by Claire Adams
“But she’s going to take me away from you!” Nina wailed.
“No, she’s definitely not going to do that, kiddo,” I reassured her, as I kissed the top of her head. “No one can take you away from me. Not even your mom.”
I held my daughter as she cried and thought about how I was going to counter Remy’s charge that I was an unfit parent. I thought about Emily and how she’d betrayed my trust. If she had only told me that Nina had returned! I was furious with her, but I also knew it wasn’t entirely her fault, it was just easier to blame her — for now.
I had no idea how I’d do it, but I knew I wasn’t going to give up without a fight.
Chapter Forty
Emily
I waited a few days to give Blake some time to cool down, and to give myself time to think about the situation with Nina. I knew that waiting to tell Blake that Nina was safe had been a mistake, but I also felt he’d overreacted. I texted him on Friday afternoon, and by Sunday morning I still hadn’t heard from him.
I made Howard and I a huge Sunday breakfast as I thought about the week’s events. All week, I wondered how Nina was doing. She’d been transferred out of my History class while the school investigated Remy’s complaint against me. I’d explained the situation to my principal, and she’d assured me that while I’d made a questionable decision about informing Nina’s parents, she was fairly sure I’d be given a formal reprimand by the school board. Meanwhile, Blake was obviously avoiding me, and I felt hurt.
“What should I do, buddy?” I asked Howard as he crunched his breakfast on the counter next to me. “Should I keep calling or should I just let it go?”
Howard raised his head and stared at me for a moment before returning to his breakfast. I set my coffee cup down and rested my head in my hands as I fought back the sadness that threatened to engulf me. If Blake was gone for good, then that meant everything associated with him was gone, as well. No more dinners with his family or movie nights with him and Nina. The thought of losing the little family I’d begun to build knocked the wind out of me, and I began to cry.
Howard head butted me and mewed as I dropped my head to the counter and cried.
“Em? Are you home?” a voice called from the front entry. “Hello?”
“KO?” I said hopefully. “Is that you?”
“Hey, girlfriend, what’s going —” KO cheerfully said as she entered the kitchen. Her tone quickly shifted to concern as she saw my tear-stained face. “Girl, what’s going on?”
“Oh, KO!” I cried. “He’s gone! I did something stupid, and now he’s gone!”
“He’s gone? Who’s gone?” she said, dropping her bags and wrapping her arms around me. “What the hell is going on around here?”
“I was with him the other night when Nina disappeared and then she came back, and I didn’t tell him right away now he’s mad at me, and he won’t answer my calls!” I sobbed, in one continuous sentence.
“Girl, I have no idea what you just said,” KO chuckled softly. “So why don’t you start from the beginning and tell me what happened while I was gone.”
“Hey, fat man!” she said, as she reached out to pat Howard and was rewarded with a swipe of his claws. “Ouch! Damn, that hurts!”
“I don’t think he likes being called fat man,” I said quietly.
“Well, if the shoe fits…” KO laughed, as she moved to the sink and rinsed her hand. She poured herself a cup of coffee and then sat down next to me and listened. For the next hour, I told her everything that had happened since she left, ending with the debacle that was our Valentine’s Day date.
“I don’t know what to do now, KO,” I said, starting to cry again. “I miss him! And I want to work things out, but I don’t know how to get him to talk to me. He’s just too angry.”
“Hmm, it sounds like he’s angry about things that have nothing to do with you,” she said, as she drank the last of her coffee and began picking at the leftover waffle on my plate. “I’d give him a little space before you start to do the hard-court press.”
“I’m not going to act like I’m desperate,” I said grumpily.
“But you want him back, don’t you?” she asked, as she popped a piece of waffle dipped in syrup into her mouth and chewed.
“Yeah, but he doesn’t need to know how much,” I said, folding my arms across my chest like a stubborn child.
“I’d argue otherwise, but I see your point,” she nodded. She chewed thoughtfully for a bit before she spoke again saying, “Don’t worry, Em. We’ll figure this out.”
“Are you back for good?” I asked, realizing I had no idea why she’d returned. “What made you come back?”
“Eh, family stuff,” she said, waving me off. “I don’t know how long I’m back for, but while I’m here, I’m going to try and help you get your man back!”
“You make it sound like a Wild West caper,” I giggled, despite the tears still flowing down my cheeks.
“Maybe that’s just what we need,” KO said brightly. “We need a plan, my friend!”
I wanted to push KO as to why she was back and how long she’d be staying, but I knew from past experience that if she didn’t want to talk about it, no amount of questioning was going to get the information out of her. I decided to let it go and focus on her plan to help me find a way to get Blake to talk to me.
We spent the rest of the day talking about how to solve the problem. Around 5, KO got up to get ready to head to The Lucky Clover for her shift.
“You’re already going back to work?” I said, surprised that she was slipping right back into her regular schedule despite having been gone for several months.
“Yeah, I need to make some bank this week,” she sighed, as she walked into the bedroom and dug through her closet. She came back to the kitchen pulling on a shirt that said “I’m Not Yelling. I’m Speaking with Authority.”
“What do your customers think of your T-shirts?” I laughed.
“They love it!” she said, grabbing a hoodie from the back coat rack and pulling it on. “Hell, some of them come to the bar just to find out what I’m wearing on any given night!”
“You’re one in a million, KO,” I said, shaking my head.
“So are you, Em,” she said, pulling me into a bear hug before she kissed the top of my head and slapped my ass. “Now, we just need to get that man of yours to remember that fact!”
“I don’t know, KO,” I sighed. “I’m not convinced he’s coming back.
“Of course he is,” she said, as she stuffed her wallet into her back pocket and grabbed her keys off the front hall table. “We just have to remind him a little.”
She took off out the door, waving goodbye as she pulled out of the drive. I went back inside and cleaned up the kitchen before I took a shower and got back to grading 10th grade History papers.
I hoped KO was right.
Chapter Forty-One
Blake
On Thursday morning, a county sheriff showed up at work and served me with the papers that Remy’s high-powered lawyer had filed. I was to show up in court the following week and present my side of the case to the judge in Family Court. I wasn’t surprised that Remy had moved so quickly, but I was surprised that the court had agreed to hear the evidence so fast. It made me wonder what strings Remy had pulled with the people in power and whether I had a snowball’s chance in hell of getting a fair hearing.
I spent the next several days mulling over my options and talking with my lawyer. I missed Nina terribly, but for now, I could only chat with her in text or on the phone.
On Friday night, my phone rang, and when I picked it up, I saw Nina was FaceTiming me.
“Hey, Punkin, what’s up?” I said, flipping on the video and watching as my daughter’s face appeared on the screen.
“I hate it here, Dad,” she said glumly. I could see that she was in her bedroom and that Remy had done some redecorating.
“I know, kiddo, but you’re going to have to hang tough and wait for the hear
ing,” I said, reminding myself not to do anything to fan the flames of resentment between Nina and her mother.
“Dad, she thinks I’m perpetually 12,” Nina said, rolling her eyes. “She treats me like I can’t do anything myself, and when I do, she yells at me for doing it wrong.”
“Patience, kiddo. Have patience,” I reminded her. It killed me to see my daughter so miserable and not be able to do a damn thing about it.
“Have you talked to Emily yet?” she asked.
“No, you know how I feel about what she did,” I said flatly.
“Dad, it wasn’t her fault!” Nina cried. “I asked her not to say anything, and she respected my wishes. You can’t be mad at her because of what I did!”
“Nina, we’ve been over this numerous times,” I reminded her. “Emily was the adult in the situation, and she should have called me to let me know you were safe. End of discussion.”
“You’re so hardheaded,” she said in an exasperated voice. “You need to forgive her, Dad. She’s the best thing that ever happened to you.”
“Besides you,” I said, without missing a beat.
“Yes, me, whatever,” she sighed. “You need to call Emily and talk to her. Forgive her, Dad.”
“First we need to get through the hearing,” I said, ignoring my daughter’s advice. “Once that’s over I’ll think about talking with Emily.”
“What did your lawyer say?” Nina asked.
“She said it wasn’t going to be a total loss, but that we’d better be prepared to suffer the consequences of your mother’s rage,” I said honestly. “I don’t know if you’re going to be allowed to come live with me full-time, Nina.”
“This sucks,” she protested. “I don’t want to live with Mom!”
“I know you don’t, kiddo,” I said sympathetically. “But you’re going to have to make the best of the situation. Once the court decides on the petition, we’ll figure out our game plan.”
Nina sighed loudly and then went on to tell me how school had been and that she’d gotten an A on her last History exam. We wrapped up the conversation when Remy called Nina to come join her in the kitchen for homework time. Nina rolled her eyes dramatically and then said, “Love you, Dad,” before signing off.
I sat at the kitchen table staring at the screen where my daughter had been, wondering how I’d ended up in this situation. I wanted to blame Emily for being irresponsible, but I knew I was to blame for ignoring Nina’s distress over having to move back to her mother’s. I’d been selfish and thought about what I’d wanted without stopping to think what Nina needed. Maybe Remy was right. Maybe I was a lousy parent and Nina would be better off with a mother who set limits and paid attention to things.
On Saturday, I spent the day cleaning house in case someone from the courts wanted to come see the environment Nina had been living in. I knew it was a long shot, but at this point, I was willing to do anything to make sure she could continue to spend time with me. As the hours passed, I felt more and more anxious about losing Nina, and by Sunday afternoon, I’d not only cleaned the inside of the house, I’d done yard maintenance and fixed the loose gutter on the side of the house.
By dinner time, I was feeling restless and was dreading spending the night alone, so I showered, pulled on jeans and a T-shirt, and headed over to The Lucky Clover for a drink. I turned on my phone to call Tony and saw the text that Emily had sent me the day before. I’d ignored it when it first showed up, and now I hesitated for a moment, then deleted the message before I texted Tony and asked him to meet me for a drink.
The bar was pretty empty when I arrived, and I was surprised to see KO back behind the bar.
“Where you been, lady?” I asked, as I shed my coat and sat down on a stool.
“Away,” she replied with a smile. “What’ll it be, big guy?”
“Give me a whiskey and a draft,” I said, pulling out my wallet and tossing a 20 onto the bar.
“Going straight to the hard stuff, eh?” she laughed, as she took the bill and set it on the register before she poured my shot.
“Just need to relax a little,” I said, as I pulled the glass of amber liquid toward me and stared into it as she drew me a beer.
“I heard about your daughter,” she nodded, setting the foaming glass in front of me. “I’m glad she got home safely.”
“Yeah, well, that might not be the end of it,” I said glumly. I knew Emily was living at KO’s house, and that if the bartender was back, then she had surely heard about what had happened.
“So, what’s going on?” she asked, as she turned on the sink beneath the bar and poured soap into one side. When I didn’t say anything, she shrugged and began washing dishes without a word. When one of the old guys at the end of the bar signaled her for another round, she turned off the water and walked to the end of the bar.
“It’s all fucked up,” I said quietly, when she returned from taking care of the other guys.
“What’s fucked up?” she asked, without looking at me.
“My ex-wife has filed a petition with the court to get sole custody of my daughter,” I said, as I lifted the whiskey and quickly tossed it back. “She thinks I’m an irresponsible parent, and I’m beginning to wonder if she’s right.”
“That’s bullshit,” KO said matter-of-factly.
“Yeah, well, I didn’t know where my daughter was for almost 24 hours,” I shrugged. “So, if the shoe fits…”
“Look, I know you blame Emily for a lot of this,” KO said, looking straight at me. “And she’s feeling awful about what’s happened, but you need to talk to her, man.”
“I’m not sure there’s a lot to talk about,” I said flatly. “She didn’t tell me that my daughter had returned. That’s a breach of trust.”
“You’re such an asshole,” KO said, shaking her head. “You’re going to blame Emily for the trouble you have with your wife simply because she was caught between trying to make sure your daughter didn’t take off running again and making a call to you?”
“She’s an adult! She should have acted responsibly!” I said, raising my voice as I felt the anger rising inside me.
“Don’t fucking yell at me, man,” KO warned. “I’m just saying that maybe you need to take a good look at your own responsibility in the matter before you point the finger at someone who was caught between a rock and a hard place. You know that Remy met up with Em at your house earlier this week and was exceptionally rude to her, right?”
“She did? She was?” I said, stunned that Emily hadn’t said anything about it to me.
“Yeah, Remy treated Em the way Em’s mother treats her,” KO nodded. “All manners and nice, but underneath it she just tore her to bits.”
I said nothing as I downed my beer in three swallows and tapped the bar for another round. KO refilled my glasses and stood silently waiting for an answer.
“Are you saying this is all my fault?” I finally asked.
“I’m not, but I think you are,” she said, as several guys entered the bar and sat down next to the old guys at the other end. KO left me sitting there brooding while she went to take their drink orders.
“What do you mean I think it’s my fault?” I asked when she returned.
“I mean, I think you feel guilty for not being able to read a teenager’s mind and for going on a date with Emily the night that Nina ran away,” she said. She waited for her words to sink in, and then leaned across the bar and added, “And I think it’s a lot easier for you to blame Emily so you can run away from what you feel about her.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I said, looking away. I did know what she was talking about, but I hadn’t yet admitted it to myself, so hearing her say it was unsettling.
KO opened her mouth to say something else, then closed it and walked away. I tossed back the second whiskey and was halfway through the beer when Tony came bursting through the door hollering, “Bartender, pour me a beer! We’re gonna celebrate tonight!”
Tony sl
apped me on the back as he shed his coat and took a seat on the stool next to me.
“What are we celebrating, man?” I asked without enthusiasm.
“I’m gonna be a dad!” Tony said happily.
“So, you got laid, did you?” I chuckled. “Congratulations, buddy.”
“Thanks. Anita and I talked it over, and we found a middle ground, man,” he nodded. “And I gotta tell you, it’s been damn good since then.”
“Imagine that,” I said without enthusiasm. “Talking it over solves the problems.”
“Yeah, man, it sure does,” he said, giving me a confused look. “What’s going on with you?”
“Eh, Remy,” I said, without elaborating. KO pushed Tony’s beer down the bar and left us alone.
“What’s she done now?” he asked, before downing half the beer.
“She’s filed a petition to get sole custody of Nina,” I said. “She blames me for what happened, and says I’m an irresponsible parent who can’t be trusted to raise our daughter.”
“That’s bullshit!” Tony yelled. “What the fuck is wrong with that woman?”
“I don’t know, maybe she’s right, you know?” I said glumly.
“She’s not right, B,” Tony protested. “You’re a great dad. She’s just mad that Nina’s growing up and you can’t control her.”
“How the hell did you arrive at that conclusion?” I asked frowning at him.
“Man, I was a teenager once, too,” he laughed. “I can’t believe you don’t remember what that felt like! To want to be grown up and make your own decisions, and to be pissed off when your parents wouldn’t let you.”
“My parents never stopped us from making decisions,” I said, thinking about how I’d never rebelled against my parents because I’d never had to.
“Then you’re one lucky son of a bitch,” Tony laughed. “The rest of us have had to forge our own paths in the face of resistance.”
“But I never resisted Nina,” I said angrily. “I’ve let her do what she wanted to do — within reason.”
