by Claire Adams
My father started at the offered hand and then asked, “Are you on the faculty at Waltham University?”
“No, I’m a firefighter with the Waltham FD,” Blake replied.
“Oh, I see,” my father said, with obvious disdain.
“I’m sorry, sir, is there a problem?” Blake asked, as he shot me a confused look.
“Emily went to Brown University,” my mother sniffed, without elaborating.
“We’re just surprised, that’s all,” my father followed up, without looking at Blake.
“If I didn’t know better, I’d say you just insulted me,” Blake said.
“Well, my grandfather used to say, if the shoe fits,” my father said, trailing off without finishing. He looked at my mother and said, “I believe it’s time we headed home, Charlotte.”
“You have got to be kidding me,” Blake said, looking back and forth between my parents. “Are you seriously this rude to everyone, or is it just me?”
“Blake—” I said, trying to warn him off.
“No, don’t ‘Blake’ me as if I’m some child who needs to be reminded of his place with the adults,” Blake said, zeroing in on my father. “Sir, I don’t know what in the hell crawled up your ass and died, but your daughter is one of the nicest people I’ve ever met, and I’m sure she is perfectly capable of making her own decisions about who to date, upbringing notwithstanding.”
“Listen here, young man,” my father said, pulling himself up to his full height and looking Blake in the eye. “I have no idea who you are or what your relationship with my daughter is, but I will tell you that since I’ve never once heard your name mentioned, I’m guessing it can’t be much.”
“Why you—” Blake seethed.
“Stop it!” I shouted. I was furious with Blake for attacking my parents, and furious with my parents for being here to begin with. I was dangerously close to completely breaking down and I wanted all of them out of the house. “Both of you! Just stop it! I’m not some herd of cattle that you two get to argue over!”
“Emily—” Blake and my father said in unison.
“No, stop it!” I shouted, close to tears. “I don’t want to hear anything from either of you! Get out! All of you, get out of my house!”
“Emily, you’re being horribly rude, young lady,” my mother said in a low voice. “I thought I raised you better than that.”
“Get out, Mother,” I said through clenched teeth. “Get. Out. All of you. OUT!”
Blake stared at me for a moment and then stormed toward the front door, flinging it wide open and marching down the walk to his truck. My parents quickly made their exit, and I slammed the door behind them. With everyone gone, I walked over to the bedroom and flung the door open before I leaned against the wall and slid down until I was sitting with my knees to my chest.
It was only then that I bowed my head and cried harder than I could ever remember. Howard sat next to me mewing softly and patting my arm with his paw, but nothing could soothe the humiliation and pain in my heart. I wanted to call Blake and apologize, but I didn’t dare.
Instead, I sat in the hallway and sobbed until there were no more tears left.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Blake
I’d driven home in a fit of rage and slammed pots and pans around the kitchen as I prepared dinner for Nina and me. She poked her head into the kitchen, but quickly ducked out without asking questions when she saw the mood I was in. A little while later, I called her to supper, and we ate in relative silence as I stewed over what had happened at Emily’s.
Nina kept quiet as she turned on a movie and we settled in to watch it. Driven by my feelings, I was too restless to sit still for long; I left Nina to watch the movie while I worked out my anger scrubbing the kitchen floor. I muttered to myself about Emily’s parents and their rudeness, and I tried to make sense of what Emily had shouted at us. Why had she been so angry at me?
I went to bed long after Nina had turned in, and tossed and turned all night. By morning, I found myself reaching for my phone to see if Emily had called. When I realized she hadn’t, I felt like the air had been let out of me. I thought about calling her, but quickly nixed the idea when I remembered how angry she’d been and how she’d ordered me out of her house.
If Emily wanted to talk to me, she was going to have to pick up the phone and call.
“You okay, Dad?” Nina yawned, as she flopped down on the couch.
“Yeah, fine. Why?”
“You look like someone killed your dog,” she observed.
“I don’t have a dog,” I shrugged. “You want breakfast or do you want to go out? Maybe see a movie?”
“Yeah, sure,” she said, giving me a strange look. “I’ll get ready.”
We stopped for lunch at the diner and ate quickly so that we could make the early afternoon show. We spent two hours watching teenager after teenager get murdered by an unknown assailant, and by the time we came out of the dark theater, it was getting close to dinner.
“Let’s stop and grab steaks,” I suggested. “I’ll fire up the grill, and we can put some potatoes in the oven. What do you say?”
“Dad, we just at lunch two hours ago,” Nina sighed. “I’m not hungry.”
“I know, but in an hour or two, you’re going to be whining that you’re starving and then you’ll tell your mother that I never feed you,” I said dryly.
“True dat,” Nina agreed. “Okay, steak and potatoes! You want to call Emily and invite her over for dinner?”
“She’s busy tonight,” I said, tersely cutting off any further conversation. Wisely, Nina remained silent on the issue.
As usual, I was right, and by the time I’d grilled the steaks and baked the potatoes, Nina was hanging around the kitchen telling me she was starving. I laughed as I piled the steaks on a platter and pulled the steaming potatoes out of the oven and tossed them in a bowl.
“Damn, Dad, you’re the master griller!” Nina grinned, as she cut into her steak. “Emily’s gonna be sorry she missed this.”
“No doubt,” I said, as I shoved a piece of meat into my mouth to avoid having to say more. Once I’d chewed and swallowed, I said, “So, school starts again next week, eh?”
“Yeah, I’m feeling optimistic about my grades, though,” Nina replied.
“Why’s that?”
“I don’t know,” she shrugged, as she scooped sour cream out of the plastic container and dumped it on her potato. “Maybe it was the trip to the museum that made me think about all the things I could be doing if I got good grades. Or maybe I’m just growing up.”
“Perish the thought,” I said, rolling my eyes the way she did. Nina laughed loudly as she dug her fork into her potato.
We spent the rest of the meal talking about what we planned to do over the next several weekends, and Nina reminded me that she was going to be staying with me when Remy went to Europe in the spring. I made a mental note to get a copy of Remy’s life insurance papers just in case.
After dinner, we cleaned up and halfheartedly watched a crappy movie on TBS before Nina announced she was heading to bed. I heard her getting ready, and once I was sure she was tucked in, I peeked into her room.
“Night, Punkin,” I said. “You know I love you, don’t you?”
“I do,” she smiled, as she looked up from the book she had propped on her knees. “I love you, too, Dad, but you know, whatever is wrong between you and Emily, you need to fix it. Seriously, dude. She’s good for you.”
“Thank you. I’ll keep that in mind,” I nodded, as I backed out into the hallway, pulling her door shut.
Once in bed, I reached over and grabbed my phone off the nightstand. I held it as I thought about Emily and about how nice it was to have her around. And how much nicer it was to have her in my bed.
I looked at the blank screen on the phone and then reached over and set it on the charger before I turned out the light.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Emily
For the
first time in several weeks, the alarm went off at 6, and I groaned as I hit the snooze button. It was time to go back to school, and while I was looking forward to seeing my students and hearing about their vacations, there was an air of sadness and loss hanging over the new year.
I hadn’t heard from Blake or my parents since the day I ordered them all out. Over the years, I’d learned to live with the distance between me and my parents, but Blake’s absence brought about a whole new feeling of loneliness. I sighed as I ran a hand over Howard’s fuzzy back, then reluctantly threw back the covers and prepared to face the day.
The phone rang as I poured my first cup of coffee. I checked the screen and then quickly answered.
“KO! How are you doing?”
“I’m all right,” she said unenthusiastically.
“What’s the matter?”
“Em, I need a favor,” she said hesitantly.
“What’s going on?” I asked, worried that there was something terrible lurking.
“I hate to ask, but Pop needs me to stay and help out, so I was wondering if you could stay at the house for a little while longer,” she said, exhaling on the other end. I could feel the stress flowing through the phone line.
“Yeah, of course,” I said. “Are you sure that’s it?”
“Nah, it’s all the family stuff, but you know how that goes,” she said, deflecting the question. “How’s lover boy?”
“No idea,” I said without further comment.
“What the hell happened?” KO demanded. “I thought you two were having hot sex and heading in the right direction!”
“Charlotte and William happened,” I said, knowing that KO would immediately understand. “It was a mess, and I yelled at all of them. I haven’t heard anything from Blake since.”
“Why don’t you call him?” she asked. “Explain the fact that you are the only normal person to come out of a family of passive/aggressive abusers. I’m sure he’ll totally understand!”
“You’re kidding, right?” I laughed. “Not a chance in hell I’m calling after he met my nightmare.”
“I don’t get it,” KO said. “Why?”
“His family is totally normal!” I cried. “My family is beyond fucked up. No good can come of it now that he’s seen that nightmare. Just forget it.”
“I think you’re wrong, but hey, you know best,” she said, with the verbal equivalent of a shrug.
“Look, I’ll stay here, but you’re going to have to let me pay the mortgage or something,” I said, changing the subject abruptly.
“You can pay the utilities,” KO said tersely. “I’ve got the mortgage and insurance taken care of.”
“Then at least let me buy you some furniture or something,” I said. “This place is like a Spartan training facility.”
“I like living in an uncluttered home,” she said.
“A couch? A chair? Something?” I pushed. I knew she wanted a little more than she had, but, like me, she was too proud to accept help. “I mean, I’ll buy it, and if you hate it, I’ll take it with me when I move out. How does that sound?”
“Fine, I guess I can’t stop you, can I?” she chuckled on the other end. “Do what you will.”
“I miss you, my friend,” I said, suddenly feeling very alone.
“Yeah, I miss you, too,” she said quietly. “It’s hard being away from my real life. It’s just…hard.”
“When do you think you’ll be back?”
“No idea,” she said. “Pop needs help, and I’ll stay until he doesn’t.”
“All right, well, call if you need anything,” I said. I could hear KO’s grandfather calling for her on the other end.
“I gotta go,” she said. “Talk soon, chick!”
After she’d disconnected, I stood staring at the phone for a few minutes, thinking about what she’d said about calling Blake. I pulled up his number and started at it before powering down the phone and taking my coffee to the bathroom so I could shower and get ready for my first day back.
There was a light dusting of snow on the ground, and everything looked clean and fresh as I drove into the high school parking lot. I was early, but I wanted to get a chance to prepare my classroom for the new term without the interruption of my colleagues.
“Emily! Happy new year! How was your break?” Betty called, as I walked into the teacher’s lounge to fill my coffee mug.
“Hey, Betty,” I said, smiling back. “It was okay. How was yours?”
“I hear about the fire,” she said, dropping her voice as she moved alongside of me at the counter. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m good,” I nodded. “I’m living with a friend until I can find a new place.”
“Do you need anything?” she asked. I knew she was interested in how I was doing, but I also knew her well enough to know she was angling for more information than I was willing to share. “Do you have anyone helping you out?”
“It’s all good,” I repeated with a friendly smile. “I had good insurance coverage, so I’ll be able to replace everything.”
“It’s too bad you don’t have a boyfriend who could help you out,” she said, leaving the unasked question hanging between us.
“Yeah, well, I do all right on my own,” I shrugged. Again, I thought about what KO had said and wondered if I should call Blake.
“One of these days one of these town boys is going to scoop you up and make an honest woman of you!” Betty said, nudging me as she grinned.
“Uh-huh,” I said, giving her a weak smile. “One can only hope, right?”
I poured myself some coffee and headed back to my classroom. I could feel a dull ache starting behind my eyes, and I hoped that the coffee would mute it before the students filed in for classes.
Later that afternoon, after History class, Nina hung back as her classmates moved out into the hallway.
“Ms. Fowler?” she said, as she approached my desk. “I just wanted to tell you that I don’t know what happened between you and my dad, but I’m pretty sure it’s his fault.”
“Oh, Nina, it’s no one’s fault,” I said, moving around to where she stood. She looked small, and she was holding a stack of books that she set down on my desk.
“Whatever, I just wanted you to know I miss having you around the house,” she said, as she picked up a book and handed it to me. “And I got these books from the library. Our trip to the museum made me want to learn more about the people who came to Waltham.”
“Nina, that’s great!” I said, taking the book she offered and flipping it open. It was the story of the first women workers in the BNC factories. “This is a great book! You’ll get a lot out of it, and it’ll help with the final exam essay question, too.”
“It’s interesting,” she said, smiling. “Thank you for showing me the museum and stuff.”
“Anytime,” I smiled back. “If you want to talk about this, or any of the other books, feel free to come see me, okay?”
Nina nodded, and then grabbed me and hugged me tightly before she gathered up her books and followed her friends. Again, I thought about calling Blake and trying to talk to him, but before I could make up my mind, the bell rang, and the next class of students streamed in, ready for their lesson.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Blake
On Tuesday morning, I pulled up in front of the station and found Tony bent down examining the driver’s side door of his car. I laid on the horn to let him know I was waiting to park, but he just flipped me the bird and bent lower. I backed into a spot on the other side of the lot and got out.
“What the fuck, man?” I shouted, as I walked toward him. “Seriously, is your car such a precious antique that you now have to prevent people from parking next to it?”
“Aw, don’t get your panties in a twist, B,” he grinned as he looked up at me. “Someone scratched the door, and I was just trying to figure out who it was.”
“How in the hell would you know that?”
“Paint chips, my friend
,” he said, as he ran a finger over the scratch. “I’ll gather the paint chips and take them to the lab.”
“You’ve got to be shitting me,” I said. “You can barely see the scratch!”
“It’s all about order and accountability, my friend,” he said, as he stood up. “If you don’t hold people accountable for their actions, there is no order. Anarchy is not pretty.”
“Anarchy is the result of a scratch in your paint job?” I laughed. “Now I know you’re delusional.”
“Speaking of delusional, how’s the teacher?” Tony asked, as he slapped me on the back. “You two getting down and bumping uglies on a regular basis now?”
“Haven’t heard from her lately,” I said, trying to sound casual. “Must be busy with the start of the new term and all.”
“Wait a minute,” Tony said, grabbing my shoulder and spinning me toward him. “You two were all goo-goo eyed for each other at the New Year’s Eve party, and now you’re telling me you haven’t heard from her in a few days and it’s no big deal?”
“Yeah, why?” I shrugged.
“You’re so full of shit,” he scoffed, as he shoved me away. I caught myself and shot him a warning look that he chose to ignore. “What happened? Remy screw it up for you? Nina get mad?”
“No, just lay off, will you?” I said, giving him a warning look.
“B, something happened,” he pushed. “What was it?”
“Fine, I met her parents, and it didn’t go well at all,” I said, skirting the incident as best I could.
“Her daddy didn’t like you?” Tony pushed.
“No, he didn’t like me, and I didn’t like him, and Emily kicked us both out,” I spat. “There, are you happy now that you know the whole story?”
“Whoa, she kicked you and her father out?”
“Her mother, too,” I added wryly. “It was a mess, and I haven’t talked to her since.”
“Well, maybe it’s for the best,” Tony offered, as he stroked his chin thoughtfully. “You know, maybe you avoided another shitty relationship and another messed up drama. Silver lining!”