Free Sometimes Love Hurts by Marie Fostino Page B

did that even matter?    That was another thing her parents never told her.   Why didn’t mom leave him? She wondered.  Why was dad not loyal to us?  Yes to us! Whatever he did, he did it to both of us. It was difficult to comprehend that it was her father, the loving man she grew up with, that did such an unforgivable thing and hurt the both of them.  She tried hard to think back in time, but could not recall a situation when he seemed indifferent to her. 
    She grew angrier as she questioned why her mom even wrote the journal. Then she remembered what her mother had said just a few weeks before when she was encouraged to remember the nice things about her father.  Why did she write this if she just wanted me to recall good things about my dad?
Lisa needed to get away.  She ran down the stairs to the kitchen, picked up the phone, and dialed. 
    “Hello?” Said the masculine voice on the other end.
    “Joey, I need to get out of here. Can you come and pick me up?” She asked weakly.
    “Is everything all right?” He asked.  “Of course I’ll come.  Give me a few, and I’ll be right over.”
    “Thanks,” she said, and hung up the phone.
    If there were anyone she could depend on, it would be Joey.  Exhausted from all the energy she expended, she slowly climbed the stairs and got dressed for the day. What she needed was a day out – a day with Joey, the man she loved.  She needed to get out of the shadow of her parents, and back into reality. 
    When Joey arrived, she fell into him crying.  He saw how upset she was and decided to help get her mind off things.  Silently with only the radio and Lisa’s whimpers, he drove downtown.  He took her to the John Hancock building, and they went up the elevator to the cafe.  There was something so beautiful about looking down at the city from so high up.  The cars looked like tinker toys, plus you could see that some of the apartments had pools on top of them.  So many buildings with so many different heights, it looked very crowded.  And to see the Lake Michigan shoreline was beautiful as well.  She held his hand tightly as they took a seat by the window.  Just looking down at the city offered a comforting feeling.
    “Hungry?” He asked as the waiter placed the menus on the table. 
    “No,” she whispered and then sighed loudly. 
    She actually felt better already.  Joey ordered them some burgers and cokes, and waited patiently for Lisa to tell him what had happened.
    “Joey,” she said finally with a sniffle, “I just found out my dad had an affair.” 
    She peered into his eyes searching for an answer.  He did not say anything and his face remained calm.
    “Did you hear what I said?” She continued.
    “And what does that have to do with you or me?” He asked shrugging his shoulders.
    Tears filled her eyes again and her mouth twitched as she tried not to let them fall.
    “Your parents seemed happy enough.  I think your mom must have forgiven him.”  
    “We were betrayed,” she said as a couple of tears slipped down her cheeks.  “How could he do that?” 
    Joey put his arms around her for comfort, something she really needed at that time.  She fell into his body and held him close.
    “You know I love you, don’t you?” He whispered in her ear. 
    Lisa shook her head but kept her face dug into his shoulder.
    “That will never happen with us.” 
    She wanted to believe that so badly, but her dad, whom she loved so much and seemed like a family man, had strayed.  How could she be sure that Joey wouldn’t do the same thing?  If she could not trust her own father, how could she trust any other man?
    They ate in silence while the view from the tall building caused her mind to sway to other things. The wonderful view took over as if to say all is well.  Look at the good and don’t hold on to the bad. 
    “Beautiful isn’t it,” Lisa said quietly between bites.
    “Not as beautiful as you,” Joey replied with a wink.
    Her