I’d heard early on Saturday that Traci, my former step-daughter, was planning on comming to the party. I was thrilled – I hadn’t seen her in 3 years. Not for lack of trying, but because she didn’t want to see me. At least that’s what I had always been told.

I took a truckload of things to store at Jessica’s house today. Jessica lives close to where Traci works and I thought I’d stop by on my way out. I figured if she was considering coming to the party Saturday, she wouldn’t be upset I came to her.

I stopped in and ordered a coke and didn’t even recognize her. She knew it was me, though. She’s grown a lot since I saw her. She was only a gawky 13 then and now, at 17, she’s a very beautiful young lady.  We chatted cordially, laughed a little, smiled and as I was about to go, I asked if I could take her picture. She offered to have her coworker take a picture of us both. Bonus, I thought, so I waited while she went in to ask. And I waited and waited. And then I waited some more.

After about 10 minutes, her mother drove up. She came up to my car and with teary eyes explained that Traci was just not ready to see me, that she was in the back crying and wasn’t coming out.

I drove away disappointed and perplexed. I never did anything to that child to make her cry. The only thing I’d ever heard over the past three years as to why Traci wouldn’t email or call or respond to mine was that “she was too upset over the way I’d treated her mother.”  It makes me think now that whatever Kelly thinks was so horrible that I’d done to her has somehow twisted in her mind or that she’s twisted Traci’s mind. Someone has blown up whatever story there was to monumental proportions.

But it still seems odd that she would consider coming to the party Saturday, act friendly and cordial when I saw her at work and then be reported as crying and upset when I show up. I say reported because I didn’t see her cry. In fact, I’ve never heard Traci say she didn’t want to see me. I’ve only heard from her mother that Traci didn’t want to see me.

Maybe its time for a poll on what’s going on with Traci.