Chapter 18

Julianna and A.J. left Dara and Justus after agreeing to meet at the hospital the following morning. Justus said that since Keesha was feeling better, maybe they could talk to her doctor about her liver transplant.

"What about you, Julianna?" A.J. asked when they arrived at the house. "Do you want me to stay tonight or go back to my hotel?"

"Would you mind staying with me?" she asked.

"Of course not."

Once they were inside, Julianna told A.J. she needed to do a few things in her room.

"That's fine. I need to check my e-mails."

After entering her room and turning on a light, she started up her computer and the Web cam. She realized it had been a couple of days since she'd chatted with Michael. She smiled when she saw him and said "hello."

"Hey, stranger," he responded. "I thought maybe you ran away or somethin'."

"No, I'm still here. Mama had to go to the hospital. She was in ICU, but she's feeling better."

"I'm sorry she's sick, but I'm glad she's feeling better."

"Me, too. I hope she can come home soon."

"So you have the house all to yourself?"

"Nah. My father is staying here. Two of my cousins are here, too, but they're at a hotel."

"Are things going okay with you and your father?"

"Yeah, they are. I never thought I would say this, Michael, but I like him. A lot."

"Really?" he asked, teasing her by sounding shocked.

"Yes, really," she said and giggled. "Why do I think you're not surprised to hear me say that?"

"Cause you don't look miserable, Jule. I'm sure you've already won him over. What do you think it's gonna take for him to completely win you over?"

"You think he's gonna be able to do that to me?"

"Yep, I do. Face it, Jule. You are not unhappy. If you didn't like your father or didn't want to be around him, it would show. Tell me what you guys have been doing."

"Talking mostly," she admitted. "I thought my father was a jerk," she continued, her voice growing quiet, "but he's not, Michael. He's really not. I had a distorted view of him, mostly because I didn't want to like him, and he's shown me different sides of his personality. He really cares about Mama. I still don't know why he never contacted her, but I'm trying to live in the present, the way Mama asked me to. He's here now, and that seems to be enough for my mother. It's beginning to be enough for me, too."

"Wow, Jule, I am impressed. I remember our previous conversations about our parents. We both had so much bitterness and resentment. I never thought you would give your father a fair chance. You never fail to amaze me, lady."

Julianna smiled shyly at his compliment.

"I didn't know I amaze you," she said.

"Are you kidding?" He almost shrieked. "You always amaze me, Jule. You know you're too damn smart for your own good. Tell me more about your father."

"Well, you said you never thought I would give him a chance, and to be honest, I never thought I would either. I didn't want to. I hated that he was here, that he just showed up and expected to be accepted into our lives, but I realized last night that wasn't what he expected at all. I could see he just wants to be a part of our lives, whatever part we allow him. My cousins are not too fond of him because of how he treated Mama, and I could tell he was uncomfortable around them last night because of how they feel about him. He wanted to make things easy for me. He graciously stepped aside and let them have their time with me. He didn't make demands. I'm really starting to admire him. I thought he was coasting through his life while Mama fought for everything she has, but I know now how wrong that thinking was. He's overcome a lot of personal battles."

"You know what, Jule?"

"What?"

"Forget my earlier question. I think he already *has* won you over."

"In some ways, yes," she acknowledged, "but Michael, I don't think of him as my father and I haven't addressed him as my father. I don't know if I can do that. That part doesn't feel right to me."

"But in every way that counts, Jule, isn't he doing what a father is supposed to do?"

*~*

After she finished talking with Michael, Julianna sat on her bed and wrote in her journal. Michael had given her a lot to think about.

He's so wise, she wrote. I love talking with him. He gives me such great advice and a different perspective. I can't believe he's only sixteen, but I guess you grow up fast when you witness murders and kidnappings and bombs exploding. Last year, we wished each other a Happy Birthday. This year, I would like to give him a present, but since we haven't exchanged addresses, I have no idea where to send his gift. But that doesn't mean I can't work on one.

She began to jot down a few lines of a poem that came to her mind. She thought maybe she could write a song for him that would show him just how much he meant to her and record it somehow. She stopped writing and let the images for the song form in her mind. Michael's smiling, compassionate face popped into her head.

I really like him, she wrote a few minutes later when she had gathered her thoughts for the song she wanted to write. I hope we can meet in person some day. I want to ask him about possible girlfriends, but I can't make myself. This was part of our agreement. What we didn't know about the other wouldn't cloud our friendship. But, for me, I think this is turning into more than a friendship.

I'm really starting to like him, she reiterated to her journal. I wonder if he spends any of his free time thinking about me?

*~*

After chatting with Julianna, Michael called his father, on a whim, and asked if they could meet.

"Sure. Do you want to come to my place or meet somewhere?"

"Your place is fine. I'll let Grandma know. I'll be there in a few."

When Dr. Tony Jones learned that his ex-wife Bobbie had been granted full custody of Michael, he found a house in the same neighborhood so he could be close to his son. He wanted them to be able to spend time together so they could get to know each other and bond.

Tony wasn't without sympathy for A.J.'s plight, but he felt he had come full circle since he originally thought, and Carly had led him to believe, that he was Michael's father.

When Michael arrived at Tony's house, a combination pizza was waiting for him.

"I knew you would order a pizza," he said and laughed. "Thanks, Dad."

"You're welcome. You sounded like you had something on your mind. I thought reinforcements were in order."

"I do. You know me so well."

Tony wasn't sure that was true, but he appreciated every compliment Michael gave him.

They sat down on the sofa, and after eating three slices of pizza and chugging a can of soda, Michael was ready to talk.

"I have a friend, who's a girl, but she's not my girlfriend," Michael began.

Tony couldn't hide his smile.

"Dad!" Michael said and blushed. "Don't look at me like that!"

"Sorry. Go ahead. You have a friend who's a girl..."

"Yes, but she's not my girlfriend. We talk a lot and share ideas. We have a lot in common, and I think she's great. But we've never, you know..."

"Dated?" Tony guessed.

"Yeah. We have an unusual relationship, but it works for us. Or, at least, it used to work."

"But now it doesn't because you want to ask her out."

"Well, I don't really know how she feels about me, other than I know she's my friend. How do guys know, Dad? I mean, would there be signs? Could I be missing something? Or does she just not like me that way?"

"What about you?" his father asked. "Have you been giving her any signals? Do you think she knows how you feel about her? You need to make the first move, Michael. If you like this girl, you need to let her know."

"She's younger than me, but only by a year. To the day. We share the same birth date. But she's so smart and funny and kind. I love talking with her. We can spend hours together, and we never run out of things to say."

"She sounds very special."

"She is, Dad. Man, is she ever special."

"Then what are you waiting for? Ask her to go on a date."

"There are a couple of complications," Michael admitted.

He knew he was about to break one of his and Julianna's rules, but he really wanted his father's advice.

"Tell me what they are," Tony encouraged. "Maybe I can help."

"One of them is a rule between her and me, so if I tell you, Dad, you have to promise me you won't tell anybody. Not even Grandma. Please. Swear to me you will keep my confidence."

"Michael, you're scaring me."

"Please, Dad. Promise. It's nothing bad, I swear, but I need to know what I'm about to tell you will stay between us."

"As long as you promise you're not doing anything illegal, I'll keep your secret."

"It's not illegal, Dad. It's just that, well, we haven't actually met. We talk via the computer, the Web cam. We see each other, all the time, but when we first started chatting, we decided to keep things simple between us. I don't know her last name, where she lives, or any of her friends' and relatives' names. The same thing applies to her about me."

"In a way, I think you guys were wise to set the boundaries for chatting on the Internet, but now, it may come back to haunt you. You don't know anything about her. I think, if you really want to get to know her on another level, you're going to have to change your rules. What if she's halfway across the world?"

"I doubt she is because we chat all the time. I think she's in the same time zone as me."

"But what I'm saying is that you don't know that for sure."

"You're right. I don't."

"Would she be upset if you wanted to modify some things about your online relationship?"

"I don't know. I guess I can ask her. She's under a lot of stress right now so I think I better wait. The last thing I want to do is freak her out."

"I can tell you really like this girl, Michael. Your eyes lit up while you were talking about her. I hope this is something you can make work, son, but I think you better find out more about her."

Michael nodded. "There's one other thing. It doesn't bother me in the least, but I want to get your perspective. She told me, right up front, she's biracial. She's beautiful, Dad. Her skin is the color of caramel, and her eyes. Dad, her eyes hypnotize me. They are absolutely gorgeous. The fact that she's biracial shouldn't be a problem, right? If I like her and I find out she likes me, that's all that matters, right?"

"That's all that should matter, son, but we both know that's not always the case."

"Yeah, I guess so, but I don't care. I really want to give this a chance. I keep thinking what it would be like if we met in person. I want that chance, as long as she feels the same way. If she does and we hit it off, then I don't care what anybody thinks or says. I know she's a good person, and that's all that matters to me."