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her on the weekends. But it's not Mrs. Hanes. My father is standing at the porch railing looking down
to the yard.
"Daddy? What are you doing here?"
My father has only been to my place a few times. The day I moved in and to bring me some
homemade soup from my mom when I wasn't feeling well. I visit my parents often enough that he
doesn't need to.
He pulls me into a hug. "May I come in?"
"Of course. I'm sorry, I was just surprised." I step back so he can come in.
He shrugs out of his coat and folds it over his arm. I take it from him gently. "What brings you
here so early?"
He looks around curiously, taking in the bright red color I painted on the walls a few months
ago. I've always enjoyed what my dad calls a "lively" sense of style.
"I had to come. It's about the club." He takes a deep breath and then sits on the couch. He pats
the cushion next to him so I put his coat down on the armchair and sit next to him.
"Dad, I know what this is about. Mom made it pretty clear that she's the one who didn't want to
invest in the club anymore. I'm not angry at you."
My father has always been my biggest fan. I'm completely unashamed to be a daddy's girl. I
know that my mom has tried to be supportive of my dreams but it's harder for her because she
honestly doesn't understand them. Daddy has always shared my passion for music. He's the one who
introduced me to jazz in the first place. When I was growing up, names like Gillespie, Coltrane and
Ellington were as familiar to me as any of my relatives.
"When I figured out what they were doing, I had to get out of there before I said something I'd
regret. Your mother and I argued and if there's one thing I've learned over the years, it's to avoid
talking when you're angry."
I pat his hand. "This isn't your battle, Dad. I don't want you and Mom fighting over me."
He turns and looks at me for a long moment. "I never told you this but I was supposed to be a
partner in the club with Tommy when it first opened."
Tommy Billings, or Uncle Tommy as I'd always known him, was my dad's best friend from
high school. He features heavily in all the stories my dad tells about the old days.
"You were? I didn't know that. All this time you've talked about how much you wished you'd
had your own club. What happened?"
"Charlie happened."
The story of how my father got swindled out of his life savings by a friend has practically
shaped my childhood. My parents almost went bankrupt and my mother had to take on odd jobs to
help them get by.
Silence settles between us and I don't attempt to break it with questions. My dad tells stories in
his own time and you can't rush him along.
"When Tommy first told me he wanted to open a club, I was excited. He had a friend who was
ready to go in with us. All we needed was two thousand dollars each. It doesn't sound like much now
but back in those times, it was all of my savings. If things had gone wrong, I would have been
bankrupt. Then my friend Charlie told me I could double my money by investing in this new company.
He told me he'd done it and so had a few of our other friends."
He rubs his hands over his eyes and the sheen of tears there makes a lump form in my own
throat.
"You didn't know, Dad. He was your friend. Of course you trusted him."
"I was a fool. Trusting the wrong person cost me everything."
He lets out a long breath. The sadness on his face finally gets to me so I pull him into a hug. I
hate seeing my father like this, broken and ashamed. The same boiling rage I always feel when
hearing this story washes over me. I can't understand how people can be so cruel. So twisted.
Manipulating people who are trusting is the lowest form of crime, in my opinion. It requires that you
have no conscience at all. I'd rather someone stole my things than my dreams and my faith in other
people.
"Well, I know that Uncle Tommy ended up owning the club anyway. Was he mad at you for
dropping out?"
"At first. He called me all kinds of stupid for losing my money to a scam but it was too late.
Since I was out, he had to come up with more cash to cover my share. I'm not sure how he did it but
somehow he got the money. Things were great for a while but when the club hit hard times, they had
to sell it. In the end he moved on and ended up in the glass business. He's happy and has a great life
but I know he wonders about what might have been just like I do. Maybe if I'd been invested with
him, we could have ridden out the hard times. I don't know." He blows on his hands and rubs them
briskly.
"I'm sure he doesn't blame you, Dad."
"Maybe. Maybe not. But it's something I'll always wonder about. All your mother thinks about
with you girls is getting you to settle down but I don't ever want you to settle. When you get married
and have a family, there are sacrifices you'll have to make. I love you girls and I love your mother.
You know I do. But it is a sacrifice. Do you understand what I'm telling you, baby girl?"
He squeezes my hand and his eyes are fixed on mine. I understand then what he's trying to say.
The thing he doesn't want to admit out loud. That there's a part of him that will always wonder about
what could have been. That he doesn't want that to happen to me.
"I understand, Daddy. I won't settle. Never again."
His face breaks into a grin. "Ever since you were a little girl, I always knew that you were
going to do things your own way. You've always been independent like that. The others take more
after your mother. I love them but they don't have that same wild spirit inside like we do. They can't
understand. So don't let them get you down. And definitely don't let them stop you."
"I won't. I'll just have to find other investors. Although I have to admit that I'm not quite sure
how to do that."
My mind immediately goes back to Gabe and his offer to help me with the forms the day we'd
met. He looks like the kind of guy who knows all about business plans and profit and loss statements.
He could probably write a business plan in his sleep. Maybe I shouldn't have blown him off so easily.
I wince remembering how I'd picked him apart the first time we met. He d been obvious but I
shouldn't have ripped into him that way. I'd just been so frustrated and cranky after standing in that
long line only to find out that I'd done something wrong. Again.
But it wasn't his fault he was the embodiment of the type of man that had hurt me in the past.
Maybe his offer to look over my forms had been sincere. Since I'm going to be in business, I need to
learn how to manage people. How to gauge who's actually sincere and who wants something from
me.
Of course, it's a moot point now because all that happened before he knew who I was. Now
that he knows I'm connected to Finn and Tank, he won't come anywhere near me.
"My business plan is pretty rough. If I'm going to approach other people, I need to step up my
game."
He leans over. "Well you've got one investor right here."
My heart sinks. Apparently my mom didn't tell him everything that she was going to do. "Mom
already said that you guys are pulling your investment completely. I guess she didn't tell you?"
He stands and retrieves his coat. "I didn't say your mother would be investing with me. I have
some money tucked away for a rainy day. Your mother doesn't know all my secrets yet. And I already
talked to your Uncle Tommy and he wants to invest too."
He kisses me on the forehead. "I'll see myself out."
As I watch him leave, my emotions are in a tailspin. I've gone from excited to devastated to
hopeful all in the span of an hour. But overwhelmingly, I feel hopeful.
I latch on to the feeling with all I have.
* * * * *
After the impromptu visit from my father, I sit on the couch and think back over everything he
told me. This new information puts a lot of the stories he's told over the years into perspective. By the
time I finally leave the house, I realize so much time has passed that my craving for pancakes will
have to wait. I'll have to console myself with a cheeseburger instead.
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