I'm The One (A Van Halen FanFic)

10

"Wow, I can't believe I'm ACTUALLY in LIVERPOOL." Mary squealed. I sighed and rolled my eyes. Don't get me wrong, I'm stocked she gets to experience this, but it's gonna be a long day. I imagine this is the equivalent of taking a kid to Disneyland.
"So, what should we do first?" I asked Mary.
"We need to go to the Strawberry Fields." Mary said, pulling my hand in the direction of the buses.
***************
After a long day of Beatles related stops and the general British sight-seeing, Mary and I's last stop was the world-famous Cavern Club. We walked in and a band was playing. I had to admit it was pretty awesome being in the place instead of just looking at a picture from 1963.
  As I went to go order Mary and I some drinks, she was standing by the side reading a newspaper. When I walked back to her, I could tell something was wrong. I set the drinks down.
  "Hey, Mary, everything cool?"
  Mary looked up at me. Tears streamed down her cheeks. "This..this article in here. It was talking about a gas explosion in an office building in America. Eddie...my dad was in that explosion." Mary put the newspaper down and I wrapped my arms around her as she sobbed.
  "I'm so sorry. At least you weren't that close to him.." I said awkwardly.
  Mary pulled away from my embrace and shook her head. "Wrong. I was close to him up until a couple years ago when he married that home-wrecking bitch. Then we just sort of started to drift apart because he was too afraid to say something to her."
"Too afraid to protect his own daughter?"
Mary sighed and took a seat. I sat next to her and handed her the glass of beer. She took a big gulp and looked down at the golden beverage.
"I never told you about my real mom because I hated talking about it," She began. "When I was nine, my mom left my dad for his former boss. Dad had connections with another company and took that job because he couldn't stand to look at his boss. So of course I lived with dad and we bonded a lot because we were all we had." She swirled her drink.
"And when he married his current wife he never put his foot down because he was afraid to be abandoned again?" I asked.
"Bingo, Ringo. At first, it really hurt. But then when I saw the look in his eyes one time when the Witch was going off on me for no reason..." Mary's eyes started to tear up again. "I knew he felt bad for me, but didn't want his daughter to be his movie date again. He wanted a woman that would stay with him."
Mary sobbed again and I held her as some people walked by giving her odd stares.
"Mary, why did you tell the boys and I that he wouldn't care if you were gone. You know, when you first met us."
"I really just wanted to get away from her. I knew he would care, but I just couldn't stay home anymore Eddie. I couldn't take it. I'm sorry I lied about that. I am.."
"It's okay; I understand. I would rather have you lie than us considering taking you back to that bitch."
"Him dying is all my fault."
I pulled back and looked at her as she was only silently crying now; but her face was dead serious.
I shook my head. "No. No. That's insane. Why would you say that?"
"This is my punishment for leaving him. God is punishing me for my dad worrying about me everyday."
"That's stupid, Mary. You weren't selfish in your actions. It was completely justified for you to leave. In a way, you being abused was his fault to because he did nothing to stop it. If he really cared where you went, he would've reported you missing."
"Maybe not."
"What?"
"He knew how she could be. Even though he should've put me first, maybe me running away and him not reporting it, if he didn't, was his way of setting me free. Even still, I know he'd want me home, so I still feel like this is my punishment."
"That's-"
"I don't know anymore, Ed. I don't even think I'm making sense. I just want to go back to the hotel."
I nodded and we took a taxi back to the hotel. When we got in the room, Mary went straight into the bathroom and didn't come out for a while. I figured she took a long shower and cried for a long time.
When she came back out she got dressed and laid in bed. Without uttering a word to me. I laid next to her eventually, but she curled up all the way on the other side of the bed. She fell asleep soon after. A couple hours later, I woke up, and I heard quiet sobs from her side of the bed...