Find Me At the Disco, page 1
Find Me
At The
Disco
a novel
Diahanna Aurora Hampton
Copyright © 2024 by Diahanna Aurora Hampton
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law. For permission requests, contact hello@diahannaaurorahampton.com.
The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this production are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred.
ISBN: 979-8-218-44736-6
Cover and interior design by David Provolo
Part One
lIZA
Chapter One
June, 1977
Liza fidgeted in her seat while the principal made the opening speech. She was graduating from secondary school this morning. And she had been looking forward to seeing her father. Liza was giddy with excitement at the prospect of seeing him for a long time. He was all she had after her mother’s death. It made her wonder what her mother would have looked like had she lived. Liza's memory was of no use; Liza was still a baby at the time of her passing and her father never had pictures of her mother around the house.
Liza turned her head to scan the crowd, but she wasn’t sure if she would even recognize him. They weren’t communicating much in the past few years. The last picture of she had of them was from Christmas of ’75. Liza stopped going home for the holidays due to her father working late hours. He had no free time or room for her in his schedule.
She spent the last few holidays and school breaks with friends to ignore her father’s absence. But it only made it more prominent. It would be a long time coming to see him face to face after all this time. Then the night before, Liza received a call at her dorm from his secretary. Her father would miss her ceremony and meet her at JFK airport instead. She’d spent weeks looking for the perfect dress and telling her friends all about her father. Liza felt silly for getting excited in the first place and bragging about her father making an appearance. But she was hoping he would surprise her anyway; have his camera ready for pictures and meet her friends and their families.
Liza returned to scanning the crowd, trying to hold on a glimmer of hope that her father would show.
When the principal ended his opening speech and introduced the next speaker, Liza turned her attention back to the stage. The principle shook hands with a faculty member before taking his seat. After the claps subsided, the woman began the commencement speech.
Liza wasn’t focused or listening the speech. The whole time she thought about how much she wished both of her parents be there. She imagined what it would be like to hear them say how proud they were, and take family photos.
When the ceremony ended, Liza found her friends and they took pictures with Liza’s camera. When the other girls went to look for their families, Isabelle stayed behind. She and Liza were roommates and the closest in their group.
“Can you believe we’ve finally graduated?” Isabelle said. “Now, we’re real women. Ready to take on the world!”
“Or college at least,” Liza replied playfully.
“That too! Are you sure you can’t switch to Penn?”
When they’d first applied to colleges, Isabelle had tried to get Liza to look Penn, too, but Liza was dead set on a school in New York City.
“I’m sure.”
Isabelle frowned and leaned forward to give Liza a hug. “I’m really going to miss you. We’ll talk though, right?”
“Of course we will!”
Even as she said it, Liza knew she was lying. This past year she had been anticipating her move back to New York and focused on getting a fresh start. Liza would miss Isabelle, but didn’t see her friends staying in touch, as they all were going to different colleges.
Isabelle’s family approached them as they broke apart. She watched Isabelle’s family congratulate her and take turns hugging Isabelle.
“Liza! Congratulations, sweetie. You look so beautiful.”
Isabelle’s mother came to her for a warm hug.
“Thank you,” Liza said.
She briefly closed her eyes, taking in the embrace and imagining it was from her mother. Isabelle’s father and older sister followed suit with their hugs.
“I’m so sorry your father couldn’t make it. It would have been so nice to meet him.”
As if she wasn’t feeling lonely enough, she felt exposed by the obvious void that was her father. Liza gave a smile and luckily Isabelle jumped in to change the subject.
Liza looked around as Isabelle took the attention off of her. She was looking at the group of teachers and faculty intently, when Isabelle’s laugh brought her back to their circle. Liza smiled and tried to be more present. However, her mind was far away.
Isabelle and her family couldn’t make up for the disappointment and loneliness she felt in her heart. She felt awkward being the only student who had no family there to congratulate her. Liza only had one parent in her life, and he couldn’t make it to her most important milestone.
If her mother hadn’t died when she was so young, Liza might have had the chance to grow up without missing both parents.
She often wondered about her mother since her father rarely talked about her. Did she have blonde hair? Or dark brown curls like Liza did when she was younger? How did her mother and father meet? Why didn’t her father talk about her?
Liza was going to get answers when she made it back to New York.
x
When the plane landed that late afternoon, wet and windy weather greeted her. Not her idea of a homecoming, but she was too excited to be back to care. When Liza walked out of the airport, looking around for her father. She’d pictured him waiting for her in the terminal, but she didn’t spot him. After several minutes, she was about to go back inside when a taxi pulled up in front of her. The door swung open as her father got out of the car and opened an umbrella, a big smile on his face. His dark hair was slicked back in a side part, and his familiar blue eyes looked back at her. Liza ran to him, and he wrapped his free arm around her.
“Welcome home, darling,” he said.
They hugged while the driver put her bags in the trunk. The rain came down hard around them, but she wasn’t ready to let go of her father or the moment. Even with the rain and the grimy smell of the city, she recognized his signature scent of leather and musk. He was the first to pull away and suggest they get going. When they were inside the car, Liza finally got a good look at him. He appeared older than she remembered, but he was still exceptionally handsome. His hair was thick and revealed no signs of gray among the dark locks.
“I’m sorry I had to miss your graduation. Something came up at the office last minute and ––”
“I’m so happy to be home,” she interjected. She didn’t want to hear his excuse for missing an important moment in her life. Liza had cooled off a bit during the 6-hour plane ride. “It’s been so long, and I’ve really missed you and Irene and the city.”
She wanted to avoid talking about the graduation ceremony he missed. Instead, Liza beamed at her father as the cab pulled onto the busy street.
“Your mother would be so proud of you.”
“I wish she could have seen me graduate,” Liza said solemnly.
“I know. But she’s always with you in spirit. Don’t forget that.”
Her father used to always tell her that and sometimes gave Liza comfort to know her mother was watching her.
The traffic lights and honking horns surrounded them as they crossed the bridge. While the sound was different from London, she found it comforting.
“I’m glad you’re home,” he said. “And now that you’re here, I want you to be careful. The city has changed quite a bit in the past few years. It’s very different from London.” Her father had a serious look on his face despite the warmth in his eyes.
“I don’t want you to be shocked by what you see,” he continued. “And I want you to be smart about what you do, where you go, and with whom you go out. It’s not as safe as it once was.”
“Dad, I’ll be fine,” she assured him. “I’m not a little girl anymore. I can handle it. Besides, I have you to protect me,” she grinned as she hooked her arm around his.
Her father pressed a kiss on top of her head in response. He squeezed her tighter before pulling away. Liza had high hopes now that she was staying for good. She looked forward to making up for lost time.
“So, what are your plans now that you’re finally home?” he asked. “You must have made a list of summer activities to look forward to.”
“Dad, I just got back!” she exclaimed playfully. “I don’t have any plans set. I want to enjoy being home and spending as much time with you.”
He furrowed his brow. “I know, but I’ll be working a lot. You’ll have to find something to do while I’m busy.”
“You won’t be working all the time, will you?” she pouted. “I haven’t seen you since —” she paused, trying to remember the last time they saw each other.
“It’s been awhile… Can’t you take a day off
?” she asked.
“I can’t, darling,” he said. “There’s so much to be done at the office. I know we haven’t been together for a while, but I do have business to take care of. Irene will be around to spend time with you. She’s been looking forward to seeing you.”
Although she was happy to see their housekeeper, Liza slumped in her seat. She turned away from him and looked out the window of the cab as the rain came down harder. She bit the inside of her cheek to keep herself from crying. All her excitement faded away as soon as she heard her father make an excuse to run back to the office.
Couldn’t he just spend one whole day with her? She thought.
It was like nothing changed even though she had come back. She had been counting down the months for this reunion, but it felt more like déjà vu—her father pushing her away when she wanted to be closest to him. Liza had felt it for the first time when he first told her she was going to a different school.
“But why do I have to go away? I want to stay here with you!” she insisted.
Liza was in tears after Will told her she would be attending boarding school in London. Her big blue eyes stared at him. He picked her up and brought her to his lap. He rubbed her back as she hiccupped from crying too hard.
“Darling, it’s what’s best for you. And I’ll write as often as I can.”
It killed Liza to know that she was being sent away. She was so attached to her father. But at the time, she was too young to know about his disagreements with his parents regarding her. Likewise, she didn’t understand his reason for her attending a proper boarding school away from the city.
“But I don’t want to go to London. Why must I go? Don’t you love me?” she asked through tears.
Liza’s cheeks were red, and when she cried harder, Will wrapped his arms around her and kissed her temple.
“Of course, I love you, darling,” he consoled. “I’m doing what’s best for you. We’ll go together. I’ll get you all settled in. And we can bring Irene with us. What do you say?” he asked.
Liza sniffled as she looked up at her father. “When do I have to go?” she asked, afraid of the answer.
“Not until September. We have all summer to spend time together, just you and me. We can do anything you want.”
She looked thoughtfully for a moment. Will smiled down at Liza and squeezed her tight.
“Oh, my darling. Everything is going to be fine. I promise. How about we grab some ice cream? A nice big sundae,” he offered.
She wiped her nose and frowned before she shook her head.
“Oh, come on,” her father continued. “I’ll let you get anything you want.”
Even though she was ten at the time, she knew what her father was doing. But she eventually gave in and quietly nodded her head.
That summer, Liza and her father spent their weekends together. He always made them breakfast before taking her to Bryant Park early enough to beat the afternoon crowd. Sometimes he would leave work early, and they took trips to the Hamptons and relaxed on the beach. Those weekends were her favorite—the way the water rushed toward the beach and soaked her feet as she ran along the shore. How the breeze felt as it blew through her clothes. It was the last time Liza remembered the two of them being inseparable.
Liza was brought back to the present when there was a loud blare of a car horn.
“I know it’s disappointing,” her father said, the worry in his voice evident. “But we’ll have lunch tomorrow. I don’t have any meetings or calls, so I’m free to leave the office.”
It was insulting to be squeezed into his schedule, but she also wanted to take advantage of the time she could get. That would be the perfect time to bring up her questions. She turned back around to face him long enough to give a subtle nod before returning her gaze back to the rain outside, a stream of tears running down her cheek.
Liza could focus on her writing. She wouldn’t wait around for him, and she needed a plan. She could start looking for work as perhaps. Liza didn’t know where to start but she wanted to have an exciting summer.
They arrived home around dinnertime, but Irene couldn’t stay to make their dinner. As Liza entered her home, she looked around to see what was both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. The wallpaper was the same pattern, but the furniture appeared more modern. Her father led the way and brought her bags to her room.
Liza was pleasantly surprised. Her father kissed her on the cheek and let her get settled into her space. Once alone, she looked around in amazement. There were a lot of alterations since the last time she’d been there. It was simple, chic, and full of furniture that she would have picked out herself. The room was off-white with accents of pink, her favorite color. She knew it was Irene’s doing and she thought at least someone had thought about her homecoming. She would have to thank Irene when she saw her in the morning.
After unpacking some of her things, Liza lay and looked around her new room. She smiled to herself, thinking how surreal it was to be back. She had dreamed about this day for a long time, and now that it was finally here, she didn’t know what to do with herself. The plan was for her to come home, attend college in the fall, and study journalism or English.
But as she thought about it, it wasn’t exactly what she wanted anymore. She had put in so much work to get into Marymount Manhattan College, so she could be closer to home, but now she was having second thoughts. After the lackluster welcome from her father, she felt a bit lost as to what to do with her life.
Her priority was to have a better relationship with her father. And maybe at lunch she could convince him to take some time off. Perhaps they could go bike riding to Bryant Park or take a trip to the beach, just like old times. And maybe her father would tell her everything about her mother.
Will
Chapter Two
From the moment he saw her standing outside the airport, Will saw how beautiful his daughter was. After all these years, she had grown into a lovely young woman. Will saw her mother’s features when she came closer to hug him. He would always see her as the little girl who had followed him like a lost puppy, and some part of him wanted to relive those moments. When she was younger, she looked more like Will: a mini-me with his eyes, thick brows, and chin. But now, it was clear she had a good mix of both her mother’s and his features.
Will wasn’t sure that he should have sent her away. When Liza was beginning to look more and more like her mother, he wanted to protect her. He did what he thought was the right thing. Most people were like his parents and didn’t accept Liza who was born out of wedlock. But there was more to it.
Their relationship had suffered the last few years, especially after she chose to spend holidays and vacations with friends. But he didn’t blame her, as he often worked during her time home. Although he focused on fixing the company’s financial issues, he didn’t mean for her to become distant. Will was happy she was back, and he looked forward to making up for lost time. He had some news to share with her. But he had to finally tell her the truth about her mother.
“Good morning!” Liza came into the dining room with a bright smile on her face.
He put down his newspaper and smiled back. She was in her robe and came around to peck a quick kiss on Will’s cheek.
“Good morning, darling. How did you sleep?” he asked.
“I slept fine. Irene did an amazing job. I love my new room!” She beamed as she slid into the chair across from him and reached over to pour herself a cup of juice.
Liza sounded more upbeat than she did last night, but Will could still tell something was wrong.
“What’s bothering you, sweetheart?”
“Nothing. It’s just…never mind.” She brushed it off and turned back to the glass in front of her.
Will wanted her to tell him whatever was going on. “Darling, if something’s bothering you, you can tell me,” he explained.
“It’s nothing. I’m just hungry,” she said, reaching for some toast and buttering it.
Will was about to continue the conversation when Irene burst into the room.
Her face held a broad smile. “Liza! It’s so good to see you, honey,” she exclaimed with delight.
