Stranger

Lin

           

The next day, I was set to catch a flight out to L.A. for work.  I'd be gone for three days.  Vanessa had always been a trooper before when I had to leave her alone with Francisco and Sebastian, but now there was another kid tagged on and she wasn't easy.  Things seemed to be on the upswing, though, and my parents were nearby and always willing to help.

I checked in with Nora a few hours before I was set to leave.  It was a Sunday and she was hanging out in her room.  She'd been in a bit of a funk that morning.  As I entered, she was at her desk and she quickly tucked something away in her drawer.  She took out her earbuds as I sat on her unmade bed.

"I'm leaving in a couple hours," I told her.  "And just wanted to check in with you because you were a bit testy this morning.  Everything okay?"

"Fine," she mumbled dismissively as she doodled on her math worksheet.

"It seems like you've got something on your mind," I pressed, leaning forward on my elbows.  "You know you can talk to me."

"I know," she said.  "I'm just in a bad mood."

"Okay," I accepted her answer.  "I'll be gone until Wednesday.  Can you make sure you help Vanessa out with the boys if she needs it?  She's got a busy week at work."

"Sure," she said, her voice flat.

"Are you all caught up on your school work?"  We'd had a conversation at the end of the week about the number of missing assignments she still had out.  She hated that I had access to her grades and could see everything she did.

"Mmmhmmm," she said.

"Good," I said, seeing the conversation wasn't really going anywhere.  I stood up and toyed with her ponytail for a moment.  "Be a good girl."

I stopped by before I left to say goodbye again.  I was hoping maybe for a hug, but that didn't happen.  She was still pretty stingy with her affection.  I caught a taxi to the airport and began my journey across the country.

___

I had Sunday evening to decompress, but Monday morning was go-go-go.  I had an early meeting with the executives at FX about the Fosse/Verdon series.  I was pretty excited about it.  Sam Rockwell and Michelle Williams were already signed on.  After that, it was off to meet about Tick-Tick-Boom.

I went to lunch with one of the producers, who I'd become pretty good friends with.

"So, how are Vanessa and the kids?" He asked me as he sipped some water.

"They're great," I told him.  "And we actually have another family member now.  I found out I have a kid from a past relationship."

"Really?" He asked, surprised.  "I hadn't heard about that."

"Yeah, I've been trying to keep it pretty private," I admitted.  "She's thirteen years old and she's a firecracker."

I unlocked my phone and went to my camera roll.  Nora wasn't big on posing for pictures, but I had a few in there.  I showed him a picture of us from our trip to the Statue of Liberty.

"She's beautiful," he commented.  "She's about the same age as my daughter Samantha."

"Is she full of angst?" I asked, tucking my phone back into my pocket.

"Aren't all thirteen year olds?" He mused.

"I don't know if it's the unique situation we're in or what, but she runs very hot and cold," I tried to explain.  "She can be unpredictable."

"Samantha can be like that," he admitted.  "She thinks I embarrass her.  It's my job."

I laughed at that.

"So, is she going back and forth between you and her mom?" He asked.

I debated how far to go into the situation.  This was a good friend, though, and I knew he wouldn't go blabbing to others about it.  "Her mom's actually in jail," I told him.  "That's how I found out she existed.  Social services contacted me."

"Wow," he commented.  "Never been asked to pay child support?"

"Never," I said.  "So Nora's been with us for about a month now.  She's adjusting, but life with us is a lot different.  She'd be living close to the poverty line."

"That sounds difficult," he admitted.

"Yeah, she's had to change schools and move across town, but she's really adjusting pretty well," I admitted.  "She loves Sebby and Franky.  She's a good big sister."

"Great," he commented.  "You know with teenagers, it seems when they're being the most unlovable is the time you need to show them the most love.  Sam lashes out when she's having a hard time."

"Yeah, Nora can have a bit of a mouth," I admitted, taking in his advice.  She certainly asked for attention in some of the most unloving ways.

"Hang in there, Lin," he advised me.  "She'll come around.  You're a great guy and she's lucky to have you as a father."

That meant a lot to me, coming from a man I admire greatly.  We finished up lunch and I was off to some afternoon meetings.  It wasn't until after 8:00 that I got back to my hotel room.  Since we were three hours behind New York, I knew I'd lost any chance of FaceTiming with the boys.  I texted Vanessa to see how things were going.  Surprisingly, she was still awake.

How'd it go today?

Fine, besides Francisco's ass explosion

Yikes.  Nora okay?

Yeah.  Holed up in her room like usual.

Miss you

Of course you do.  Night xoxoxo

I smiled and tossed my phone away on the bed, then turned on the TV.  It may have been 8:00 here, but my body was telling me it was 11:00.  I soon drifted off into sleep.