Stolen Kisses Read Free Page B

that the rest of his life would take.
Jenny wasn’t aware of this. She was sure that his absence was his way of
punishing her and that she would never be able to gain his trust and love
again. She didn’t even know what Geoff’s thoughts about her were. Was it the
end of their life together?
     
                 
It was the next day, late afternoon that Jenny heard her father arrive home.
She had been in her room still devastated from what had happened and warily
descended the stairs to meet him. But her fears and devastation evaporated as
he took her in his arms. She felt his tears on her cheek as he embraced her
with the strength that she remembered as a child and the sense of protection
she used to get from him was there again. The relief that he was no longer
angry with her was overwhelming and she too shed tears as they hugged.
     
                
He pulled away. “I’m so sorry,” he said, “I have been such a fool. I hadn’t
realized what a poor father I had turned into. I didn’t mean to be a bad father.
The blame for all this is mine.”
     
                
“No, Daddy, it’s not true,” Jenny tried to reassure him.
     
                
“It is, Jenny. When your mother died I became so self absorbed, so self pitying
that I neglected you. Neglected the only thing I had left.” He slumped heavily
into a chair. “If only I had taken a step back at the time and realized that I
still had you. That I still had a big responsibility and that you must have
been missing your mother as much as I. You must hate me, but I am going to make
it up to you”
     
                
“It’s okay, Daddy, I don’t hate you, I love you and always will,” Jenny
suddenly felt so grown up as she held her father’s face in her hands and looked
into his eyes, “we will get through this.”
     
                
“I know and I have already started making things right. I have resigned from
the bench and . . .”
     
                
“Oh, no. You can’t.”
     
                
“I already have,” he said, “I was going to retire at the end of this year,
anyhow. I have just brought it forward by a few months. You see, I need the
time to catch up with my daughter. I need to spend more time with you. Besides
I still have the law practice, although it will be more an advisory role for me
now. We have other, younger lawyers who can spend their days in court. I am
sure that you will be sick of the sight of me after having me around for most
of the day”
     
              
“That will never happen,” Jenny said, “we have a lot to make up for.” 
     
                
For the first time since her mother had died Jenny now saw her father as he
really was. Not as a tyrant, but as a lonely man, pathetically eager for the
same love and understanding that she always wanted. She knew everything would
be all right now.
     
                
“The first thing I am going to do as a retired judge,” he said, suddenly
smiling, “is help the less well off in our society with their education. Like
the teenagers that live on the housing estate. Did you know that most of them
don’t get a college education because their parents can’t afford it? I am going
to make sure that changes.”
     
                
“Oh,” Jenny said, “can you afford to do that?”
     
                
“I won’t be doing it alone. There are many successful businessmen in this town
and together we have a collective responsibility to help the underprivileged.
In fact, we have found our first student who will benefit from this financial
sponsorship. He is coming to see me later to discuss the details.”
     
                
Just then the chimes of the front door sounded. “That might be him now. I’ll
like you to meet him and give me your opinion.”
     
                
“I don’t have enough knowledge to give a fair