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I return to the table and we eat mostly in silence. At least he can respect that I'm agitated with him.
After the table is cleared, my father orders a coffee. “Would you like a dessert, honey? It’ll make you feel better.”
“Dessert isn’t going to fix this,” I say, pouting like a little girl.
“You always feel better after some chocolate.”
I frown and shake my head. “No, thank you.” I think of the last time I ate chocolate dessert. It only makes me feel worse when I remember Ethan feeding me with a spoon. I need to talk to him before he finds out my father is on a rampage. I sip at my coffee and wait. I know what’s coming and my mother will be ecstatic. It’s hard to fight against divorced parents when they gang up together in unity.
We walk in silence to the car after my father pays the bill. He leaves an unusually generous tip and I get the subtle message he’s conveying to me. He’s got the power.
As we pull out of the parking lot, he barks an order to the Bluetooth. “Call Mary.” The phone only rings once before my mother picks up. Her voice echoes in the car as her greeting feeds through the car’s speaker system. I feel a chill down my spine.
It’s late on the East Coast, but she was apparently waiting up, expecting this call.
“Rylie, honey, are you there?” she asks.
“Yes, mom.”
“You sound sick.”
“I’m not sick, mom,” I say. I know I'm not convincing.
“She’s been crying,” my father announces.
“Rylie, you're not an adolescent any more,” my mother scolds. “Now let’s put all this unpleasantness behind us, okay?”
My father clears his throat. “She’s agreed to get on that flight, haven’t you, Rylie?” He turns his head towards me and glares. His eyes are boring into me and demanding an affirmation.
“I haven’t,” I manage to squeak.
“Rylie, damn it!” He turns his head back to the road and then shakes it. “We went over this, several times.”
“I never agreed to anything,” I manage to say through new tears streaming down my face.
“Honey,” my mom’s voice bellows. “You need to calm down. We know this isn’t easy, but it’s for the best. You’ll see, I promise.”
I look out the window and attempt to slow my breathing. With two parents against me, I don’t feel I can argue. “I don’t want to talk anymore.”
“Hon, you can’t ignore this,” she says in a calming voice. “You’ll see, once you get here. I’ll introduce you to a few of my friend’s kids, nice boys. You’ll make new friends and pass the bar exam here. It’ll be a whole new life.”
“I don’t want a whole new life!” I burst out. I press my lips tight to stop myself blurting what I do want. Ethan.
While I sob quietly to myself, my parents discuss my future as if I no longer have a say. I feel doomed.
As we pull into the driveway at home, I’ve already requested a Lyft on the app.
“I’m going to see Alani,” I tell my father as we pull up and he sees the car outside the house. It’s a lie, but I can’t tell him my real destination.
“Good night, honey,” he says warmly.
I think he believes everything is settled. I don’t want to fight anymore, so I say, “Goodnight, Dad.”
The Lyft driver is talkative, so I pretend to read messages on my phone. As we pull up to Ethan’s house, I ask him if he can leave the trip open for a few minutes.
“Sure,” he says. “You want me to wait?”
“Yes, please,” I say. I’m not sure what I’m going to do or say. I stroll towards the house, and that’s when I notice another car in the driveway. Ethan has a guest. It could be a soldier from his unit and the last thing I need is a report to my father about me being here. Then, I hear voices and stop in my tracks.
