Chapter Thirty-Eight
Emily
The next morning, I woke up and found Nina sitting on the living room couch, wrapped in a thick quilt with Howard in her lap as she tapped out messages on her phone.
“You need to call your dad,” I said on my way to the kitchen to make coffee. “Now, Nina.”
“Do I have to?” she whined, as she put the phone down and followed me. She perched on a stool as Howard jumped up beside her and began head butting her to get her attention. Nina giggled and began petting him.
“Yes, young lady, you most certainly do,” I said. “He’s worried about you, and you need to tell him you’re safe.”
“But he’s going to be so mad at me,” she whined.
“You should have thought about that before you disappeared,” I said, a little more sternly than I’d intended. I wasn’t sure how to handle this, and I definitely didn’t want to give her a reason to run again, but I felt strongly about the fact that she needed to call her father and I wasn’t going to back down.
“Fine, I’ll call,” she grumbled, as I handed her a mug of tea and went about making the first pot of coffee of the day.
“The longer you wait, the harder it’s going to be to do it,” I said with my back to her, as I watched the coffee drip into the pot and willed it to hurry up.
I heard Nina move into the other room, and I listened as she made the call. I could only hear her side of the conversation, but I could imagine Blake’s relief on the other end.
“No, I’m fine, Dad,” Nina said. “No, I’m at Emily’s. Last night. Yes, she told me I could!”
I could hear the emotion rising in Nina’s voice as she defended her actions. I knew she was heading in the wrong direction, but I also knew that her father would forgive her once the fear had subsided.
“No, Dad! I’m not going to!” Nina cried, as the conversation continued. “Call her yourself!”
There was silence in the other room. I waited for a minute and then walked in to find the room empty.
“Nina?” I called. “Where are you?”
She didn’t answer, and I breathed a sigh of relief when I heard the shower turn on in the bathroom. Just then my phone began ringing. I knew who it was before I picked it up.
“Emily, why didn’t you call me last night?” Blake shouted before I even said hello. “Jesus H. Christ, you knew how goddamn worried I was and yet you didn’t call? What were you thinking?”
“I…I was just respecting Nina’s request,” I said haltingly, trying to cover my tracks. As soon as I’d said it, I knew it was a mistake. I knew I’d been wrong last night, but I let my hurt feelings and anger get the better of me.
“Goddamn it, Emily!” Blake exploded. “That’s so fucking irresponsible! I’ve been out of my mind worrying about her, and you knew she was safe but didn’t tell me?”
“Blake, listen,” I interjected.
“No, I’m not going to listen to a word you say,” he spat into the phone. “This is so far beyond fucked up! What is wrong with you?”
“Hey! I was just trying to make sure she didn’t run away again!” I yelled, feeling angry at Blake for not being able to see my side of the issue.
“Do you think you can keep her there until I get there to pick her up?” he asked, in a voice that dripped with disdain.
“I’ll do my best,” I replied tartly.
“Yeah, well, we’ve seen that in action, and it doesn’t give me a whole lot of confidence,” he said. “Just don’t fuck this up.”
The line went dead, and I stood there holding my phone as I trembled. I felt humiliated. I stood in the living room breathing deeply until the feeling passed and I could, again, speak in a normal voice. I walked to the bathroom where Nina was still showering.
“Nina, your dad’s on his way to pick you up,” I said, tapping on the bathroom door.
“What? NO!” she cried. The water stopped running and seconds later, Nina burst out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel. “How could you let him come here, Emily?”
“He’s your father, Nina,” I said calmly. “He was very worried about you, and now you have to be accountable for your actions.”
“I cannot believe this!” she shouted, as she flung her dripping wet hair to one side. “You are just as bad as they are!”
Nina stormed into the bedroom and slammed the door so hard the vibration knocked two photos off the wall. I thought about it for a moment, and then decided to leave her alone until Blake arrived. If I stirred things up, it was highly likely that she’d take off again. I looked down the hallway and saw Howard crouched under my bed, anxiously observing the scene.
“Hey, big man,” I said walking toward him. “It’s okay; everything is just fine. Nina’s a little upset, but she’s not mad at you.”
I reached under the bed to pet him and was rewarded with a swift swipe of sharp claws. I gasped and pulled my hand back. Howard had drawn blood. I sighed, “I know, we’re all a little on edge, buddy.”
I was in the kitchen cleaning the blood off my hand when Blake pulled into the driveway. Moments later, he was pounding on the door, calling Nina’s name.
“Hey, knock it off,” I said, opening the door. “My neighbors are going to call the cops if you keep that up.”
“Where’s Nina?” he said, pushing past me to scan the living room.
“She’s in my bedroom,” I said, pointing down the hall. Blake marched over and flung open the door.
“Nina!” he cried, as he gathered her in his arms and hugged her tightly. Nina remained stiff and didn’t hug him back. He didn’t let go, but instead began peppering her with questions, “Where were you? Why didn’t you call? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, Dad,” Nina said impatiently, as she pushed him away. “I was thinking about things. I should have called. I’m sorry.”
“Young lady, we have an entire police force out looking for you,” he said sternly. “Telling me you were ‘just thinking’ is nowhere near good enough.”
“Dad, let it go,” she said, gathering her towels and pulling the blankets up over the bed in an attempt to tidy the room rather than talk with her father.
“I’m sure as fuck not going to let it go!” Blake bellowed.
“Blake, please,” I said, stepping into the room. “She’s been through a lot.”
“You do not get to have a say in any of this!” he roared, as he turned toward me. “You have made this entire goddamn mess 10 times worse by hiding her all night!”
“Hey, I didn’t hide her,” I protested.
“Shut the hell up!” Blake boomed. “You are not her mother! Hell, you don’t even have any kids! How in the fuck would you know what it’s like to worry about them?”
I stood staring at him in shock as he emptied all the worry and fear he’d been holding in on me. I knew what was happening, but I couldn’t believe that less than 24 hours before I’d thought I was in love with this man who was now spewing rage at me. I looked up at him, and then silently turned and walked out of the room.
I waited in the living room until Nina got her things together. When she and Blake emerged, I ignored him and hugged her briefly as I handed her the coat she’d left near the back door the night before.
“I’ll see you in class later,” I said, as I kissed her head and opened the front door.
“Emily…” Blake began.
“Get out,” I said icily.
“Emily, please,” he pleaded.
“I’m not kidding, Blake,” I repeated, in a voice so calm it almost scared me. “Get out of my house.”
He raised his hands helplessly and walked out the door. I closed it quietly, and when I heard the click of the latch, I turned and pressed my back to the door, sliding down until I was sitting on the floor with my head in my hands.
Only then did I cry.