Shameless AF: Dad of the Damn Multiverse

Chapter 57: An Unfit Father

"You're Karen's father, right?" The teacher greeted Frank warmly.

"Yes, yes. Thank you for taking care of Karen at school," Frank said, shaking the teacher's hand with practiced politeness.

It was clear the teacher had never met Officer Eddie and mistook Frank for Karen's biological father. Just like the old Frank, Eddie had never once shown up at school—no wonder the teacher didn't recognize him.

"And these are...?" the teacher asked, glancing at Fiona and the others.

"Oh, these are my kids too—Fiona and Carl. Karen's big sister and little brother," Frank replied casually.

"Oh, really? I didn't know Karen had siblings," the teacher said without suspicion.

Fiona instinctively wanted to explain, but considering Karen's situation, she kept quiet.

"She's not my—" Carl started to speak but was quickly silenced by Frank, who covered his mouth.

"Be good, and I'll read you a monster story tonight," Frank whispered.

"From the notebook monsters?" Carl's eyes lit up.

"Yep," Frank nodded.

"Sorry about that. Carl's a bit moody today—got called in by his teacher earlier. He's just upset over some family stuff. Come on, Carl, say 'sister.'" Frank nudged him.

"...Sister," Carl muttered.

"This is a friend of mine. Just came along to keep me company," Frank said, gesturing briefly to Officer Eddie, offering no further details.

"Thanks, Dad," Karen said sweetly, hugging Frank's arm and flashing a grateful smile. As she did, she glanced curiously at Eddie, who was disguised as a passerby. Even with sunglasses on, she could feel his eyes on her.

"Ahem... Maybe wait outside for now," Frank said to Eddie, who was drawing too much attention. Eddie hesitated but eventually left the classroom, choosing instead to listen in from the hallway.

"You should be very proud of your daughter," the teacher said. "She's bright, poised, energetic, imaginative, and has a rich vocabulary. If she keeps this up, she can definitely get into a top university—her future is limitless."

The teacher's praise was effusive and sincere. It was obvious she truly believed in Karen's potential.

Karen had great rapport with her classmates, and her grades were stellar. With Lip, the family's academic star, tutoring her almost daily, she ranked among the top students in her grade.

As far as the teacher was concerned, Karen was as close to perfect as a student could be.

Her personal life didn't concern the teacher much. As long as Karen wasn't pregnant or dropping out, she was a good kid. Frankly, compared to some of the other girls at school—who were often seen in the bathroom holding babies or pushing strollers—Karen's private life was squeaky clean.

"Hey, keep going—say more nice things," Frank said, pulling out a camcorder and pointing it at the teacher.

"What's this for?" the teacher asked, puzzled.

"It's for Karen's mom. She couldn't be here due to… circumstances. But she really wants to know how Karen's doing in school. Thanks for helping us out," Frank explained.

"Oh, I see!" The teacher smiled and gladly repeated more glowing comments for the camera.

After chatting for a while, other parents began to arrive, and the formal parent-teacher conference started. During the session, Karen was singled out for praise once again, making Frank feel proud—his presence had actually made a difference.

Frank experienced both ends of the emotional spectrum that day: with Carl, he was nearly kicked out of the school, scolded harshly by the teacher; with Karen, he was showered with compliments and admiration.

"You need to learn from your sister," Frank said, ruffling Carl's hair. "If one day your teacher brags about you the way Karen's teacher brags about her, I could die with a smile on my face."

Fiona didn't react much, but Karen, who had been beaming with joy, suddenly looked a little sad when she heard Frank's words—like something had just occurred to her.

"It's getting late. You take Carl home—I'll walk Karen back," Frank told Fiona outside the school gates.

Handing the DV tape to Karen, he said, "Give this to your mom. It might lift her spirits. People are gone when they're gone—but this might help her find peace."

"Thanks, Dad. Compared to that old bastard, you're way more like a real father," Karen said, hugging Frank tightly. Her eyes were red.

"Alright, no tears. You're gonna smear your makeup, my sweet, smart, beautiful Karen," Frank said gently, patting her back.

After watching Karen go inside, Eddie finally stepped out from the shadows and walked over.

"Anything you want to say now?" Frank asked him.

"I really haven't been a good father," Eddie replied, staring at the house with a complicated expression.

Because of the nature of his job, Eddie was rarely home and never got involved with school matters. On his days off, he either went fishing or attended church.

He thought he loved Karen, but today he realized that his so-called love had been shallow. He'd always held prejudice against her, never truly tried to understand or even see her for who she really was.

The Karen the teacher described felt like a stranger—so different from the girl he once called a "slut" during the purity ball debacle that destroyed their relationship.

Remembering that night, he was filled with regret. But now, it was too late to fix anything.

"Please take care of Karen from now on," Eddie said to Frank.

Just like Karen had said: compared to her biological father, Frank felt far more like the real thing.

"I'll do my best," Frank replied. He couldn't promise more—after all, he had cancer and no idea how much time he had left.

After talking with Frank for a bit, Eddie turned and walked away. His final wish fulfilled, he was ready to join John and Dean as a trainee hunter.

Back at home, Sheila lay in bed, clutching Karen tightly as they watched the DV tape. She caressed her daughter's shoulders and kissed her hair, tears in her eyes, overwhelmed with pride.

Seeing her mom watch the video again and again, Karen quietly left the room and returned to her own.

She picked up a book from her desk—its cover was titled with information about cancer.