Deadbeat Dads Read Online Free PDF Page A

me. The company had gone all out. I felt like I was living in the lap of luxury. I could get used to this. I pulled out of the airport parking lot and followed the directions to the hotel. The salt air and sunshine lifted my spirits, nothing like the frigid temperatures at home.
    Once settled in my luxurious hotel room, I had several hours to spare. I decided to look Bob up right away. I followed the directions to his street on the GPS and pulled into a new development. These houses had to go upwards of three maybe four hundred thousand or more. And poor Nicole could barely afford the small two bedroom apartment they lived in. Again anger flared up in me. Bob only had one daughter, and he still didn’t care. So much for the old adage ‘Daddy’s Little Girl’. I guess it didn’t apply in all cases. Obviously, it hadn’t meant anything to Johnny either.
    The development was a gated community , and I knew if I wasn’t on the list I wouldn’t get in. I needed to come up with a plan to see Bob or find out where he worked. But at least I knew where he lived. I backed up and turned around. A car came out of the gate. The driver looked a lot like Bob. Could I be so lucky? I followed the car into town. It pulled into an office building complex, and I followed. I had to know more, had to find out where he worked.   I parked my car a short distance away from him, keeping him in sight.  He walked to the elevator. Darn it, I knew if Bob saw me he’d recognize me. But it was now or never. I hurried to catch up with him, just as the elevator door opened. Three other people got on at the same time. A look of recognition crossed Bob’s face. He pressed the button for three, and I settled in behind him. We got off the elevator, and I waited until the doors closed.  “Bob, I need to talk to you. Is there someplace quiet we can speak?”
    For a minute I thought he was going to refuse, but then he waved me towards a hall with offices, motioned for me to go inside and closed the door behind us. “I recognize you, but I can’t come up with a name. Please sit down.”
    “Erica Morris, I’m a friend of Nicole’s.”
    “I see, and what do you want with me?”
    “Nicole is having a hard time making ends meet. Sometimes there’s barely enough money to put food on the table. They’re living in a small two bedroom apartment and might have to move to something even cheaper.” Bob’s expression hadn’t changed from the hard cold look he gave me when I got on the elevator. Was I getting through to him?
    “Look Bob, Nicole doesn’t care for herself, but what about Cindy? She’s going to have to live in a rough neighborhood and change schools, leave all her friends. She’s already cut herself off from most of them. You know kids think it’s their fault when their parents get divorced. And when one parent refuses to even see his child, what do you suppose she thinks? You haven’t called or visited. You don’t send child support payments. The poor kid thinks you hate her.”
    Bob stood up and paced the small office. “I guess I never gave her much thought. I never meant to hurt her. I figured if I stayed out of her life, she’d be better off.” He ran his hand through his hair. “God, I never gave it a thought about child support or anything. I’ll make it up to her. Look I have some money, a hundred thousand dollars, cash. If I give it to you will you promise to keep my whereabouts a secret? Give the money to Nicole. Tell her it’s a settlement, and that I’m sorry. Make up some excuse why I can’t see Cindy. I’m in trouble. I can’t go back. Will you do that for me?”
    I leaned forward in my chair. A hundred thousand dollars, cash. I couldn’t carry that much money on an airplane. “Can you get me a cashier’s check or something? I can’t carry that kind of money around. Better yet get three or four of them from different banks if you have to. I’ll mail them to Nicole certified mail. I just don’t feel