Scenes From a Soap Opera

An Awkward Introduction

Allie Nyguen nervously tapped her fingers against the steering wheel as she drove to the hotel containing her newly discovered grandfather. Despite her best efforts, her beloved late father didn't talk about his paternal family much. She had never wished that he had more than she did in this exact moment. At least then she wouldn't be going in blind; well blind minus a quick google search. Apparently, Jack Abbott was a well-known and respected businessman. Finding out that her family was the Jabot Abbotts did nothing to calm her nerves.

She parked her car and started to walk towards the entrance of the hotel. She and Jack had agreed to meet at the restaurant in the hotel. The college student smoothed out her skirt, anxiously pulling it down to cover herself. She had decided to wear her favorite skirt and blouse combo, for some reason she felt the need to wear her best clothes. Though her best could never even come close to what her newly discovered family's best would be. Stopping this train of thought so her insecurities wouldn't cripple her, she took a deep breath, entered the hotel lobby and made her way to the restaurant.

Jack Abbott was sitting in the hotel restaurant, waiting for his newly discovered granddaughter to arrive. He couldn't believe that he had a granddaughter, yet alone an adult granddaughter. He was stunned to find out that Allie was only a few years younger than Kyle. That fact made the CEO feel ancient. Sighing, Jack wondered if he should have taken Phyllis up on her offer to join him. At the very least, she could have been a buffer. But it was too late to call her now, besides he felt that wasn't fair to Allie. She couldn't have someone there to back her up so why should he?

"Excuse me, Mr. Abbott" Jack heard a timid voice call his name. He looked up to see a beautiful young woman staring at him with a nervous look in her eyes. He instantly recognized her from the pictures Diane had shown him. It was completely inexpiable, but Jack felt an immediate connection to Allie despite only knowing her for about 10 seconds. The familial bond that he felt with his siblings, children, and Harrison was there.

"Allie" Jack said with a huge grin on his face. "You don't have to call me Mr. Abbott. That's way too formal." He stood up to greet her but wasn't sure what to do. Did he hug her? Shake her hand? He didn't want to make her uncomfortable, but at the same time didn't want to come off as distant. He had made that mistake with Keemo; he wasn't going repeat it with Keemo's daughter. Allie picked up on the awkwardness and stuck out her hand as a greeting. Jack eagerly extended his own hand in return.

The young woman couldn't help but chuckle at the sight. This was how she was greeting her grandfather for the first time, by giving him an incredibly awkward handshake. Jack stared at her in curiosity, wondering why she started laughing out of nowhere. Allie caught her grandfather's confused expression and quickly explained. Thankfully, the older Abbott agreed with her take on the situation and joined in on her laughter. This was the ice breaker the duo desperately needed, and the rest of their conversation went smoothly.

Before they knew it, two hours had passed. Even though she really didn't want to, Allie stood up from the table assuming that her grandfather had a lot of work to do. It couldn't be easy running Jabot, especially from the West Coast. Jack stood up as well confused by her sudden movement. "Thank you so much for lunch Mr. Ab... Jack" Allie corrects herself. She ignored the wince she sees Jack make when she calls him by his first name.

"The pleasure was all mine, Allie. I want to thank you for agreeing to meet with me. I know how terrifying this situation must have been for you."

"For you as well. I'm glad we did this, and I hope, no I know my dad would have been too." Jack ignored the gut punch he felt when Allie mentioned Keemo. He fought the urge to hug his granddaughter goodbye and extended his hand for another handshake. The CEO was startled when Allie batted his hand down and leaned in to hug him. "Please don't be a stranger. I thought I lost my family and now I have one again. I can't be alone."

Jack's heart breaks at how devastated and alone she sounds. No one, especially someone as sweet and wonderful as Allie should be alone for the rest of her life. Not that he was biased or anything, he chuckled to himself. "Allie. Now that I know you and how wonderful you are, I could never be a stranger." Jack replied, releasing her from the hug so he could look her in the eyes. "Please know that you are welcome to come visit me and the rest of your family in Genoa City. Anytime, day or night. Our door will always be open for you. And maybe you can even help your Great Aunt Ashley at Jabot. She's looking for the next great chemist to mentor"

The young Abbott smiled at her grandfather thanking him for his kind words. She would keep his offer in mind. Jack quickly pulled her into another hug before he left to go back to his room. He waved goodbye promising both himself and Keemo that he was going to do better with Allie. He had some redemption work to do.