Phone Call: Erica-Grandma
Date: July 26, 2011 [Backdated]
Characters: Erica Allen, Eleanor Warren
Location: Respective homes
Status: Private
Summary: Eleanor has news for Erica.
Completion: Complete
Erica stared at the display on her phone for a moment before answering. She had debated for what seemed like hours before finally listing the number in her phone under ‘Grandma’ rather than ‘Eleanor,’ but that had been nearly a month ago. It shouldn’t have messed with her head so much every time she saw it when her phone rang.
“Hello,” she said after flipping her phone open and putting it to her ear.
“Erica, how are you doing, hun?”
“I’m…” Erica paused momentarily, trying to decide just how honest she should be. “All right. Just got home from work a little bit ago.” She just didn’t feel comfortable going into all her insecurities, no matter how sweet and wonderful her grandmother had been when they’d met a couple weeks ago. “How are you?”
“I’m good, sweetie. I’m calling because I wanted to let you know that we managed to track down a phone number for Rick.”
Erica felt her heart jump up to her throat. “You did?” she whispered, torn between intense curiosity and fear. Just because he was her biological father didn’t mean he’d want anything to do with her, and it would foolish to hope that he would. Just because he didn’t know she existed didn’t mean he would have wanted to be her dad even if he had known. “Have you… Did you call him?”
There was a pause, and then, “Not me, no. Joanne did. I thought it was only right that she be the one to tell him. I did talk to him after, though, asked him if it would be okay to pass on his number to you.”
“Oh,” Erica said softly, her heart pounding in her chest. “And?”
“He was surprised, of course. Who wouldn’t be? And he said how he wasn’t sure it’d do you much good to know him, but that I could go ahead and give you his number,” her Grandma explained.
“Oh, I see.” Though Erica had absolutely no idea how she could possibly describe what she was feeling just then. She wanted to know what kind of person Rick - her father - was. After all, he couldn’t be worse than Joanne, right? And hell, at least he hadn’t known about her, hadn’t abandoned her. “Let me…” She paused, completely forgetting what she’d meant to say. She shook herself when she remembered. “Let me grab a pen and paper.”
Shifting the phone, she leaned forward for the pad of paper and pen sitting on the coffee table. She pulled the cap off with her teeth, flipping the pen around to push it into the cap. She balanced the phone between her ear and shoulder so that she could hold the paper and write. “Mmm, ‘kay, I’m ready,” she said. Eleanor rattled off the phone number, and Erica scribbled it down, repeating it back to make sure she’d got it right.
“Oh, oh dear, your Grandfather’s calling for me, so I better go. You have a good night, dear, and let me know how everything goes, all right?”
“Oh, okay. I will. Good night.”
“Good night.”
After hanging up, Erica stared at the paper in her hands. She wanted to call him, she knew she did, but she didn’t think she was brave enough to just yet, not with the way her heart had yet to steady. She’d never believed that she would ever know who her father was, and now she was having the chance to know him, and that was incredible.
She would call him. Just, not yet. Not tonight.
Characters: Erica Allen, Eleanor Warren
Location: Respective homes
Status: Private
Summary: Eleanor has news for Erica.
Completion: Complete
Erica stared at the display on her phone for a moment before answering. She had debated for what seemed like hours before finally listing the number in her phone under ‘Grandma’ rather than ‘Eleanor,’ but that had been nearly a month ago. It shouldn’t have messed with her head so much every time she saw it when her phone rang.
“Hello,” she said after flipping her phone open and putting it to her ear.
“Erica, how are you doing, hun?”
“I’m…” Erica paused momentarily, trying to decide just how honest she should be. “All right. Just got home from work a little bit ago.” She just didn’t feel comfortable going into all her insecurities, no matter how sweet and wonderful her grandmother had been when they’d met a couple weeks ago. “How are you?”
“I’m good, sweetie. I’m calling because I wanted to let you know that we managed to track down a phone number for Rick.”
Erica felt her heart jump up to her throat. “You did?” she whispered, torn between intense curiosity and fear. Just because he was her biological father didn’t mean he’d want anything to do with her, and it would foolish to hope that he would. Just because he didn’t know she existed didn’t mean he would have wanted to be her dad even if he had known. “Have you… Did you call him?”
There was a pause, and then, “Not me, no. Joanne did. I thought it was only right that she be the one to tell him. I did talk to him after, though, asked him if it would be okay to pass on his number to you.”
“Oh,” Erica said softly, her heart pounding in her chest. “And?”
“He was surprised, of course. Who wouldn’t be? And he said how he wasn’t sure it’d do you much good to know him, but that I could go ahead and give you his number,” her Grandma explained.
“Oh, I see.” Though Erica had absolutely no idea how she could possibly describe what she was feeling just then. She wanted to know what kind of person Rick - her father - was. After all, he couldn’t be worse than Joanne, right? And hell, at least he hadn’t known about her, hadn’t abandoned her. “Let me…” She paused, completely forgetting what she’d meant to say. She shook herself when she remembered. “Let me grab a pen and paper.”
Shifting the phone, she leaned forward for the pad of paper and pen sitting on the coffee table. She pulled the cap off with her teeth, flipping the pen around to push it into the cap. She balanced the phone between her ear and shoulder so that she could hold the paper and write. “Mmm, ‘kay, I’m ready,” she said. Eleanor rattled off the phone number, and Erica scribbled it down, repeating it back to make sure she’d got it right.
“Oh, oh dear, your Grandfather’s calling for me, so I better go. You have a good night, dear, and let me know how everything goes, all right?”
“Oh, okay. I will. Good night.”
“Good night.”
After hanging up, Erica stared at the paper in her hands. She wanted to call him, she knew she did, but she didn’t think she was brave enough to just yet, not with the way her heart had yet to steady. She’d never believed that she would ever know who her father was, and now she was having the chance to know him, and that was incredible.
She would call him. Just, not yet. Not tonight.