Homecoming
But I think I'll be alright
We made it to a gated neighborhood, that I guess will be where I will be staying for the next two years, and as we drove up to a really nice house my palms began to sweat. What if his family doesn’t want me here? What if he is just inviting me here to be nice? What if my mom finds out and then marches here to take me back to the hell hole I like to call Nashville?
“Welcome home Kenna,” Alex, I mean my dad, said as he turned off the car.
“Yeah, home...” I sighed as I got out of the passenger seat.
We walk up the long driveway and he lets me walk into the house first before speaking. “Dani? Boys? We’re home!”
“We’re?” I hear Daniella reply from what I guess the kitchen.
As she walks in the room with her boys he begins to explain, “Daniella this is my daughter Kennadee. Kennadee this is my wife Daniella and her boys Dylan and Lyle.”
“Oh?” Daniella replied through gritted teeth and narrowed eyes.
“Nice to meet you guys,” is all I could get out of my mouth when I see her face. I could tell she was fuming! “Um... can you show me where I can put this stuff down?” I look at my dad and ask.
“Oh yes! Let me show you to the guest, I mean your, room.” He then grabbed my guitar case and took me towards my new room. When we get to the room he opens the door and says, “I hope this works for now. There isn’t much in here but we can go shopping later to make it feel more like home.”
“Thank you,” I smile.
“There is a phone on the desk; maybe you should let your mother know you are alright.”
“Yeah I guess I can.”
“Okay, I better go talk to my wife. Let me know if you need anything.”
“I will dad...” I say as I roll my eyes.
“And Kenna...” he pauses, “I’m happy you’re here.”
For some reason it is hard for me to trust this man that I really don’t even know. Yes he is my dad but I can’t help but wonder what makes him want to get to know me now that I am almost an adult. I decide to shake these thoughts from my head and call my mom at her job.
“Nashville General, this is Darla, what can I do for you?”
“Oh, hi Darla, is Amber Fields available?”
“Yes I believe so. Can I tell her who’s calling?”
“Her daughter Kennadee.”
“Oh hi Kenna, how are you?”
“I am great, thanks.”
“Let me go let your mother know you’re on the phone.”
A minute or so later I hear my mother get on the phone breathlessly, “Kennadee! Is everything okay?”
“Hi to you too mom!” I chuckle, “Yes everything is alright. I just wanted to let you know that I finally got a place to live for a bit...”
“Oh really? Where is it at?”
“In old town. It’s super nice.”
“Did you find a roommate? “
“Umm... Kind of have a few...”
“What do you mean honey?”
“You have to promise you won’t get pissed...”
“I won’t get pissed Kennadee Jade! Now please tell me.” She sounded slightly irritated.
“I am living with Alex, his wife and her kids.”
“Your father Alex?!?”
“Yes, that’s him.”
“WHAT? KENNADEE YOU HAVE TO GET OUT OF THERE RIGHT NOW!!!!”
“Why mom?”
“Your dad is not a good guy Kennadee. You need to get out of his life!”
“What do you mean he’s not a good guy mom? Because he won’t molest me like your awesome husband? Or because you don’t have all the control of my life anymore?” I say trying not to sound as irritated as I felt.
“First of all, Nick has never molested you, you liar. I have asked him numerous times and he denies it! And second, no because Alex has beat me up numerous times which is why we went to Nashville.” I could tell she was kind of getting upset.
“Of course Nick denies it mother! But I think I know my body and what happened when you were working. Also Alex beating you up was at least 13 years ago mom; what makes you think he hasn’t changed since then?”
“Just because okay?! He just isn’t a good guy.”
“You know what I need to go cool down. I will call you some other time when you are not at work and I am alone. Thanks for nothing mom.” That conversation went no where yet again. My mother really pisses me off too much to even regain a relationship at this point.
I sat in my “room” for the next hour balling my eyes out. I guess everything happening at once has really taken its toll on me. The sad thing is my “dad” never came up to check on me or anything. I am beginning to think this wasn’t such a good idea after all. After I clean my face up I decide to go down to the kitchen to find something to eat and get some water. Maybe seeing some faces will help me to calm myself down to figure out what I am going to do. As I head downstairs I hear Alex and his wife arguing. I slowly make my way down the stairs until I can eavesdrop on the argument, which, if I may add, was literally right outside the living room. I see Jack standing right by the door staring in awe and I stand next to him to listen. That is after we exchange glances and hi’s really quickly of course.
“I just don’t understand how after 13 years you just invite a pure stranger into OUR house without talking to me first Alex.”
“She’s my kid Daniella. What else was I supposed to do?”
“I don’t know maybe tell me about her first! For all I know she left Nashville because she was in trouble with the law or something!”
“It’s not that simple Dani,” he was trying to soothe her at this point.
“I don’t want this girl in my house Alex. I need to get to know her first.”
“It’s not like she has anywhere else to go Dani! I know this is a bad time okay. Yes we just got married but what else am I supposed to do? She is my kid after all. I didn’t think she would come back here anytime soon; I know this isn’t in our ‘plan’ per say but I have to make things right with the girl.”
“She probably just wants money from you Alex. I don’t want her to use you like her mother obviously did.”
“It’s not like I wanted her here in the first place Dani; but I am not going to live on the street because it’s not the right time for me!”
After I heard the last sentence I couldn’t take it anymore so I bolted towards the front door. As I ran towards nowhere in particular I heard Jack yell after me, “Kenna come back! That is not what he meant,” but I kept running and running until I found a secluded park where I went and sat under a big sequoia tree. I just needed to think about why I did anything I have done in the past 48 hours and what I am going to do now. I guess I’m a transient teen yet again; except this time I don’t even have my clothes or belongings. I mean if my dad cared he would have come after me by now, right?
“Welcome home Kenna,” Alex, I mean my dad, said as he turned off the car.
“Yeah, home...” I sighed as I got out of the passenger seat.
We walk up the long driveway and he lets me walk into the house first before speaking. “Dani? Boys? We’re home!”
“We’re?” I hear Daniella reply from what I guess the kitchen.
As she walks in the room with her boys he begins to explain, “Daniella this is my daughter Kennadee. Kennadee this is my wife Daniella and her boys Dylan and Lyle.”
“Oh?” Daniella replied through gritted teeth and narrowed eyes.
“Nice to meet you guys,” is all I could get out of my mouth when I see her face. I could tell she was fuming! “Um... can you show me where I can put this stuff down?” I look at my dad and ask.
“Oh yes! Let me show you to the guest, I mean your, room.” He then grabbed my guitar case and took me towards my new room. When we get to the room he opens the door and says, “I hope this works for now. There isn’t much in here but we can go shopping later to make it feel more like home.”
“Thank you,” I smile.
“There is a phone on the desk; maybe you should let your mother know you are alright.”
“Yeah I guess I can.”
“Okay, I better go talk to my wife. Let me know if you need anything.”
“I will dad...” I say as I roll my eyes.
“And Kenna...” he pauses, “I’m happy you’re here.”
For some reason it is hard for me to trust this man that I really don’t even know. Yes he is my dad but I can’t help but wonder what makes him want to get to know me now that I am almost an adult. I decide to shake these thoughts from my head and call my mom at her job.
“Nashville General, this is Darla, what can I do for you?”
“Oh, hi Darla, is Amber Fields available?”
“Yes I believe so. Can I tell her who’s calling?”
“Her daughter Kennadee.”
“Oh hi Kenna, how are you?”
“I am great, thanks.”
“Let me go let your mother know you’re on the phone.”
A minute or so later I hear my mother get on the phone breathlessly, “Kennadee! Is everything okay?”
“Hi to you too mom!” I chuckle, “Yes everything is alright. I just wanted to let you know that I finally got a place to live for a bit...”
“Oh really? Where is it at?”
“In old town. It’s super nice.”
“Did you find a roommate? “
“Umm... Kind of have a few...”
“What do you mean honey?”
“You have to promise you won’t get pissed...”
“I won’t get pissed Kennadee Jade! Now please tell me.” She sounded slightly irritated.
“I am living with Alex, his wife and her kids.”
“Your father Alex?!?”
“Yes, that’s him.”
“WHAT? KENNADEE YOU HAVE TO GET OUT OF THERE RIGHT NOW!!!!”
“Why mom?”
“Your dad is not a good guy Kennadee. You need to get out of his life!”
“What do you mean he’s not a good guy mom? Because he won’t molest me like your awesome husband? Or because you don’t have all the control of my life anymore?” I say trying not to sound as irritated as I felt.
“First of all, Nick has never molested you, you liar. I have asked him numerous times and he denies it! And second, no because Alex has beat me up numerous times which is why we went to Nashville.” I could tell she was kind of getting upset.
“Of course Nick denies it mother! But I think I know my body and what happened when you were working. Also Alex beating you up was at least 13 years ago mom; what makes you think he hasn’t changed since then?”
“Just because okay?! He just isn’t a good guy.”
“You know what I need to go cool down. I will call you some other time when you are not at work and I am alone. Thanks for nothing mom.” That conversation went no where yet again. My mother really pisses me off too much to even regain a relationship at this point.
I sat in my “room” for the next hour balling my eyes out. I guess everything happening at once has really taken its toll on me. The sad thing is my “dad” never came up to check on me or anything. I am beginning to think this wasn’t such a good idea after all. After I clean my face up I decide to go down to the kitchen to find something to eat and get some water. Maybe seeing some faces will help me to calm myself down to figure out what I am going to do. As I head downstairs I hear Alex and his wife arguing. I slowly make my way down the stairs until I can eavesdrop on the argument, which, if I may add, was literally right outside the living room. I see Jack standing right by the door staring in awe and I stand next to him to listen. That is after we exchange glances and hi’s really quickly of course.
“I just don’t understand how after 13 years you just invite a pure stranger into OUR house without talking to me first Alex.”
“She’s my kid Daniella. What else was I supposed to do?”
“I don’t know maybe tell me about her first! For all I know she left Nashville because she was in trouble with the law or something!”
“It’s not that simple Dani,” he was trying to soothe her at this point.
“I don’t want this girl in my house Alex. I need to get to know her first.”
“It’s not like she has anywhere else to go Dani! I know this is a bad time okay. Yes we just got married but what else am I supposed to do? She is my kid after all. I didn’t think she would come back here anytime soon; I know this isn’t in our ‘plan’ per say but I have to make things right with the girl.”
“She probably just wants money from you Alex. I don’t want her to use you like her mother obviously did.”
“It’s not like I wanted her here in the first place Dani; but I am not going to live on the street because it’s not the right time for me!”
After I heard the last sentence I couldn’t take it anymore so I bolted towards the front door. As I ran towards nowhere in particular I heard Jack yell after me, “Kenna come back! That is not what he meant,” but I kept running and running until I found a secluded park where I went and sat under a big sequoia tree. I just needed to think about why I did anything I have done in the past 48 hours and what I am going to do now. I guess I’m a transient teen yet again; except this time I don’t even have my clothes or belongings. I mean if my dad cared he would have come after me by now, right?
Notes
First of all I am so sorry it has taken me forever to update. Secondly I changed the name of the story, I thought this Hey Monday song title was more suiting to the story. Hope you all enjoyed.~Maria
5/14/13