I was standing in front of the recording studio the next morning. It was all shiny and professional. I looked down and my worn out jeans and t-shirt. What was i thinking? Of course my dad probably didn't want to see me. But i suppose i did come all this way. I took a deep breath and pushed the doors open.

          The lady at the front desk looked me over. "Can i help you?" She asked. "Um i need to see Richard Dawson." I said. "I'm sorry, do you have an appointment? I can't just let you in to see him." She said. "I understand that, but look it's really important that i speak to him." She rolled her eyes. "Yea, and what do i tell him as to why you need to see him?" She asked getting slightly annoyed. "Um i think he's my father." I said. "Right kid, look i'm sure you'd really like him to be your father because he has money and what not..." I put my hand up.

          "Look here lady, no offense but don't waste my time. My mom has been jerking me around since i was born. I'm sick of it. I'm sick of some man having the title as father and not knowing a thing about him. So if i could just have five minutes of his time i promise i won't come back unless he asks me to." I said. She sighed picking up the phone.

           "Richard there's some girl here to see you. I know that. No she's not. I understand that. I tried to tell her to leave. Do you want me to call security or Can you just give her five minutes? Okay i'll send her back." She hung up the phone. "His office is the last room all the way to the back." She said waving me through the door. I looked around as i walked through. I saw gold records on the wall and band posters. I saw rooms and recording studios. Finally i got to the last door at the end of the hallway. I was nervous. What if he says 'there's a reason why i didn't come see you, i never wanted you.'? That would kill me it really would.

          I knocked on the door and waited a beat. "Come in." Said a voice. I pushed the door open. He looked up at me. His eyes studied me. "Do i know you?" He asked. "Really?" I said an edge to my tone. "That's how you want to play this? Okay fine I guess if you never asked about me you wouldn't know what I looked like." I took a seat. "I'm sorry i don't understand." He said. "Do you know a Gale Cooper? I'm her daughter Marny." I Said. "Well Marny, we dated about...seventeen years ago? How...how old are you?" He asked. "Seventeen." I said nodding. "Oh..." The color drained from his face.

            "So i think you know why i'm here." I said. "She was pregnant." He said quietly. Wait, is this news to him? "Didn't she tell you?" I asked. He shook his head tears forming in the corners of his eyes. "No, i had no idea. You look just like me. How did you know where to find me?" He asked. I pulled the picture from my pocket and handed it to him. "Ah yes, i remember this day well." He said handing the photo back to me.

          "Well, i had a whole speech to give you..." I said frowning. "You could still give it." He said smiling a bit. "No no, i can't it was a how could you ignore me all these years but my mom never told you about me so there's that." I said throwing my hand up. "Try not to be angry with her." He said. "Oh i'm plenty angry. Do you know how many hours i had to work? How many things i missed!? Because we had no money. How many nights i spent crying wishing i just knew one thing about you. I wanted so badly to go to that father daughter dance but she wouldn't give me anything." I said. "And you dare take her side. She hid me from you. She didn't have the decency to tell you about me!! Now it's to late you've missed it all. Walking, talking all of it!"

          "Well i just want you to know. Had i known about you. I would've come to see you. To pay child support or whatever i could do." "Thank you that means a lot to me. Don't you want to take a test or something?" I asked. "Nah i'm pretty sure you and i both know your mom would never cheat." "She's to honest." We said at the same time. We both laughed. "And you look just like me." He said holding his hand out.

          "Well where do we go from here?" I asked. "Well i think you need to tell your mom that you came to see me." He said. "Do you want to see her?" I asked confused. "That's up to her." he said shrugging. "But i can pay child support if that's what she wants." He said. "No point i'll be eighteen in a few months." I sighed. "But i can promise you, I'll be speaking to her about this." I said angrily. "Oh boy." He said smiling.
          "But as to where we go from here...if you won't let me give you child support why don't you come and work for me? I'll find something for you to do and i'll pay you well." "Why?" I ask. "I feel bad i couldn't help you then, but i can now. Let me do this." He said. "Well okay." I said. I gave him my number so he could text me the details. I'd quit my crappy job at the Burger Shack and come work here in a heart beat. It's probably something dumb like coffee runs but i was okay with that, anything was better than the burger shack. "Thank you so much Richard i really appreciate this." I said. "Of course, i'll see you tomorrow." He said seeing me out of his office.

          Summer had only started about a week ago but now i had a summer job. Maybe i would make enough to send my mom back to school. She has always wanted to go. Even after everything she did, I just hope she had a good reason for lying to me. I was pacing in the kitchen when she got home.

          "Well you look as nervous as a jumping bean." My mother said noticing my steps. "Oh, uh i was just waiting for you to get home." I said taking a seat on the couch. "Can we talk?" I asked. She sighed. "This isn't about your father again is it? Because i told you that you don't need to know anything."

          "That's your motto for life isn't it? That nobody needs to know anything?" She turned white for a minute but she recovered quickly. "I don't suppose i understand." She said. "Yea funny thing. Let me see if a name rings a bell to ya. Richard Dawson perhaps?" This time her face turned white and didn't return right away. "Yea, that's my father. And wouldn't you know the funniest thing happened! When i went to see him today he had no idea i even existed!!" I said raising my voice a bit.

          "How dare you not tell him about me? Maybe he wanted to see me." I said. "I had a good reason i did." She said. "Oh yea? That i'd love to hear." I said. "Well...see he...i...and well..." She stuttered a bit. "That's what i thought. You had no right to not even tell him about me. I'm sorry that you got hurt but you can't assume that he would hurt me. I was hurt by this for many years. You saw how i cried over him and you didn't even tell me. You saw how hard i worked to help you. To help us how could you!?" I cried out. "And fine don't tell him about me but you could have told me s our him."  I said. "Well if I had you would've wanted to see him!" She said.

        "Then why?!" I shrieked. "I'm sorry, look when i found out i was pregnant he had invested all of this money into the recording studio. Big shot records, he was gonna call it. He thought it was a sure fire thing. How was he going to support a baby? He had a couple of buddies who were good and they were going to be his first act signed. I couldn't tell him about the baby and ruin his big plans. We had just broken up anyways so it made sense to just not tell him. The more time that went on the easier it became to just not tell him at all. Then as you got older it would just seem weird to say 'hey you have a kid. Cause then it looks like i'm lying just to get money. Cause you know he's a big time now." She said.

          "I understand that you were embarrassed but had you just told me some things about him things might've been different and i wouldn't of had to go looking for him. He only wanted to help you know." I said. "It's to late now." She said sighing. "As I said...I went to see him earlier. So it's not." "I will not take his money!!" She said.

. "Screw your then. I'm sick of breaking my back so we can eat! I was just a child!" "I know but it's about pride." "Pride my butt! He offered me a job." I said. "Well good heavens doing what?" She asked. "I haven't a clue but i'm excited for the chance. He's going to pay me well." "Making up for child support? Well i guess that is generous." She said sarcastically.

          "I suppose so." I said curtly. "Look i'm sorry for not telling you about him. I was wrong. I didn't tell him out of embarrassment." "You get a pass for that." I agreed. "But to not tell you anything about him and keep you wondering was wrong of me. That was selfish on my part. And i hope you can forgive me." She said. "Of course, i always try to understand that you were doing what you thought was the best. As long as you understand that maybe this hurt me a little and so i may be angry." I said.

         "Well what can i do to make this easier on you?" She asked. "Let me talk about him. Let me tell you about my day's at work. Maybe tell me some things about him?" I asked. "Well that i can do, what do you want to know?" She asked. "How did ya'll meet?" I asked. "Well my friend was dating this drummer in a band. She got me an extra ticket and we went to watch them. His friends were opening for this band only doing a few songs. But i bumped into him backstage and i thought he was cute. I asked him what instrument he played. He just laughed and said he couldn't play anything but he had a good ear for talent."

          "Ah that's where i get that from." I nodded. "Mhm and then he said 'i also have an eye for beauty would you like to go out?' I said of course. And it was a roller coaster ride from then on out." "Why?" I asked. "Well he worried about himself and how he was going to make it." She said. "So you didn't give him a dime?" I asked. "I was to busy working just to make ends meet." She said. "But see when you love somebody you support each other. He brought in the money, you could've kept the house clean, washed his work clothes or just made him dinner. You don't have to do everything alone." I said.

          "You are correct, but you know back then i felt i had to do it myself i guess." She shrugged. "And then when i had you i was determined to make ends meet. I got a job at a day care. It didn't pay much but they allowed me to bring you for free. It was hard to leave you at that age. Especially since i didn't get a ton of sleep." She said. I pulled her into a hug. "Thank you for doing everything you could to take care of us." I said. "Of course, i know i'm not perfect but i'm glad you love me in spite of my flaws." She said. I laughed into her shirt. She pulled back wiping at her eyes.

          "Well when do you start?" She asked. "Tomorrow. I called my job and quit." I said. "Well i hope this works out dear, i really do because i don't think even you know what you wanted to do for a job." She said.  "I'd like to pay for you to go to college." I said. "What?" "Yes, i don't know what i want to do you're right. You do. I'm going to be taken care of no matter what. You need to do this." I said.

          "I'll think about it." She said smiling at my offer. "Good. Now you go take a shower and i'll make us some dinner." I said. All was not forgotten. I was still pretty angry with my mom but she had apologized and agreed to listen or tell me anything i had wanted to know. So i couldn't ague with that. I just needed time to let everything settle. And who knows maybe tomorrow wouldn't be to bad.