Chapter 14

“I need a job,” Frankie whined against Steve’s shoulder during lunch one afternoon in the cafeteria.

“Why do you need a job?” Steve tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

“Well. Duh, I’m broke,” Frankie rolled her eyes at him. “For one, I want to order that Discreet Paternity Test, and two, Christmas is coming soon. What kind of girlfriend would I be if I didn’t get you a nice gift?”

Steve pulled Frankie closer and kissed her temple, “You are the only gift I need.”

Steve’s smile told Frankie he adored her, and she felt the same for him. She smirked at him and giggled at his comment. God knew what he was doing when he got us together. How did I land such an amazing boyfriend?

“That is all well and fine, but I still need to get the paternity test, and it’s expensive. I haven’t given up on that. Therefore, I need a job. I can’t very well ask my mom for the money. I can see it now, ‘Hey, Mom, can I borrow $100 for a paternity test? I want to disprove your ‘he’s your dad' theory. Thanks!’ That will go over like a fart in church. Heck, we hardly speak as it is.” Frankie ripped the napkin on her tray into tiny pieces, not wanting to look at Steve.

“You are going to have to forgive her someday, Frankie.” Steve’s voice was smooth as butter, calming the ire welling inside her. Whenever she thought about what her mom did, she got angry again.

“Well, today isn’t the day,” Frankie shot a bullet at him.

“Today isn’t the day for what?” Faith appeared at their table, lunch tray in hand. She was perky and happy, her usual state of emotion, and sat down.

“Nothing,” Frankie locked eyes with Steve.

“We were talking about Frankie’s unwillingness to forgive her mom,” Steve said and was the first to break eye contact. “But, of course, she won’t listen.”

“Sugarplum,” Faith cooed another term of endearment for Frankie, “It isn’t good for your soul to hold resentment. You know what Pastor Chris said about forgiveness.”

“Can we drop this, please?” Frankie pleaded with the two, “And talk about something more important…like me getting a job.”

“Why do you want a job?” Faith asked as she bit into an apple.

“Paternity test and Christmas gifts,” Steve summed her reasons up in five little words. Frankie, however, would have taken the entire lunch period to give the same information.

“That isn’t the only reason, smartie,” Frankie curled her upper lip as she admonished her man, “Even though Mom and I don’t speak much, I get a little squeamish being in the apartment alone at night. She either has to work late or has a meeting. She is out late at least twice a week with her new job. So, I could get a part-time job.” She shrugged her shoulder and twisted a lock of hair around her finger as she spoke with a tear in her voice.

“Well, I can’t help with the buying Christmas gift part, but I did help with the paternity test thing,” Faith beamed from across the table.

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“What are you talking about?” Frankie raised an eyebrow.

“I was going to wait until Christmas, but since you brought it up, I ordered the test kit for you. It should be delivered to my house in about a week.”

“You did what?” Frankie’s eyes bulged.

“I had some money saved from working all summer, so I ordered the test,” she said this like ordering a paternity test was an everyday occurrence.

“What will your parents say when a paternity test shows up in the mailbox?” Steve raised an eyebrow in question.

“The lady on the phone assured me that the packaging is plain and doesn’t say the company's name on the label. So, no worries.” she took another bite of her apple.

“Oh my goodness, Faith!” Frankie ran around the table and hugged her best friend. “I love you! You are the best!”

“I’ve said it before…Don’t I know it!”

“Five-minute warning bell. I will see you later, Faith,” he winked at Frankie before leaning across the table to kiss her, “You too, Doll.” These two girls were too much. Steve shook his head from side to side and left the cafeteria laughing to himself.

☙☙☙

Frankie and Faith stood outside English class, spying on Mr. Winters. She hated being in this class but had no choice. This class was a requirement for graduation. Therefore, she was forced to sit through it, day after day, until graduation. She wondered how Winters, as she had taken to calling him, couldn’t know his own child if she was his child. That was another reason Frankie needed an answer about paternity – to prove her mom wrong. She had to admit, though, she had his nose.

“How are we going to get the sample?” Faith whispered.

“I want to puke every time I think about it.” Frankie chewed on the inside of her cheek and shrugged her shoulders. She had no idea how this would work, but somehow, it had to. “Let’s worry about that when the test comes in.”

“Right.”

☙☙☙

“Just so you know, I am going to get a part-time job after school,” Frankie informed her mother that evening after sharing a silent dinner at the kitchen table.

“Is that a statement or a request?” Rachel peered at her daughter over her reading glasses. She studied a report while they ate, but it wasn’t like they spoke now anyway. Dinnertime was always Frankie’s favorite time of the day with her mom. They would chat non-stop about their days, make plans for the weekend, tell silly jokes, and talk about everything.

However, those days were in the past. Frankie was still filled with resentment. She was now convinced that her mom hadn’t told Mr. Winters that Frankie was his daughter. He treated her no differently than other students, which on some twisted level, hurt her feelings a little. She wasn’t sure how she would feel once she knew the result of the test. Did she want him to be her father after all? She was so confused.

“A statement,” Frankie retorted sardonically.

“You can get a job after graduation,” Rachel responded in like manner. “You know that is the rule.”

“You are so unfair! Why don't I get a say?" Frankie burst out. She shoved her chair under the table, and the legs screeched across the floor.

“This isn’t a democracy. I make the rules in this family,” Rachel responded, as cold as a Siberian wind in January.

“It isn’t like you are ever here anyway,” Frankie mumbled under her breath and knew by her mother’s icy tone that the discussion was officially closed. She would have to find another way to get Steve a Christmas gift. At least, she mused, Faith was sweet enough to pay for the Discreet Paternity Test. Frankie stormed off to her room.

Frankie: Mom ticked me off again.

Faith: uh oh, what happened?

Frankie: She won’t let me get a job until after graduation.

Faith: You knew she would say that. She has always said your studies come first.

Frankie: Anyway, she wouldn't even discuss it! She is so unfair.

Faith: That doesn't sound like your mom to say no without at least hearing your reasons. Did you ask her when she was busy or something?

Frankie: I didn't really ask her…I kind of just told her I was getting a job.

Faith: Ugghhh, Frankie!

Frankie: Whose side are you on?

Faith: Yours, always yours, Chickadee.

Frankie: Thanks to you, the DPT is on the way, but how will I get Steve a Christmas gift if I don’t get a job? And don’t say you will loan me the money!

Faith: Okay. I won’t say it. But you know I will. 😉

Frankie: November isn’t a prime time for a car wash. How else can we make some money?

Faith: What about a bake sale? Pastor Chris will probably let us sell brownies or cookies at our youth group meetings.

Frankie: That’s a good idea! You are so clever!

Faith: That I am.

Frankie: I will ask her on Sunday.

Frankie’s mood had slightly improved when she and Faith had finished texting. At first, she was happy with the idea of selling baked goods at church. She loved baking. Frankie’s second thought was that she and her mom would spend all day Saturday baking as they had in the past, especially during the holidays. Together, they would bake snickerdoodles, make red and green hard candy, and the best peanut butter fudge on the planet for several of their neighbors in the apartment complex. Remembering those marathon baking sessions sent her right back into Dumpville. She quickly squelched the idea and sighed. She wasn’t asking her mom for squat.