T H E S T R A N G E S T
Billy held out his hand for her to shake. The girl looked at it with uncertainty causing him to roll his eyes.
"I don't bite, sweetheart.", he said, waiting patiently for her to shake his hand.
"Are you sure about that...
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(richard gere as james stuart)
chapter eleven
T H E M A N I N T H E C A S K E T
JACKIE'S HEART CLENCHED AND HER HEART DROPPED. It was like a hurricane of unwanted feelings swept over her, tearing down everything she thought she once felt.
Originally, Jackie thought that if she ever saw her father again, she would give him a well deserved punch in the jaw and throw a few forbidden words at him. She only pictured feeling anger at the sight of her father. Why wouldn't she feel that way? He ruined their perfect little family.
But, now that the man himself, James Stuart, sat there on her living room couch, she had no idea what she felt. But, to her surprise, it as much wasn't anger as she thought she'd feel.
The room was tense as the man sat on the couch, comfortable, as if he'd never left. But, he did leave. And there was no denying the pain that both Jackie and Janet suffered through.
Though, the reality was that James was extremely uncomfortable sitting there. He wanted to shrink as Jackie stared at him, not having a word to say.
Jackie and her father stared into each other's eyes for quite a while. Neither of them knew what to say. Even if they did, they wouldn't know how to say it.
Finally, the man took a stand. His face was unreadable.
"Jacquelyn...", he spoke. His voice was shaky, letting Jackie know that he was nervous. "I-"
Jackie's eyes began to water, the sound of her father's voice evoking unpleasant emotions. James looked at her teary eyes, stopping his sentence. He looked at her with a hint of remorse in his eyes. He knew that if Jackie started to cry, he too would feel emotional. The man swallowed the lump in his throat before continuing to speak to his daughter.
"I know that you're probably still upset with me.", he said slowly. "And, I understand. But, I am stillyour father."
Jackie opened her mouth to reply, but it seemed as if her voice had been taken from her. She could not speak. Not after seeing the man that tore her family apart standing three feet away from her.
His appearance hadn't changed one bit. Jackie imagined that if she saw her father again, he would be completely transformed, disfigured by the guilt that he should have felt. But, looking at him, Jackie couldn't see one ounce of guilt on his face. It made her stomach churn.
"I know you're wondering why I'm here.", he said, taking a step forward. "Your mother has been telling me about your behavior recently..."
