Ch99 Making Up For Lost Time

“Good morning, Daddy,” Janet said, giving him a great big hug, a kiss on the cheek and even a butterfly kiss which made him laugh. 

“Boy, I’ve missed this,” he said, giving her an extra squeeze.

“I made breakfast,” she said, pulling away from him.

“I can see that,” Jeff said, eying the mess on the counter. “You’re just like your mother.”

Janet shrugged. “Maybe a little,” she said, going to the coffee maker and pouring some for him.

As she handed the cup to him, he smiled and caressed her cheek. “You didn’t have to go to so much trouble for me, especially on a Saturday. Most teens sleep til noon.”

“Well, I never do,” she said, going to the stove, taking a few bacon strips out of the pan and dishing up scrambled eggs. 

“Wow,” he said, smiling at his plate. “You’re spoiling me, Baby.”

She shrugged again. “Just making up for lost time,” she said, bringing toast and butter to the table. Then she sat down next to him and watched him eat.

“Aren’t you eating?”

“Already did,” she said.  “Wes will be here soon.”

“Seriously? That kid kinda likes you then?” he said, smirking. “If he’s willing to lose sleep for you.” 

She laughed. “He doesn’t sleep late on weekends either. He always works on Saturday. It’s his busiest day. He’s taking me to work with him… if it’s okay.”

“Do you help him with computers?”

“No, not really. I think he just likes me around. He had me do some stuff once. He wants to teach me, but I’m not nearly as good as he is. He was there to help when I got stuck, but Karen Harris didn’t want an apprentice to…”

Jeff choked on his food. “What did you say?”

“Karen Har…uh…”  Janet stared at him, both angry at herself for so casually mentioning the hideous woman and a little bit frightened by the look on her dad’s face. 

The blood drained from his face. “How do you know that person?”

“She’s one of Wes’ clients,” she said, biting her lip nervously. “She said she knew you and Mom…from school.”

“Baby, why did you talk to…to her at all?”

She shrugged. “While Wes was getting rid of a virus on the receptionist’s computer…um... she saw me and said I looked familiar , so…we talked a bit.”

“About what?” he asked, dreading the answer.

“I told her you were my dad and she seemed very interested in that. She said she heard you and Mom were divorced and I had to set her straight. I told her she was way wrong and that you’d never divorce.”

“You did?”

“Yes, she looked entirely too happy to think you were permanently split up and…well, you know I hate making people too happy,” she said.

He might have laughed if he wasn’t worried to death of what else Karen could have told his daughter. “Baby, what did she say? What did she tell you?” he anxiously asked.

“Nothing…much,” she said truthfully. “Daddy, don’t get mad, okay? Aunt Dawn told me what happened between you and Karen Harris.”

He dropped his fork with a loud clatter and put his face in his hands. “I’m gonna kill her!”

“Don’t be mad at her. I asked her, I begged her to tell me. She knew I was upset and she thought I should know.”

“It wasn’t her place to tell you anything!” he angrily said, then he grimaced. “I didn’t want you to know. Wendy didn’t want you to know.”

“Well, it’s a good thing she told me, cuz…now I know you didn’t do it.”

“Aww, Honey, I appreciate the loyalty. I know this is just making up for lost time, like you said, but I don’t deserve it.”

“It’s got nothing to do with that!” she adamantly said.

“I own what I did. It was a very stupid thing, the worst thing I could have done and one that I wish to God every day of my life I never did.”

“You didn’t sleep with her and I can prove it…sort of,” she said.

He stared at her with his mouth hanging open. “What in the world did Dawn say to make you think that?”

“She told me what you told her, but I want to hear it from you, just to make sure,” she said.

“Hell no! It’s humiliating and embarrassing enough that you know what a scuz I am. I’m not going to talk to you about this.”

“You’re not a scuz!  You were drunk and she took advantage of that,” she said, taking his hand and holding it in both of hers. “Tell me, Daddy.”

“No. It’s over and done. There’s no use…”

“There is if you ever want to come back to live here with your family,” she snapped. She then narrowed her eyes and spoke softly, a hint of pain in her voice. “Or do you like living by yourself, unfettered and unbothered by us kids? Maybe you don’t love us anymore and you’d rather be free.”

“You know that’s not true!” he said through clenched teeth. “I’m half dead without you. I walk around like a zombie with no purpose.”

“Except finding brains to eat?” she quipped.

He stared then gave an involuntary chuckle. “Guess I’m more purposeless than a zombie then, cuz I’m not even doing that,” he said. He shook his head and turned serious again.  “Janet baby, you have to know I don’t want to be away from here or any of you. When Wendy asked me to stay with you kids while she was away, it was the happiest I’ve been since I left. Last night was the first time I actually slept well. I was in my own bed, with my kids just down the hall, I was back where I belong, where I so long to be. Only thing missing was…”

“Mom,” Janet said, squeezing his hand. 

“Yes, your mom, but she…” he drifted off shaking his head again. “She can’t forgive me, or won’t.”

“She will when I tell her the truth.”

“What?”

“If I can prove you didn’t do it, she’ll have no choice but to forgive you and we’ll be a family again. You just have to tell me everything about that night, just to make sure. Please, Daddy, if you really love us and if you really want to come back and be a family again, just tell me what happened,” she said, lifting his hand to her cheek.

Oh, she was good! She could put Jewish mothers to shame in the guilt trip department. He could never say no to those big brown eyes in that adorable little face. He melted as did his resolve never to speak of that heinous night.

Jeff ran fingers through his hair, rubbed his neck then put his fist to his lips with Janet all the while staring at him like a prosecutor ready to cross examine him. A murder trial couldn’t be any worse, he was certain. Still she stared at him until he wanted to run away screaming.

“I was a jealous idiot,” he mumbled.

“I know that,” she retorted, unfazed.

That surprised him, but he continued. “I should never have accused your mother of…”

“I know that too, Dad.  That doesn’t matter, cuz you can’t change that. Just tell me what you did after you left here.”

“Okay. I went to Gus’ place, had a few drinks and…uh, things get fuzzy from there.”

“What did Uncle Gus say when you got there?” she said, in an attempt to coax some details out of him.

“He was surprised. I mean we’re friends and we always hangout to watch games and stuff, but I hardly ever go to his bar. So, right away he knew something was wrong. Could be cuz I was fuming.”

“Bartenders are supposed to be perceptive,” she said. “What did you tell him?”

“I told him about the fight with Wendy and he told me I was a moron, that she would never do that, certainly not with that dick…sorry,” he said, grimacing. “He tried to make me go home, but I wouldn’t listen. Two drink later though—or was it three?—I wanted to get back home and tell her I was stupid.”

“She already knew that. So, why didn’t you go home? You could’ve called.”

“I could barely stay awake or on the stool by then. Think I fell off it once. Yeah, I landed on some peanuts.”

“Did you get hurt?” she asked anxiously.

He laughed mirthlessly. “Baby, a truck could have rolled over me then and I wouldn’t have noticed,” he said. “Don’t really remember much after that. Must have gotten up and… Gus helped me, I think. He said he was gonna take me home, but then a fight broke out.”

“What about Karen Harris? When did she show up?”

“About that time. I remember Gus saying, “Don’t look now but the bitch is back.”  Two seconds later you could hear her screaming her head off.”

“What about?”

“Her ex didn’t pay child support. Poor sap. I told Jay not to marry her…knew he’d regret it, but did he listen?”

“Then what happened?”

“Huh? Oh, uh…she came over, said hello to me and I told her to get lost. I was mean. I'd like to blame it on the tequila, but I'm always mean to her, after all she's done to me. She’s nothing but trouble ever since we were kids.”

“So, what made you go with her?”

He blinked at her several times. “I don’t know. Honestly, I don’t remember.”

“Gus said that he left you to stop the bar fight and when he got back you were gone. The waitress said she saw Karen take you outside and presumably to her car.”

“I wanted to go home. I had to get back to Wendy and someone said they would take me home,” Jeff said, scratching his head, trying to remember. “Must’ve been Karen.”

“So, you wanted to go home, only she took you to her house instead,” Janet said. “What happened there?”

He thought for a minute. “I puked on a hydrangea bush,” he said, then he laughed. “She was so pissed! She said it was her favorite flower. Then I stepped on it and crushed it to death. She cursed a storm after that.”

Janet gaped. “Did you do it on purpose?”

“How would I know? I could barely stand. I tripped on the steps and fell flat on my face. I remember that, for sure,” he said rubbing his chin as if it still hurt.

“Okay, once inside her house, what did you do?”

“I puked again…I remember white carpet in the hall…she was probably ticked about that too,” he said with a careless shrug.

Janet tried not to laugh.  “And then?”

“Uh…then I woke up. I don’t remember anything before that.”

“Okay. So, you jumped into bed and had yourself a wild time, huh?”

“I…I don’t remember. Honest,” he said.

“Okay, let me ask you this. Where did you sleep?”

“Um, living room…I think. Yeah, I was on the sofa when I woke up. Karen was right there in front of me sitting on the coffee table wearing a, uh…never mind that…” he said, avoiding her eyes. “My head hurt so bad I could barely see straight, but as soon as I could stand and not keel over I left.”

“So, you were naked on the sofa when you woke up?”

“No! I was dressed.”

“Really? So, what makes you think you had sex with her?”

He made a weird face. “Cuz she said…so.”

“What exactly did she say?”

He covered his eyes with his hand. “Baby, don’t make me say it,” he whined.

“Dad, get over it, man up and tell me!” Janet snapped.

He moaned. “Thanks for the great time, stud,” he muttered.

“And you don’t think she was being…facetious?”

He gaped at her. “You think she didn't mean it?” he said, a note of disappointment in his voice.

Janet rolled her eyes. “Not to bust your fragile male ego or anything, but…you weren’t at your best that night, were you?”

“Uh, what do you mean?”

Janet glared at him then took a deep breath willing herself not to say something mean and spiteful, not after they had only just reconciled. “Daddy, you may not know this, but I have never had sex before.”

“Thank you, God,” he muttered under his breath.

“So, all I know about it is what I’ve seen on TV, in movies …”

“Great. Hollywood the wonderful sex educator,” he grumbled.

“And read in books,” she continued as if he hadn’t spoken. “So, you’ll have to help me out here. How does a one-night-stand usually go?”

“How would I know? I’ve never…oh, right…guess I should know…just don’t remember it,” he said, frowning slightly.

“Okay, correct me if I’m wrong,” she said quickly before she lost all her patience. “You pick up some person at a bar, you get to the person’s place, you throw off your clothes, jump into bed and …do it. Is that right so far?”

He nodded.

“And you had the energy for all that? I mean, you had just tossed your cookies all over her garden and in her house. I don’t know about you, but I feel like crap when I throw up.”

He frowned at her. “What are you trying to say?”

She sighed. “Dad, do you really think she was…amorous after that?”

He shrugged. “She’s always had the hots for me. Ask anyone!”

“Okay, fine. So, you went to her room and did it. Why didn’t you sleep in the bed?”

“Uh…I don’t know. Maybe she thought I would puke again?”

“Uh-huh,” she said, skeptically. “So, you got up out of a nice warm bed right after having sex—which I’ve heard makes guys instantly go to sleep—but instead of sleeping like any drunk would do, you got dressed and went to sleep on the sofa. Is that what you're saying?”

“Must’ve. That’s where I woke up.”

Janet shook her head. “Dad, if you were so drunk that you can’t remember any of it and so drunk that you could barely walk, what makes you think you were going to rock her world, get back out of bed, get dressed and then go sleep on the couch? I’m telling ya, Dad, she lied to you. You didn’t have sex with Karen Harris. She probably dragged you to the sofa and left you there to sleep it off. She might have wanted to get some after you woke up, but according to you, you ran off to Aunt Dawn’s house before she got the chance to seduce you.”

He stared at her with his mouth hanging open. “Damn, girl, planning on being a detective when you grow up?”

She giggled just as the doorbell rang. “If this yenta thing doesn’t work out, I just might.”