JC sat alone in his empty house and wondered when it would be filled with his daughter’s laugh, if she was still alive that is. He tried not to think negatively because he didn’t need it, but it could be possible that Alexandra was no longer alive, but something inside him didn’t believe that.
He had kept a room especially for her, every year updating it so that it would match her age. Now his daughter would be fifteen going on sixteen, and if Joel was successful, she would be home with him and know who he was.
JC also knew that Laney most probably had influenced Alexandra against him, because to be honest Laney had never really been happy. She was always jealous of the fact that JC made more money then her, that he was famous. She would get jealous of the other guys, never wanting him to spend time with them, and that was something he couldn’t live with.
So he’d asked for a divorce, much to Laney’s disgust, and when it was over he fought for custody for their daughter, Alexandra. Because on top of everything, Laney was also an alcoholic who was psychologically unstable, and as the court ruled, she was not a suitable guardian for Alexandra. But for some odd reason, Laney did not agree with the courts, and on the day JC went to pick up his little girl from the house she’d grown up in, she was not there. Nothing of hers was left, not even a memory.
“Josh?” Alexa’s voice broke through his thoughts as JC was doing some paper work for the investigation to find his daughter.
“Yeah?” JC asked looking up to see Alexa’s head poking through the door; he smiled at the sight of her.
“Are you busy?” she asked shyly and JC shook his head.
“Nah, not really just filling out some paper work, come in,” he replied closing the file he was writing in and turned his full attention to her. “What’s going on?”
“I don’t want to disturb you,” she said shyly taking a few steps into the room, JC waved her off and gestured for the seat next to him.
“Nah, you’re not disturbing me. Actually I could use a break,” he said stretching. “Come on in.” Alexa smiled shyly and walked into JC’s office at the Compound where Johnny had all his business run from.
“Thanks,” Alexa said shifting her guitar from her shoulders and sitting down. “Wow, this is a nice office; did you win all those awards?” JC blushed and looked behind him to where she was gesturing to all the Nsync awards and Gold records hanging on the walls and in the one glass cabinet in the corner.
“Yeah I guess you could say that. When I was in the band with my friends,” JC said modestly and Alexa smiled.
“It must have felt great to be so recognised in the industry. I wish one day that’d be me,” Alexa said still in awe of his accomplishments.
“And one day you will be,” JC told her, “Just give it time. So what can I do you for?”
“Oh,” Alexa said blushing, “I was actually wondering if you could help me out a bit. I was working on a song last night and kindda got stuck for a verse, I mean I have the chorus down and everything, it’s just this one verse.”
“Sure. I’d love to, let’s hear what you have so far,” JC said gladly. Alexa nodded and picked up her guitar, and began to warm it up.
“It’s a song about my father,” she said softly. JC smiled at her as she began to sing, there was something very melodic about her voice, something soothing and calm, he almost forgot what he was doing.
“I remember Daddy’s hands,
Folded silently in prayer,
And reaching out to hold me,
When I had a nightmare,
You could read quite a story,
In the callousness and lines,
Years of work and worry,
Had left their mark behind.
I remember Daddy’s hands,
How they held my Mama tight,
And patted my back,
For something done right,
There are things I’ve forgotten,
That I loved about that man,
But I’ll always remember,
The love in Daddy’s hands.
Daddy’s hands,
Were soft when I was cryin’,
Daddy’s hands,
Were as hard as steel when I’d done wrong,
Daddy’s hands,
Weren’t always gentle but I’d come to understand,
There was always love in Daddy’s hands.
I remember Daddy’s hands,
Working till they bled,
Sacrificed unselfishly,
Just to keep us all fed,
If I could do things over,
I’d live my life again,
And never take for granted,
The love in Daddy’s hands. “
Alexa finished her song and looked up to JC with expectant eyes, he felt something familiar about what she’d sung and at the same time very sad.
“Well what do you think?” Alexa asked after a moment of silence, JC snapped out of his trance and looked at her tears brimming his eyes.
“I think it was amazing,” JC said softly and Alexa blushed.
“Thanks, but I don’t know how to end it,” she said and JC frowned.
“I think its perfect just the way it is, don’t change it. You must have gone through a hard time when he left,” JC said and Alexa nodded.
“Yeah, I did. I couldn’t really understand why he did it, but I’ve always known that deep down he’s always loved me, I don’t care what my mother says,” Alexa added softly. JC smiled sadly at her realizing what she’d just said.
“You’re mom doesn’t think he was a good guy?” he asked softly and she shook her head.
“No, she thought he didn’t love us, she said he left us because he had more important things to do, but I doubt that’s true,” Alexa replied and JC could tell she was about to cry. He got up and walked to her side of the desk and hugged her, something she wasn’t expecting.
“I’m really sorry Alexa, that you had to go through that,” JC said softly rubbing the young girl’s hair. Alexa smiled and pulled away from him.
“It’s okay,” she said now embarrassed. “I just know that one day he’ll come looking for me.”
“He will,” JC said trying to encourage her, “I’m sure he loves you.”
“Me too Josh,” Alexa said. “Me too.”
