The loud knock on the door is a cop. Mercedes began to worry after Lexus never came home from work. When curfew came and passed, she made Notzo call dispatch to send a cop to find her.
“There’s some very worried people at home waiting for you young lady!” The cop sternly informs Lexus.
Lexus doesn’t respond. She wonders why the cop feels the need to have the siren on. This is not an emergency and it’s just adding to her embarrassment.
Lexus doesn’t respond. She wonders why the cop feels the need to have the siren on. This is not an emergency and it’s just adding to her embarrassment.
Lexus also wonders why her mother didn’t just call her cell phone. Why waste a call to the cops? She checks her phone and realizes that the battery is dead. She knows that she is in big trouble.
Mercedes stands outside waiting for Lexus as long as she can, before exhaustion takes over.
Notzo gets the call that patrol has found Lexus and is bringing her home safely.
Notzo informs Mercedes that Lexus is on her way home. Mercedes decides to put Taye in bed and go to bed herself. She is so mad at Lexus that she doesn’t want to deal with her right now. If she saw her, she’d probably kill her.
The cop drops Lexus off in front of the house. Lexus realizes that she is very tired. She hopes Mercedes doesn’t lecture her too much. She really wants to go to bed.
Lexus is surprised that It’s not Mercedes who is up waiting for her when she steps out of the police car. It’s Notzo.
“Do you even realize how beside ourselves with worry we’ve been?”
Lexus never thought that Notzo would care if she had disappeared, but his concern seems genuine.
Lexus never thought that Notzo would care if she had disappeared, but his concern seems genuine.
“I’m sorry, I thought it was no big deal!” Lexus answers.
“No big deal? We love and care about you. Of course it’s a big deal!”
“No big deal? We love and care about you. Of course it’s a big deal!”
Lexus repeats this in her head, Love me? Notzo actually loves me.
“I’m sorry, I had no idea,” she answers out loud; her voice filled with shame and surprise at Notzo’s concern.
“I’m sorry, I had no idea,” she answers out loud; her voice filled with shame and surprise at Notzo’s concern.
Notzo would love to grab her and hug her because he can see that Lexus has been deprived of fatherly attention and love for so long, but he doesn’t stop her as she runs into the house.
Notzo has never been a man of many words, but in his heart, he loves Lexus as if she were his own child. It’s obvious now that she has never realized.
Lexus runs into the house with tears streaming down her cheeks, but it’s not because she is upset about being in trouble. It’s because she has just discovered that while she was wasting time searching for a dad, she’s had one around all along…in Notzo.
Notzo returns to the house.
He gets in bed; realizing that he has to get better at showing Lexus how much he truly cares about her.
Mercedes sleeps on in peace, knowing that she finally has a partner in raising her children.
Lexus falls asleep with a strange peace in her heart. She knows that her mother will be very angry with her in the morning, but it really doesn’t matter, because Lexus now knows that she lives in a home filled with love…and a step father that cares.
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