Chapter 8
8
S ean watched Mina walk toward him. His impression was just the same as it had been the first time he saw her. She was beautiful. Tall, around five foot five, and slender. Svelte as he used to think of Gloria. And she was his daughter.
Over the years, he'd wondered what it would be like to have a child. What would it be like to teach things to someone who was so much like you? Games, baseball, soccer, how to play guitar, how to sing, how to read music, all the things he loved to do. He would have loved to teach all of it to a child of his own.
And then in his later years to bounce a baby, a grandbaby on his knee. He thought those days had passed him by. In a lot of ways, they had. He didn't have a baby daughter. He had a grown daughter. And he didn't even know if she was interested in his music or anything of the sort. Maybe she had other ideas. But it was time to find out.
She stopped before him and he opened his arms wide. His heart hammered in his chest as he worried for a split second it was too soon. He swallowed the lump in his throat. The emotion made his eyes water.
She smiled shyly, then stepped into his embrace and he wrapped his arms tightly around her. He tilted his head and put his nose in the crook of her neck and smelled her hair. She smelled fantastic. She was his daughter. He had a daughter. Her arms wrapped around him and hugged him tightly. He could feel her shake. He heard her sniff. He knew she was just as emotional as he was.
He squeezed her tighter and whispered in her ear, "I'm so glad I found you. I'm so glad we're together. I can't wait to find out everything about you."
She sniffed again, and he released his grip on her and took one step back.
"Tell me what your favorite color is," he said.
She chuckled. "Green."
He said, "Mine, too."
"What's your favorite movie?"
She laughed and wiped under her eyes at the moisture. "That's a hard one. I like a lot of movies. Mom took me to see all the Harry Potter movies when I was a girl. I loved them all. The magic. All the moving pictures and moving staircases. All the magic spells. I wanted a magic wand of my own so badly, and I wanted it to work. I've watched those movies more than once over the years since then. I can't get enough of them."
She smiled and stared into his eyes. "What's yours?"
He chuckled. "I don't really watch movies. I haven't had a lot of time. I've spent all my time working on music or trying to write music. It's probably my biggest downfall and also one of my greatest achievements. Until now."
She smiled and tilted her head. "What's your favorite meal?"
He laughed. "Ah, well, that one's easy. I just love a good lasagna. How about you?"
She laughed. "Chicken wings? I love chicken wings. I'm always on a diet. You know, gotta keep my girlish figure."
He laughed. "You have a beautiful figure, Mina. You're a beautiful woman. I'm proud." He swallowed as his voice cracked. "I'm proud of you." He laid his hand over his heart. It felt like it would burst. Excitement ran through him. His body shook and he found it difficult to take in a deep breath.
He grinned. "What's your job like? Do you like what you're doing? Did you go to college? I want to ask you all the questions. I want to know all the things."
She laughed. "We'll have time tonight. I hate to be so business focused, but I'm responsible for the budget. And I have a camera crew in there waiting to record your interview, and I have to pay them at the end of the day. Can we save all these questions for after your interview?"
He laughed. "Yes, that's a good idea. You're right. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hijack your interview."
She turned and saw Gloria walking toward the door.
"Mom, stay here, please." Gloria stopped and turned. He could see she'd been crying. Her eyes were red. Her nose was red. She had a tissue in her hand. He didn't even hear her blow her nose. He held his arm out. "Gloria, join us."
She hesitated a moment, then slowly walked toward them as if they were going to harm her when she neared.
She stammered, "I didn't want to interrupt your conversation, and I kind of felt like a third wheel."
He shook his head and looked into her beautiful brown eyes.
"You're not a third wheel. You're part of our family. Gloria, we're a family."
She looked into his eyes. "But we're not, Sean. We're not a family. We made a beautiful daughter. But we're not really a family. You left me.”
"I told you why I did that."
"I know you did, and I'm not going to keep beating a dead horse. You made your decisions clear. I can't just get over the hurt immediately, just because you're here. I've spent over 30 years being so mad at you and so hurt by you. It's not going to change overnight."
"I know it won't, Gloria. I know it won't. But we both love Mina. I mean, I know I'll love her. I just found out about her. But already my heart..." he placed his hand over his heart, and he looked into Mina's eyes.
"You're my daughter."
Mina smiled and nodded, "I am."
He nodded at Mina, then turned to Gloria. "Okay, we need to go in there and do an interview. And it's going to be difficult. But I think we can fudge our way through. Then, tonight, we'll chat all night if we need to. Or want to."
Gloria nodded. "Okay. I've been through some pretty tough interviews in my career, but I do believe this will be the toughest for so many reasons."
He stared into her eyes. "It'll be tough on me too. But we can do it."
Gloria nodded. "Right, then." She inhaled deeply and turned her eyes to Mina's. "Ready?"
"Yes."