July 13, 2021

"Are you ready?" I said as I leaned against the receptionist desk in the lobby.

"Ready for what?" Joe asked as she bent forward and put her hair in a ponytail.

"It's Tuesday!" I said as if she was supposed to know what was happening today.

She looked at me with a confused look as she grabbed a clipboard with a new patient's information on it.

"Oh my God!" I said in disbelief, "you forgot?"

"What?" Joe said in a high-pitched voice, "no, I totally didn't forget about the thing... That's today..." she lied.

"Mhm." I nodded my head with a suspicious glare, "so you know what you're gonna wear, you know, on the date with my dad."

She gasped and set the clipboard back on the desk.

"Oh shit, is that tonight?" she slapped her hand on her mouth.

"Is what tonight?" my dad said walking out of the elevator with lunch from

chick-fil-a.

"You forgot too?" I said turning to look at him with wide eyes.

Joe walked over to him and laughed, "it's Tuesday."

"Right," he said still not getting the hint, "and?"

"For fucks sake!" I blurted, "You guys are going on a date tonight!"

Dad's face went red like he was embarrassed but blushing at the same time.

"I completely forgot! I Don't have anything to wear-" Joe said laughing nervously as she grabbed one of the bags of food from dad to help carry to Gran's room.

He good lunch for me, Gran, Sydney, and him since we got tired of eating the hospital cafeteria food.

"I can help with that." I smiled big.

"Oh lord." dad said knowing what was about to go down.

When Joe got off her shift, she drove the two of us to her house, which wasn't far from the hospital, so I could help her get ready.

"Do you know where he's taking you?" I asked and nudged her on the shoulder as we walked up to the front door.

"He said it's a surprise." she smiled and raised her eyebrows.

I could tell she was excited, but also that something was bothering her.

As we walked into the house, I admired how beautiful it was. It was definitely hers. Everything was clean and organized, and there were many books and paintings. I figured she was the reading type.

"Wow, this is beautiful," I said in awe.

"Thanks, I Don't really have company much so sorry if it's a little messy."

"No trust me, it's perfect Joe." I insisted, "much cleaner than our house."

"I doubt that." she laughed, setting her purse on the couch.

She led us to her room where she tried on multiple dresses and cute outfits until we decided on a long off-the-shoulder black dress.

After she put it on, I helped her with her hair and makeup.

"Look, I've been thinking, " she said carefully like she was trying to not hurt my feelings, "and I just don't want you to think I'm trying to replace your mom or anything."

I sighed as I carefully applied the bronzer to make her cheekbones stand out.

"I don't think that at all, " I smiled, "I think this is a good thing for my dad. He hasn't been on a date in however long and I can tell he really likes you."

"You think so?" she smiled, scrunching her nose a bit.

"Oh yeah, definitely." I nodded while still paying attention to what I was doing. "I've never seen him get that nervous around anyone before, especially a girl."

I could tell she was blushing because her cheeks were scarlet red and I hadn't put any blush on her yet.

"What about that boy of yours?" she said poking my shoulder. "He's normally with you every time I see you."

"I left for the hospital before he woke up, he's been acting kind of weird lately."

"How so?" she asked borrowing her brows.

"I dunno, he's going through a lot right now and I found out some things that he hasn't told me about. I thought he could tell me everything."

"Boys deal with problems differently than we do, which I'm sure you've noticed by now," she said taking the makeup brush out of my hand and setting it on the counter.

I nodded my head, knowing exactly what she meant.

"They think it's better to not show what they're feeling so we think they're not vulnerable to anything. Maybe just let him process what's going on and then go from there."

I looked down at my hands, I was fidgeting with my fingers trying to let what she was saying sink in. Maybe she's right. I just need to let him tell me when he ready.

"I see the way you two are together and I can tell he really cares for you, " she said pushing my hair behind my ear as I looked back up at her, "I bet he'll tell you as soon as he lets the situation settle in his mind." she gave me a nice smile that made everything feel better.

"You're really good at this." I smiled back at her.

"At what?" she said with a confused laugh.

"The whole advice thing. You know, girl talk?"

"Really?" she said squinting her eyes and slightly jerking her head back. "I've never really done this before, I don't have many 'girl friends'"

"Me neither."

"What about the girls on your softball team, they're your friends right?"

"Well, yeah but all they wanna do is gossip and talk about boys. I've never really had anyone to have a serious girl talk with since-"

"Your mom?" she said tilting her head and giving me a sympathetic look.

"Yeah." I sighed looking back down at my hands.

"Now you have me," she said putting her hands on my shoulders and smirking.

I was glad my dad found Joe, even if it was because Gran had a heart attack and could've possibly died, she was a good person and perfect for dad. I just hoped nothing would change when we moved back to Texas.

I helped straighten her hair and pick out shoes, then we drove to my house where dad was getting ready.

"You wait here, I'll go get dad," I said slowly walking backward up the stairs.

She smiled and nodded as I took off towards his room and knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" he asked as I slowly opened the door.

"Who else would it be?" I laughed.

He had on a white button-up shirt tucked into his suit pants and was struggling to tie his tie.

"Is she downstairs already?" he said panicked.

"Yes, and she looks beautiful." I smiled walking over to help him put his tie on like I always did when he wore a suit.

"I Don't know if I can do this, " he said out of breath.

I walked in front of him, blocking the view of himself in the mirror, and slapped him.

As he turned his head back towards me he made a confused/ disgusted face.

"Um, ow?"

"Pull yourself together man," I said seriously.

"Was the slap necessary?" he continued.

"Yes, it was," I said matter of factly, "now brush your teeth and get down there. I refuse to let you back out. It's been too long since you've been in a good relationship and I promise you have nothing to worry about from me."

"Right, well now that I know you can completely deck someone in the face-"

"Holy shit dad, just finish getting ready!" I blurted and pointed towards the hallway.

He took a deep breath, nodded, and rushed into the bathroom to brush his teeth, put cologne on, and everything else.

U

I walked back downstairs to see Joe admiring a picture of Gran, grandpa, mom, dad, and me at the fair from when I was a baby.

"She was beautiful, now I know where you get it from," she said looking up at me.

I smiled as I walked up to her and engulfed her in a huge hug which caught her off guard. She hesitated, then hugged back after she processed what was happening.

I let go once I heard dad walking down the creaking steps of the stairs and looked at how handsome he looked all dressed up for the first time since I could remember.

He used two hands to wiggle his tie to where it was perfectly straight once he walked off the last step and looked at Joe in awe.

"Wow, you look-"

"Amazing?" Joe asked cutting him off and flicked her hair off her shoulder, "I know. Had a little help from a special someone." she winked at me.

"Right, well let's go then shall we?" he said holding his arm out for her to take it.

"We shall, " she said in a British accent making both my dad and I laugh.

"You sure you Don't want to go with us Ella? It would be fun!" Joe said with a smile before they walked out the door.

"What? No, I'm not going on a date with both of you that's weird." I laughed.

"It would be like a dinner, not a date." dad said struggling his shoulders, with Joe still holding onto his arm.

"What is wrong with you two, you act as if you've never been on dates before." I rolled my eyes. "Now go and have fun, but not too much fun."

They laughed and walked out the door to Dad's car where he opened the door for her and she got in, careful not to get anything on her dress.

I watched with a smile as they drove off wondering where dad was taking her. Probably to that fancy Italian place he wouldn't shut up about... Ernesto's or something?

I wasn't sure if I should go back over to Bennys or give him space, so I figured it would be better if I just stayed home. I turned on the 100 and decided to power through the last season so I could start watching a new series, but I couldn't help but wonder how Benny was doing with everything.

Of course, me being the ADHD person I am, I only watched two episodes before getting bored. I turned the TV off and ran upstairs to my room, grabbed my sketchbook, and blasted music from my laptop.

Hours went by as I laid in bed drawing whatever came to my mind. I was in the zone and had completely forgotten about everything else besides my sketchbook until the first song Benny and I danced to at the fair came on. I felt bad for not being with him all day, plus I would much rather be at his house than alone here.

I slipped his sweatshirt on hoping it would make me feel better, but it wasn't the same as actually being in his arms. It's like I have separation anxiety or something.

DeNunez reached into the bucket of baseballs and underhand tossed one towards me. I waited till it was in the right spot, then swung.

"So you haven't told Ella about it yet?" he asked while reaching for another ball.

"No, she's already got too much on her mind, " I said in batting position waiting for him to toss another ball.

"Maybe, " he paused to throw the ball, "you should tell her instead of just letting her find out?"

I hit the ball towards Smalls in the outfield, making him back up a few steps to catch it. Instead of throwing it, he ran back up to us, dropping it in the bucket.

I put the tip of the bat on the ground and crossed one of my legs over the other, putting all my weight on the bat.

"I dunno man, she's been weird today. I think she's just stressed."

"Ella's smart. You either gotta tell her, or she's gonna find out herself and we don't wanna see her when that happens." DeNunez said tossing a ball up and catching it over and over again in his right hand.

"Yeah, and she probably wants to know. Like so she can help you and stuff, " Smalls said, "she's always wanting to help others."

"Yeah, like when she helped stop Squints and Yeah Yeah from ripping each other apart." DeNunez followed.

"Or when she helped us realize that Phillips wasn't a complete dick," Smalls added.

"See but that's the point, " I shrugged my shoulders and picked the bat back up, "she's always helping others, never herself. You didn't see how shaken up she was at the hospital that one day."

"She's a strong woman dude," DeNunez said in a girly voice.

"Yeah c'mon Benny what happened to girl power, " Smalls said making jazz hands.

I rolled my eyes.

"I'm not saying she's not strong enough to handle all of this, I'm saying she shouldn't have to. My dad coming back should be the least of her problems."

"Shit dude, your dad's coming back?" DeNunez said in disbelief.

"Well yeah, Lilly and I can't live by ourselves while my moms in rehab, " I said like it was supposed to be obvious that he was coming back.

"Now you seriously have to tell her," said Smalls taking his glove off to let his hand breathe.

I hesitated, thinking about what to say next.

"Okay fine, " I blurted, "but what would I say, it's kind of a lot."

"Just be straight with her." DeNunez said, "it's not the end of the world, just... daddy issues."

Smalls hit DeNunez on the arm with his glove, making him jump.

"What?" DeNunez snapped.

"Daddy issues? Really?" smalls whisper-yelled.

"What else was I supposed to say?" DeNunez whisper-yelled back.

I watched them argue while attempting to whisper to each other, but I could still hear it. I rolled my eyes and put a hand on my forehead.

"You guys do realize I can still hear you?" I said annoyed.

They both slowly turned their head towards me and had awkward smiles.

"Duh," Smalls lied.

"Right, just get back in the outfield." I laughed.

"Only if you say you're gonna tell her before your dad gets here," Smalls said being stubborn.

"Fine." I spat.

"Good," he said with a smile, feeling accomplished that he convinced me.

Smalls slipped his glove back on and jogged into the outfield, holding his hat so it didn't blow away as he ran.

"What is Ella doing?" DeNunez said picking up another ball.

"That's the thing, I don't know." I picked the bat up and got ready to hit the ball when he tossed it.

"You don't know? You guys are together nonstop how do you not know what she's doing?" he said winding up, throwing the pitch overhand this time.

"She left before I woke up." I hit the ball towards smalls once again. "Like I said, she's being weird and I don't wanna put all of this on her if she's too stressed out about her grandma."

"I get where you're coming from, but girls don't like secrets... learned that the hard way." he looked back at smalls, who threw the ball next to where DeNunez was standing. "I kept a secret from my mom one time, never been more scared of her in my entire life."

"But that's your mom, not your girlfriend." I laughed.

"But still, there's a valuable lesson in that story."

"Which is?"

"Tell Ella about your God damn dad." he threw another ball as hard as he could, catching me by surprise.

Since I wasn't exactly ready for the pitch, the ball pegged me on my side making me drop the bat and fall to my knees. I wasn't upset, I probably deserved it. The three of us laughed as I dropped on my back, holding the spot where the ball hit.

"Sorry, it slipped," DeNunez said between laughs when he caught his breath.

"Don't worry about it, I'm good." I lied as I stuck my hand that wasn't holding onto my side in the air with a thumbs up.

I definitely got the message. I needed to tell Ella before my dad shows up out of nowhere and ruins everything all over again.

As soon as we decided it was getting too dark to play, the three of us left the sandlot. DeNunez went his separate way first, then Smalls jogged home once we stopped at my house. I set my bat on the porch, but instead of going inside, I turned and started walking over to Ella's house. The guys were right about something for once, which means I have to do it.

I could hear her music playing from outside. She probably wouldn't hear if I knocked on the door, so I just walked in. I closed the door behind me which I'm guessing she heard because the music stopped.

"You guys are back already? It's only been two hours!" she laughed as she came down the stairs but paused when she saw me. "Oh, sorry I thought you were dad and Joe."

"I need to tell you something, and please don't freak out..." I said quickly.

"Okay?" she said unsure about what was going on.

I froze for a moment as she sat down on the bottom step of the stairs. We just looked at each other for a while because for some reason I was nervous to tell her.

"My dad's coming back." I blurted finally.

She stared at me like she didn't know what to say. She looked confused but nervous at the same time.

"Wow," she said looking at the ground.

She wouldn't make eye contact with me. I felt like something was up but I wasn't sure. It wasn't until she started fighting with her fingers I figured it out.

"You already knew didn't you?" I said, now a little upset.

She didn't look at me, she just kept fighting with her hands.

"You did!" I said in disbelief.

"Your mom told me in the kitchen last night, " she paused, "I couldn't sleep so I went to get water and she was there... It just happened and I wanted you to tell me yourself."

"So that's why you left before I woke up this morning?"

"Benny I-"

"I can't believe this."

I turned and opened the door. She chased after me as we both speed-walked to my house.

She already knew. This whole time I was worrying about telling her but she already knew.

"Benny I didn't think it would be this big of a deal that I already knew."

"It's not." I stopped right in front of the door to my house.

"Then why are you so upset?" she asked stopping next to me.

I opened my mouth to say something, then saw a shiny black motorcycle parked next to the mailbox. I didn't even see it before.

"Shit," I said then turned and opened the door.

Ella turned and looked at the motorcycle then turned back towards me and saw I was inside. She followed after me once again but froze when she saw me staring at my dad standing next to my mom.

They both turned to look at Ella and I standing by the door.

"Holy fuck." said Ella.