Father's Day

Chapter 12 "Destiny's good deeds"

The future,
Despite us, always has to come
All our love desires, desperate, imagined, unavowed
In life, not a day is the same, you're bored
You're waiting for the sun impatiently, madly, passionately

Terry left Angel with Evan and Susanna and he went downstairs to the hotel bar. He ordered a glass of whisky. He needed a drink. How could Candy have been so stupid? Getting pregnant with everything that was happening? She was going to have a baby with Michael. NOOO!!! It was even worse than imagining her making love to him. A baby, that's permanent, forever, he would be a constant reminder... He ordered a second glass. A woman came to sit next to him.

- Good evening, handsome, she said, do you need company?

- No thanks.

- I can make it worth your while...

- I don't you for that... Beat it! He said upset.

He looked up and he was stunned. He opened his eyes wide.

- Eliza Reagan?

- Hello Terry...

- You're a call girl now?

- I have to make a living... are you coming?

- Eliza, I can't stand you. I'm certainly not going to pay to bang you, especially since I don't feel like it at all!

- You can really be cruel sometimes, Terry!

- That's not a life for you Eliza... well, maybe you deserve it...

- It pays well... and it's fun. Especially gang bangs!

- Bloody hell! Spare me the details, please! Now beat it!

- All right. But if you change your mind...

Eliza walked to another client. Terry continued drinking. A little while later, he heard Eliza's voice.

- No, let me go! No!

He looked and he saw Eliza getting arrested by an undercover cop. She deserved it... he wanted to finish his drink. But... he couldn't stay there without doing anything, he knew that idiot since they were teenager, she was part of their band, even by being mean, she had a crush on him...

"Oh bloody hell!" He said to himself.

He stood up and followed Eliza and the cop.

- Excuse-me? Is there a problem? Said Terry

- I'm arresting this young lady for prostitution...

- No, that's my cousin, we were joking around. I dared her to act like a prostitute, and she agreed... She's not a call girl, she's my cousin... I'm Terrence Grandchester...

- How do I know you're not a client?

- I have a pregnant wife in my suite and two children. You think I'm going to bring a hooker over there? Eliza is family.

Eliza looked at Terry stunned... She couldn't believe how kind he was being to her. The cop looked at Terry, an actor married and a family man... He let go of Eliza.

- You're very lucky. The next time, find another game to play! What you did was dangerous!

- Thank you sir, said Terry

The cop left. Eliza looked at Terry.

- Thank you Terry...

- Find yourself another job Eliza...

- I don't know how to do anything else...

- Just the oldest job in the world? You were so proud in college, so arrogant. How did you fall so low?

- Life is full of surprises... I heard you got jobs for my cousins and their girlfriends?

- They were my friends... you... You set a trap for Candy and I...

- That was because you rejected me... I wanted Candy to be expelled to have you all to myself

- You know, your mind works in a funny way... I wasn't attracted to you Eliza, not in the least in the world!

- Now, I know it... so, you're not going to help me? Even if I ask for your forgiveness for everything I did to you and Candy?

Terry looked at her. Eliza seemed lost; the assurance she seemed to have had earlier was a façade... Eliza Reagan the arrogant, the mean girl, who had done everything to seduce him, yes she was in love with him, but she didn't know how to handle it and she hated Candy... But...

"If you only say hello to your brothers, what are you doing so amazing? The gentiles do the same things, don't they?" Says the Bible.

Terry started to think. Eliza Reagan a call girl? He had the means to help her. He saw the picture of a little girl with red hair in front of him.

- It's my daughter, said Eliza. I'm doing all this for her Terry. I don't have the choice...

- Where's your brother?

- He's hanging out with an unsafe crowd... my parents threw us out so we could manage on our own...We were spoiled-rotten brats... I thought I was going to marry some rich guy, but we became poor... All the rich people we thought were our friends all abandoned us, one by one... I got pregnant... and what I had to do to survive... I didn't want to go on welfare, that's so shameful...

- You know Eliza, if you put yourself down; God is going to rise you up...

- Terry, I get banged for money, that's not low enough for you?

- You should've humiliated yourself by asking for welfare.

- They had too many complicated conditions, and the money they give is meaning less...

- You got more money by selling yourself... oh Eliza!

- Rent is expensive, bills for the needs of a little girl; I wanted to give more to my little Betty. It's short for Elizabeth... so some old acquaintances of the family offered me something, when I went to them to look for a job...

- To distract them during receptions?

- Yes and my name started going around and I would keep them company during their business trips and my little girl had everything she needed. I left her at the Pony House...

- Candy's house?

- Yes. I used to make fun of her, but Miss Pony and Sister Maria greeted me with open arms when I found myself pregnant in the streets... I left them my baby to go look for a job, I thought that old associates from my father's would give me a little job...

- Now you're a call girl... Eliza...

- Terry, I'm begging you. Can you help me do something else? Working for celebrities it's well paid. It would be less humiliating than to get called names by disgusting old men who want to pass me on to all of their friends in front of them.

- Oh my God!

- Terry, I've lost my dignity... I don't dare be with my little girl, because if I get call, I wouldn't know where to put her. Or if the clients come to my apartment and she wakes up in the middle of the night. You see the picture...

Terry looked at Eliza. She was the cause of hi separation with Candy in college. But... He couldn't turn his back on her. She was with them in Scotland, even with her arrogance and her seduction attempts... he even spit on her. He imagined how humiliating it was for her to bare herself in front to the boy who despised her so much he spit on her face.

Terry stood up.

- Come with me, he said

Eliza looked at him surprised; she never thought he would help her. Terry gave her back the picture of her daughter...

- For Betty, he said.

- Thank you Terry.

They went together to his suite. Terry wanted to get drunk, but Eliza and her said story made him change his mind... There are people with worst problems than his... He was married to Susanna who was pregnant with Candy's baby, who was pregnant with Michael's child... Eliza was a call girl with a little daughter... He could've been indifferent, but she had an innocent child... and for the children, Terry would do anything...

They arrived in the suite. And they found everybody ready for dinner.

- Daddy, said Angel, I was about to call you. Dinner is ready.

- Thank you, my little Angel. I have a guest with me. This is Eliza Reagan, she a cousin of your mother's.

- Really? Said Angel, how come I've never seen you before?

- Well, said Eliza, you mommy and I, don't really get along and I have a little girl like you. Her name is Elizabeth, but we call her Betty... She's at the Pony House.

- Oh, but I know her! Said Angel, I play with her when I go to the Pony House! So she's my cousin? Great! She really nice!

"Eliza with a nice little girl? The world is really not fair!" Said Terry to himself smiling.

He was helping Eliza for her little girl. She was a mom and he hoped she had changed. Mothers deserved every help they could get. So he thought about Candy, to how he talked back to her, because he was jealous... He had to go see her. It was dinner time.

Terry turned to Eliza.

- I'm going to show you your room, and then you can join us as the table.

- All right Terry.

Terry showed her the room. He brought her some clothes belonging to Susanna.

- Thank you Terry, said Eliza in tears.

- Are you all right?

- Yes. Seeing your daughter Angel, made me realise how much I miss my Betty.

- I'm going to send someone to go get her. I just need a proxy from you.

- All right.

Terry went to the dining room and Eliza arrived after she freshened up. She no longer had her call girl make up... She talked happily with Angel and Terry saw a face of Eliza he didn't know before. After dinner, Terry was getting ready to go see Candy.

- Where are you going daddy? Asked Angel while she was entering his room.

- I'm going to see your mummy...

- Why?

- Because I wasn't very nice to her earlier...

- Because she's going to have a baby too?

- Yes. I didn't expect that, she should've been pregnant by me, if Susanna hadn't stolen the fertilized egg...

Angel looked at her daddy, she couldn't say anything, and she had promised mommy she wasn't going to say anything.

- I'll be back later...

- Take your time. Dr. Michael is on call tonight...

Terry looked at his daughter and he opened his arms and she ran to hug him.

- I love you daddy.

- I love you too, baby...

- Everything is going to be all right, you'll see.

- I hope so baby...

- You still love mommy even with her baby?

- Of course I love her and the baby too, because it belongs to your mummy...

- Thank you daddy! Go see mommy. She must be sad and I'm not there to console her.

- So you're going to look after Susanna?

- Of course... she is not going to hurt the baby, as long as I'm here...

Terry looked at her. This child shouldn't be in the middle of all this, but she was swimming in it! Susanna was threatening to get rid of the baby which was going to save her life.

They got out of the room and went to the living room.

- Terry, said Susanna, where are you going?

- I'm going to see Candy, said Terry.

- What? Why? You're not going, otherwise...

Terry turned around and looked at her. Eliza was there and looked at the scene amused.

- Susanna, calm down. Eliza is going to keep you company until I come back. Eliza Susanna is carrying the baby that's going to save Angel from leukemia... Can I count on you to keep an eye on them?

- Of course Terry, said Eliza smiling, you can count on me.

- Thank you.

Terry got out of the suite. Susanna looked at Eliza with angry eyes.

- You're Candy's cousin? You said you didn't get along with her...

- Terry just saved me from an impossible situation tonight...

- Auntie Eliza, said Angel, Miss Marlowe is having mommy's baby...

- Your mommy's baby? Candy? Candy's baby?

- Yes, Miss Marlowe stole the fertilized egg to force daddy to marry her...

- But your mommy just has to make another baby...

- It's not that simple; the baby she stole was a special baby who is compatible with me to same me from leukemia and it's a special medical team that came to make sure of that. They are very busy... so the baby Miss Marlowe stole is my only chance to save my life...

- My God! Said Eliza looking at Susanna, you're a case! The first time wasn't enough for you? You had to blackmail him again???

- Stressing me is not good for the baby..., said Susanna

- Stress? You have to calm down then, because you can't lose this baby which is going to save Angel...

- You did say you didn't get along with Candy... I can help you...

- Terry is helping me... and ten years ago, I might have helped you ruin Candy, but since I'm now a mother myself... I found myself in the streets and it the Pony House, Candy's house that helped me... they're raising my little girl... I'm not the same person, I'm little Betty's mommy who doesn't hate Candy anymore... and I think that what you did is despicable! You disgust me!!!

Angel burst out laughing with Evan. Eliza laughed with them and Susanna was sulking some more.