Geek on the Side!

Vanessa learns the truth

Mother is lying; there's no way Father isn't my father. I have his black hair, for goodness' sake! And I inherited my business smarts from him! And he raised me! He's my dad! Enrico Russo is my father, and no DNA test will ever say otherwise!

It's been two days since Mother said that horrible, reprehensible thing. Since then, she's done nothing to prove it, however; she hasn't even brought it up. It was just another lie of hers. She always lies. She always flipping lies. And so do I. That's how I know I'm her daughter.

I'm meeting with my father today at his office. He asked me to come at five PM, sharp. Everyone else at his office is already moving to go home, though I noticed Tasha wasn't here today.

"Your office is still the same as always," I said as I looked around. "You've even kept the same old couch and liquor cabinet from when I was thirteen."

"Yeah, I know," he said, chuckling. "Lot of good times on that couch."

"Yeah," I said, thinking back to the time he offered me alcohol for the first time. That's not much of a good memory.

"You know," he said, smiling. "I met your mother thirty one years ago, on a day much like today."

"Really?" I asked, smiling. I've NEVER heard Father reminisce about meeting Mother this fondly before!

"Oh yes," he said. "I was just a thirty three year old man, helping to scout talent in Kansas for this new picture. We came upon this little city where we put out some ads looking for people to work temporarily behind the scenes. We get a lot of responses; mostly from people looking to work in the picture as extras. Well, as my luck would have it, one day we were graced by what at the time was the most beautiful woman I ever laid eyes on."

"Mom?"

"Yeah," he said, smiling. "She looked a lot like you do right now, except for the eye color. Anyway, I swear it was love at first sight for both of us. I had her audition, and then after a while, we were in my office getting to know one another more intimately."

Translation: they had sex. Ew.

"And that was us for a whole five months," he said, grinning. "She'd come into work, then after hours we'd hang out in the office for hours on end. She was so... wow. Breathtaking, agile, nimble..."

Ew.

"Unfortunately, she was also married at the time," he said, shrugging. "That didn't stop us, of course. We wanted each other, and you know how the saying goes: the heart wants what it wants."

Yeah, I know that saying. It's bull; it's not the heart making that decision.

"So it took me a while," he said, chuckling. "But eventually I managed to win her over. I convinced her to dump her loser husband and come with me to Cali. We left Amberville, went to L.A., and got married. Eight months later, you were born."

Wait, Amberville?

"I've been to Amberville," I said. "I've met some good people from there. Very good people, whom I've come to-"

"Yes, very nice," Father said dismissively. "Anyway, I've been married to your mother for thirty years now, and we've had our ups and downs."

I gave Father a serious look to let him know I knew what he was referring to.

"And, well," he sighed. "I've lost a lot of good opportunities while married to her."

"Such as?"

"I'll be honest, honey," he said, looking more serious. "I want to get into politics, but my wife isn't the kind of woman a politician marries. I need someone more... conservative."

"What are you talking about?" I asked, flabbergasted. "You? Getting into politics? What for?"

"I've had that ambition for decades, now," he said, glaring at me. "I was pretty close, once, but that ended thanks to you."

"What?"

"You cost me my early political career," he said, scowling. "Arthur and me, we were gonna start a new path. He was gonna manage my campaign, and I was gonna run for mayor of L.A. But then you went ahead and seduced him."

"N-no," I began to stammer, not believing what I was hearing. "He came onto me, Dad!"

"I don't care," he said, waving his hand dismissively. "What I DO care about is that I told him to keep that crap on the down low, to not let anyone catch him."

"You knew?" I asked, starting to tear up. "And you were OK with it?"

"So did your mother," he said. "We agreed to pretend we didn't know, because that could land us into trouble if anyone ever caught you two. Arthur was never really a smart man; capable, sure, but not SMART."

"B-b-but..."

"Then one day the dumbass left his cellphone out where his witch of a wife could find it," he said, scowling. "And that was the day you STUPIDLY decided to text the man, like some TEENAGER in love!"

"I WAS a teenager in love..." I meekly said, feeling my lip tremble. "And he was a grown man... and you knew..."

"She not only divorced him, she did it so publicly, too," he said, lighting a cigar. "I HAD to fire the sap! And what was I to do!? I couldn't run a campaign without a manager! And if I kept running, the press would be on my ass!"

Tears were falling down my face. He knew. He knew!

"And you," he sneered at me. "That was the day I wished to God you weren't my daughter! You ruined EVERYTHING for me! Ten years' worth of work flushed down the drain, because my HOMEWRECKING SLUT of a daughter couldn't keep her legs closed!"

Is that what my dad really thinks of me?

"Mister Russo?" Tasha's voice sounded from the intercom. "I have it!"

"Bring it in!" He said, sounding excited. Tasha burst right into the office, a folder in her hands and a smile on her face. She literally leaped up to Father's lap and kissed him, right in front of me.

"Moment of truth!" He said as he opened up the envelope. He looked over whatever the document said, and in an instant he went from excited to absolutely ecstatic and euphoric. "YESSSS!!!!"

"When it comes to thirty year old Vanessa," Tasha began to imitate Maury Povich. "Mister Russo, you are NOT the father!!!"