FORGOTTEN

Prologue

"Everyone will be here soon!"

"You can hardly wait, I'll bet."

"Yeah, you know it!" It was an enthusiastic answer, but the energy was soon tempered with wistfulness. "I just wish Mom could be here. Instead she's stuck in Venice."

"Mhm," came the noncommittal response from the man sitting on the sofa. He knew she thought he wasn't in the birthday spirit, but there would be time enough for fun when all the guests arrived. Of that he was quite sure. He definitely hadn't allowed her to invite her class to sit around silently.

The two sat in silence for a while, both of them occupied- him with his newspaper and she with her cellular phone.

She was beginning to wonder why he wasn't chatting with her the way he normally did when they were together. Of course, he was a busy man and he had to stay abreast with local and international news, but he always made time for her. Maybe he missed Mom too, she thought, glancing at the newspaper once again.

He was trying to enjoy the quiet before the inevitable storm her school mates would bring down on the house. It was obvious that she was excited and wanted to get started on the party right away, but he wasn't too sure she'd last the whole night. Of course, she was much younger than him so he was probably just worried about himself. That thought made him want to laugh, so he was glad the paper hid his smile.

She was starting to get fidgety so the man turned cheerfully to his young female companion. "Ok! You probably think I'm moping. Come on, honey!," he said with a laugh, "I guess I've got some presents for you that you can open right now."

He led her to the den, where they sat down and she began to open some of her birthday presents. Some of them had been sent by people her parents worked with and out of town friends who couldn't make it for her party.

She loved how thoughtful and creative everyone was with finding something for her and she kept bouncing excitedly as the gifts continued coming. There were accessories and lenses for her camera, new books and even a few pieces of jewelry. As she set the last one down, she began to thank him. His crystal clear gaze met her blue eyes and he smiled mischievously.

"Don't thank me yet. There's more."

"We're not done?"

Shaking his head, he chuckled, "Let's go to the garage."

She squealed in innocent anticipation and followed him outside with an extra bounce in her step. The man stopped outside the two storey building which housed the family vehicles. "She's all yours," he said as he opened the door for her, pressing a button on the remote control for the garage complex.

The door of the far left car port rose slowly revealing yet another surprise.

She felt like she was a little girl again and she was seeing her first pony or the new interior of her bedroom or the pair of earrings she had been eyeing in a store. Not sure what to expect, the excitement was mainly the fact that it couldn't fit in the house, so it was bound to be something awesome. She certainly hadn't expected a brand new car with the exact paint job she'd always wanted her dad to get on his own older version of the car.

The girl's jaw dropped momentarily before she recalled her surroundings and whirled around to hug the man, jumping up and down all the while. She could hardly contain her happiness.

"Thank you, Daddy, thank you soo much!"

"Agh!" he laughed, trying to fend her off in mock agony, "You're cutting off my circulation! You're welcome, baby, you always are."

When she finally let go of him, she turned back to the garage and walked to her new vehicle. The body of the midnight blue Jaguar glinted as the sun angled into the garage. Taking the keys he dangled in front of her, she unlocked the doors and sat in the custom stitched, tan leather seats. Running her hands over the steering wheel and then sleek console, she couldn't believe the magnitude of the gift.