"What?" I asked, because I didn't think I heard him right.
Before he could speak again I said, "You're my father and you left me with that? Excuse me, you left me with that woman?"
He just continued staring at me and as if realizing what I had said, he replied. "I am your father. I didn't leave you; I didn't even know she was pregnant. She didn't tell me and I left because she was cheating on me. I just found out I had a daughter when she called me."
I glared at him, for what reason I didn't know. I couldn't feel abandoned because he didn't even know I existed until now.
He did have curly and messy brown hair like mines. And he had the same high cheekbones as me. But what he didn't have was my forever changing eyes. They changed with whatever I wore, like I had on a grey hoodie and black jeans, so my eyes were a light and soft grey. His eyes though were a dark chocolate.
Then I realized the words he had spoken. "She called you?"
The man, oh no, my father, nodded. "She was drunk."
I signed and fell back against the soft and comfortable seat. I was exhausted and I didn't even care at this point. All I knew was that was getting away from her and her craziness. I could live; for once I could be free.
But I didn't feel happy like I should. Maybe it was because the way her and me had parted. I did tell her that I hated her even though it was just in the mist of the moment. I currently didn't feel that way for real, I loved her.
However, there was a side of me that seriously disliked her as a mother. I think it was best if I just went this man, my father. It was going to take a lot to get adjusted to. But I think it'll be worth it, or I hoped it would be.
Though what I hadn't planned on was for what was going to happen over time. I didn't know where my journey was actually going to take me and I don't think I would have left if I really would have known ahead of time about all the tragic things I was about to experience.
Instead, my mind at peace, I fell off to sleep in the car as we drove to a place I didn't know about.
A blazing light, it pierced through my eyelids and made me put my hands over them for shade. Unfortunately that didn't work either. So I sat up, noticing that I was in a queen-sized bed and looked around, the sun blazing through a glass window. Where the hell was I?
The room was painted a deep shade of purple and the carpet was black. Next to me a nightstand stood with a white lamp and my alarm clock. Over in another corner was a desk with my black office chair and my laptop. I pulled the thick and comfortable blanket off me and dragged my feet around the large room.
I had way too much space. At least three people could be in here and have so much room they could live in here. There was a large window that faced towards the rest of the houses and over looked them to distant trees. On the other side I found two glass doors that opened to a small black balcony and I could see in the far distance was the ocean, the sun set high. It must be in the late afternoon. Where was I though? A fact I needed to find out quickly.
Still, I closed the glass door and lingered in the large room. I went over to the white and clean dresser with a large mirror on top of it, leaning against the wall. All my makeup and more was sit on top of the dresser. There were two doors on each side of it and I chose the one on the left, peering inside. What I found shocked me.
A walk in closet with so many new and modern clothes that it made me feel rich. How much did all of this cost? I walked through, amazed at all the beautiful purses, shirts, pants, and shoes. They were everywhere. Where these mines? I checked a few of them and noticed that they were in my size.
How did... What was going on? I walked out the closet, closing the door and looked insides the compartments of the dresser. I was glad to find the clothes I had when I was at my mother's house. I wasn't ready to wear those types of clothes quite yet.
I opened the other door, found a two-way hallway. I walked out and looked to the left, only one brown door stared back at me. Then I looked to the right where there was a black and elegant staircase.
I walked down the circling black staircase that had beautifully craved flowers on its shiny paint and stepped onto the white tiled floor. I walked through a large and wonderful living room, then a dining room, and a kitchen. A few mysterious closed doors were around but I didn't peer into them. In the kitchen, I found my father sitting at the table reading a newspaper. He glanced up at me and gave me a small smile.
I returned the favor before sitting in front of him, at the wooden and expensive looking table.
"Where are we?"
"Chicago, Illinois." He replied.
What? He lived that close to Iowa? I signed and ranked a hand through my messy hair. After a long and strange silence I asked, "What day is it?"
"Saturday." He answered without looking up from his newspaper.
So I was sleep the whole drive and night here? I signed again and fidgeted with my fingers. What else was there to say? What else was there to do?
I pushed the chair back and stood. "Is there anything to eat?"
He shook his head and said, "No, my wife just left out to go grocery shopping. Knowing her, she won't be back for a while. But there is a few restaurants in town so you can go out and find something to eat."
I stared at him. His wife? He was married? Why did I feel so saddened and kind of angry? So, he got a wife and was living happily in a nice house with a good amount of money. And? He deserved to be happy, I guess.
"Okay. Could you suggest one?"
"There's one not to far from here. McDonald's." He said, turning the page of the newspaper.
I was walking out the kitchen but remembered my manners.
"Do you want anything?"
He shook his head and then titled his head as if thinking about it. "Just a large fry."
Again, I turned to walk until his voice stopped me. "You don't have any money, Katherine."
I turned to see him going into his pocket and pulling out his wallet. He pushed over a twenty-dollar bill before picking back up his newspaper and stuffing the thick wallet back in his pocket. My cheeks flushed in embarrassment.
I took the twenty and raced back up the stairs and into my room. I looked in the dresser from something to wear before shrugging. I yanked out some old basketball shorts that were way too big for me and came halfway up from my ankles and a black hoodie that went with it. I found out quickly that the only door to the left of my room was the bathroom.
After a quick shower, I went back into my room and stared at me messy and out of control hair.
I signed in annoyance. What was I going to do about the mess? Finally, I just put it in a ponytail and then put on a black hat. I threw on my only black pair of sneakers before putting the twenty in my shorts pockets with my iPhone.
I shoved my headphones in my ears, turning on some music to block out any noises. I jogged outside, the humid air hitting me in the face. The wind was cold though, refreshing. The air smelled fresh and like trees.
I went down the sidewalk, cars blaring past way over the speed limit. The houses were huge in this part of the neighborhood and people had more than one car in their large driveways. They must all be rich to have such houses that looked like mansions. They all took my breath away. I continued to jog down the sidewalk, looking for a sign of stores.
As I continued straight I began to see large signs that were meant for stores. I saw a few familiar ones, Target, Wal-Mart, Walgreen, and Sears. I jogged past them as people began to appear.
Everyone was chatting on their phones, talking to someone they knew, or waiting by a bus stop. I looked back and noticed how quickly the neighborhood opened up to nearby stores and civilization. I continued on, finding restaurants like White Castle, Burger King, KFC, and Subway.
Finally I saw McDonald's. I opened the door and walked inside, instantly blasted with the awesome spell of fries and burgers. I looked at the menu, trying to decide on something.
Almost too soon it was my turn. "Thank you for choosing McDonald's. How may I help you?" The old cashier asked with a bright smile.
"Um... Can I get a large fry with a salad?" I asked.
"What type of sauce?" The cashier asked pressing buttons the cash register.
"Ranch." I replied.
"$4.89 is your total." The cashier said with a smile. I handed over the twenty and took my change, stepping over to the side to wait for my order. It came quickly and I grabbed it, spinning to get out the place and instantly smashed into someone.
My food dropped out my hand, swirling somewhere my eyes couldn't see because I had shut them. I found myself sitting on the ground with a terrible ache in my butt. Dammit. I stumbled to my feet, looking at the ground for my food as I mumbled, "Sorry." I heard someone clear his or her throat and I looked up.
A teenage boy about my age was staring at me while holding out my bag of food. I took it as I said, "Thanks."
The boy nodded, his black hair covering half his face and his bright midnight blue eyes with flicks of gold and a light brown stared at my intently. I felt a little uncomfortable by it. I didn't spend anymore time checking him out, I turned and walked out McDonald's. Outside, I put my headphones back on and began to jog back in the direction of the house.
Halfway there, a girl popped in front of me. I skidded back quickly as to not crash into her. What was up with people and crashing into me? Are people playing the game 'Let's play crash into Kylie'? No, they weren't and I currently wasn't playing it at all.
It was annoying the shit out of me. I jogged in place as the redhead girl smiled brightly at me. She looked like a crept. I moved to jog around her and she jumped in front of me.
"May I help you?" I asked, getting annoyed easily. My stomach growled loudly and my head felt lightheaded. I wanted to eat, right now.
"I just wanted to see if you wanted to visit our hair salon that's right around the corner. We would love to have you come in for our grand opening." She said, smiling as she handed me a little card that had the words, 'Grand Opening! Style You Up is officially open! Now on Sale, come get dolled up!' I stared at the dark colored card and nodded. I turned to jog around her and she stepped in front of me again.
"Really. Can you move?" I said, shooting her a glare, which she ignored. She also ignored my annoyed and sharp tone.
"Can you come now? I mean we could really help you out with your hair. I can tell you need a relaxer and a good long leave-in conditioner. We could help you out." The girl said, ignoring my desires to leave.
"Not now." I said about to continue forward even if it meant pushing her aside.
"Please, we really need this." The girl pleaded too needy for me.
I don't think the chick would go away even if I got past her, I had a feeling she'll just continue to bug me and follow me. I signed and glanced down at my food.
Then I said to the girl, "Fine, whatever."
I don't know if I made the biggest mistake of my life or if I just made the best on I could have. But I have a feeling I was about to find out, the first step in my new journey and experiences in my life. It all begins here and now.
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I know, I think I'm making the story go too fast. Sorry, I don't want to make it suck. I'll try harder! I'm trying to update as many chapters as I can to make up for all the times I couldn't. I hope it didn't bore you too much! I'll have another chapter updated really soon! Thanks for your support!
xoxo