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Don’t lie, I’m not.

The truth stuns everyone

By Penelope HenainPublished 3 years ago Updated 3 years ago 12 min read
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Don’t lie, I’m not.
Photo by Majestic Lukas on Unsplash

Memories of my father when he was alive seem so wild and fictitious. I know they are true, I’m sure they are true!

“What did your daddy do now Jessie?” was mockingly spoken so many times by my peers over the years when I would recollect stories about my father.

The stories I wanted to share were prompted by topics being spoken about in general conversation.

Once, my friends were buying a motorbike, which reminded me of the time my father pulled an old rusty blue dirt bike out of the shrub. The little motorbike belonged to my fathers wealthy friend, it had stopped working a few years earlier and his kids had just dumped it out in the back paddock. The little blue motorbike was overgrown with weeds and just left to rot with no future.

As I started to tell the story of the little blue bike, I was interrupted.

“What did your daddy do Jessie? Did he have magic powers and make the little blue motorbike work again?” spoken in a hostile belittering tone by a short skinny dark haired and pimply 16 year old boy called Fred.

Fred had been in all my classes at primary school, his mother Donna, was friends with my mother. Fred and I knew each other’s family, so I thought.

“Well no, my father didn’t have magic powers but he was super clever and could fix anything” I said defensively.

“Oh yes Jessie, he can build cars, fix TVs, beat off 6 grown men, catch sharks with his bare hands” Fred said sarcastically with a roll of his eyes.

I looked at Fred with tears swelling in my eyes, I couldn’t believe he was being so mean. My father had fixed his TV for him for free, not long before he had died. That was only 4 years ago, how could Fred forget. Nevertheless, Fred was only one of many who witnessed but would forget the things my father had done.

A few years later, I was sitting with my two best friends and twins Samantha and Jacquline. We were seated with an extended circle of girls discussing what dresses we would wear and what cars we would hire to arrive at the Sheraton on the Hill. Of course I had a memory of my father building a shiny yellow 2 door Holden Monaro in the big red shed in our backyard.

As I started to tell the story of the shiny yellow Holden Monaro I was interrupted by Josie Johnson.

“Really Jessie, your going to tell a silly story about how your daddy built a big fast car all by himself, don’t you know everyone is bored with your fabricated daddy stories” said Josie.

Josie was only new at the school that year, she was instantly popular when she arrived. Josie was absolutely stunning to look at, with her silky long blonde hair, big blue eyes and plump pink lips. Josie was also quite fit and wore all the latest top sports brand clothes. She was also the daughter of someone on a wildlife show.

I wanted to scratch her eyes out, who was she to move to my little town I lived in all my 18 of life and put me down. She had stood up to lean toward me and flap her arms around whilst making a mockery out of me in front of my peers I had been in high school with for 6 years. Had they all been discussing my stories to her. She certainly looked confident when mouthing off at me.

I felt embarrassed and didn’t respond. I held back the tears by staying quiet. I just let my mind recall the shiny yellow Holden Monaro that I had watched my father spend many hours over many years of my childhood working on in the red shed building. Once I was able to help my father.

“Jessie, come and hold this screw in place so I can get the nut on the back from inside the car” my father had once asked of me when I was tottering around him as a 9 year old daddy’s little girl.

The memory made me smile and I knew the story was true. But we had sold the car at Christmas time just after my father had died and before my first year at high school, so none of my new friends ever seen the car. I hadn’t even thought of it until this day. The only person who may have remembered was Fred. But he was no where to be seen at the time of Josie challenging me, and nor would he have stood up for me.

Josie had full attention on her now, she had shut me down and was complete centre of attention for the rest of the girls in the circle. Josie announced that her rich daddy had offered to hold the graduation after party at their place. After all he was famous and they lived in a big house on the waterfront and could accomodate the 52 graduates of that year.

Josie looked at me with a smirk, she had one more dagger she could throw at me and so she did.

“Oh, and my Daddy is the guest speaker at the graduation, he is going to drive me and one other friend to and from the graduation in his real fancy yellow sportscar that he treasures so much and never lets anyone in it because it’s priceless” she stated firmly as she glared at me piercing that dagger deep into my heart.

I surrendered to the scene and left the circle. Josie and her histrionic entitlement behaviour was a battle I did not want to stay in.

The night of the graduation came, my mother had invited her lifelong friend over to celebrate with us, her son Fred had gone to his new girlfriends house. Apparently he was so excited, his girlfriend had changed all arrangements she had previously had in place at the very last minute so they could go together in her Daddy’s yellow sports car.

I had been so busy since the last day of school 2 weeks earlier I had missed the update on who was going with who to the graduation, since I was going with just my two close friends Samantha and Jacqueline. I hadn’t bothered to really keep up on social news. The three of us were preparing for medical school, so we had made a pact to go together as a trio.

Mum and her friend Donna were fluffing over me whilst they both enjoyed a few glasses of Moët champagne, they were gasbagging about everything, so I zoned in and out of their conversation according to any trigger words that kept me interested.

Yellow sportscar triggered my motivation to enter the gasbagging. “ Is Fred with Josie?” I asked bewildered.

“Yes, that’s her name, Fred kept it from me and mentioned it briefly as he scooted out the door today, apparently she is rich, her father is famous and the guest speaker, and driving them to the graduation in his fancy yellow sportscar”

I rolled my eyes, and shook my head. Not that it mattered to me.

“Oh sweetheart, you look beautiful, your father would be proud of you” my mother said as a tear rolled down her cheek “ He had dreamt of taking you in the Monaro to your graduation, but unfortunately” she stopped talking, she had said to much and it was not the time to ruin my makeup as we heard the loud v8 engine of the orange Holden HQ GTS pull up out the front.

The girls and I sat in the back of the car laughing and giggling, feeling pretty cool as we pulled into the Sheraton on the Hill Hotel, our driver opened the door for us to slide out onto the red carpet for our grand entrance, Samantha got out first wearing her olive green silk sweetheart knee length dress, she looked amazing, cameras were flashing and we felt like movie stars.

I had opted to wear a cream halter neck chiffon dress that draped down to my ankles showing only my gold strappy heels when I took a step. I hopped out after Samantha as I was seated in the middle and my flowing dress made it easier to monouver across the seat than Samantha shorter sexier number.

Jacqueline had opted to wear a black suit, so because we all were getting out on the right side she could swiftly get over the seats and join us. The three of us stood proud together to get a photo on the red carpet with the orange classic Holden the highlight of the picture with the manicured gardens overlooking the ocean in the background. It was a spectacular view and a moment I wanted to capture in my memories forever.

The moment was only short as my thoughts and feelings were completely overridden by a familiar sound of the past, I shook my head trying to clear the sound, but it got louder until my hearing and my sight had merged together. A shiny yellow 2 door Holden Monaro was pulling up right behind our hired orange Holden HQ GTS.

My heart was beating so fast, I was confused as our driver wished us all the best and returned to the drivers seat to leave and let the next car and graduates enter. My mind was blank as we were ushered up the red carpet. Cameras were flashing fast, but not at us, we were no longer the movie stars.

I could hardly breathe, I could hardly see as my nervous system was under attack by an array of good and bad memory triggers coming from that car. That was it I was lost and my nervous system had gone into overdrive that what happened from that moment was a complete blur. I had fainted, one minute I am standing at the entrance of the Sheraton on the Hill feeling like a goddess and the next I’m seated in the auditorium for graduation.

Lucky Samantha and Jacquline last name was the same initial as me, we were seated together. But then thinking about it, that’s how we first became friends in the first year of highschool. We had been seated together at the beginning, and here we were at the end.

Gathering my thoughts, embarrassed and unclear of what had just happened, I looked up to the stage to hear the school principle introduce the guest speaker for the evening “Mr Richard Johnson”

“Good Evening Ladies and Gentlemen and Graduates.

I am honoured to be invited to be a guest speaker tonight. To celebrate with you all the completion of your studies, to wish you all the success in the future.

I am especially proud to be here to celebrate this graduation with the daughter of my greatest mentor” said Mr Celebrity Richard Johnson.

I could see Miss Josie Johnson in front of me by two rows sitting proud and upright. I’m sure I could see the movement in her mouth “that’s my Daddy up there”.

Yeah yeah I thought, good for you.

The speaker Mr Richard Johnson continued speaking about his mentor, the man he most looked up to, the man who taught him everything he knew. Apparently he wouldn’t be here today in his position if it wasn’t for this man. My attention had returned to the speaker to listen to what he had to say, so sweet how he has chosen to speak of someone else and not himself. Unlike his grandiose daughter.

“Mr William Smith was the cleverest, and bravest man I ever knew”

Ok Mr Speaker, you have my undivided attention 100 percent. Those words are a major trigger to engage with topic.

“Years ago, many many years ago, before you were all born. I was a ratbag and always getting myself into trouble. One night I was out in the city and 6 blokes jumped me, William had seen the situation, aware I had been mouthing off rude words at the 6 blokes, but William defended me because it was an unfair fight; 6 of them against just me. They didn’t listen to him and ganged up against him, I lay there hopeless but watched William take down the 6 of them. He then came to my aid, told me I was a bloody idiot and we were friends thereafter” said Mr Richard Johnson, my body was quivering, I pinched myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming.

The graduates in the auditorium were silent, they had heard of this story. I knew this story, I had told it like I was there, but I wasn’t. I just believed it was true.

Mr Richard Johnson continued talking saying “William and I were great mates, he introduced me to the sea, we would go boating, fishing and scuba diving. This one time we were just off shore scuba diving when a 1.5 meter shark circled us. I’m not going to lie. I was scared. But William somehow managed to take control of this shark and took it back to shore with his bare hands. I have no idea how he did it. All William said was “Show the shark whose boss”.

The graduates in the auditorium remained silent, they knew some of this same story. I could feel my peers looking at me. Ok, so I wasn’t there, it was before my time. But I knew the story was true.

The speaker continued talking and I was listening, I felt so proud, my tears were rolling down my face and I didn’t care.

“I lost contact with William over the years, I was living overseas, I had just started my segment on the show back here in Australia when I seen an add selling a yellow Holden Monaro. My friend/mentor had spoken about the one he was going to build. I could never build one; only William could. I would have to wait until I could afford to buy one. And tonight I have found out; that the very one I bought, was the one that was built by William himself” said Mr Richard Johnson who also had shiny cheeks from tears.

The graduates looked at me, they looked at the speaker, they looked back at me.

Samantha took my hand and told me that when I had fainted earlier Mr Richard Johnson had immediately got out of the car tocome to check if I was ok.

“But how did he know who I was” I asked Samantha.

“Josie, jumped out of the car, she was horrified at the scene, and said something about how you must of been jealous because you tell lies about your dad building a yellow Monaro or something” said Samantha followed by a giggle.

Samantha continued saying “He asked me your name and I told him. He must of put the dots together, because we all had no idea, and looking at Josie over there, he didn’t tell her either”. Samantha with the biggest smirk she could fit on her face.

“Next time you have a Daddy story Jess, I think people will actually believe you” said Jacquline as we all hugged and shared a very special moment in my life.

Short Story
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About the Creator

Penelope Henain

Writing has been my creative escape since I was a child.

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