Kidnap My Heart - Chapter Four

Ivy was shocked. Did her dad have another family? "Who are you?" the little girl questioned through her awestruck expression. "Uh I'm here to see Scott Kaplan. Does he live here?" Ivy said shakily. The girls' eyes lit up and quickly pulled Ivy into the house. She heard laughter and glasses clinking in a room. As they entered the room she saw her dad and a very familiar woman drinking in front of the TV. They turned their heads to her direction and her dad dropped his drink onto the carpet. He stood up and walked to her slowly. "Ivy? Is that you?" he whispered as the woman on the couch stared shell-shocked. "Hi uh Dad?" Ivy said uncertainly. "It is you!!" her dad said while giving her a hug. He backed up and looked at her again. "Wow you look just like you mother." He said with a smile. How could they have divorced if they seemed to love each other so much? They fought so much before but now as she was before her dad, he seemed to have that faraway look after he took sight of her.

Preferably thinking of her mom. "Thanks. Who's this?" Ivy said pointing to the little girl. "Oh this is Claire. She's your cousin." He said while hoisting the little girl into his arms. Her heart seemed to almost stop as she viewed this sight. Her dad never carried her as he did now for Claire. She pulled all the negative thoughts away and smiled. "Hi Claire. I'm Ivy." She smiled sweetly. Claire's eyes widened and she started wriggling in Scott's arms. He let her down and went to the woman on the couch. "Mommy! Is that Uncle Scott's daughter? She's so pretty." Claire asked in a whisper. "Yes it is. Doesn't she look like Aunty April?" Claire's mom said in a whisper. Claire stared at Ivy with her big green eyes and nodded furiously. Her mom laughed at Claire's display. Ivy turned to her dad and raised an eyebrow to the woman. The woman stood up and stood up in front of Ivy. "I'm guessing you don't remember me." The woman said while staring at Ivy. "I'm sorry. Who are you?" she said with an uncomfortable laugh. "I'm your dad's sister. Your Aunt Katie? I thought you would've remembered your favorite aunt." She said with a smile.

Truthfully Ivy did forget who she was. Just like she had forgotten Marian, but after minutes recognition washed over her. Her Aunt Katie had always given her the big and glamorous gifts for her birthdays and Christmas. Ivy loved her for that. "Of course I remember you!" Ivy giggled while giving her aunt a small hug. Ivy didn't know how to approach her dad. Unlike her mom, her dad was a very unemotional man. He never cried or showed sympathy around her. It was mostly a faint smile or cold stare he gave out to others. "So Ives why are you here? I'm glad to see you but why show up now? It's been 10 years." Her dad said coolly. "I wanted to talk to you and mom." Ivy said. It didn't seem like her dad knew how he was towards her when she was younger. Her dad looked at her questioningly. "About what?" her dad said. Ivy hesitated a second before saying, "About how you and mom treated me when I was younger." Her dad was silent. Scott didn't know how he treated his daughter. He actually regretted the fact that he never saw her that much.

He had been so happy when Ivy was born. It was one of the happiest days of his life. She changed his life in a good way. Maybe this was a part of her not seeing him that much, he thought painfully. "How?" he asked curiously. "Look dad here's the thing. I came back because I wanted to see you and mom. My life is different because of how you treated me. Maybe if the two of you weren't as dysfunctional I would have been less mad at the world. God, I wished you would stop screaming at each other. You guys had never even laughed together at jokes or anything! My friends had normal lives and parents who loved each other. You and mom only fought and acted like freaking toddlers! You never did anything with me like normal dads had done or go to any sports events. You guys hadn't even gone to my graduations! What kind of parents does that to their child? Why didn't you try to act like a dad!?" Ivy shouted angrily. He was acting like her mom had only an hour before.

They both thought they were innocent. Her dad stared at her wide eyed and with his mouth gaped open. Scott didn't know that this was how his baby was feeling. He knew this was why she had left so quickly. Had she even said goodbye?? Now he couldn't remember but his guilt would have lasted forever. He didn't cry but he felt as if she punctured a nerve. He didn't want to yell back at her saying a lie that he was indeed a good father. He didn't entirely believe he was such a bad father but he felt that he didn't do the best at his job. Ivy had always been a strong girl. It showed through her personality and her piercing eyes. When she was little she would stare at him and his wife as they fought. It pained them both that she had to watch such episodes but they couldn't do anything about it. April always wanted her way and Scott wanted his way. That's what went wrong.

What made it more painful in the end was that Scott still loved her. Both of them were too stubborn. He knew he should have just listened to her but he was stubborn. He knew Ivy had some stubbornness in her that came from him. "I'm sorry you had to go through that. I really am." Scott said in a whisper. Ivy's eyes flickered with aggravation. "Is that the best you got? Yeah whatever." Ivy snorted. Scott frowned and raised his voice slightly. "What? Are you telling me I've been a bad father?" he wailed. Ivy walked toward Claire and her aunt. "It was nice seeing you guys. I hope I'll see you around some time." Ivy said with a genuine smile. She started walking toward the door but stopped and glowered at her dad. "No dad, I'm not saying you're a bad father. I'm just saying you should have tried and fixed our family." Ivy said sarcastically.

She walked out of the door and shut the door behind her gently. She thought he had handled that rather rudely. At least her mom had said longer than two sentences. She even cried and that sealed the deal that she was truly sorry. He should have thought about it and realized she was telling the truth. How could he not think it through and find, she was right? Before another breath was wasted, she backed out of the drive way and drove to her mom's house.