"Who am I?" It's a question that's important because you are interested in my story. But I'm not what makes the story interesting. The truth is, I'm nobody. I'm not rich, not great looking, there's no talent that makes me extraordinary and I don't sweep women off their feet. I'm just an average guy with an average life.
The only thing that makes me special is my daughter. To say she's the light of my life would be an understatement. Her smile lights up the room. Her enthusiasm is beyond contagious. The way she sees the world makes me understand how important it is to live my life the right way. She can bring this 35 year-old man to tears just by saying "I love you, daddy."
So why am I sitting in a bar alone on a Friday night when I should be with her? That's the real reason you should be interested in the story.
*****
I've heard people say that life changes in an instant. We live on such a narrow edge, that the slightest breath can cause us to spiral uncontrollably.
I was 27 and living an ordinary life when I met Katie. She was a few years older than me and had been a little more adventurous in her life. She was an attractive blonde with a quirky personality. I think the thing that I appreciated the most was her sense of humor. It was fun-loving with just a touch of cynicism. We quickly became friends.
We stayed close for a few months, watching each other go through one bad relationship after another. Finally it seemed like a good idea to take a look at each other. It only took three dates for us to take things to the next level.
We went to my place after dinner, then straight to my room. Neither of us spoke, we just knew it was what we both wanted. I found out quickly she liked to be in charge and was quite aggressive.
She kissed me lustfully, her tongue searching for mine. I was surprised when she moved her lips to my neck and began lightly biting up and down the side. Her hand unbuckled my belt and reach into my pants. Without any preamble, she began jerking me off while moving her mouth to my chest. When my shirt prevented her from going lower, she dropped to her knees and took me in her mouth.
I groaned with pleasure. She took several inches of my very hard prick into her mouth and used her hand to cover the rest. I could feel her tongue swirling side to side across the underside of my shaft while she moved her mouth up and down. It had been a while since I had been intimate with someone, so it couldn't have been more than a few minutes before I could feel myself reach the point of no return.
I warned her, "Katie, I'm cumming."
She pulled back and stroked me quickly while using her other hand to catch my sperm. I guess you could say that it was a metaphor for our entire relationship. Big build up, not such a great finish. The eventual sex between us was good, but not great. When we finished I could sense that even though we both enjoyed ourselves, there was something missing. We were friends and probably shouldn't have crossed that line.
We kept dating for a little over a month, when we both came to the conclusion that we just weren't compatible. It wasn't a horrible breakup, just a parting of the ways. Two weeks later she called to ask if I'd stop by. When I got to the door, she greeted me nervously.
"Could you please sit down, John, we need to talk."
I thought that she wanted to give it another shot. Since I was still fond of her, I was prepared to say yes, if we could just take it slower this time. Instead she said the words that shook me to my core.
"I'm pregnant."
And life spirals...
"But...But you said that you couldn't get pregnant!" I said, stunned. We hadn't bothered with birth control because neither of us was promiscuous and she had a medical condition that prevented pregnancy. Her doctor had said she wouldn't be able to conceive even if she underwent treatment.
"I know what my doctor said, but I'm pregnant. There hasn't been anyone else; it's yours. What are we going to do?"
My head spun. The thought that maybe she would have an abortion so I could get off the hook flashed unbidden through my mind. I was immediately ashamed. I have always wanted children and there was no way I could ask for something like that. Luckily, she couldn't either.
We talked about what to do for weeks. Finally we agreed to do our best to make things work between us. We went through months of couples counseling and I moved in to help support and take care of her.
Danielle was born shortly thereafter and I couldn't have been happier. She was perfect. Because the doctors did a C-Section delivery, she was born looking the way she would for her entire childhood. Her pictures from 3 months to 7 years looked just like the same person, only bigger.
The first 6 months were the happiest of my life. I had never been around babies, so didn't know what to expect. They depend on you for everything; food, protection, comfort and affection. She would look at me like I was her entire world. Love isn't something you talk about or plan, it is just a given. The bond we forged was far stronger than anything I could have imagined.
Unfortunately, her mother and I weren't so lucky. It turned out our original decision to break up had been the correct one. There was no hope for us. Too different, too stubborn and painfully unhappy with each other. After helping her raise Danielle for 6 months, she asked me to move out and part of me was relieved. I was crushed to be leaving my baby girl, to have no more nights tucking her in or stopping by to kiss her head in the middle of the night, but she was right; it was time to go. Things were strained, but we managed to get along well enough, until we had to go to court. Once the lawyers got involved, we went from not getting along, to us actively hating each other. It didn't happen overnight, but it took a depressingly short period of time. I don't know if it was the stress of not having control over our own fate, or if it was just having to talk through third parties, but neither of us came out ahead. We argued, threatened each other and were consumed with each of us wondering what the other would do next to be spiteful.
Sometimes I felt like I was losing my mind. I disagreed with most of the things she did, from daycare to her dating life. We even used our daughter as a weapon against each other. To this day the pain of that is as clear in my mind as any other memory.
I made it through three years of living week to week, just waiting for my time with Dani. We did everything she could want. I tried not to spoil her, but I wanted to experience everything through her eyes. Truth be told, I also was a little afraid of her not having the same kind of memories with me that she did with her mother. One of the biggest downsides of being a single father is the jealousy you feel toward the other parent.
Just after she turned four, I met Jenny. It was pure dumb luck. I had a small company that coordinated private parties. We provided the event planning, entertainment and catering. It wasn't making me rich, but it was a fun job and I enjoyed it. I was hosting a company dinner party for a friend named Kathy. During the party she introduced me to her daughter Jenny who had just flown in from New York to visit.
Jenny was twenty-five years old and had been a professional dancer for almost a decade. Unfortunately she told me she had to give it up because of a string of injuries that left her with a number of knee surgeries, making any career in dancing impossible. She came to spend time with her mom while she figured out what to do with her life.
I found out we had a great deal in common. Talking with her was like hanging out with someone I'd known for years. However, while I found her very attractive, I also believed in the axiom that you don't mess around with clients' daughters, so was content to make small talk. Usually I was nervous around women I was that attracted to, but I guess my feelings that nothing could happen allowed me to relax and be myself. We talked for over an hour and I was enchanted. At the end of the night I felt a pang of regret when I had to go home by myself.
Two days later my cell phone rang. I didn't recognize the number, so hoped it might be a potential client. "Hello," I said pleasantly.
"Hi, it's Jenny. I was wondering if you were busy tonight. I don't know anyone here, but I wanted to see the city. Would you be interested in showing me around?"
I tried to sound nonchalant, but probably failed miserably. My stomach was doing cartwheels. "Sure, I'd love to. What do you want to do?"
"Surprise me."
"That's a dangerous dare for someone in my line of business," I said with a chuckle.