. He couldn’t bare to hear this truthful tale again and to his face.
“You got her pregnant. She aborted little Leia, and broke up with you heading down South for college. Sad, isn’t it? Well, it isn’t going to happen to me and Sam. So, I would stop trying to prove what isn’t actually happening! I would think of all things you would like to be happy for me! I mean, come on Dad!”
Laura looked at her father quite satisfied. He couldn’t even look at her. When finally he did, it was a very ashamed gaze and then once again his eyes fell to the floor, tracing the wooden lines with such care and grace.
Laura sighed deeply and waited for her father to say something. She waited…and waited…and waited, until finally he opened to his mouth.
“I love you, Laura.”
Ding. Dong. Ding. Dong. The doorbell rang.
Before Laura could even comprehend what had just come out of her father’s mouth for the first time, she turned slowly around and who else to be at the door, but the love of her life…Sam Hall.
“Uh…mom?”
“What?” she asked determined.
“Where are we going?”
“We are going, well, you are going to get Laura a present!”
“O…kay? Why?”
“Why?” she asked, stopping suddenly. “Why? Why? Why? Why don’t you want to get her a gift? Don’t you love her? Don’t you miss her?” she said, demanding an answer with her eyes.
“Well, yes, but…I.”
“Then, there’s no question about it. We’re going to the store and you’re going to buy her something nice, even expensive if you want, right? Right!” she said stuffing two hundred dollars down Sam’s pant pocket.
“Mom!”
“What?”
“Have you gone insane? What is this all about?”
“Nothing!” she said trudging off again.
“But! But! Mom!” Sam said racing after his mother.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Back at the Chapman household, Tessa had gone for a walk to the park to clear her head, leaving Laura and her father alone in that big house. Only trouble could arise from that, and yet she had left, to release herself from the tight tension she had been living in for the past month or so.
“Laura,” Mr. Chapman said slightly above a whisper.
“What?” she snapped.
“Are you taking a temper with me?”
“Do you even have to ask?” she snapped even harder.
“I’d appreciate if..”
“…if I was perfect? Dad, come on! Be reasonable!”
“I’m not asking you to be perfect, I’m just asking you…”
“To be as close as I can get.”
Mr. Chapman was silent.
“Unbelievable,” Laura mumbled to herself. Not only am I apart from everything I hold dear, but now my dad wants me to be “perfect.” Fantastic!
“I’ve been through a lot, Laura!”
“And I haven’t?” Laura snapped, once again to her father.
“You, young lady, have been sneaking around without my permission!”
“I’m 18!”
“And that gives you a right to sneak?” he asked fuming.
“In certain circumstances…”
“What? You can have kids?”
“No! Daddy! Sam is a wonderful gu—”
“Oh, don’t even get me started about Sam!”
“I don’t know what you see in him that’s bad!”
“Oh, Laura,” he said cradling her head in the palm of his hands, “You’re blinded by your love. Unfortunately it’s fake, and you will be hurt in the end.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about! Sam wouldn’t do anything to hurt me and you know it!”
“Whatever Laura.”
“This is about your highschool sweetheart, isn’t it?”
“What?”
“Yeah, it is,” Laura said, figuring out the problem finally.
“No!”
“You’re highschool sweetheart, Elizabeth Sue Johnston. She was pretty wasn’t she?” she said, circling around her father.
“Leave me alone!”
“Long brown hair, big brown eyes, almost just like me…in fact she was me and you were Sam. You just can’t stand that Sam is better than you were.”
Mr. Chapman looked down at his feet. He couldn’t bare to hear this truthful tale again and to his face.
“You got her pregnant. She aborted little Leia, and broke up with you heading down South for college. Sad, isn’t it? Well, it isn’t going to happen to me and Sam. So, I would stop trying to prove what isn’t actually happening! I would think of all things you would like to be happy for me! I mean, come on Dad!”
Laura looked at her father quite satisfied. He couldn’t even look at her. When finally he did, it was a very ashamed gaze and then once again his eyes fell to the floor, tracing the wooden lines with such care and grace.
Laura sighed deeply and waited for her father to say something. She waited…and waited…and waited, until finally he opened to his mouth.
“I love you, Laura.”
Ding. Dong. Ding. Dong. The doorbell rang.
Before Laura could even comprehend what had just come out of her father’s mouth for the first time, she turned slowly around and who else to be at the door, but the love of her life…Sam Hall.
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