LINDSEY
With my shoes in one hand and my jacket in the other, I tried my hardest to open the front door quietly. It was 3:00 in the morning, my father must’ve been asleep by now.
As I sneaked through the living room, the lights went on.
“Were you out at this hour, young lady?” my father inquired.
I stopped short, balancing in an awkward position like a cartoon character. I turned slowly to him.
“Are you up at this hour, Mister?” I countered.
“Point taken. How was the party?”
“Nothing special,” I sighed and dropped my load. “I only stayed because I didn’t want to leave Melissa alone.”
He nodded. “Want a drink?”
“No, thanks. Had enough for the night.”
“Whatever did I do to deserve such a good daughter? Doesn’t drink too much, elite college student, beautiful like a princess.”
“Yeah, yeah, Dad. Flattery won’t get you out of explaining yourself.”
He dropped his head, defeated.
“Work,” he said quietly.
“What? Dad! I told you to take it easy. How many times did I tell you that?”
“I know, honey, but I have a big case that I need to prep for and...”
“Michael Samuel Wesley!”
“I’m sorry, my bad. I promised you something and I didn’t keep my word.”
“Damn right!”
“Language, young lady!”
Our game always amused me and today was no different. I finally started laughing.
“Is that drink still on the table?” I asked, approaching him.
“Wine?”
“Please. So, how’s Karen?”
“She’s fine.” His voice said different.
“Dad, what happened?”
“We’re fighting again. Nothing big, just the usual.”
I could see he was trying to act like everything was normal, but I knew he was stressed out.
“Does she have a reason to be upset?” I asked after a while.
“You know me, sweetie. I would never cheat on a woman.”
“Then, what is it?”
He exhaled loudly and leaned against the mahogany bar.
“She saw me have dinner with Clarice.”
“First of all, how did she?”
“I might’ve had reservations at the restaurant across from where Karen works.”
“That wasn’t your smartest move. Now, second, what the Hell were you doing with your ex?”
He pursed his lips, embarrassed.
“She told me she wanted to talk. She might’ve suggested she was pregnant.”
“What?”
“She’s not. She had a miscarriage, but she wanted me to know.”
“And you believe her?”
I challenged him as he looked me in the eyes. He knew my opinion about Clarice, I never liked her.
“She might’ve had her flaws, but you know she wanted a baby.”
“Irrelevant. Even if the pregnancy were true, which is a big if, you don’t know whether the child was yours or not. Besides, she miscarried.”
“That’s mean, honey.”
“Well, she was mean. She lied to you, she stole from you, and now I can bet that all she wants is more money. Did she ask?”
He remained silent.
“Oh, my God, Dad! She did! And you gave it to her.”
Out of frustration, I started pacing the room.
“I told you; you should vet your girlfriends better. You’re a successful layer, widow, with almost no obligations, and everyone wants a piece of that. Everyone!”
“Everyone?”
I shook my head. “You’ve been dating Karen for long enough for her to ask for money. I know she hasn’t done it yet but, then, again, you might not be telling me everything.”
“I am. And I think Karen is nice enough. It’s just...”
“She’s too friendly? Too warm? She can take care of herself? Oh, no, it must be the fact that she hasn’t asked for your money in six months! I mean, what is wrong with her? Doesn’t she know she’s supposed to?”
“Don’t mock me, sweetie.”
I took a deep breath. Against my instincts, I had to trust my father. Despite his bad track record.
“I’m sorry. You know I don’t want you to get hurt again, right?”
“I know, honey. And I’m not breaking up with Karen. I’ll try to work things out.”
He seemed sincere enough, but something was still making him sad. I came back to his side and leaned my head against his shoulder.
“You just make sure you take care of yourself. And don’t hurt anyone who doesn’t deserve it,” I concluded and finally took the first sip of my wine.
“I will.”
We spent a minute drinking in silence, listening only to the noise of the street. I was getting sleepier by the minute so I excused myself and headed for the stairs.
“Oh, honey, I almost forgot! Karen is coming by Friday. She’s bringing her son, Adam. He just got back from his deployment yesterday.”
“Awesome! Big family dinner then.” The idea excited me more than I realized. Most of my friends had siblings and I had always been a bit jealous of that. I truly hoped Adam met my high personal standards, for the sake of harmony. And probably world peace, since I had a tendency to be over dramatic.