Arianna's Daughter

Chapter 1

Arianna Jones is not a morning person. This fact has not changed in all her thirty-four years and probably never will. And you would think, she thought as the opened her eyes to find her fifteen, soon-to-be sixteen-year old daughter staring down at her with those big blue eyes of hers; beautiful sea-blue eyes, which contrasted drastically with her light, caramel skinned complexion, would know this by now. Just like her father. Sixteen years. It's hard to believe that her Brianna, her little Bri-Bri, will be sixteen years old in a just under two weeks' time. The years passed by so quickly, yet she can still remember so vividly the time she spent with him. Brianna's father Jason Williams or, as Arianna always called him, Jase. Memories of that wonderful but brief time came flooding back to Arianna just then. Memories that she had learned to bury long ago. Or so she thought. Even now she could still see those blues eyes smiling down at her. She could still feel that rush of heat she always felt whenever she was near him. Now that Brianna's birthday was coming up, she was thinking about him more and more. She did so every year around this time, but this year more than ever. Hearing Brianna calling her name halted Arianna's train of thought.

"Ma you listening to me?" Brianna asked jarring Arianna out of her trip down memory lane. It's wasn't exactly a trip that Arianna wanted to take anyway. Not exactly.

"It's are you, and no I wasn't, sorry honey," she corrected her. "Bri-Bri, you know Mama is not a morning person. What's so important that you had to wake me up," she glanced at the digital clock on her nightstand, "at 7:30 a.m. on a Saturday? This better be good missy," Arianna said as she sat up on the side of the bed and reached for her old, tattered, purple terry cloth robe. Looking at the her old comfy robe caused Arianna to smile and think to herself, this thing has seen better days, as she pulled it on and slipped on her matching fuzzy purple slippers, which were in just as bad of shape, and walked to her in-suite bathroom.

"Ma it is. It's about my birthday and what I want. And the best part is it's not even going to cost you a thing. Really, I promise," Brianna finished breathlessly.

Arianna got the feeling that Brianna was going to ask her about him again. And at this point, she was running out of excuses and ways to avoid the subject of Jason with her. Ok, she thought, this is not good. She is going to ask me again. And I can't keep stalling and lying to her. Adopting a tone of interest and surprise Arianna said, "Well, well. This I must hear. Let's have it."

"Ma it's real easy. I want to meet my dad." Fixing Arianna with a stubborn and determined look on her beautiful face, Brianna added, "Mama, its time. It's way past time actually."

Arianna dropped her tooth brush in the sink. She could feel the blood drain from her face. Not going to cost anything, she thought, that's what you think. She hated to disappoint her daughter more than anything in the world, but this is the one thing that she can't give her. Ever. That was the decision she made. The day she walked out of Jase's life forever and took the truth about Brianna with her.

Arianna stilled herself for the coming lie; a lie that she had been telling to everyone she loved for the last sixteen years.

"Oh Brianna we have talked about this. And I thought you understood," she said sadly. "I just don't know where he is, honey. I haven't seen or heard from your father in sixteen years, since before you were even born. He didn't want a baby or a family, and I found out that I never really meant anything to him at all, so when I told him you were coming he split. I never saw him again." Arianna turned on the tap and ran water in her hands and splashed it on her face. As she looked in the mirror, she felt guilty about her web of lies, but she also felt that agonizing pain that crept in her heart every time she thought about Jason. But, she told herself sternly, it has got to be this way. Brianna, and Jason for that matter, can never know that she is his daughter. She looked over at her beautiful young lady. Brianna was upset and trying really hard not to cry.