The Best and Worst of Times

The Best and Worst of Times...a “Lexie” story

chapter eight

School was getting better. I even had a few friends. The snobby girls still weren’t accepting me, but at least I had some people to talk to and play with. The boys didn’t tease me anymore. They realized if I could beat them up, they’d better not. It was a good thing, too, cuz I had promised both Daddy and Uncle Steve no more fighting. But if they did start with me, I wasn’t sure I could keep my promise.

My very best friend at school was Layla. She was six just like me. She was really cute, with long black hair that she usually wore up in pig tails. She had an accent because she was born in another country. Sometimes the other kids teased her because of it. I don’t know why, though; I thought it sounded so neat. I wished I had an accent.

Layla and I played together at school every day. We ate lunch together and played in the playground together. She even came to my house sometimes. When the snobby girls said stupid things to us, we just ignored them and played our own games.

At home, things were going well. Mrs. Drucker was the best babysitter I’d ever had. She was almost like a grandma to me. She was so sweet, and I loved her very much. When Layla came to my house, Mrs. Drucker made us snacks and brought them up to my room.

My piano lessons were coming along really well, too. Uncle Steve said I was doing great. I was already in the second book which he taught from. He was amazed at how quickly I learned. Even though me and Jenny didn’t go to the same school, we played almost every weekend.

And Daddy was great. Things were really good in my life. We were waiting and waiting for news on the adoption. I drove him crazy every day to check the mail. Even on Sundays. Mrs. Sage had told us to expect a letter in the mail letting us know when to appear in court for the adoption hearing. I couldn’t wait. Soon I would be Daddy’s forever and ever.

I hardly ever saw the kids from Sunrise Children’s Home anymore. That kind of saddened me, because they had been the only family I had had for six years. I begged Daddy to take me to visit sometimes. Andie had gotten placed in a foster home. Jamie said she sounded happy the last time they had talked. Jessie was in the stages of being adopted, too. I was really excited for her. And I knew just how she felt.

One day I went with Daddy to visit an old friend of his. His name was Peter. He was a foreign diplomat. I wasn’t sure but I think that meant he was pretty famous. He had a big house, and servants, and a limousine and everything. I wasn’t allowed to touch anything when we went there.

Mr. Peter was really nice. He had an accent, too, but not like Layla’s. Mr. Peter was from Germany, while Layla was from Scotland. I asked Daddy if I could get an accent and he just laughed...I wasn’t sure why.

After spending the day at Mr. Peter’s house, and having a really nice big dinner, I was laying on the floor in his living room coloring. He and Daddy were talking and I was listening. I know that usually isn’t nice, but we were all in the same room, and they didn’t tell me to leave or nothing.

Mr. Peter was telling Daddy how lonely he was now that he was back in the states. He told Daddy that his children were back in Germany and were all grown up with families of their own. He saw them sometimes, but it wasn’t the same. Daddy nodded and looked down at me. I immediately looked away.

“Come here, baby,” Daddy said.

I looked up. Daddy was patting his lap. I smiled and went over. Daddy pulled me into his lap and held me tight.

“You should do what I did, Peter. Lexie is the absolute best thing that’s ever happened to me,” he told his friend.

Mr. Peter looked at me and smiled. “Oh, I don’t know, Sam. She’s just so beautiful. Where would I ever find another wonderful girl like yours?”

I smiled. I knew just where he could find a nice little kid. “I know!” I said a little too loudly.

This house wasn’t used to having kids in it. Suddenly, all these servants appeared and wanted to know if Mr. Peter needed anything. He only shook his head and laughed. He sent them away.

“What? What is it that you know, Alexis?” he asked.

“I know where you can find a little girl, Mr. Peter,” I told him.

I told him all about Sunrise Children’s Home and the kids I knew there. He seemed very interested. Daddy said he would take Mr. Peter there the next day. I was so excited. I hoped it would work out and one of my friends would go live with Mr. Peter.

When we got there the next day, I was so happy to see my friends. Mr. Peter spoke with Mr. Trent for a long time. He sat and talked with and played with all the kids there. But one stood out. He said that Jamie looked just like his youngest daughter, Hannah, had looked when she was her age. He said the long, light brown hair was identical.

Mr. Peter fell in love with Jamie. She liked him as well. She told me that she thought he was so young looking and handsome. I was so happy knowing that I had brought them together. They arranged to have a weekend together soon.

Everything seemed to be going so well. Too well. I should have known things couldn’t be this good. I should have known happiness in my life couldn’t stay good forever.

What happened was I was walking past Daddy’s study and I heard him talking quietly. I guessed he was on the phone. I wasn’t trying to listen but then I heard a strange sound. I realized Daddy was crying. MY DADDY? CRYING? It couldn’t be. My daddy never cried.

I crept closer to the study door and tried to listen. The door was not closed all the way. I guessed Daddy was so deep in his conversation that he did not hear me push on the door or see me in the doorway.

“But are you sure there isn’t anything I can do?” he sort of sobbed into the phone. “Everyone must have a price. You say she’s a young girl? How much do you think she would take?”

There was silence for a minute. I almost thought he had hung up, but he hadn’t. His talking continued. My daddy sounded so sad. I wanted to rush in there and jump into his lap and make him feel all better since he did that for me. But then he would know I was listening at the door. And he wouldn’t like that. It’s called eavesdropping and I’m not supposed to do that. But I just couldn’t leave. I had to find out what was making my daddy so sad.

“Oh, I know it’s illegal, but maybe she’d go for it. She can’t possibly want Lexie. She doesn’t even know her. What if I invited her here and she saw how happy we were together?”

Silence again. Who was Daddy talking to? Who didn’t know me? Suddenly the hairs on the back of my neck started to stand up. Something was wrong. Somebody was trying to take me away from Daddy.

I couldn’t help it; I burst into the room, crying, and ran into Daddy’s arms. He looked startled for a second and then pulled me into his lap. Into the phone, he said, “She just came in. Let me call you later. Okay. I know, I know. Bye!” He hung up the phone and held me tight.

“Daddy? What’s going on? Who were you on the phone with? Who doesn’t know me? Who’s gonna take me?” I fired the questions rapidly. I was crying so hard.

Daddy just sighed. He held me tight and rubbed my back. He was openly crying now. He didn’t even seem mad that I had been listening.

After a while, Daddy sniffled, took out his handkerchief, wiped his eyes and blew his nose. He found a tissue for me and helped me wipe my eyes and blow my nose. He picked me up and brought me over to the couch in his study.

“Lexie, did you know that you had an aunt? That your mother had a sister?”

I shook my head no. I had never even known my mother. I had always believed that both she and my father had died when I was a baby. No one had ever told me any differently.

“Well, it seems you do. She’s young. Very young. But when she found out I was trying to adopt you, she wanted to see you.”

“See me? Just see me, Daddy?”

Daddy choked back a few tears and started to nod, but then he shook his head. “Actually, baby, she wants you to go and live with her.”

I practically leaped out of Daddy’s lap. “NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!! I WON’T! I don’t even know her. I’s not gonna go live with her. I wanna live here with you. Forever and ever. You promised!” I cried.

Daddy nodded and reached for me and held me tight to him. “I know, baby, I know I promised. But that was before. When I didn’t know about your Aunt Mickie.”

Aunt Mickie? I had never heard that name before. I didn’t know her. I didn’t want to even see her, let alone go live with her. This was too much to take. Everything had been fine up until a few minutes before. I wished I could turn back the clock. I wished I had never overheard Daddy crying. Maybe if I hadn’t heard, it wouldn’t be true.

I looked up at Daddy’s face. “Are you gonna make me go?” I asked.

“I don’t want you to go, Alexis, but they’re going to make me make you go. I’m nothing to you. This woman is your aunt, your flesh and blood.”

“Nooooo!” I cried. “This woman is nothing to me. You’re everything to me, Daddy. I love you so much. I don’t ever want to leave you!”

We went back and forth like this for a bit longer. But in the end, neither of us won. Mrs. Sage was coming with ‘Aunt Mickie’ the next day to meet me, and then next weekend I would have to go live with her. I didn’t know what to do. I was so miserable.

‘Aunt Mickie’ seemed nice enough, but it was really weird when she came. I wouldn’t let go of Daddy’s hand. I was polite to her but I only answered her questions with a nod or shake of my head. I couldn’t help it. I had been so antsy before she came that I had actually earned a trip over Daddy’s knee. He was as frustrated and upset as I was.

I did not want to go live with this woman. I did not want to leave Daddy. But Mrs. Sage said I had to. Daddy said I had to. There was no use arguing. Arguing only landed me staring at the carpet. I was not happy. As I packed my things at the end of the week, all I could think about was running away. I knew I could never be happy being away from Daddy, but if I had to be, I wasn’t gonna be with this woman.

I put Zam in my suitcase then and thought about fighting this. I thought about going downstairs and refusing to go. But I knew it wouldn’t work. I also knew deep down that this was going to happen. I had tried to believe Daddy. I had tried to believe that we were going to be together forever and ever and live happily ever after. But I think deep down I knew it wouldn’t happen.

I took one last look at my room, the room I had helped decorate. I said good-bye to my playroom and continued down the hall. I stopped at Daddy’s room and peered inside. I stood there thinking about all the mornings when I had jumped into bed with him and we had tickle-fests. They were happy memories but right now all they did was make me cry.

Suddenly I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked up and there was Daddy smiling down at me. “We’re going to still see each other, Lexie. I promise.”

I wished Daddy had said it wouldn’t be forever. I wished Daddy had said he was going to work hard to be my daddy after all. But he didn’t. I guessed he couldn’t make a promise like that. I was so sad. I started to cry all over again. Daddy picked me up and held me tight.

“I love you, Lexie,” he said.

“I love you, too, Daddy. Forever,” I sobbed.

“And ever,” he finished.

(to be continued...eventually. I wrote this a few months ago, thinking I would add more...but I’m not sure where I want it to go. I mean, I eventually want Lexie and ‘Daddy’ to be together again. But for right now, they can’t be together. So hang on tight, and when the mood strikes me, I will work on poor Lexie. hugggggs, sam)

To last story in series