The ink was barely dry on the final papers as the now freshly divorced couple barely made eye contact as they departed the courtroom. The divorce was surprisingly simple. Rick Walker got almost everything, his now ex-wife asked for virtually nothing except for her clothes. The couple had been married for only a few years when the arrival of Penny started an unrepairable rift. Natalie the now ex Mrs. Walker was not ready to be a mom at twenty-one years old, a fact she never hid from her older husband. The unplanned arrival was not the bundle of joy most expect a newborn to be.
Natalie almost immediately left town following the divorce; the young woman actually had a truck packed with her clothes at the courthouse. She did not even take the opportunity to kiss her child goodbye as she left in such a rush.
Rick now a divorced dad at twenty-nine years old, was heartbroken, he blamed himself for the divorce, he loved Natalie, but he pressured her into the baby. He was convinced he could change his younger immature wife. The single father of one offered unlimited visitation to his now ex-wife in hopes that with time she would come around and Penny would not suffer without a mom in her life.
The years flew by, and the visitation rights never exercised. Natalie had moved to the next town over, and as time passed, she matured but never came back to her daughter's life. The estranged mother started a new life and married again to another older man who already had kids. The newly married woman found her way in the role of the stepmom, despite her failure as a mom to her actual daughter.
Rick never spoke ill of Natalie and was very open to his daughter about what happened. Rick however never remarried content to dedicate his left to being the best dad he could be. The father would always smile and feel happy when various shared friends told him news of Natalie and how she was doing. He was even more delighted when on a holiday or birthday a card would arrive for Penny.
"At least she hasn't totally forgotten about her." Rick said as he removed the latest birthday card from the mail. He carried into the house and presented it to the birthday girl. "Hey, Penny your mom sent you a card."
"Oh cool." The young girl said with a smile as she tore open the envelope and immediately pocketed the cash.
"Read the card too punk; it's not always about the money inside."
"I know daddy." Penny sat down and read the card aloud to her dad.
Dear Penny,
I just wanted to wish you a happy birthday! I hope all is well with you and your father. I know I do this every year, but I feel the need to apologize to you. I was never ready to be the mom you needed, and I know that is not an excuse, but leaving you with your father was honestly what I thought was best. All is well here with me; I am finally finding my way in life as I figure out the role of stepmother I hope it helps me figure out how to be a mother and one day I can be in your life.
"Well, I am glad she is doing well." Rick said
"Yeah me too, she apologizes every year, but I am not mad about it."
The father and daughter sat at the table that night and ate birthday cake before Rick retired to his den where he sat looking over a photo album where he collected all the cards over the years. He was happy his ex-wife was doing well, but his opinion on Natalie coming into Penny's life had drastically changed over the years, and while he was pleased Natalie was okay, the news the mutual friends shared disturbed the overprotective father. The man Natalie remarried to was fifteen years older than she was. Moreover, was the owner of some rather well-known adult entertainment establishments. He was not sure that was what he wanted his daughter around, as it was not the ideal influence for a young woman.
The years continued to roll, and the cards and letters still came like clockwork, so did the apologies and the now seemingly empty promises of trying to be eventually in Penny's life. The now sixteen-year-old teen again happily read the letters and even was blissfully unaware of how her mother had changed over the years. Rick was all too aware, he knew his ex-wife had taken to working in her new husband's clubs, and he had heard hints of a budding relationship between his ex-wife and her twenty-something-year-old stepson. The single father still put on the same happy face when it came to his daughter's mom, but he was secretly relieved that they likely would never have contact.
Life all came to sudden change two months after the sweet sixteen party of Penny's. The teen found herself in a hospital waiting room as a doctor told her the worst news possible. Rick, her father, and sole guardian had just passed away at forty-five years old. The young girl's head spun as her world was broken. She had been preaching at her father to be checked out for not feeling well, and now he was gone. Rick's family came in to help with everything following his passing, but none was interested in taking responsibility for Penny. The now deceased father had kept the news of what his ex-wife had been doing a secret, and with Rick not having any family locally none knew about what Natalie had been doing over the years. The Walker family all just knew what Rick told them, so when it came time to send Penny somewhere they believed it best to go to Natalie.
Penny moved into her mom's home; she was now in a new world. The loss of her father still hurt, and her essentially new family was loving and supportive of the plight the teen was going through. Natalie was doing her best to be a good mom to her daughter, and her new stepfamily was beyond helpful, as the days went by and weeks turned to months, life moved on for Penny.
Penny now eighteen years old has now been living with the Cross family for two years, and life was a bit odd. She was still not really accustomed to a mom in her life, especially one who required her to call her mommy and demanded absolute obedience. The idea of it seemed weird to her, Penny rarely if ever saw mommy's husband Robert, which was okay with Penny as the young girl was afraid when she moved in he was going to try and replace her real dad. The now eighteen-year-old Penny contemplated moving out as she liked her mom and was thankful for the last two years, but she never felt entirely at ease in the new environment. The arrival of Jason further exacerbated this feeling. The twenty-three-year-old stepson of Natalie, he had come and gone a few times over the two years since Penny's arrival, but due to some financial issues he now moved in as well.
Jason Cross was a relatively sizeable young man at six foot three and easily two hundred pounds of mostly muscle. He however still had the mentality of a teen despite his age, he liked to prank and fight with Penny every chance he got. He much like Penny also had to call Natalie mommy, a fact that kind of creeped Penny out every time she heard it. Penny having seen them together often felt their closeness was a bit out of the ordinary. As a relative newcomer to the home, though she never said anything, as she did not want to make waves.
Penny was sitting in her small bedroom studying when Jason barged into her room. The young girl jumped from her seat almost falling on the floor, as she was startled so badly. "What the hell Jason can you at least knock?"
Jason leans back and knocks on the door with a sarcastic smile on his face. "Better?"
"I guess. What do you want?"
"Mommy said to come outside and stop being a nerd."
"What?"
"Well, she actually said, tell your sister to come outside and enjoy the sunshine since it's the weekend." Jason said as he rolled his eyes as he literally repeated mommy's words. "I added the nerd part since its Saturday, and you are in here studying."
"Thanks..." Natalie turned her office chair around and went back to her books, not acknowledging the invite to come outside.
"Mommy said to come outside, and daddy says we do what she wants." Jason said as he forcefully turned the chair back around.
"Fine, I will come out to the pool, just leave so I can change." Penny said as she stood up from the chair and tried to push her stepbrother away.
