by J. P. Comeau
“You want me to be honest, Richard? Fine. Our daughter is more trouble than she’s worth, and you wouldn’t know it, having spent a handful of sessions with her. She constantly wants attention, and it’s driving me crazy! Maybe if you spent more than an hour with her-“
“Well, maybe if you LET me spend more than an hour with her, ALONE, then I’d know more about her personality! And how dare you talk about our daughter this way. What kind of mother are you?”
“What kind of mother am I? What kind of father are YOU, bringing that slutty yoga instructor on the one session I allowed you to attend without me. Honestly, Richard, I can’t believe you’re questioning any of this right now.”
I could feel the adrenaline pumping through my veins as Heather spoke.
“First of all,” I retorted, “Annie is the sweetest woman I have ever met. She didn’t deserve to be treated that way on Saturday, and you should be ashamed of your behavior. Not only because it was obnoxious, but because Addison had to witness it. Although she’s probably already used to her mother being a psychotic bitch.”
“Alright,” both Danielle and Donald said into the phone.
“Richard, please calm down. This isn’t getting us anywhere.” I listened to Danielle and again slammed the mute button on my phone.
While she and Donald discussed a few things, and Heather and I waited in silence, I pulled out my phone. It was full of pictures from the previous Saturday at the lake. We had felt like such a family, Annie, Addison, and I.
I stared at the picture of Annie standing behind Addison, whose arms were stretched up, and she was smiling at her. Even though they didn’t look alike, anyone would assume they were mother and daughter. It only took a day for them to bond.
Then there was the picture of Annie helping Addison swim. She was a natural at it, too. Holding her waist as they moved toward the deeper part of the lake. Annie had even given Addison a Barbie, which was covered in dirt from Heather's tires as she sped away with Addison in the car.
My favorite picture, however, was my background photo. It was all three of us, standing in front of the lake, smiling for a picture. I had tried making something else my background since we broke up, but nothing made me nearly as happy. Every morning when I woke up, I looked at my phone and smiled.
I had never been that in love before, and it was killing me inside. There were so many times when I had wanted to text or call Annie. The time that I walked past a yoga studio and thought of her, or when I found a vintage clothing store that I knew she’d want to visit. I had even considered buying her a few things that I knew she’d like, but it was too soon. We’d see each other again eventually, but my attention needed to remain on Addison.
“Richard isn’t allowed to see Addison until my client receives her money, Danielle. I’ve made that clear.”
I poured myself another glass of whiskey and then walked over to the windows. There was no point in getting upset with Heather. She was putting her foot down, and I didn’t know how all of it would end. I was adamant that she not receive a lump sum in addition to child support payments, but on some level, I wondered if it’d be worth it just to see Addison.
“Then I guess we’re at a standstill, Donald. I’m sure you understand where we’re coming from, too. Having a child is hard and expensive, but not being told you have a child is selfish and cruel. This has caused my client a great deal of emotional stress that he may never recover from. Not to mention, that by your client's refusal to allow my client to see his daughter, she is defying a court-ordered mandate. Just letting you know. That will be discussed with the judge.”
Ain’t that the truth, I thought while looking out over New York City. I had missed out on some of the most critical years of Addison’s life, like the day she was born, her first steps, and even getting her first tooth. To make matters worse, Heather had been there for all of them and couldn’t care less.
Addison ended up with the wrong parent, and there was nothing I could do about it.
“Heather has also suffered through a tremendous amount of stress, Danielle. She had to be a single parent for several years, all of which wore her down, and that’s one of the reasons she’s sending Addison to boarding school.”
I unmuted my phone again.
“Except she didn’t have to be a single parent,” I said. “Had she reached out to me when she found out she was pregnant, Heather knows damn well that I would have been involved. I would have had no problem co-parenting Addison with her, but that’s not what she chose, Donald. She chose to keep Addison from me, and for what? Because she didn’t want to stay in River Valley?”
Again there was dead silence on the line.
“Why should I have stayed, Richard? To watch you bow down to your father instead of becoming a real man? You’re nothing like Michael! You strung me along for how many years? Of course, I wanted to get out of River Valley.”
“I think we’re getting off track again,” Danielle said.
But I was too angry.
“You’re right, Heather. I’m probably the opposite of him because I’m happy with my life. I’m not stuck with some bitch of a fiancee trying to deceive her ex-boyfriend out of thousands upon thousands of dollars. So no, Heather, I’m nothing like Michael!”
“I think we should call it a day,” Danielle said. “Donald, you and I will be in touch.”
I heard her hang up with them and promptly poured myself some more whiskey. “Are you alright, Richard?”
“No, Danielle. I’m not. I’m the opposite of being alright. I had to break up with Annie because of this whole Addison situation, and it’s all because of Heather. To top it off, I know that I’ll end up paying her exactly what she wants because I have to see Addison.”
“Well, let me see what else I can do. I’ll let you know when our next conference call is, okay?”
“Okay,” was all I could say.
“And please, Richard, no matter what you do, make sure that all contact with Heather and Addison is done through me. I cannot stress this enough. In the eyes of the court, when it comes to these situations, you need to play by the rules at all times.”
“I understand.”
I angrily hung up my phone and sat on the couch, sipping the whiskey as fast as I could. I couldn’t believe that Heather was so cold and heartless, but why wouldn’t she be? That’s how she had always been, but I was simply blindsided by love back when we were together.
My thoughts kept going back to Addison. I couldn’t help but wonder what she was being told. She was young, but still pretty smart. Was Heather telling her that I didn’t want to see her anymore? Or did Addison know that I wanted to see her, but I wasn't allowed to because of legal reasons?
Not knowing was the worst part.
Even though it was still the early afternoon, I put on my pajamas and ordered some food. What I wanted was to be with Annie during all of it, but I kept telling myself that it was for the best. If we didn’t work out and Addison got attached, then it might be too much for her to handle.
But why wouldn’t we work out?
I got into bed and stared at my home screen picture, the one of all three of us smiling when we were at the lake. I never knew that I wanted a family until I met Addison and Annie. As far as I was concerned, I’d spend the rest of my life as a bachelor. I had never gotten tired of my lifestyle until these past few months.
With my eyes focused on the picture of us, I felt myself falling asleep. I didn’t remember all of the details from my dream, but it involved Addison and Annie.
21
Annie
I was in bed and under the covers, curled up in a ball when someone knocked at my door. I refused to answer it, though. If it didn’t involve me using the bathroom or getting something to eat, then I insisted on staying in bed. Losing Richard was one of the most painful experiences of my life, even though it had been my shortest relationship.
Several yoga instructors had gone through training right up until Richard broke up
with me. As soon as that happened, I immediately put them to work. The idea of teaching people how to reconnect with their bodies was the last thing I wanted to do when I couldn't even take care of myself. Instead, I holed myself up in my apartment, under the covers, and alone with my thoughts.
Crystal still didn’t know all of the details about the break-up. I simply told her and the other instructors that I needed time off to work on my product line, but I hadn’t looked at my business plan or any of my products in days. The wallpaper on my laptop was too painful for me to see, and I couldn’t bring myself to put up a new one. It was Richard, Addison, and me at the lake. We looked like the perfect family, smiling at the camera in our bathing suits. The look on Addison’s face was vastly different from when her mother showed up.
Every time I looked at the picture, I could hear her calling me ‘Annie’ in her sweet, adorable voice.
The knocking on my door grew louder and more persistent. I flung back the covers and made my way to the front door. I wasn’t expecting any packages, and I knew better than to find Richard standing on the other side of the door.
I peered through the peephole and saw Crystal, holding a pint of ice cream in each hand.
“Hey,” I said while opening the door. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m here on a rescue mission,” she said.
She barged into my apartment before I could ask her to leave, and I begrudgingly shut the door behind her. I should have expected her to show up after not hearing from me for several days.
“That’s sweet, Crystal, but I’m busy working on my line.” She ignored what I had said and put the ice cream in the freezer, then sat down on the couch and stared at me.
“Bullshit,” she said. “I also brought movies which are in my purse.”
“No, seriously, that’s why I took some time off. I have some ideas for food items, and I need to order more fabric for the yoga pant. Plus, the-"
She held up her hands. “Your laptop is sitting in the corner, fully charged, and your hair looks like you either had amazing sex or haven’t combed it in about a week.”
“That was a bit harsh,” I said, sitting down next to her on the couch.
She put her hands on my knee and rubbed. “Tell me the real reason you took time off, Annie.”
I shook my head. The thought of rehashing everything was too overwhelming. It was hard enough not wondering where Richard was or what he was doing.
“I can’t,” I whispered.
“That’s not what a holistic medical professional says, Annie.”
I laughed a little bit, realizing that she was right. If a student came to me looking the way I did, I'd be concerned too. “I’m just not feeling very ‘zen’ right now.”
“You are one of the strongest women I know Annie, but even the strong ones go through tough times. Talk to me. It’s just us right now, okay?”
I realized that Crystal was hellbent on getting me to talk, and there was little point in pushing her away. So I sat back and closed my eyes, wondering where even to start.
“Remember that night I went to Richard’s house for dinner, after I had been waiting to hear from him all day?” She nodded and leaned into me a little closer. “Well, as it turns out, he wasn’t distant because of our relationship. He had just found out that he had a seven-year-old daughter with his ex-girlfriend, Heather.”
Crystal’s mouth fell open as she gasped.
“It gets better. Not only is Heather demanding back child support for the past seven years, but she also wants an additional lump sum payment and full custody of their daughter.”
Crystal ran into the kitchen, pulled out a pint of ice cream and two spoons, and then raced back to the couch.
“Wait a minute,” she said as we started eating. “Is Heather the one who waited around for, like, five years? Then dumped Richard when he wouldn’t change?”
I nodded.
Crystal took a bite of ice cream, her eyes wide. “I remember you telling me about how stuck-up she sounded.”
“She’s worse than I thought,” I said. “Heather’s made it clear that Addison, their daughter, is too much work, so she and her fiancé are sending her to a boarding school.”
“Is that what she wants the extra money for?”
I shrugged my shoulders, even though Richard and I both suspected that she wanted the money for her wedding.
“Who knows. I think Heather is just trying to milk him dry, then run off with his money and abandon Addison at boarding school.” I put the spoon down as tears formed in my eyes, picturing little Addison far away from her family.
She must have known that Heather didn’t love her. I put my hand over my stomach, wondering how any mother could be so cruel to their child. Crystal leaned forward and hugged me, and we just sat there for a while, rocking back and forth as I sobbed into her shoulder. “I had no idea it was so bad, Annie.”
I pulled away from her and dabbed at my eyes.
“The worst part,” I said in between sobs, “is that Richard doesn’t feel confident that I’d be a good mother figure. How could he even question that, Crystal? He’s seen me with Caley!”
Crystal shook her head. “He’s crazy if he thinks you won’t be a good mom, Annie. You’re practically a mother to all of us at the yoga studio. He’s a fool for breaking up with you!”
As I pulled myself together, I realized that I wasn’t mad at Richard. He was only doing what he felt was best for Addison. In a perfect world, there would be no Heather in between us.
“No, it’s not his fault. Nor is it just me being a stepmother to Addison.”
“Then what is it?”
After wiping my face clean with some tissues, I told her about how obnoxious Heather had been at the lake. That she had been stalking Richard that whole time, along with me, and even called me a ‘slut.’
“Who the hell is SHE calling a slut?”
I put my fingers to my lips, worried that students down below would hear Crystal screaming.
"Sorry, but she doesn't know you."
"She’s just nasty, Crystal. Before Richard came along, I might as well have been a nun. Did I tell you about the time he bought her a Coach handbag, and she complained about the color?”
“Are you serious? I would give anything for a designer handbag of any color!"
I told Crystal how back when they were dating, Heather had made it clear that she loved Coach handbags. She had gone on and on about how badly she wanted one, specifically in black but only this one style. Richard had contacted the store directly, who knew who he was, but they only had that style in beige. Ordering one would take several weeks, and it was their anniversary, so he got her the beige one.
“So there they are, having a romantic dinner at his place, and she flung the handbag at him from across the table because it was the wrong color.”
Both of us shook our heads. Not only was Heather a stuck-up, spoiled woman, but Richard was a genuinely good man who deserved better.
“No wonder she’s a horrible mom,” Crystal said. “Well, I think Richard will come back around. Once the whole child custody legal crap is over with, he'll be able to think straight again. Has anything else happened with your lifestyle line?"
"There is some good news. The investor emailed me and wants me to fly out to New York City. They’re ready to move forward with creating my line, but I need to meet them in person.”
Crystal threw her hands in the air and yelled, “Annie, this is perfect! When you go out there, you can see Richard too.”
I tilted my head at her, confused at what she was saying. “Richard lives here, Crystal. In River Valley.”
“No,” she said, shaking her head. “I heard that he flew out to New York City for business the other day, and this is the perfect opportunity to show him what he’s giving up. Prove to him that you’re not letting go that easily.”
My eyes lit up for a second.
“Annie, he cares about you. That is no question.”
I didn’t even know he had flown to New York City, but then again, his dad had been giving him more work. He was probably staying at his father’s penthouse in midtown Manhattan. I’d never seen pictures of it, but knowing the Truman’s, I'd bet good money that it was gorgeous.
“I don’t know, Crystal. Being confrontational just isn’t my style. Wouldn’t I be acting just like Heather?”
“Confrontational may not be your thing, but I know that you have it in you. Richard probably ended things with you because he didn’t want to hurt you in the long run. Showing up at his doorstep is your chance to show him that you’re worth fighting for and that you two belong together.”
“He made it clear that he doesn’t have time for a relationship right now,” I said.
That was my biggest concern. I knew that we made each other happy, and I never doubted his feelings for me, but relationships took a lot of work. With everything going on in his life, I didn’t want to be a burden.
“If you can run a successful yoga studio and launch a product line at the same time, then he can make time for you. Richard is a good guy, Annie. I say go for it.”
As Crystal fished through her bag to find the movies she brought, I played a few scenarios in my mind.
If I showed up to his place and he was happy to see me, then maybe we could work things out. I could prove to him that I’d be a good stepmother to Addison and that his legal hearings wouldn’t get in the way of our relationship. I wasn’t a woman who had nothing to do all day besides waiting for her man.
I had my own life, too.
If he wasn’t happy to see me, then at least I’d have closure and could move on with my life. The past few days had been awful. I convinced myself that it would get better in time, but that wasn’t happening. I needed one more shot to be with Richard.
“I'll think about it,” I said to Crystal.
She smiled and hugged me.
“But if he doesn’t reciprocate, then it’s all your fault.”
Crystal sat on the couch, grabbed the remote, and turned on the television.
“Deal,” she said. “Now, let’s watch a movie. I need to see Channing Tatum strip.”