by Katie Bradford
Holding tightly to the straps of her backpack, Katie took a deep breath and reluctantly entered the airport terminal. Her eyes automatically started scanning the area for her father. She wasn't at all thrilled about being in Iowa and certainly not excited about seeing her father, who she hadn't seen or heard from in over a year!
The only good thing about being there was that she wasn't in Texas with her mother. Katie hated her mother for sending her to her father's, on the claim that she couldn't handle her any more. Her mother had called her father a few weeks ago, crying that Katie was getting in trouble right and left and wasn't listening to her at all and that it was his turn to have all the headaches.
The truth was her mother had found a new boyfriend and hadn't wanted to bother with Katie. With Katie out of the way her mother would be free to come and go as she pleased.
Katie continued searching the crowded terminal for her father and was hoping he was alone and hadn't brought Annie or her stupid daughter Crystal along with him. Annie was the woman her father had chosen over her mother eight years before. She had been his secretary back then. It was just like a scenario you might have seen on the television. Annie had worked long, late hours with her father and eventually the two had fallen in love and decided to get married.
Katie had been eight years old when her father had broken the news to her mother that he wanted a divorce. Her mother hadn't taken the news gracefully. She had ranted and raved about her father stealing the best years of her life and then dumping her for some tramp half his age. Of course, Annie was only about ten years younger than her father but Katie wasn't about to point that fact out to her mother.
It was very difficult in the first few years for Katie. Her mother had resented her going to see her father and had made things as unpleasant as possible for both she and her father. It became such a hassle over the years that it was just easier for Katie to tell her father she was busy and not able to come for the weekend. Then the calls between them became fewer and fewer until there were none at all.
Now she was sixteen and couldn't even remember the last time she had actually had a decent conversation with her father. Of course, in her mind her father was too busy worrying about Annie's daughter Crystal and their new six year old son to think about her any more. She was a part of his old life, which he had cast away years ago like a wad of chewing gum on the bottom of his shoe.
Crystal was nine months younger than Katie and gorgeous! She would be the ideal daughter for any parent: smart, pretty and always very polite and compliant. Katie hated her! Whenever they were alone, unbeknownst to their parents, Crystal was always a turncoat. She was as nasty to Katie as she was polite to everyone else.
Finally, her search was over, she saw her father. He was walking towards her, looking about as excited to see her as she was to see him. She wished she could just turn around and get back on the plane. But where would she go? No one seemed to want her.
"There she is!" Kevin Morse gave a pretentious smile as he walked over to his daughter and engulfed her in his arms.
"Yeah... here I am," Katie snorted, hugging him back with little enthusiasm. "Sorry you had to come all this way to get me," she added after they started walking towards the baggage claim area.
"I'm just glad you're here," her father smiled.
Yeah right... Katie thought. If that was his happy look she didn't want to see his sad one. However, if she were fair about it, she had to admit the same look was probably plastered all over her own face as well. Anyone watching their reunion right now would probably be rather confused.
Once they had picked up the two bags that held all of Katie's worldly possessions, they headed to the Morse home located in a neighboring town. Neither one knew what to say to the other, so there was a lot of small talk when there was any talking at all.
Katie looked out the window most of the time feeling very sorry for herself. Being stuck in this hick state for any period of time seemed unbearable. Why her father ever took a job here she'd never understand. As far as she was concerned this was just a short lay over until she could talk her mother into letting her come home.
When they arrived home, Mr. Morse took Katie's luggage out of the trunk and together they walked into the house where everyone was there to greet her.
Although Katie didn't care for Annie and Crystal, she adored her little brother Jimmy. He came running up to her, right as she came in the door and hugged her legs.
Leaning down, she tousled his hair and said, "Hey squirt, how are ya?"
"You're coming to live with us," he said excitedly.
"Yeah for a little while I guess," she replied but quickly added for her father's sake, "for a few weeks anyway..."
Standing to her feet, she gave her stepmother a hug, only because it was expected of her but said nothing to Crystal who was standing next to her mother.
"We're really glad you're here, Katie. I hope you will consider this your home away from home," her stepmother smiled.
"Yeah sure," Katie replied with attitude.
"Well..." her father said uneasily, "let's take your things up to your room and get you settled in."
Without a word, Katie started up the stairs carrying her backpack while her father struggled with both pieces of her luggage. Eventually, they got up to the room that she always slept in when she came for visits, and her father put the suitcases on the floor. He then stood up to his full six feet four inch height and stared down at his daughter.
Softly he said, "Katie, I want you to try and get along with Annie and Crystal. I know this has been hard on you, coming down here and all, but I expect you to behave."
Katie stared back up at her father and said nothing. She simply shrugged her shoulders and picked up one of her bags and set it on the bed.
"Katie?" her father said with surprise. "Do you understand me?"
"Look!" Katie turned back to her father and spat angrily. "You don't want me here any more than I want to be here! So... as long as everyone leaves me alone... everything will be just fine! Mom will come to her senses soon and I'll be going home."
"Katie... this isn't just a visit," her father reminded her as he walked over to the bed and sat down. "You're here because your mom..."
"...has a damn boyfriend and doesn't want me around!" Katie finished as she yanked a dresser drawer open and threw some of her shirts inside.
"Profanity is not allowed in this house, young lady," her father warned.
"Whatever." Katie shrugged.
Mr. Morse sighed heavily and said, "Please... just try and get along with everybody."
"Like I said," Katie repeated, "if they leave me alone..."
Giving up temporarily, Mr. Morse stood up and started towards the door. Standing in the door frame, he turned and said, "I think Annie is about to put supper on the table. Why don't you put your things away and then come on downstairs."
"I'm not hungry," Katie replied without looking up.
Mr. Morse hesitated. "Well... suit yourself. If you change your mind come on down."
The door closed, leaving Katie alone with her suitcases. After putting the rest of her things in the dresser drawers, which took only a few minutes because her possessions were so few, Katie slumped down on the bed and just stared around the room that was to become her new home.
She thought back to the conversation she'd just had with her father and realized for the first time that he hadn't even denied the accusation she'd thrown at him about not wanting her there. All of a sudden the tears started flowing. Was she really that bad that neither parent wanted her around any more?
At that moment she vowed to herself that she would get away from there as soon as it was physically possible. Maybe she could squirrel away a little money from an after school job or something. But as soon as possible she'd be gone! Then neither parent would have to lay eyes on her again.
Other than a few visits from her little brother and her father, Katie spent the rest of the evening in her room, staring out the window, wishing she were anywhere but there. Eventually, she fell into a restless sleep and didn't wake up until her father came up the next morning.
Poking his head through the door, Mr. Morse said, "Katie? Time to get up, sweetheart. Annie's got breakfast on the table."
Katie groaned as she lifted her head slightly off her pillow. "You're kidding, right? It's Sunday for crying out loud!"
"It's church day," her father responded
"I don't do church!" Katie snapped as she buried her head under the pillow. "Shut the door on your way out."
"If you're living under this roof you'll be doing church," her father replied, trying to keep his temper. "Now get up and come down for breakfast. And don't say you don't do breakfast. I know you're hungry, since you didn't eat dinner last night."
When his ex-wife had called and insisted that he take Katie off her hands for a while, he was actually excited about his daughter finally coming to live with him. He knew their relationship had dwindled to almost nothing over the last few years due to his ex's jealousies. He thought that since Katie was living with him now, he might be able to make up for those lost years, but now he was beginning to wonder.
Annie was being a real trooper. She'd been very supportive when he'd told her about Katie coming to stay with them for a while. She'd even made the comment that it was probably for the best that Katie did come. She knew it had been kind of rough on him, not seeing his own daughter in over a year. Maybe Annie would be a positive influence on Katie eventually. After all, her own daughter had turned out pretty well under her influence.
Her father decided to give Katie a chance to come down on her own, so he closed her door and went back to the kitchen where the rest of his family was waiting for him.
"Is she getting dressed?" Annie asked as she watched her husband sit down at the head of the table with an anxious look on his face.
"I think so. I told her breakfast was on the table and we were all going to church this morning."
"I know she feels out of place. All her friends are back in Texas and she doesn't know anyone here but us," Annie said. "It'll take her a while to adjust."
"I'll be glad to introduce her to my friends," Crystal volunteered sweetly.
"I'm sure once she starts school on Monday she'll meet some kids she likes," Mr. Morse added.
"I'll do whatever I can to make her feel at home, Daddy..."
"I know you will. You're always quick to step in when you're needed," Mr. Morse smiled at his stepdaughter.
"Of course, Daddy. That's what families are for," Crystal smiled back.
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