After several minutes of awkward silence, Carly gets up and puts the DVD’s away, and then starts cleaning an already clean counter. Trying desperately to keep her mind off Marshall. Knowing there is no possible way they could ever be.
“OOH!” Carly nervously says, as
Proof grabs her hand and smiles at her.
“I think it’s clean.” Proof states
sarcastically with a smile, as Carly realizes that she’d been wiping the same
spot over and over.
“You need to relax. I haven’t bit
anyone in a long time.” Proof jokily says with a laugh, as Carly lets out a
small laugh as she returns the dishcloth to the sink.
“So! What do you think is going on
in there?” Carly curiously asks, as she turns around, and looks at Proof
sitting at the counter.
“Most Likely! Hailie is wrapping
him tighter around her little finger.” Proof states, as Carly smiles.
“Hailie has wanted him to go to
the real park as she calls it, for a couple weeks now. Even though everything
at the park, she has in her back yard. She wants to be a normal kid and
Marshall tries very hard to give her a normal life, but Eminem gets in the way
a lot.” Proof explains, as Carly walks over and sits down beside him.
“Marshall knows if he goes with
her to a public park, the press would follow. And that’s one thing he doesn’t
want. Her face plastered all over magazines and newspapers. He’s very
protective over Hailie’s privacy.” Proof explains, as thoughts of Marshall’s
temper earlier, when it came to Hailie runs through Carly’s mind.
“I’ve seen that first hand.” Carly
comments without thinking, but quickly changes the subject.
“What about her mother?” Carly
quickly asks.
“Kim tries somewhat to be a
mother, but Hailie is closer to Marshall, and that drives Kim crazy.” Proof
explains, with half a smile.
“The little bit of time I’ve spent
with Hailie, she seemed like a well behaved, intelligent child.” Carly says
with a smile, as Proof laughs.
“Yeah! She is. But there’s days
where you can definitely tell she’s Marshall’s child.” Proof says with a laugh.
“Like Today.” Carly adds in
quickly, as they both start laughing, as Marshall and Hailie come into the
room.
“Yo! Talking about me?” Marshall
asks, as they regain their composer, and Proof sits Hailie up on the counter,
and tickles her a couple of times and she giggles.
“Yeah! And I was just getting to
the good stuff! So could you leave again.” Proof jokily says, as Carly gets a
nervous feel, hoping Marshall knows they’re only joking.
“Can I talk with you privately?”
Marshall asks as he looks directly at Carly, ignoring Proof’s joking around, as
Carly gets very nervous, but manges to shake her head yes as she slowly stands
up, as Marshall motions towards the bedroom.
Marshall follows Carly to the
bedroom, but quickly winks at Hailie before shutting the bedroom door.
Carly walks into the bedroom and
turns around to face Marshall, as he closes the door.
“Before you say anything I wanna
apologize for the Backstreet video and I didn’t know she wasn’t aloud to have
soda till it was to late.” Carly says quickly in one continuous breath, as she
nervously fiddles with the birthstone ring on her finger.
“What?” Marshall asks in
confusion, as he slowly walks over to her, as he tries to understand what she
is babbling about.
“I just wasn’t thinking when I
gave her a choice of videos I’m not around my nieces that often I wasn’t
thinking when I gave her soda I . . .” Carly starts babbling again, as Marshall
gets lost in her beautiful green eyes and smiles, as he grabs her by the waist.
“Shut Up!” Marshall jokily
interrupts, and then quickly kisses her passionately, but quickly pulls away,
as a funny feeling comes to the pit of his stomach and he starts to pace around
the room.
“I am really sorry about the video
and soda.” Carly sincerely states, as she starts to fiddle with her ring again,
as a warm funny feeling comes to the pit of her stomach, as she watches him
pace.
“Would you please stop babbling
about the damn video! I want you to take Hailie to the park. I have to take
care of last night’s problem, and Hailie really wants to go to the park. When
you get to the park don’t tell anyone who you are. To be on the safe side Don’t
talk to anyone! Don’t let her out of your sight! One hour! Then hopefully
she’ll see that it’s nothing spectacular about the fuckin’ park. What every you
do don’t let her out of you sight! Got That! Don’t leave her side!” Marshall
nervously explains in a worried fatherly tone, as Carly intensely listens, as
she watches him pace waving his hands with every word.
“Which Park?” Carly quickly asks,
as Marshall takes a deep breath, as he opens his mouth to start another round
of instructions.
“It’s the park near her school,
it’s on the corner of 9th and Washington. Being on a corner that’s
why you have to watch her very carefully, there’s a lot of traffic. Do you know
what park I’m talking about?” Marshall asks, as Carly shakes her head yes, but
she can’t help but feel like she’s the child, and it’s her father speaking.
“Do you understand that it’s a
very public park and you can’t tell anyone who Hailie is! One Hour! Then take
her to Aunt Barbara. What every you do don’t . . .” Marshall explains, but
stops when there is a little knock at the door, and they both look at the door
as Hailie walks in.
“Has Daddy asked you to take me to
the park yet?” Hailie asks, as she glances quickly over at Marshall as she is
walking over to Carly, and smiles as she takes Carly’s hand.
“Somewhat.” Carly says in joking
tone, as she glances over at Marshall with a smile as she knells down in front
of Hailie.
“I would love to go to the park
with you.” Carly says, as Hailie squeals in delight as she hugs Carly tightly.
“Thank You.” Hailie says, as she
continues to hug her, as Carly glances over at Marshall who still has a very
nervous expression.
“Let’s Go! Thanks Daddy! I Love
You” Hailie quickly says, as she runs over to Marshall and he knells down and
she hugs and kisses him, then runs out of the room yelling to Proof that she’s
going to the park.
Marshall forces a smile as he
stands back up, as he tries to reassure himself that everything will be okay at
the park, as Carly nervously smiles at him from across the room.
“Everything will be fine, am sure
after she gets to the park and sees that everything is just like at home she’ll
wanna leave.” Carly says in a reassuring tone, trying to ease Marshall obvious
worried mind about Hailie going out in public.
“Forget It! This was a bad ideal!”
Marshall says quickly, as he starts towards the door but stops, when he hears
Hailie voice yelling for Carly to come on, as Carly gets a confused expression.
“Nobody will know who she is.
Everyone will just think it’s a mother . . . aunt and niece having fun at the
park.” Carly says, as she walks over to Marshall and gently places her hands on
his arms that are crossed in front of him and smiles, hoping to reassure him
and he doesn’t get the wrong ideal about the word mother.
“COME ON CARLY!” Hailie squeals,
as she comes to the doorway, and Marshall and Carly look over at her. Both
smile as they look at Hailie and the joyful expression that she has.
“One Hour. Then Carly is going to
take you home to Aunt Barbara. You are to listen to Carly and don’t leave her
side and don’t give her a hard time.” Marshall says in a fatherly tone, as he
walks over to Hailie and knells down in front of her.
“Two Hours.” Hailie says, as she
holds up two fingers with a pitiful look.
“One!” Marshall firmly states, as
Hailie takes a deep breath, as her eyes connect with his, and a stare down
begins.
“Let’s compromise. Hour an a
half.” Carly suggests, as she walks over to them, as they continue to stare at
each other.
“Alright! Hour an half and that’s
it!” Marshall states as he stands and looks down at Hailie, who knows not to
press her luck, but smiles up at Carly.
“Alright!” Hailie agrees, as
Marshall glances over at Carly, then knells back down to Hailie.
“Love you!” Marshall says, as he
hugs Hailie and she returns the hug and kisses him on the cheek, as Carly
smiles as warm fuzzy feelings rushes over her, at how much love and tenderness
Marshall has when it comes to his daughter.
“Love you more!” Hailie says after
she kisses him on the cheek again, then looks up at Carly, as Marshall stands
up, and nervously looks at Carly.
“Hour and a half and I’ll call
Aunt Barbara and tell her to have your dinner ready.” Marshall says, as he
looks down at Hailie as she grabs Carly’s hand.
“Okay! Let’s go!” Hailie states in
a grown up tone, getting a little agitated that they’re not at the park yet.
Everyone leaves together. Marshall
stating several more times in the parking lot, hour and a half, and that he
would call Aunt Barbara to let her know what time to expect Hailie home, so she
could have her dinner ready, and reminding Carly in several whispers, never to
let Hailie out of her sight.
Carly pulls out of the parking lot
and glances in the rear view mirror at Hailie in the back seat, who is all
smiles trying to sit up enough to see out the window. Carly says a silent
prayer to herself that the park trip goes well, and for Marshall’s safety in
what he’s about to do.
Marshall watches Carly’s car drive
out of sight, cussing himself for letting Hailie talk him into letting her go
to a public park, but is pulled from his trance as several of his 313 friends
walk up to Proof and him, and one of them hands him a 9 mm semi-automatic.
Ó2002 Nite Storm Productions