?Is this how things are going to be between us now? No trust, no
communication, no respect??
?No, Dad. Don?t even say that,? Helen said shaking her head
tiredly and meeting her father?s eyes.
?I?ve been through this before, you know,? Jerry said quietly.
?I?ve spent a lot of nights waiting right here on this couch for
someone to come home. And she never did. I won?t do it anymore,
Helen.?
?Good,? Helen said, seeing a spark in her father that she had never
seen before. ?I don?t want you to waste one more second of your
life waiting for anyone. Not even me. My life is crazy right now and
I can?t promi
se that I?ll never disappear again, but I can promise
that I will always come back to you. I?m not going to leave you,
Dad. Ever.?
?I know you won?t,? he said as if he was just realizing that it was
true. He took a deep breath and sat quietly for a moment, thinking.
?Well, I always knew you were different, and I also knew that
someday you were going to realize it. That?s all the explanation I?m
going to get out of you right now, isn?t it??
?For now.? Helen said smiling warmly at what had to be the best
father ever.
?Would it do any good to ground you?? he asked with a humorous
glint in his eyes as he stood up and stretched.
?Probably not,? Helen laughed.
She stood up and gave her father a hug. He hugged her back with
more than forgiveness. He hugged her to let her know he accepted
her exactly as she was?sleepless nights and all. As they walked to
the stairs together a happy thought occurred to Helen.
?You?re going to bed?? she asked, glancing over at him with a sly