The Prodigal Daughter

The Prodigal Daughter - Chapter 1

A/N - WARNING - This story is much more mature than my other stories and for an adult audience. Please don’t read it if you are underage.

Chapter 1

Standing at a crossroads, MaryBeth Waters could go anywhere. But in her subconscious, she already knew where she was heading when she left the life she hated, the life she had created. After four days of driving, standing in a Jiffy gas station filling up her BMW, reality caught up with her. She was heading back home. She laughed to herself, “Home.” She said shaking her head.

“Excuse me?” The gentleman said as he walked past her with a slight limp to pay for his gas.

“Oh, I’m sorry. Nothing.” She replied giving him the smile that had charmed many men in the past eight years. Sweet talking them out of their business secrets, without them even knowing it. Pillow talk Richard had called it when she first started working with him. She had everything money could buy, cars, jewels, credit cards, condo, a wardrobe actresses would kill for. Even a degree from UCLA’s School of Business. All paid for on the company dime, for her to ‘entertain’ his out of town clients and get them to spill information. And for eight years, she tried to imagine how she would reclaim herself, and she never imagined her life would end up like this! She shook her head to remove the thick fog that had encircled her brain like the LA smog she had left behind. She was only a few hours away, but she could not drive like this, well that is what she told herself. In reality, she was not sure she was ready to return to the life she left eight years ago and face the past.

Sitting in her hotel room in Gainesville, she thought about looking up Joey. MaryBeth sighed when she thought about Joey. And this was not the first time in eight years she thought about the life they might have if she would have stayed. She turned the TV off, she had been channel surfing and nothing was on. She took her laptop out of her bag and Googled “Gainesville Joseph Davidson” A couple of articles about him that were several years old showed up. Joey had a scholarship to the University of Florida for baseball. He only played two years. “Hmmm” she thought, that was interesting. “What happened?”

She had not talked to anyone from home for eight years. Ever since the fight that sent her packing. She was suppose to leave for college the next day. But, being as stubborn as always, she wanted to take a year off and travel the world. She cashed out her college fund days before leaving and was going to go off and not telling her parents. She would eventually call them when she settled someplace. But, thanks to Abbie, her perfect sister, they found out the night before she was to leave. One thing led to another and her normally calm, but controlling father exploded. They both said things, things that they would regret for years. And she left, not looking back.

After that fight, Joey had begged her to stay. Stay with him, “We can work anything out together.” He had pleaded. But, she had already made up her mind and she turned her back on him and the promises they had made. Beginning that first night, she cried herself to sleep. After awhile, the tears would no longer come.

Did she regret her decisions? Daily. What would her life be like now if she stayed and did what was expected? Would Joey have asked her to marry him? That was the plan. High school sweethearts, promising to love each other forever. Promising to wait until marriage and give themselves completely to each other. That thought brought a snicker from MaryBeth. “Well, that didn’t happen!” And now, after everything she had been through, there was no way perfect Joey would ever want someone like her. Besides, she had always pictured him married and with kids by now. He had settled down somewhere, she was sure of it.

Saturday night in Gainesville, there was always something going on. But, MaryBeth was only an hour and a half from home. She was worried about the welcome she would receive. And the gossip that would follow her once everyone figured out where she had been and what she had been doing and especially why she had come home. Sure, she could lie, but eventually the truth always comes out! The big question on her mind was, would she stay? She could relocate anywhere. Money was not a problem. But, something told her that she would be safe at home. She needed to feel safe. She reached up and softly touched her lip where it had split days before. Almost healed, with make-up covering it, no one would even know.