A Real Dad

"Soon," thought Michelle, "soon I'll see my real dad. He'll be standing at the bus depot waiting for me. I wonder what he looks like in real life. He looks so small in his photograph; of course, he was young when the photo was taken with my mom. I think we will look the same. I wonder if we like the same things, probably not, Mom said he used to drink a lot, I guess he still does. So what. That 's no reason to keep me from seeing my real dad for my whole life. I have a right to see my real dad and I am going to.

She looked around the bus but it was almost empty. Just a man and lady who looked like they were going skiing and an old fat man snoring. "I guess not too many people go up to the Upper Peninsula on a Monday"

She turned and watched the snow-white fields and tall, deep-green Christmas trees fly past her window. The steady humming and singing of the giant bus wheels threatened to put her to sleep but she resisted. She was too close now to sleep; soon she would be getting off the bus and meeting her real dad for the first time.

"I hope mom doesn't worry about me, " she thought with a shrug, "Lisa is supposed to wait until tomorrow before she tells mom where I went. Mom and dad think I am spending a few days at Lisa's house. Boy, won't mom and dad be surprised when they find out I am up north.

"There I go again," thought Michelle, angry with herself. "Calling him dad again. He isn't my real dad. He always plays with everyone but me. I get punished more than anyone. He picks on me because he doesn't like me. He yells at me all the time. My real dad will like me. He told me he liked me in the letter.

"But what if he don't know me when he sees me. He's never seen me or visited me or anything. Mom would never let him visit. He can't even call me on the telephone. But I sent him my picture; so, he'll know what I look like. I am sure I'll like him, he's my real dad.

Michelle opened the birthday card he'd sent. She still had fifty dollars left from the two hundred he'd sent. The card had a fuzzy gray kitten playing with a ball on the front because her dad knew she collected cat figurines.

Michelle pulled out the letter he'd sent her a few weeks before the birthday card. It was all wrinkled from folding and re-folding it. It read:

Hi my darling little girl, (he always called her such nice little girl names but he better figure it out that she was grown up now) Hope your happy in school. I was sorry to hear you were on punishment for two weeks. You need to find new friends to play with. I want to see you so bad. You are my only little girl. I want you to come up here for a few days. I get Monday's and Tuesday's off work. Here are the directions in case you can come, but make sure you get off at the River Road depot. It’s the second bus stop in the UP. I live an hour's drive away. I'll send you the money so you can come up here. Of course, you need to ask your mom first. I can't wait to see you. You're loving Father

She heaved a sigh of relief, her dad liked her a lot. Then she put the letter back in the front pocket of her jeans-bag and got out her compact to refresh her lipstick and eye shadow. Then turned and watched out the window again as snow began to blow past the buss in huge, white flakes. That’s one thing her dad told her about the UP; it had a lot of snow and empty space. It seems like there isn't nothing here at all, just trees and snow and roads and more trees and snow and roads, lots of snow. .

Far ahead, she saw a single building standing by itself half way round a bend. "Is that the bus depot?" she asked herself. I wonder if he'll want me to stay with him for the rest of the year? I don't think I want to live with him, just visit. I would miss mom too much, but she is the only one I would miss. I sure won't miss my ugly brat of a sister.

The bus started hissing and blowing out compression fumes as the driver put on the brakes. "It's stopping. I think I am here. Oh, I feel shaky and nervous.

"What will I say to him? What will he say to me?

"River Road Depot" the bus driver called out to the only passenger left on the bus. Michelle picked up her heavy bag and carried it down the narrow bus isle. As she stepped off the last stair, she looked around but the front of the station was empty except for snow piled as high as the door. The depot looked like nothing more than an old house with an old River Road Depot sign hanging over the front door and painted a dark blue. There was a huge picture window facing the bus. A single road led off in both directions but no cars were in sight. Then she spotted a single rusty red car parked over to the side of the depot. Maybe it was her dad's.

"He must not have seen the bus pull up," she thought "I'll just go inside." But she stood in front of the depot for a few minutes longer gathering up her courage. "Stay tough," she told herself. So, lifting up her heavy bag all by herself she lugged it up the steps and into porch of the depot.

No one greeted her when she opened the door and went inside; no one was there, the place was empty. Feeling a little silly and frightened she called out, "Hello, is anybody here." Just then an old man with white hair and a million wrinkles on his face came out of the back room and leaned on the counter. The man smiled at her and said, "Sure hope you're not waiting for the next bus, gonna be a long wait, few days at least."

"No" Michelle answered him; "My dad is coming to get me." He's going to pick me up and take me to his house. He lives here in the UP"

That’s nice," the old man said as he went back to reading a magazine. He put his back up against the wall and feet up on a chair. Then he added, "Phones that-a-way."

The phone was on a wall just across from a number of hard orange chairs lined up against the far wall. The chairs didn't look inviting or comfortable but, "That OK" she thought, "I'll only be here a short time. Maybe I should call his house. No I'll wait a little while; he is probably on his way. She walked over and put her bag on the floor next to one of the chairs and sat down. "Yeah, he's driving here right now to pick me up."

"There's been a big storm up north a way," the old man told her as he glanced up from his magazine. "Roads closed and bridges down in some places. But your dad should get here, right enough. People in these parts know how to drive through anything. Ain't no little storm or bridge gonna stop a UP'er."

Michelle smiled and leaned back in the chair to relax for a few minutes but she was too excited to sit still for long. "When will he get here? How much longer will it take to drive from his house? Restless, Michelle got up and went to the pay phone, put her money in and dialed. No answer. "Just as I thought, he's on his way." She walked to the large picture window and looked out again. The huge white clock on the wall above the window with its big black numbers read five forty-five. "Lucky that the phone lines are still working, " she thought, "it looks like the snow is falling harder now."

With nothing else to do, Michelle thought about her dad's letter and decided to read it again. She couldn't remember if he told her how far away the bus depot was from his house, how long he'd need to drive to get here.

As she re-read the letter she realized that her dad hadn't put a specific date on which week she was supposed to visit. "But that's what the money was for, wasn't it? This week is mid-winter break, the only time off from school until Easter. He must know I am coming today, of course he does." Michelle hadn't called him because she didn't want her mom to know what she was planning. "Oh, what if he doesn't come at all," she screamed inside herself, "What if he doesn't even know I am here? Don't be silly, he's on his way.

Her anxiety was making her hungry so she re-folded the letter and put it away; then pulled out a Payday candy bar from her bag and began munching on it. "He'll get here, I know he will." But she was beginning to feel just a little afraid. She got up and called his home again. The phone just rang and rang, still no answer. "That must mean he's on his way to pick me up.

The old white hair'ed man looked her way as she hung up the phone, he was talking on his office phone. Maybe her dad calling in to the depot? But then the old man put his feet back on a chair looked the other way, still talking.

Regardless, she felt better after the phone call and went back to sit and wait a little while longer. She waited longer than just a little while, when she looked up again at the big white clock, a whole hour had gone by. "When will he get here" she thought angrily, I am tired of waiting. Finally, exhausted from her trip, she scooted farther down in the orange seat and closed her eyes for just a minute, before long she was sound asleep.

She startled awake when she heard a voice, but looking over to the counter, she saw it was only the old wrinkled man talking on the phone again. He looked her way then said, "I'll be back in a minute honey, I got to run home a minute. You stay right here till I get back."

."OK," Michelle answered in a tired voice as she heard the front door slam shut. She looked up at the clock. Nine o'clock! Then she glanced out the picture window; "It's pitch black outside. It's nighttime! My dad isn't here yet!

The frozen wind the door had blown in her direction and made her shiver. Maybe it isn't only the cold," she thought as she started to shake. Even if she didn't want to admit it, she was getting scared, real scared. Maybe no one was coming to get her at all. Just then the windows rattled and the wind whistled so loud and hard it shook the whole bus depot, Michelle felt tears just behind her eyes. But "I won't cry," she told herself. "I can stop tears any time I want to, that's what Grandma says I should be a movie star because I can turn tears on and off at the drop of a pin. With that thought, Michelle's brave stand almost collapsed. A few tears did roll down her cheeks but she wiped them away with her hand.

"I wish my mom and dad was here." she thought, "even my ugly, brat sister." Just then she heard a loud creeeek. The whole building sounded like it was going to crash on her head. I'll be buried alive and no one will even know I am here. The wind whistled threw the cracks again and shook the depot. She started sniffling as she looked out the window. Huge flakes of snow were blowing hard against the glass. The snow was falling down harder and harder; and then, finally, so did Michelle's tears. "What am I going to do," she cried. "I don't know what to do." God please help me. I promise I'll even go to church. Please God, help me please." She cried all the harder.

I want my mom. I want my dad, my real dad, my dad who gives me an allowance on payday, who takes me places, who picks on me and yells at me all the time. With that thought, Michelle began to cry uncontrollably, louder and louder.

Through her sobs and tears, she heard the door opening, so she tried to wipe her eyes and sniffled back her tears. But as the wind blew cold air in, so did it blow in a familiar sound, a loud, rough, yelling voice, a voice she had heard all her life.

Michelle turned toward the door and there, walking towards her with his big strides and tough voice was her dad, Her mom sister walked in right behind hie. Dad ran up to her and gave her a real big bear hug. She hugged him back-really hard. Mom hugged her too and cried some more.

Michelle thought she'd never been so happy in her life. She even hugged her sister. They were all crying now. "I was so afraid," cried Michelle. "I am so glad you're here."

"But how'd you know where I was?" Michelle asked. "How'd you know where to find me"?

"Lisa didn't wait to tell us," her mother said, "We tried to contact your dad up here but there was no answer. You are in trouble young lady," her mother said through tears as she hugged her again, "Just wait until I get you home."

Just then the door opened again and the old wrinkled man came in through with the biggest smile on his face Michelle had ever seen. "It was Mr. Adams who called the police, and told them a young girl was all alone out here, her mother said.

"We've been checking with the police on our drive up here. We were so worried about you." Her dad said.

"Guess what," her dad added, "We are going to stay in a motel tonight, and tomorrow, bright and early, we are going to take you to visit your dad. I promise. You see, your mom and I learned something too; we finally realized that we don't have the right to keep you from visiting your real dad."

"You got that all wrong," laughed Michelle, through new, blurred tears, "You are my real dad. I've been living with my real dad all my life. We're just going to visit my other dad tomorrow. You'll always be my real dad.

The End