But Why Daddy?
Chapter 13
By: Lizzie
©Lizzie 2002-2004
It was well after ten when Cynthia
and JC arrived back home. After they finished at the studio, they went to a
coffee house to talk and listen to the open mic poetry night, and before they
knew it, four hours passed. They quietly walked into the house not expecting
anyone to be up. When they got to the living room, they saw Karen sitting in
the chair next to the fireplace and watching the news.
“Mom, you’re still up?” Josh asked
as he pulled his jacket off and sat down.
“Couldn’t sleep after all the
excitement from today.” She said
“Planning a shower was that much
fun?” Cynthia asked as she sat in the other chair, “I’m sorry I missed it.”
“Baby shower’s off.” she said
“What happened?” JC asked
“Liz told me what happened and we
laid it into Paula pretty good.” she said
Cynthia snapped her fingers, “Damn I
miss all the fun!”
JC sighed, “Liz does have a temper.”
“So does Paula.” Karen said flipping
off the TV, “She left out of here a while ago with Randy.”
“That’s why it’s so quiet.” Cynthia
said
“Did she say when she’d be back?” JC
asked
“Worried about her?” Karen asked
“Not so much her, more so the baby.”
“It’s okay to worry about her.”
Karen said patting her son’s shoulder, “I’m going to bed. Call Liz and see how
she’s doing. She was pretty upset when she left.”
“It’s late, I’ll call in the
morning.” JC said, “Night mom.” he gave her a hug. Karen walked to the back and
into her room, closing the door behind her.
Cynthia looked at JC, “Something
doesn’t feel right…”
“Spidey senses tingling?” JC joked
Cynthia laughed a bit, “I’m serious.
I know both Liz and Paula have tempers, but for both of them to leave?
Someone’s not going to be coming back…”
JC laughed and hugged her, “You
worry too much. Liz will always be around and Paula will be around just so Liz
won’t hunt her down.”
Cynthia nodded, “I know, but still.”
“Go. To. Bed.” JC said, “I’ll wait
up and see that Paula makes it in.”
Cynthia got up and began to walk to
the stairs, “I don’t want to come down here in the middle of the night and see
you guys in the middle of heated throws of passion.”
JC looked at her and laughed, “Only
in the Twilight Zone would that happen.”
“Stranger things have happened.” She
said, “I mean, look at Lizanne and Lance…total goofball meets serious diva.”
JC laughed more, “And who is who?”
“That’s what I’m saying.” Cynthia
laughs. She walked up the stairs, “Don’t be up too late.”
“Night Cyn.” JC said before grabbing
the remote control to the TV and turning to CNN.
+*+January 19th,
2002+*+
The next morning when Paula woke up
she wasn’t in her room. Her eyes tried to adjust to the darkness of the room.
She sat up in bed and felt for a light switch of some kind. When she couldn’t
find one she sighed, threw her legs over the edge of the bed and stood up. She
shuffled her feet as she walked towards the small amount of light she could see
that was coming in through a crack in the curtains around the window. She
pulled the curtains open and shielded her eyes from the sun’s reflection off
the pool.
Behind her, Randy groaned and pulled
the covers over his head, “Turn the damn light off.”
“Kind of hard to shut the sun off.”
Paula said walking back to the bed. She sat down and adjusted her wrinkled top,
“Where’s my bag?”
“In the bathroom…” Randy mumbled
from under the blankets.
Paula got up again, walked to the
bathroom and closed the door. ‘What is this, the Bates Motel?’ she thought to herself as she looked at the
meager amounts of towels that were left for them to use. She turned on the
water, stripped off her clothes and stepped into the shower. Behind her there
was a chair so she pulled it under the streaming water, sat down and let the
water pelt her body. She stayed under the water until she felt the first droplets
of cold water, the she stood up, reached for the small washcloth and bar of
soap. She opened the soap, placed it on the cloth, let the water wet both, then
washed her body and rinsed off. She turned off the water, grabbed the oversized
towel and dried off.
As Paula was getting
dressed, Randy knocked on the door, “Other people do have to use the shower…”
he said
Paula finished getting
dressed, yanked the door open and walked out, “All yours.” She said. Randy
walked in and closed it behind himself.
+*+
Cynthia was still
asleep when she heard someone running down the hall outside her room. She
groaned and turned over. The running continued then stopped at her door. There
was a soft knocking on the door and the soft voice of Karen, “Cynthia are you
awake?”
Cynthia pushed the
covers off her body, got out of bed and groggily walked to the door to open it,
“I’m not on bathroom duty yet.”
“She’s not here.”
Karen said rapidly, “Her room is still the way it was yesterday.”
Cynthia was wide
awake, “Are you sure she didn’t come back?”
Karen nodded her head,
“Josh was up all night and said she never came in the house. The alarm was
still on.”
“Maybe she turned it
on when she came home?” Cynthia asked as she grabbed her robe and put it on.
“That’s what I tried
telling him.” Karen said as she moved from in front of the door and started
towards Paula’s room, which was right next to Cynthia’s, “But he’s convinced
she didn’t.”
Cynthia followed Karen then opened
Paula’s room door and walked in. The day before, Cynthia spent three hours
cleaning it and she could tell everything was just as she’d left it. Cynthia
walked to the closet and noticed the empty hangers.
Go to Chapter 14