Trials of a New Life

"Oh I'm well old enough now to be a great-grandfather!" grinned Mark as he came over. He smiled seeing the picture. "She looks so like you at that age. And she has you energy." He paused for a moment. "Those eyes look familuar."

Jenny panicked. "No idea what you mean, they probably look like mine. At least you don't look that old." She pulled her phone away and quickly tried to close the picture. She was rather nervous what if in the end he would get angry.

"Jenny, is something wrong?" asked Mark concerned. "You're acting like you did in the car."

Jenny tried to act normal but her slightly higher voice gave her away. "No everything is fine. I just quickly text Sally check that she is okay."

Jenny looked down on her phone and tried to act normal, she hoped Mark would take her nervousness as being in love and a little bit weird about it in front of her dad.

'Well my worry that he would mind me being gay completely unnecessary but Hettie had to have your eyes. He recognised them. He hasn't connected them to you yet but apparently I suck in lying to him. I don't know how to keep things from him... Is the hotel alright? Would it be so bad if he knew it is you who is my girlfriend?'

Mark didn't reply while Jenny texted, but it was clear he wasn't buying it.

"Jenny, what is it? What's wrong? You know you can tell me anything!" he insisted.

A reply quickly came back over the text. 'I don't know. The consequences will be on you.'

Jenny starred at the text message for a while before she replied. 'It will be alright. I'll heal and if he doesn't uderstand we live quicker together. I love you! '

"You know my girlfriend." She spoke slowly trying to think of a diversion in case this all went south. "That's why you recognised Hettie's eyes. And why I want to look at your files..." This time she knew how to open it. She opened the picture she took this morning when Sally was still asleep looking all cute and peaceful. You could see she wasn't wearing anything by her bare shoulder. It was a picture you wouldn't have unless the person knows you intimately. She smiled at the picture. "Before I show you I need you to remember that you said you won’t get angry. She is a good girl. Sally Colburn." Jenny turned the phone around realising she wasn't afraid what Mark might did to her she was afraid what would happen afterwards, if she then still had a dad or if he told her she was dead to him.

'I love you too, stay strong. Hettie and I are here to support you' came the reply almost instantly.

"Sally Colburn?" repeated Mark. "I know that name! She..." Mark saw the photo. "She's... Glitch?" The surprise on his face quickly faded to be replaced with a look of sorrow. He slumped back into a car, looking almost as old as his seventy-plus years made him.

"Suddenly a lot of things make sense.." he commented sadly.

"What do you mean things make sense, what things?" Jenny said at least he didn't yell... Maybe the disappointment was worse. "Dad she is a good girl. She saved me while we were in the book. I really like Sally. And she is not bad just got caught by the wrong crowd."

"I wondered what this girl had against me, now I know," sighed Mark. "Another of my mistakes coming back from my past." He looked up at Jenny. "I hope you are right. I hope you can fix what I did wrong."

Jenny tugged at his sleeve trying to make him see that this was a good thing. "She really makes me happy. And yes she doesn't like you that much at the minute but I think well she was so little when her dad got arrested. She just needed someone to be angry with and it couldn't be her dad. Just like I was angry and I was angry with you but now that I know my memories are false most of the time I feel differntly I'm not angry with you anymore I am angry with the one that did this to me."

Jenny looked at her dad with a small smile.

"That's why I wanted to read the old files, not saying you've done anything wrong but I need to know what happened. I am trying really hard here to find a middle to have you both in my life. I don't wanna lose you, I need my dad because I have no idea how to raise a child. How the heck did you keep my flame under control?"

"I... don;t blame her for being angry with me," said Mark. "I even tried to help her, but I guess that didn't work out." He looked up at Jenny. "If you want the files, they're yours. Or would you rather hear what happened from my own mouth?" he asked.

Despite his somewhat depressed move, a small smile threatened to break through. "It wasn't easy keeping your fire controlled, but we managed."

"I know Sally will not trust your version of the story if you don't mind I would like both. I like hearing of the oldern days when you were a hero." Jenny grinned cheeky at him. "Wait what do you mean you tried to help her? Don't tell me you like wanted to adopt or foster her or something. It's the girl I'm sleeping with."

Jenny looked at Mark and said quietly. "I guessed Amanda had some kind of role..."

"It's not like my own version paints me in a good light," Mark admitted. "That pleading scared face still haunts me today, thinking about how my own little girl would feel if I was suddenly dragged off..."

"And no... not exactly. But I did put some money to her education. It was the least I could do when I heard how much was going to be taken from her and her mother. Amanda wasn't so keen on the idea. And... she did help out a little. She got rather good at wrapping you up quickly in a fire blanket."

"I guess not much different to waking up alone in the middle of winter on a parking lot. Sorry I don't mean to bring back bad memories. You paid for her education? She never got her diploma, some kids messed that up for her." Jenny looked at the picture of Sally again. "She would have deserved to go to college. Hettie has the smartness from her, clearly not from me. Before Hettie comes you better lock everything away she could... build stuff with, or better she should not be left out of sight. Ever!"

"Probably trying to smother me in it."

"I suppose not," said Mark sadly. "And it's not you fault. The poor girl. But I'm sure it's not too late. There will be ways to get her into further education if she wants it." He took a deep breath. "It would take weeks to clean up this place, maybe I should visit where they are staying."

His head snapped up. "What? Amanda was never like that!"

"I think she might like that, being able to go to college." Jenny laughed. "And one would think you cleaned it up once Dirk came by with his kids."

Jenny looked up at Mark. "I did mention that I barely remember her, didn't I? I mean I followed her a few times she didn't relly seem to mind that I was gone. She just lives her life without any sign that she misses me, so what am I to believe?"

"Are you kidding? They're Dirk's kids. Tell them not to touch something and they almost always do it. It's almost freaky!" said Mark. "And I know your memories are gone and messed with, but you should know better. Would I really have married someone who didn;t care?"

"Yeah Hettie is the opposite, you tell her 'Don't touch this' she will touch it and before you say 'I mean it' she has taken it apart and turned it into something new."

Jeny looked down. "Yeah I guess not, it's just... even though my memory of you is false it is there. And when I told you some you could correct them. She is not more than a background figure often somewhere in a memory but not really part of it. Sorry."

"Super intelligence with your enthusiasm? Yes, that could be a problem," smiled Mark.

"Maybe.... you should try and meet her again. I know she does miss you," said Mark.

"And my accidentally spontanous combastion. She is definately a handful I hope she gets more balanced once she starts school. Though Sally wants to homeschool her."

Jenny made a face easily done by her daughter when she was told to eat her vegetables before her dessert. "I... I can't... it was easy with you and Dirk. I had the worst case scenario in my mind, with Amanda... anything could happen."

"She might... wait, she does? Why?" asked Mark. "It might not be a good thing to isolate her from her peer group," he pointed out.

"I know it won't be easy, but the longer you leave it, the harder it will be."

"Well it makes sense to me. Neither she nor I had a really good time at school. I don't want Hettie having to live through that. I don't want her to be called any names or anything. And Sally is smart she can teach someone."

Jenny sighed. "Yeah I know. But as Sally pointed out so well, I might heal apart from my head. The list I would have to tell her... and I have not the slightest idea how she would react. I will see her eventually. But first you got to meet Hettie and when Sally if ready her too."

'Surprisingly he took it quiet well. Do you want to meet him? If not that is alright, would you mind if Hettie meets him?' Jenny's texting skills were getting better, maybe she just never had a reason to learn how her phone worked.

"The schools are better now," insisted Mark. "And she should have at least some friends! And alright, Hettie and Sally first, then Amanda."

It took a while for Sally's reply to arrive. 'How do you know this is not a trap?'

"I don't think the school was bad, just the kids in it... Hettie and Sally first, sounds easy or not."

'he tried to help you, paid for your school and says if you wanted he can help you to get into college. I won't make you meet him but he is a good guy. And I can have all files he has about your dad. Doesn't Hettie deserve to meet him. '

"Dad do you think there is a way for Sally to see her own dad?"

"I know what you mean, but it should be better now. Dirk's kids found school okay," said Mark.

There was a long wait before the message arrived. 'Okay'.

Mark pondered for a moment. "I don't see why not but.... that man could be a bad influence on her."