Arianna's Daughter

Chapter 6

Arianna was surprised. Never before, not in sixteen years, has Arianna seen him act this way about Jason. Then it came to her. Her mother did not tell him. He doesn't know the truth.

Quietly she said, "Daddy, it's not like that. You know how in love I was with Jason. And he used to love me. It just took him a while to figure out what matters most in life. He wants to get to know his daughter and he wants Brianna to get to know him and his family" Arianna said. "I have a chance now to give my baby what she's always wanted. A daddy. And not just any daddy, but her daddy. Why can't you just accept that?"

"Because I know what it did to you before when he left. I don't want to see you get hurt by that man again," her father replied with a sad look in his eyes.

Arianna smiled. "I won't. It's not me he's here for. It's Brianna. There's a chance for them to get to know each other now and I'm not going to let it go again. I don't expect you to understand, but, I still have Brianna to think about and what's best for her."

Arianna knew what she had to do but it was proving to be much harder than she thought. And Arianna was scared. Scared that her baby, her Brianna would never be able to forgive her for what she did.

Brianna was watching her so closely. Her mother, to Arianna's surprise, had remained quiet. She looked at her mother, sending her a silent cry for help. Katie Jones dropped her head. Then suddenly she stood and said, "Brie, honey lets go watch TV. Give your papa and mama a few minutes to talk."

Brianna stood too, and exclaimed, "This concerns me too. Why do I have to leave the room? I'm not a baby anymore. I have a right to know what's going on."

Arianna knew what she had to do. "It's ok Ma. She can stay." Arianna looked at her daughter with tears in her eyes. "She's right. She's not a baby anymore and she deserves to know the truth. And if she's going to hear it, I want her to hear it from me," Arianna said.

Katie and Brianna sat back down. Arianna took and deep breathe. Ok, here goes nothing, she thought. "When I got pregnant with Brianna, Jason did leave, but not for the reason that I said. Jason came to see me that night when I got back to the apartment, and I told him I wanted to break up. I didn't tell him why, I just told him I didn't want to see him anymore."

The room was quiet and still. Richard was the first one to speak.

"Just what is it that you trying to say baby girl?" he asked her.

"Daddy what I'm trying to say is...Jason didn't know I was pregnant when he left. As a matter of fact, he just found out about Brianna two days ago when he came back."

Richard stood up and started pacing around the kitchen. "Nah baby girl. You just saying that trying to protect that boy. You couldn't have done a thing like that to him. To us. To your baby. There is no way that you could have done something like that. You weren't raised like that," he said sadly.

Arianna cried. "I'm sorry Daddy," she said weakly.

She looked at Brianna then. Brianna just sat there looking as if she did not understand what was going on. "Brianna honey, are you ok? Say something baby please," Arianna pleaded.

Brianna's blue eyes filled with unshed tears. "What is it that you want me to say Mama? That it's cool that you been lying to me my whole life? And now what? Now he's back and found out the truth and that's supposed to make everything right? Make everything ok? I'm so mad with you right now. But more than that Mama I'm hurt. You lied to me, you lied to papa and nana, and you lied to him. Who haven't you lied to Mama?' Brianna cried and stormed out of the kitchen.

"Brianna!" Arianna yelled.

"Leave her be, Ari. She needs to cool down and soak it all in. You had to know she was gonna react this way when you told her the truth," Katie said.