I Can't

My name is...

Even though Lindsey was prepared to pay Mike a visit the following morning, he couldn't do it after all. He just didn't have the feel that he had control of himself and in all seriousness, he wouldn't want to do anything overly stupid, despite that he and Stevie were really only kidding about it. It also took Lindsey some time before he could approach Anna. It wasn't that he suddenly didn't love her anymore, it was strange, he couldn't even really describe how the whole thing made him feel. But when he did knock on Anna's door, he didn't lecture her or yell at her, quite the opposite, very calmly he tried to explain what he had on his mind after finding everything out.

Now, though, it was time. Having ignored it for a few days, Lindsey was now in the car with Anna in the passenger's seat, as he didn't know where Mike lived. Not that he was going to let her come along.

"Make a right turn over at the crossroad." Anna said, as Lindsey nodded. "And we'll be there."

Stopping the car and turning off the engine, Lindsey swallowed uneasily, looking over at his daughter. "I'll be back soon, hopefully. Will you be okay here by yourself?"

"Yes, Dad. Don't worry about me." 

"Right." Taking a deep breath, Lindsey opened the driver's side door and got out, repeating the further directions from Anna in his head.

Reaching Mike's flat at last, Lindsey shook his head, not believing it still the reason why he was there. Finally, he knocked a couple of times and waited, having the door opened to him after a minute. 

"Mr. Buckingham?" Mike's eyes got wide. "What... what are you doing here?"

"May I come inside?"

"Sure, sure of course." Quickly grabbing empty boxes of takeout and beer bottles off the table in the living room, Mike put them in the trashcan in the kitchen and returned to Lindsey, who was still standing in the small hallway.

"I came here, because I know everything. I know what happened between you and my daughter."

"Oh... It's not-"

"It's true, Mike. I know for a fact Anna would never come up with something like that for fun or just to make her parents angry. You know, I can't even imagine what makes a man do something like this. Of course, I don't think you can call yourself a man in the first place, but anyway. Were you that desperate? Or are you into minors? We could go to the police, you know? Fancy some jail time?"

"Mr. Buckingham, it was a mistake! I regret looking at Anna twice, I do. I knew I was getting myself in trouble, but I... I can't help that I liked her."

"What was it you liked about her? I don't suppose it's her eyes or her soul?"

"I shouldn't have done what I did, I don't know what overcame me those couple of times, it's not me, it's not who I really am!" Mike tried his best to prove to Lindsey that he was better than what he seemed to be, while in all honesty, there was nothing that could be said to make Lindsey believe it.

"I asked Anna why it was you exactly. She said she was attracted to you because of the way you carry yourself, because of your bad boy image." Lindsey shook his head at him. "Now here you are, squirming like a small lost puppy. You're nothing but pathetic. You pick out an easy target and then tangle them in your disgusting web of lies." Every word coming out of his mouth was dripping with disgust. "I can't believe you've worked for us for five years! You've been around Anna since she was about twelve. Did you have perverse thoughts about her then too?"

"No! I swear I did not!" Mike said, shaking his head. "No, I-"

"I trusted you. You were struggling and my wife persuaded me to give you the job, while in all truth you weren't good at one damned thing! She felt sorry for you!" Feeling his voice getting louder, Lindsey stopped to breathe. "Well, now I feel sorry for you too. You truly are a sorry excuse of a man. I came in here, telling myself not to let my temper get the better of me, so I wouldn't break your nose at least, but standing here now, I see you're not even worth that." Seeing Mike hang his head low, Lindsey added. "And you don't have a job working for us. I don't want to, I can't and I won't let someone like you be near my family." Finishing the last of what he wanted to say, Lindsey turned around without a second glance at Mike, and twisted the door knob, walking out of his place. 

Anna noticed Lindsey approaching the car and she tried to make it out what his mood was and what might have happened. But she couldn't read him very well, asking once he got in the car next to her. "Well?"

"It's dealt with. He won't be a problem anymore." Facing her, Lindsey pushed. "Is that right?"

"Yes, Dad. I don't want to see him ever again in my life."

"Good." He nodded and turned the engine on, backing out of the parking lot, set on getting home as fast as possible without breaking the law.

Meanwhile, not that far away, Sara was sitting on a bench, near a cafe she had a meeting at. A meeting with Don Henley. It hadn't been long, but she sought out him quickly, getting in contact with his publicist, saying she was a journalist. Never the one to say no to some exposure, especially since nothing much was happening with his career at the moment, he told his publicist to let Sara know, he would come to see her.

Checking her watch, Sara saw that there were still a couple of minutes before Don was supposed to appear. Strangely on time, well under five minutes late, he got out of his car and made his way into the cafe, finding a table in a corner, as he ordered himself a cup of black coffee.

Taking deep breaths, Sara stood up and walked towards the cafe, smiling at a man as a thank you, who held the door open for her, as she entered and immediately found Don among others. Approaching the table, somewhat carefully, she then stopped, causing him to lift his head up and look at her.

"Hi."

"Hi." She echoed.

"Are you Janet by any chance?" He asked, it was the name she had introduced herself with.

"My name isn't actually Janet. I'm Sara Buckingham."

Don thought he was going to faint.