Episode 963: From A Distance

Lucy opened the door with a welcoming smile as she said, “I was just about to have dinner, are you-” Her smile and her words faltered when she realized the wrong person stood before her. He looked tired and disheveled. “Are- Are you hungry? Would you like something to eat?”

“Um.” Paul looked as if that were the most confusing thing he’d ever heard. “Oh, yeah, food, that would be good, I, yeah, I don’t think I’ve eaten today.”

“You don’t think you’ve eaten today? How does a person lose track of something like that? Is everything okay? I mean, it’s not everyday you drop by so I’m assuming you have a reason to be here.”

“It’s about Hope.”

It wasn’t a surprise. They had nothing else connecting them these days. Still, as expected as his answer was, it set off alarms in her. “Has she been in touch with you?” Lucy wondered.

She hadn’t thought Hope knew about her biological father. She also had never expected to find Hope on her doorstep on Halloween.

“No. Has she been here again?” Paul asked.

Lucy shook her head.

“I’ve been thinking about her, wondering if she needs me, wondering if I should do something to be there,” he said. “I’ve been losing sleep and my appetite.”

“Come in and eat, and talk, maybe it’ll help.”

A short time later, they sat opposite one another at her kitchen table, dipping homemade cheesy bread into her favorite soup recipe.

“This is good, thanks,” Paul said. “How have you been doing? I mean, since she just showed up like that?”

“Well, for awhile there I thought every knock on the door would be her. But that panic and excitement has passed now that it’s been a couple months. Michael told me she made sure Hope knew she could ask questions or even see me again if she wanted. But it hasn’t happened so at this point it seems like it won’t. It does make me a little sad, but I like the idea that she’s happy in her life as it is, that’s comforting to me, it’s the reason I could make at least some sort of peace with giving her up, knowing that she’d have the life I hadn’t been ready to give her at the time.”

“I’m not at peace with it, not at all,” Paul said. “How do you know Michael actually left the door open for her to reach out to you if she wants? Just on her say so?”

“Michael wouldn’t lie to me about Hope. From day one she’s left the door open to me, too, encouraged it even, she’s not keeping us apart.”

“Maybe not,” Paul said. “But what about the shady husband. He threatened to ruin me if I pursued custody. He’s not a good person. What if he’s intimidating Hope into keeping her distance from you?”

Episode 964: There's Your Trouble