Fan Fiction |
by Jenny Tran
The next morning, Trina was the earliest bird to get up. She walked around the house quietly until she remembered that there was a stranger on her couch. She tiptoed carefully as to not wake him up. She placed her little body on the floor and wrapped her tiny arms around her knees as she stared at the stranger in awe.
The stranger must have felt a pair of eyes staring at him as he slowly opened them. He found the comforter laid over his body as a smile came on to his face. He looked down at the cute girl and greeted her “Good morning.” His voice was a mere whisper afraid to wake up the lady of the house.
“Morning!” Trina said brightly.
“Shhh..” he whispered and pointed down the hall “Don’t wake up mommy.”
She covered her mouth with both hands and nodded “What’s your name?” she whispered softly.
His smile faded “I don’t know.” He sat up on the couch and patted on the seat next to him indicating for her to sit with him. “Do you want to name me?”
She seemed to be intrigued as she tapped her little finger on her chin “Hmmm….Uh…how about Jason?” she remembered her mother and Nancy talking one time about someone named Jason. The name was imbedded in her memory from that moment.
“Jason…that’s very interesting. Is that you’re friend’s name?” he asked.
“No…I heard mommy talking about someone name Jason. I like that name.” Her innocence was adoring to the new stranger.
He nodded “Okay, Jason it is!” he smiled happily as he picked her up. “Come on, let’s make breakfast for mommy.”
Trina clapped her hands excitedly “Yipee! I want eggs and sausage and toast and hash browns….”
He chuckled hoarsely and shook his head “You’re going to be a chubby little girl, Trina.” She giggled as he tickled her tummy. The two were getting along easily as he cooked with his new ‘assistant’. While he prepared the food he thought about asking her a question that he was wondering. “Trina, where’s your daddy?”
Trina pouted her lips as she wiggled her way to the floor “I don’t know. Mommy says daddy works really far. He doesn’t have time to see me.” She said it sadly and then prepared herself to pull one of the chairs next to the newly named Jason to watch him cook.
“So you’ve never seen your daddy?” he asked sympathetically.
“No…” she shook her head. “What are you making first?” she quickly changed the subject innocently.
“Eggs.” He smiled as he reached in the fridge to get the eggs.
“Goody! My favorite!” she clapped her hands loudly.
The smell of the food traveled into Liz’s room as she opened her eyes slowly. She heard voices talking from outside as she got up and covered herself with a robe. She passed by Trina’s room and found it empty. When she reached closer to the voices, she found Liz and the stranger cooking breakfast.
“Well, hi there!” the young guy greeted Liz happily.
She wrinkled her forehead “You’re cooking?”
He nodded while Trina jumped down from the chair that was pulled up next to Jason on the stove. She rushed to Liz with a huge grin “Mommy! He’s making eggs!!”
Liz smiled at her little girl “Yes sweetie, that’s your favorite.”
“Really? Well, I’ll make more for you then.” He said to Trina with a grin and a wink of the eye.
“This is really kind of you.”
“I don’t mind doing it since you let me stay here one night.” He smiled warmly at her “Have a seat, the food will be ready soon.”
“Thank you.” Liz sat down comfortably with her little girl on her lap.
“Can I ask you something?” Liz looked up with her eyebrows raised as she nodded for him to ask “Where is Trina’s father?”
Liz’s face reddened as she turned away and after a moment she looked at her little girl “Trina, can you go make your bed, you didn’t do it.”
Trina plopped herself down on the ground as she nodded “Yes Mommy.”
“I hope you don’t mind, but your little girl told me a little bit about her father. Apparently, she’s never met him.”
Liz sighed as she thought about the day she left the airport hoping that Jason would show up but he never did. He haunted her dreams for so long and talking about him made it even more real. “Yes. That’s true.”
“Did he really leave you?”
“Yes.” She said curtly.
“But why? Didn’t he know you were pregnant?” he was appalled at his fellow male and he couldn’t imagine someone being so irresponsible.
Liz shrugged it off loosely but she was tearing up inside “I guess he wasn’t ready to be a father.” She snickered “It’s no use in making him do something he didn’t want to do.” Her eyes could burn through the walls.
He was sensitive in sensing her bitter voice and hurt expression. Although she looked angry, he knew she was more hurt than anything. “I wouldn’t have done that.” He spoke without knowing.
She turned to him with a strange expression “You remember something?”
He shook his head “No…I guess I would never know what I would do in that situation since I don’t remember. But I know if it happened now, I will stay with her no matter what happens.”
Listening to him say that, Liz began to pity herself as the tears welled up in her eyes “Sometimes its too late…”
He looked at her curiously “What do you mean?”
She didn’t have time to explain as Trina rushed outside and climbed onto Liz’s lap “Okay, I’m all done!” she said out of breath.
Liz smiled as she hid the tears that were ready to come out “Good sweetie.” She smoothed down the hair of her little girl.
“Breakfast is ready too!” he smiled down at the little girl.
She giggled happily “We have to eat fast.” She nodded seriously suddenly remembering something.
“Why?” Liz asked as she got up to get the food with him right by her side to help her.
“Jason said he would help me play in the snow today!” Trina exclaimed happily.
Liz nearly dropped the plate she was holding at the sound of his name “What?” he grabbed the plate from her hands when he realized she was shaking. “What did you call him?”
“Oh, little Trina here gave me a new name because I don’t know my own.” He wrinkled his forehead when he saw that she was still in shock “What’s wrong?”
Liz snapped herself out of the daze as she shook her head “Nothing. I guess it’s just easier for you to have a name. After breakfast, I’ll take you to the police department to see if they can help.”
Jason nodded “Thanks. Come on, I’m hungry!” he looked at Trina with a grin as they dug into the food.
After breakfast, just as promised Jason took Trina outside to play in the snow. Lucky for them the storm was over and now small snowflakes were coming down instead. Liz bundled up Trina as she watched from the door. Jason was trying hard to build a big ball to make the snowman but every time he got it rounded, Trina would use a stick she found lying around to poke at the snow making it shatter in billions of pieces.
Liz smiled at the sight before her, it made her laugh inside to see her little befriend the stranger like that. She has never seen her got along with anyone besides Chris and they have not seen him for months. She suddenly remembered that she had to call her friend. She was about to turn around to go inside when she felt a pang of pain from the snow shattering on her back. She spun around with a shock expression “Who did that?” she asked teasingly.
Jason and Trina had two snow balls in each hand as they pointed to each other “She threw it!” Jason laughed.
Trina shook her head innocently “No…I would never do that.” She swung her body from side to side looking like a little angel.
Liz narrowed her eyes suspicious as she walked outside and leaned down to the ground as she made two snow balls “Snow ball fight!!” she cried out as she threw it at Jason and aimed at Trina’s foot, trying not to hit her. It made the little girl cry out in giggles as she tried hard to get away from the splashing snow.
Jason was careful not to throw too hard as he aimed at Liz. They played around for about another hour until everyone was exhausted from running. The numbness in their hands from the snow was also another sign to stop. “Sweetie, go inside and clean up!” she called to her little girl.
“Yes mommy!” Trina replied.
“Yes, mommy!” Jason copied her reply as he jogged into the house after the giggling Trina. Liz shook her head as they both looked like little kids caked in snow.
Liz changed into dry clothes and then went to help her little girl but to her surprise, Jason was helping her button up her paprika. “Thank you, Jason.” Trina said respectfully.
Jason smiled as he got up and turned when he saw Liz looking at him intently, he smiled at her broadly “Are you ready?”
She nodded without responding as they all walked to the car together. The drive was about thirty miles into the city and little Trina had fallen asleep due to the snow fight earlier. Liz looked at the rear view mirror and saw Jason cradling Trina as his eyes were glued to the outside life. “What are you thinking of?” she asked quietly. She still felt uncomfortable calling him Jason due to her past.
He looked up at her with a slow smile “Jason is his name isn’t it?”
His response caught her by surprise as she turned away “How did you guess?”
“When you almost dropped the plate of food this morning.” He teased and then turned serious “Why didn’t you tell Trina that it was her father’s name?”
Liz was uncomfortable as she shifted in her seat “She’s too young, she wouldn’t understand.”
“Should I come with another name?” he was thinking about her now.
Liz shook her head “No, it’s not necessary. Trina named you that and it’s easier for her to remember. Give me a few months, I’ll get use to it.” She joked.
Jason smiled “Do we have a few months? What if they find out the person with the name on my necklace today?” he was a bit sad to think that he would not see little Trina again, he was quickly getting attached to the little girl.
“Then you will have to do what you have to do.” She sounded bitter again.
He decided to quiet down since she was getting more uncomfortable by each minute that they talked about the guy that left her.
***********
They pulled up to the Police station as Jason shook gently at Trina to wake her up. She opened her sleepy eye and looked up “We’re here?” she asked with a yawn.
“Come on sweetie.” Liz opened the back door for them as she pulled Trina into her arms with ease. “Boy, you’re getting heavy!” she teased.
Jason chuckled “From eating eggs every morning I bet.”
Trina giggled “I like eggs.” She defended herself.