Nelson the Cat and his DANK Adventures 3

Story #9: Pamela

A Nelson the Cat and his DANK Adventures 3 Special!

"What was daddy like?" Eight-year-old Pamela asked, as she sipped on her orange juice.

Mother came out of the kitchen and sat down on the couch behind Pamela.

"Come here," mother said, gesturing a sign to sit on her lap.

Pamela sat on her lap.

"You're daddy was a great man."

"Yeah, I know, but what did he do to be so great?"

"Well, when I was about 17, I crashed my brand new car into a giant tree. I was fine, but I knew it was Jesus who protected me."

"So how does this have to do with daddy?" Pamela asked.

"Well, when the ambulance came to bring me to the hospital, the man who brought me into the ambulance was your father. From there, we got to know each other more and more. We started to hang out a lot, and then he asked me to marry him at our favorite Mexican restaurant."

"Was he like a prince to you?"

"No. He was a king. Now go get your bread. It's all we have again."

And that's what Pamela was told her whole life, until one afternoon, the day before she was going to go to college, her mother told her the truth.

"Pamela," mother said, as they ate their mostly bread dinner.

"Yeah, mom?" Pamela asked.

"Come here," she said, gesturing a sign to come to sit on her lap.

"Mom, I'm not eight, plus I'm, like, twice the size of you," Pamela explained.

"You sound just like your father.....which is what I wanted to talk to you about."

Pamela noticed a tear roll down her cheek.

"Mom, are you crying!?"

Mother wiped her tear away with her napkin.

Pamela knew this was something big, so she sat closer to her.

Pamela held her mother's hands.

"Mom, I'm listening."

*sniff*

"Your father wasn't the man who picked me up from that accident. Gosh, I didn't even have one...."

Pamela froze for a second, but then asked,

"But all the other things were true, right? Like how he proposed to you at your favorite Mexican restaurant, and he was a great man, and he died in the Army before I was born?"

Mother shook her head, now sobbing.

Pamela felt paralyzed. She's been lied to her whole life....

"Your father and I met at a G-Gas Station. H-He asked me for my number, and he c-c-called me one night to go on a date with h-him. From there, we f-fell in love........b-b-but as soon as he heard I was p-pregnant, he left.......he d-died a few weeks after from a-alcohol poisoning..."

Pamela was now holding her mother as she shook with tears.

Pamela felt like she was going to cry, but no tears were coming out.

"W-why?...." Pamela asked.

"W-why w-what?"

"WHY DID YOU LIE TO ME!?" Pamela screamed, now standing up.

"B-because I didn't w-want you to feel like you had a h-horrible f-father!"

"BUT I DID! I'D RATHER KNOW THE TRUTH THAN BE LIED TO MY WHOLE LIFE!!"

"I-I'm sorry, P-Pam!!" Mother screamed, as Pamela stormed out of their dusty apartment.

Pamela drove to her friend's house which is where she spent the night. She didn't sleep. She couldn't. She was up all night wondering why her father was so scared of having her. Some of Pamela didn't even want to go to college, but she knew she had to if she wanted a bright future.

*vroom!*

*skirt-skirt!*

And off she went to college, where she would study History to become a History Teacher.

*ring!*

Pamela's phone rung during class for the thirtieth time this week. Pamela apologized for the thirtieth time, and pressed decline to her mother's call for the thirtieth time.

"Pamela Taylor, the next time that happens, I will not tolerate it," said the professor.

"Understood. Sorry, sir."

The professor nodded and kept going on with the lecture.

That night, Pamela thought about what her professor said. She knew she had to call her mother if she ever would want her to stop calling her in class. She took out her phone, and dialled her mother's number.

"Mom?" She asked.

"Pam!!" Her mother yelled through her phone, "why are you calling?!"

"I called because I want you to stop calling me. I don't ever want to talk to you again. Please stop, you're getting me in trouble."

A quick silent went between the two of them.

Pamela was about to end the call, but her mother yelled,

"Wait! Please come over tomorrow night! I want to make it up for you!"

Pamela was about to throw her phone against the wall, but then her mother said the magic word,

"I'm making your favorite! French Toast Casserole!"

Pamela ended it. Pamela kept thinking about the call all day the next day. She was going to make it up for her? How? At the end of the school day, Pamela somehow convinced herself to go to her mother's.

*swing!*

Pamela swung open the door to her old familiar dusty apartment.

"Pam!" Mother cheered, running over to her with her arms open, Pamela dodged her hug, and asked,

"How are you making it up to me?"

"Come."

Mother took Pamela to the living room where the TV is. She pressed a button on her remote. A home video of her mom and her dad playing pool together.

"What are you doing!?" Pamela asked in horror.

"Your dad might have been a bad man, but he made me happier than anyone else could, besides you of course. I just don't want you to think of him as all bad."

As Pamela watched the pixels goes by, Pamela somehow felt better. She didn't know if it was the laughs her and her dad shared, or when her dad was pushing her on a swing. All she knew was it was time to forgive her mother.

Pamela hugged her mother.

"I love you, mom," Pamela whispered.

"I love you more..."

Finally, the tears that have been bottled away finally came out.

"Come on Pam, let's go eat that casserole!"