The Past Recedes

Chapter 1

John felt something tickle his face when he opened his sleepy eyes, smiling when he saw Gabriel nuzzling his face. "Good morning", he chuckled. The marmalade tom meowed and his green eyes looked pleading as John got up and stretched, glancing over at the clock on the nightstand. "Wow, it's late for me", he mused aloud.

Gabriel scampered off the bed as his other cat Bianca gave him a pitying look. "I know, I'm usually up at 6 but I wanted to sleep. Let me get you breakfast", he said.

John got their cats their food and went to take a shower. The sunlight streaming in through the the dining room windows filled the house through the open curtains looking down onto the city from the height of the Hollywood Hills. The view never felt old to him no matter how many times he'd seen it, remembering all-to-well the darkness which surrounded him less than three years earlier. Back then, it had seemed as though he lived in perpetual darkness, the sunlight a direct rejoinder to the darkness.

He plugged in his record player and went to the living room to find an album. While the living room was done in white with matching walls and carpet and the furniture was modern stuff from Ethan Allan, what was most striking were the piles of records and cd's. Along the perimeter of the room were shelves of cd's and records with more in piles on the floor which would would not fit on the shelves. Scattered among the cd's and records were notebooks of sheet music and songbooks with an acoustic Martin guitar resting atop the cream sofa.

John scanned the shelf and took out a vinyl copy of Rubber Soul as he went back to the kitchen. The opening notes of Drive My Car came over the speakers as the cats perked up and meowed softly. "You guys have excellent taste", he teased.

John was drinking coffee and was about to start reading when the phone rang. He frowned as he picked up the phone and turned down the volume. "Mr. Frusciante, sorry to bother you", said his lawyer.

"Is everything all right?", he asked.

"I suppose, depending on what you mean by all right. Mr. Frusciante, I have received a letter from another lawyer saying that Miss Zoe Lacroix has died and she named you as the father of her daughter. The Lacroix family lawyer has contacted my office, they want you to meet your daughter", said the lawyer.

John nearly choked on his coffee. "What? I haven't had sex or even dated since '94", he said in shock.

"The child was born on December 11, 1989 in Palm Springs", said the lawyer.

"Wait, we did a show in Palm Springs that March. There was a dark-haired woman there, an older woman, we hooked up but I never saw her again. Was that her?", he asked.

"It seems likely, according to her family Miss Lacroix had no other known partners and wrote in her will that you were the father of her daughter. It is likely you are the father", replied the lawyer.

"Shit", he muttered.

"The family will be in Los Angeles tomorrow to meet with us, it would be highly recommended you come", said the lawyer.

"All right, I'm just in shock, guys in this line of work get a lot of gold diggers seeking paternity suits. How old is the girl?" he asked.

"She is ten years old", replied the lawyer.

John's blood ran cold. "She is my daughter, I know it. It adds up", he said.

"You could ask for a paternity test, but it's up to you", said the lawyer.

"I'll be there tomorrow", said John.

He hastily finished his coffee and rinsed out the cup before putting it away. The news ruined his appetite and he was still numb, the idea slowly sinking in. The idea of having any sort of child never entered his mind since it had been so long he had sex or dated anyone. All those years of addiction had taken a toll on his health and he was sure he couldn't father any children, but now he had a daughter.

His cell phone rang and he picked it up when he saw the familiar number. "John, we got rehearsal, remember?", Flea reminded him.

"Flea, I just got a call from my lawyer. I have a daughter, her mother died and said I was the father in her will", he whispered.

"Holy fuck. Are you sure?", asked Flea.

"Yeah, she was born in December of 1989 in Palm Springs. In March, we played that club there", he said.

"Wow, that's crazy. But I gotta tell you, when you're a dad for the first time, that's the best feeling in the world. We'll be there for you, being a dad is the best feeling in the world. And we can be uncles, like you're Clara's uncle", said Flea.

"Thanks. I'm still in shock, it's been me and the cats for the last few years. I'm excited and nervous and anxious all at once", he babbled.

"I get it, this is a shock. But we'll be there for you, I imagine you'll have to fix up the spare room", said Flea.

"Yeah, since the only people who's been in are my parents", he said ruefully.

"I'll come over to pick you up in a bit, we'll get breakfast there", said Flea.

John changed into jeans and a Black Flag t-shirt as he combed his long curly dark brown hair. He wondered what kind of girl his daughter was, and how she would like living here. The only experience he had with children was occasionally babysitting Clara, and he knew he had to fix up the spare bedroom and had to tell his parents.

John made sure the cats had food and water when he heard Flea honk his horn. He grabbed his wallet and keys before leaving and got in the passenger's side of Flea's multi-colored Rolls Royce. "I know it's a huge shock, but we're behind you. When she gets settled in, you have to bring her over to meet Clara. And I can help with finding a school or to go shopping", said Flea.

"Thanks, I have no idea how to deal with kids, especially a little girl. I babysat Clara when she was little, but this is my own kid", said John with a sigh.

"Taking care of kids isn't rocket science, it just sounds like that. Just do your best, after you meet her, you have to tell your parents", said Flea.

"That'll shock them, they have a grandchild after all these years", said John.

"No matter what, we'll support you", said Flea reassuringly.

Flea parked in the lot of the band's rehearsal space, a former warehouse out in the valley. "Guys, John just found out he's a dad", said Flea.

Both Anthony and Chad did a double take. 'What? But you're celibate", blurted out the singer.

"I got a call from my lawyer. Remember that show we did in March of '89, in Palm Springs? I hooked up with that older dark-haired chick and she got pregnant, the lawyer says the family told him she never had another partner and she named me as the father in her will", said John.

"Whoa, this is heavy. Yeah, I remember that show. That girl seemed cold as ice and a bit on the plain side but both of you were drunk as fuck, maybe she was embarrassed she got pregnant", said Chad.

"Maybe, I'll find out more when I see the lawyer tomorrow. I never thought I'd have a kid, my doctor says all the shit I did may have permanently lowered my sperm count. But I'm glad, in a fucked up kind of way. I had a kid before all the shit permanently messed me up", he said in a dazed voice.

"We'll be behind you all the way, John. And we can be cool uncles", said Anthony as they all laughed.