My appointment was easier than I thought, and I decided to go on the pill. I won’t start it until I
get my period which will be next week, and I set a daily reminder on my phone so that I won’t forget to take it every day. I try to call my mom before I leave the parking lot but she’s not picking up, so I leave a voicemail for her that I survived my appointment, and she will be happy to know I will start my pills next week. Since the appointment went quicker than expected I still have time to run by the dorm to change and make it to my dance class. Though I guess what I should be doing is heading to the library to work on my next chapter. I won’t be able to do it this coming weekend when I go with Hayley to visit her mom and see my father. The closer it gets the more nervous I am starting to feel.
I don’t want to back out of going, but I am anxious to see him after all this time. I’m an adult now, and the last time he saw me I was two years old. Mom said he tends to get mean. I don’t want my visit to upset him.
On my way back to campus I swing through a drive-thru and order a cheeseburger combo. I am starving to death. I haven’t eaten all morning. I eat on the drive and the amount of crumbs in my lap is a travesty. I should have worn a bib.
I park and do my best to dust myself off. My phone rings, and I figure it is Mom returning my call, but it’s Theo, my stepfather.
“Hey, squirt.”
“Hey.” He never calls me. We have always gotten along and stuff, but we aren’t overly close either. Growing up he was always working.
“Is everything okay? I tried Mom earlier, but she never answered.”
“Everything is fine here. I think she was getting her nails done.”
“Oh.” I don’t tell him she had them done on Saturday, but it makes me wonder why she would lie to him. Maybe she meant hair or something. I shrug it off.
“Are you liking all your professors?”
“Yup. Things are going great.”
“Your mother tells me that you are going to see James this weekend.”
“I am supposed to.”
“You don’t sound excited. Are you okay? If you aren’t ready you don’t have to go. Don’t let his family pressure you.” I want to remind him that they are my family too but don’t. Theo has been the one to raise me, and I would never want to hurt his feelings. He’s the only father I have ever known. Though sometimes Uncle Cooper has felt more like my dad than anyone. I haven’t seen much of him the past few months though. He stopped coming around about the start of summer. He probably has a new girlfriend. He goes through them frequently.
“I promise. It’s fine. I’m just nervous about him knowing and understanding who I am to him. Mom says she used to go visit him. I never knew that.”
“Well we thought it best you didn’t know at the time. We never wanted to get your hopes up. Over the years I employed different doctors and specialist to work with him, hoping he could regain some brain function and have a better quality of living. None of it was ever successful.”
I bite back my tears. What kind of man Theo must truly be to take care of a man he had no responsibility to? He has no idea what it means to me that he tried.
“Thank you for trying.”
“You’re my girl, kiddo. I would do anything to make you happy.”
“I know you would. I gotta get going. If you talk to Mom tell her my appointment went well.”
“Appointment?” He hedges.
“Oh, you know girl stuff. Gotta go. Love you.” I hang up quickly before he realizes I was talking about the gynecologist.
“Who do you love?” I grin, hearing Killian’s voice as he falls into step with me.
“Theo.”
He scowls. “Do I have more competition to fight off?”
I should pretend just to tease him that there is someone else, but I don’t. “No. Theo is my stepfather.”
“Oh. Well then love him all you want.”
“I do.” I laugh. “What are you up to?”
“Going to talk to Hayley. Apparently, her and Liam are fighting. She is ignoring him, and he won’t shut up until I check on her and attempt to convince her to take his calls.”