Page 104 - Student: dazed And Confused

She twists her engagement ring around on her finger with the tip of her tongue out
like a kid concentrating hard on her school work. It's a red stone - ruby, I think.
"I'm getting married next spring. Really nice guy. Aaron, his name is."
"I won't tell if you don't."
She looks at him with really hazel eyes, deep enough you could swim in them. So
like, "You have to be there."
"I don't sing at weddings."
"No, I'm not asking you to sing. God, that's de embarrassing. I'm a traditionalist,
you know, big and flouncy church do. But there's another tradition."
"And I don't play church organ." Never figured out the difference between church

organ and a normal one. So, maybe he could play? Anyway.
"I need my father to give me away. That's why I need you there."
Jake moves away from her pretty damn sharp. "You what?"
"You're my father. You left my mother just after she found out she was expecting.
She said you were about to get a recording contract. You put your career before your
family." Jake put his career before everything, well, up until a few years ago when getting
wasted emerged the front runner. She'd come to learn that - assuming she stuck around
that long. "You usually try to sleep with anything in a skirt."
"Ah, good old tabloids. Gotta love 'em ! "

Fay shook her head and looked at me, eyes begging for help. Hell, no ! I was staying
out of this if it killed me. Jake picked out a sweet little tune on the high end of the
keyboard, probably just trying to keep his hands busy.
"S o , put the awesome Jake Smile in a room with the daughter he never knew he
had and some piano thing and..?"
He sighs and dry washes his face. "What do you want, honey? I'm just a music man,
not some goddam father figure." He stared at her and shuffled his feet. It's the closest I
ever saw him to nervous. Everything went quiet for a minute - felt like the air was tingling
with all these unsaid words. Fay bent down and picked up all her crap, then she touched my
arm, "Nice to meet you," and swung out of the door.

I think Jake was a bit shocked 'cos he had this weird look at first but he soon masked
it with his usual complacent and cocky glare.

"How d id , is sh e , when d id , if you...?" I was completely incapable of forming any
whole questions but I think he knew what I wanted to know. Contrary to common belief,
rockers are slightly more perceptive than breeze blocks.
"It's not the first time I've had kids make out they're long lost relatives. They all
want a taste of this life." He shrugs and drops down into one of the beanbags in the corner.
"N ow , Me and her'll both get our names dragged through the press. Probably get shunned

by her mom, whether it's true or not. Publicity, see. Me, I get a number one next month
and a few million out of it."
"What about this wedding business?"