87There are different types of secrets. Two types to be exact. The ones that are bad, and those that are good.
Everybody has secrets. But not all have a bad secret. A secret that can hurt someone. Or someone's. No, I don't have a really bad one, but the one I have, is effecting people, making people suspicious, and I'd have to say, that it's hurting me more than anyone else.
See, it all started when I was sixteen, and a boy named Joseph Morelli took my virginity. Back then, I was nieve. Back then, I didn't get, that when people talked about birth control and pregnancy, that it could happen weather you wanted it to or not.
Which leaves me here, 30 years old, involved with one man, owning the child of another. Yeah, that's it, my secret, the big one. I have a kid. Her full name is, Jade Iris Plum. She is fourteen years old, and turning fifteen on the 13th of July. Her social security number is 549-20-2496, and she lives at 4151 Zimmerman Lane, Los Angeles, CA 90071. I keep in touch with her, quietly of course.
Here's the catch, nobody knows about her except me.
She is better at attracting attention than I am, and so, the only reason she's causing the secret to hurt now in life, is because I am very aware of the fact that somebody found out about her. Through me.
So how do you save your daughter from an evil stalker when she lives across the country? Simple. Bring her to me.
Ranger and I have been trying at this whole 'couple' thing, so I've been at his place. There's a stalker and I need to be there anyway. Works out great.
But then where does Jade go?
I have to tell. I have to tell Ranger about my most guarded secret. My daughter. What do I say? 'Hey Ranger, by the way, when Morelli knocked me up fourteen years ago, he got me pregnant, and now, I have a daughter being terrorized by the same guy chasing me'. Yeah, right. He'd probably laugh.
So, I did the 'simple' route, and dragged my lazy butt to the airport. I used all the money I had saved up, and bought a two-way ticket, plus an extra for Jade on the way back. I am currently on my way to Los Angles.
Nobody knew she had been born, and nobody knew I was leaving for a small vacation. Hopefully nobody would notice that I was gone. I mean, I had bought the tickets with cash.
I got off of the airplane at the Los Angles International Airport. It was noon. Hot, very very hot. It was the middle of the summer and I was burning up. I dealt with it. I was wearing a tank top and jean shorts anyway. My daughter was at a friend's house. A friend I had met before Jade's birth. Just, a friend, I'll explain later, I promise.
Anyhow, I got to the house, gave her a hug, and explained the situation. This was going to be fun. The flight home was the next morning, so she packed a whole bunch of stuff, and we spent the day catching up. Ranger called, I lied. How fun. I had to tell him I was out of town for a while, then I made the static noise, and hung up.
I was so dead.
I woke up the next morning, ready as ever to get on the plane. We had an hour and a half until the plane left so we grabbed our bags, tossed them in the back of a cab, and hurtled off to the air port.
An hour later, we were lounging on the plane, ready to take off. I hated take off, always have. It makes your ears funky. My daughter of course tried to go into detail about how it was the air pressure from high altitudes…blah blah blah. I 'kinda blanked out.
Boring, agonizing hours later, we landed. Jade was asleep, head resting on my shoulder.
"Jade." I whispered, shaking her slightly.
"Mmmm?" She mumbled.
"We landed."
That got her. Her head popped up and she frantically looked out the window.
"So, what's it like? Ooh, where are we going to stay?"
"With Ranger, and you'll see what it's like."
"Ranger? Does he even know I exist?"
I cringed. "Not exactly. Nobody does. Not even Morelli."
"Dad doesn't? Didn't somebody notice when you gave birth?"
"I was out of state on 'spring break'."
"Oh." That's all she said because the flight attendant told us came up next to us, standing slightly behind the seat. She waved us out of the seat, and we followed the line through the doors, onto the walkway. We walked around a couple corners, down a ways, and we finally got to luggage. All I had was a small backpack.
She had two suitcases and three backpacks.
"Do you really need all this?" I asked incredulously. "Never mind." I said. She was my kid anyway.
We found all of her bags, and I led her out the sliding doors, and to the front of the building where I could get a cab. I had purposely left the Truck in my lot; otherwise they'd track me to the airport.
When we stopped at my lot, I got out, and helped her get everything from the back, then gave the driver a tip. He nodded thanks.
"Holy shit. Is that yours?"
"Yes and no." It was mine mostly. Ranger had another, and it was the one that I usually used. It was cool.
"Sweet." She said, nodding and running her hand around the black coat. Then she did the unpredictable. She started mumbling car…stuff. About the hoarse power, engine, chrome wheels, coat, model. She sounded like a car freak. Right. She is. Well, that and web building. She practically lives on the Internet.
I tossed her bags in the back, along with mine, and hopped in the driver's seat. She got up into the passenger's seat, and I backed out of the lot. The seven-minute drive from my place to his, felt like seven hours rather than minutes.
When I pulled into RangeMan, I called Ranger.
"Yo."
"Hey, I'm back. Just pulled in."
"On my way down. Later babe."
I smiled as the dial tone filled my ear. I flipped it shut, and hopped out, gathering all the stuff from the back. We had just finished getting the last suitcase out when the elevator doors binged open.
I turned towards him and smiled. His smile was broad, but it faltered. He stopped about a foot from me.
"Ranger, I'd like you to meet my Daughter, Jade. Jade, this is Ranger."
Okay, this will be continued.
R&R
Peanut16