CHAPTER 14
Joshua
“What are you doing here, Diana?”
“I—,” Diana begins.
“Everything’s fine, Dave. Brianna’s just spending some time with us this evening.”
“Us? It looks like one big happy family over here. And what do you mean by this evening?”
“I’m not sure what you mean, Dave.”
“Word’s spreading that the two of you were out having dinner at some fancy pants restaurant.”
“Actually it was the three of us.”
“Same difference.”
“I’m babysitting, dad.”
“Seeing that Josh is here I don’t see the need for a babysitter.”
“It’s not that simple,” Diana says.
“Dave,” I say, motioning with my hand to slow down. I turn back towards the girls. “Brianna, can you go up to your room for a little bit? I’ll come and get you real soon and we can watch the rest of the movie.”
“Is everything okay, Joshua?”
“Everything is fine. We just need to talk about some things for a minute. Adult things that aren’t nearly as interesting as the movie. Better if we restart it in a few minutes anyways.’
“Okay.”
There’s an awkward silence as Brianna goes up the stairs to her room. I can hear the creaks of the stairs and I feel like I can also hear the steam whistling out of each of Dave’s ears. He’s so mad his face is turning red.
“Don’t tell me the two of you are up to something,” he says as soon as the door shuts.
“We’re not up to anything, Dave. The three of us went to dinner and we finished earlier than expected. Now we’re back here watching a movie.”
Dave’s gaze shifts to Diana. He’s looking holes right through her.
“What?” she says, as she lifts her palms toward the ceiling.
“I don’t like this.”
“Me watching a movie with a little girl who has no other female figures in her life?”
“So you’re her female figure now, huh?”
“Dave,” I say.
“Shut up and let me talk to my daughter!” he says, turning to look at me. He looks back at Diana. “Are you sleeping with him?”
“Oh my god. Dad!”
I raise my hand toward Dave’s chest.
“I’m sorry, Dave. I know we’ve been friends for a long time…forever really, but you’re out of line. I have to ask you to leave.”
“You’re throwing me out of your house?”
“I’m just saying this is a little too heated right now, and Brianna’s upstairs. We can talk about this another time, but there’s really nothing to talk about.”
“That’s not what I hear. Everybody’s talking from what I hear.”
“People like to gossip. We ran into the mayor and his wife at dinner. Actually we didn’t run into them. He came over and started prying right away looking for a headline to take the attention off the poor job he’s been doing since he took office.”
“Where there’s smoke, there’s fire.”
“Not now, Dave. Please. Just go.”
“Let’s go, Diana.”
I turn back and look at Diana. “It’s your decision.”
“Are you trying to tell my daughter what to do?”
“She may be your daughter, but she’s an adult. She can make her own decisions.”
“Now Diana!” Dave says.
“I’m shutting the door, Dave.”
I begin to move the door, but he doesn’t budge. This is escalating fast, and I don’t need a scene. This would be an absolute parenting fail if I handle this situation with violence, especially with Brianna just upstairs.
“Wait! I’m coming,” Diana says.
“Diana, you don’t have to—”
“I know. I, I, I just should go,” she says as she jumps up from the couch and shoots toward the front door.
She darts past Dave and I and is running across the grass in no time flat.
“See what you did?” Dave says.
“Good night, Dave,” I say.
He stares at me one last time, before turning to walk away.
I look down at the remote which controls the sprinkling system in the front yard.
I put my thumb on the button, but then quickly drop the remote.
“What’s gotten into me? What’s gotten into Dave?”
It’s obvious. Diana’s not his little girl anymore, and he feels a power struggle. It’s only complicated by the fact that I’m his best friend…and it’s not hard to see there appears more going on here than we led on. Appears to be going on that is, because nothing’s happened…yet.