The meeting

Stacy and Dixie were only an hour away from meeting each other.

  Dixie had gotten up early and made sure she put on her best blue jeans, and dress shirt, putting on makeup and her hair up nicely. She wanted to look good, impress the person that was going to be watching them while they interacted, that way she had a better chance of getting to see her daughter more frequently.

   Stacy had gotten up that morning and for the first time she got breakfast, she was the first one to take a shower, putting on her nice new black jeans, purple long sleeve shirt, white tennis shoes everything was new it felt good to finally be in something that wasn't big or had holes in it. She had brushed her hair, once she left the bathroom her dad was waiting for her with a brush and ponytail so he could put her long curly red hair up and then it was finally time to get going. She got into her father's old truck and they left.

"You will not say anything about me or Kelly or anything that goes on in our house. Remember to be polite, she is crazy. She didn't want you, you need to remember that, she will deny it, but it happened. Why else wouldn't she have seen you all these years? You only get to see her a couple hours a weekend, so you have to be good. It reflects on me how you act." Kenneth said, his voice was shaky- but stern. He was very nervous about Stacy meeting her mother. He had lied to her all these years, hopefully it would stick, she wouldn't tell anyone about the abuse that she went through she didn't even tell the school, Ken thought. He wouldn't be able to stay and watch. They wouldn't let him, he and Dixie weren't allowed to be in the same room.

"I won't." That's all Stacy could manage to get out of her mouth, she was nervous, excited she didn't sleep well, on top of that her dad had always told her that her mother didn't want her. She was always made to be a burden on Kelly and her step siblings, would she be a burden on her mother? Her mother didn't want her when she was a baby. What changed now? She had so many thoughts going on through her head she had barely noticed that they were at the visitation center. The center was a plain white building, with very few windows, glass doors, but as soon as she walked in there were rainbows and warm colors with a bunch of fun pictures on the wall. It was finally time for her to meet her mother.

"Hello, if you could please sign her in, put your number in and fill out his form, then we can get her started!" The front desk lady had said- she had blonde, long hair and beautiful icy blue and grey eyes. She was wearing the visitation blue shirt, with white jeans. She had a bright smile on her face and her soft lips were red.

"Ok. Thank you Nancy!" Ken said with a wink taking the form, he had noticed her name tag on her blue shirt, he thought she was cute, she had to be in her 30's. He quietly filled out the form as Stacy sat in a chair and handed the form back over to Nancy who was watching Stacy.

"Thank you we will call you when this is done it should be three or so hours depending on how it goes." Nancy said, Ken smiled and gave Stacy a hug. It was the only time he really gave Stacy a hug, but it was all to make him look like a good parent so they wouldn't take her away from him.

   Finally Nancy smiled at Stacy and motioned for her to come over to her "Ok sweetheart come with me we're going to go to the play room where you will meet your mom. Ok?" She asked, her voice was smooth and sweet.

    "Yes ma'am." Stacy said, following Nancy to a big room full of toys and a big glass window where the person would watch as her mom and her would play and talk. She sat down in a chair she didn't want to play with toys, she didn't have any toys at her home with her father. She was so nervous her hands had been shaking, she was looking at her hands when her mother had entered the room. She noticed her mother had long dark red hair like she had, it was wavy just like hers and Dixie had smiled at her warmly, a smile that had felt like home.

"Oh my look at how much you've grown." Dixie said with tears in her green eyes she had finally gotten her daughter in front of her she wanted to hold her, hug her, kiss her, and take her to her sister. For now she just sat down beside Stacy. "I'm Dixie, your mom. I would love to give you a hug if you would let me."

    Stacy nodded and was embraced into a warm bear hug, her mother didn't let go in what felt like ages. Stacy wasn't sure how to react. She didn't get hugs, she didn't get love, her heart warmed with the hug she longed for it. It felt like love, in the back of her mind all she could think of is that this person abandoned her, would her mother abandon her again? She finally pulled away and took a step back, her hands shaking. "I know who you are…Why now? Why here? Why do you want me now?" Stacy asked as she wanted answers her voice was filled with pain and anger. Her blue eyes glistened with tears she wouldn't just be a pawn to anyone.

Dixie was startled , she was unsure of what Ken had told her, but she sighed and sat closer to Stacy, pulling out her phone to show proof. "I have been searching for you since your dad took you. I've always wanted you… Stacy you are my daughter, you and your sister are the only children have. I love you both with my whole heart. As you can see, I hired this investigator to find you four years ago. It hasn't been easy, and I would never have stopped until I found you. I don't know what your dad has told you, but I assure you there wasn't a time I wouldn't do anything for you. Stacy Lynn I love you." Dixie said with tears streaming down her cheeks, she pulled her daughter into a hug again. She was so hurt that he told her she didn't want her.

   Stacy had started to cry she didn't know who to believe at this moment, but she nodded she didn't want to lose her mother, and her sister who she just found out she had. "I don't want to talk about my father. I want to talk about you, and my sister. What's her name? How old is she?" Stacy asked knowing if she had said anything further about her father and Kelly she wouldn't be able to see her mom again.

"Spencer, she is nine, she misses you terribly, when I can bring her to see you, I will. She loves cars, dolls, and horses. We have horses at our property, and dogs, we live about six hours away from here. but we would be more than happy to visit a lot, and someday you will be able to come over to my house." Dixie explained, she wasn't sure why Stacy hadn't wanted to talk about her home or how it was with her dad but she wouldn't press her.

  "Would you like to play?" Dixie asked.

  Stacy had nodded. For three hours they had played, joked, colored, and went outside to play on the swings. Stacy didn't want it to end. Her mom was amazing, and so sweet she was going to miss her. Not only that but she would have to go back to hell. Stacy sighed.

  Nancy had walked in she no longer had a warm smile on her face "Hey sweetheart it is time to go ok? Your dad is out front. You'll get to see your mom again tomorrow ok?" Nancy had asked and Stacy had turned away from Nancy. She ran up to Dixie and hugged her tight with tears in her now stormy blue eyes, rolling down her pale cheeks. She had wanted to stay, she wanted her mom, and her sister.

Dixie rubbed the tears away from Stacy's blue eyes and sighed "Here is a CD player with a CD I made for you, it has some songs on it for the times when you're missing me, it also has headphones. I will be back tomorrow I promise." Dixie said, as she had tears in her eyes, but didn't want her daughter to see her cry.

Stacy walked back to the front with her CD player... out to her dad, she knew that they would probably take it away when she got home. He walkedup to her smiling "Let's get going kiddo. Kelly has some dinner ready for uswhen we get home." He said taking Stacy outside and putting her into histruck. He stared at the CD player and sighed "Well how did it go?" He asked his dark brown eyes looking into her blue eyes, he was more concerned she would say something to her mother. Not that she had a good time or enjoyed it, and he didn't want her to go back to living with her mother, he wanted to keep the one thing he knew Dixie wanted.

"Good, she um told me I had a sister, showed me pictures of her." Stacy replied she knew if she had told him about the rest she wouldn't be allowed back.

"What is that for?" Ken asked driving home pointing at the CD player.

"Just for songs she thought I would like." Stacy paused. She wasn't sure if he would let her keep it. "Can I please keep it?" She asked looking down it was the only thing she had of her mom. Ken just nodded and they finally got home, Stacy was fed and then told to go to bed. At least she got to keep her cd player. She got into white pj's with bunnies on them, climbed into her bed, she got her cd player, and put on the CD her mother had given her and finally fell fast asleep.