Chapter Ten
NoahI answered my ringing phone with a roll of my eyes.
“What is it, Dad?” I said with impatience.
I wasn’t really busy. It was a Thursday, one of the days I didn’t have classes, and Sara would be busy until later. I was in my dorm room, lazing about, when the call came. It was about time he contacted me, I hadn't gotten any money from him yet, but did he have to do it while I was waiting for Sara to let me know when to meet her?
“Is that any way to talk to your dad?” He said, but he was laughing. “Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that I’m in the area! I’ll be seeing you soon, but I wanted to ask if you had time to meet.”
I blinked. “What? You’re here?”
“Not at your school, I’m staying at a hotel nearby. I can come over there if you want? Or you can come here?”
My mouth opened, but no words came out. It had been a while since I’d actually seen Dad face to face. That was way back during summer, when he ran off with my money. I didn’t think he would face me before he had the money to pay me back, so I was surprised.
“Don’t come to the school,” I blurted out after a minute. “Just tell me where, I’ll come to you.”
“Alright,” he said.
He gave me the name of the hotel and the general directions. I was still staying at the school dorms, but I’d been in the area for four years, so while I wasn’t familiar with the hotel, I knew how to get there. We cut the call, and I sent a quick text to Sara to let her know I’d be busy for the rest of the day.
I left the dorms ten minutes later, headed out of the school. The hotel was a good distance from the school so I called a taxi to take me over and arrived in twenty minutes. I texted Dad right before I got out, and I met him when I walked inside.
“There you are, son,” he said with a grin, and welcomed me with open arms.
It was weird, because Dad was never that happy to see me. Thankfully, he didn’t try to hug me, because I would have backed away from it.
“Come with me,” he said before I could speak. “I’ve got someone I want you to meet.”
He grabbed me by the arm and dragged me behind him. I frowned at him.
It can't be who I think it is. Don’t tell me he actually brought his new bride!
He led me into the hotel’s restaurant, and over to a table tucked closer to the wall. A woman was already sitting there, and when she saw us approach, she smiled. She stood up as we came to a stop right in front of her.
“Hello,” she said, and stood up.
The smile was still on her face, but I thought she looked anxious as she looked between Dad and me.
“This is my son, Noah,” he said, before he turned to me with a grin. “Son, this is Tina. The woman I told you about that I’ve been seeing.”
“It’s so nice to finally meet you,” she said with a well made up smile and extended a hand toward me. “Your father has told me so much about you already! My, you two could be twins if you were the same age! I know it’s just our first meeting, but I really want to get to know you, so you can just call me Tina, okay?”
“It’s nice to meet you as well, Tina,” I murmured, feeling a little overwhelmed.
She looked around the same age as my dad, with blonde hair perfectly done up and held back with pins, a peach dress with a modest neckline and long sleeves that fell below her knees. She was beautiful for her age, and looked way beyond Dad’s league.
How did the two of them even meet?
We sat down, and not long after, a server showed up at our table. I didn’t want to order anything, but both Dad and Tina insisted, so I ended up having lunch with them. It was so damn awkward, watching Dad be attentive. I would look at him as he interacted with Tina and wonder if he was the same person I’d known my entire life. I hadn't even noticed at first, because I was in such a hurry, but he was dressed in a nice, navy striped suite with a white shirt and black tie, his hair combed away from his face. While he wasn’t sloppy, he wasn’t always this conscious of his appearance.
“We’re really sorry,” Tina began with an apologetic smile that displayed perfectly straight white teeth. “For coming here so unexpected like this. You must have been surprised.”