Sink or Swim

Chapter 10 - Life Stories

Tears formed in Leanne's eyes she got up and rushed over to David and hugged him. "Daddy!" She cried softly in his arms.

David MacIntrye opened up to his daughter and explained how he married young and had a son, Paul. He never really loved his first wife and while studying in the UK he fell in love with Leanne's mother. After he finished his studies he returned to the United States and his loveless marriage so he could be a father to his son. Only a few weeks after he got back he received a call telling him about the pregnancy. His first wife was suffering an emotional breakdown and he could not leave her and take her son away to return to the UK. Leanne's mother understood and told him it was probably for the best he stay in the US but she didn't want her child to be distracted by the emotional turmoil that would cause but that he should make contact when the child was an adult and would understand the decision they had made. When Leanne was born he was only informed that he had a daughter but was not given a name then after several years he had lost contact and his daughter was lost in the world.

David leaned over, taking a neatly folded handkerchief from his top pocket, and wiped away Leanne's tears. "I do hope that this is a new beginning for both of us - it has been such a coincidence the way I had found you and the way you had found me. I hope you wasn't too shocked when I asked Aaron and Juliette to talk to you the other day."

"Does Paul know I'm his sister?" Leanne asked.

"He knows of you and that I was trying to find you. He even flew to the UK to work in the leisure centre to help locate you. I haven't yet told him that your his sister though. Would you like to tell him our news yourself?" David replied.

Leanne blushed as she recalled her first meeting with Paul, "I can't believe I flirted with him when we first met! I think that would be a really nice thing to do, yeah, I would love to tell him. We're good friends now. Maybe I'll find sometime during the party."

Leanne was happy that she knew her fathers story and that she was simply not abandoned, as she had thought over the years. She was excited and eager to search out Paul and tell him they were related.

David smiled, "In which case I think you have a party to get ready for then." he said, "You are probably going to be more famous than me you know, particularly with those good looks of yours! There have been modelling agencies and social media influencing companies contacting the offices wanting to sign you up!"

Leanne beamed another huge smile, "I'll better get up to my room and change."

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In a motel in downtown Los Angeles Naomi and Wesley had hired some ill fitting formal wear and had got changed ready for the party.

Wesley's mobile phone rang, and he rushed to answer, "Yes, we are. In about ten minutes."

Naomi tried to hear what was being said by the caller but couldn't hear clearly.

"Oh, you have - who gave you that? Never mind we'll make sure you get in and the present is ok. Oh, Ok. Really - I totally get why you want to do that!" Wesley ended the call. "You ready to go Nay?" he asked.

"Sure, who was that?" Naomi replied.

"Just someone we're meeting at the party." Wesley replied cryptically. "Come on lets go."

In another hotel the college football team led by Martin, were all dressed and ready for the party.

"Hey, has anyone seen Jolyon?" he asked around.

"Probably with some strippers after last night" one of the team shouted back joking.

"We'll have to leave him behind if he's not hear in the next couple of minutes." said Martin as the team started to board an executive coach. He stood on the steps trying to look around the now near empty pick-up point.