“Well, I don’t think Lyn-z will mind.” Gerard said, grinning. “And Bandit will love having an older sister.”
“The twins are gonna love you, and so will Jamia.” Frank said, smiling at me. “You’re gonna have 3 little sisters!”
“And I don’t think Christa or Alicia won’t mind having a daughter.” Ray said, smiling, Mikey nodding from beside him, muttering a “Yeah.”
“But maybe we should call first.” He reached into his pocket, pulled out a phone and hit the 4 on the speed dial, raising it to his ear.
“Hello? Lyn-z? Yeah, it’s Ray. …. No. We’re all fine. … Yeah we ran into a little trouble. … Gerard’s fine. But is everyone there? … Yeah, cuz we need to talk. … Well, put it on speaker phone. Is it on?”
“Yeah. It’s on.” A woman’s voice came on, sounding relieved. “Gee? Gerard, honey, can you hear me?”
“Yeah, I’m here, babe.” Gerard said, grinning. “How are you? And Bandit?”
“We’re fine, Gee. But where are you guys? You didn’t show up, and Jamia, Chris, and Ali are freaking out.”
“Sorry, babe. But like Ray said, we ran into some trouble and our bus died. We’re okay, but we have something to ask you and the others.” Gerard looked at me, and smiled.
“What?”
“What would you say to having another daughter? Not just you, but the others, too. The twins and Bandit, included.”
“What do you mean “another daughter” Gerard?”
“We...uh… met this girl here. Her name’s Becki and she’s an orphan. Me and the guys have decided we want to adopt her.”
“What’s she like?”
“She’s 14, native American. Has shoulder length brown hair and melted chocolate brown eyes. She draws, cooks, plays guitar and piano, and is one hell of a fighter. She can do gymnastics and sing, too.” He said, smiling at me again. “She loves our band and would love to be part of the family.”
“Is she there?”
“Yes, Mrs. Way. Hi, I’m Becki.” I said, smiling a little.
“Hello there, Becki. So you want to join the family, huh?”
“Actually, your husband asked me to join, but yes, I’d love too. I’ve been on my own for 4 years, and I miss having a family.” I cleared my throat.
“… Okay. Do you have experience with young children?”
“Yes, Mrs. Way. I had a younger sister. But, uhh… she passed away a few years ago.”
“Oh… I’m sorry about that, dear. Umm… Gerard? May I speak with you NOT on speaker phone?”
“Umm… Sure, babe.” Gerard picked up the phone, pressed a button and put it to his ear.
“What? … So!? We can care for her, besides we owe her a lot! … No, I don’t care. … They feel the same! We all agreed on it! … No. … No! …No. I want her, Lyn-Z. ….I told you, me and the guys all agreed on it!” His voice had risen, and he looked pissed.
“Now that’s mature Lyn-Z! She’s 14, for fucks sake! Her father’s a murder, her mom ran out on her when she was 10! … Her father killed her.” He was scowling, and I knew he meant Banditta. “No one. She’s living on her own in an old factory. … No. … She’s 14, I told you. Yes. …Yes, I’m sure.” He smiled at me, and I looked a little hopeful. “Alright. We’ll see you soon. Bye. Love you, too. Bye.” He hung up and turned to me.
“Well?” I asked, almost afraid of the answer. Frank sat up, Mikey looked at him from the window and I heard Ray sitting up from behind me.
“She said….
To Be Continued.
