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“This man, right here.” He jostles me, and I want to rip myself from his hold. A sea of his friends stand before us, looking up with glazed-over eyes. I take a deep breath and swallow.
“Max has been the best son a father can ask for. When I met him at two years old, I knew he was special. He would make something of himself.”
What the fuck? I was two.
Anger I’ve pushed down for years bubbles within me, making it difficult to stand still.
“He has grown into a man I’m proud to hand this business over to. My life’s work in capable and talented hands. And if he couldn’t make me happier, he’s made me a grandfather as well.”
Fire courses through my veins. He tried to persuade Emily to get rid of the baby. He paid her off and intimidated her. My choice to be involved was ripped away from me. Now, he’s only claiming my daughter as his grandchild because it makes him look great in his friends’ eyes.
My fist clenches at my side as the crowd murmurs, sounds of glee rising up above the crowd. I wonder how many think it’s Noelle.
My jaw tightens. Fred doesn’t catch the glare I’m throwing at him.
“So, son, do you want to say a few words?” Fred asks, offering me the mic. I look down at it and back up at him. Most of the things I should say I should say in private, but the words crawl up my throat, ready to spew the truth over this crowd. He’s pretending like he didn’t ask the love of my life to abort our daughter.
Fuck him. Years of shutting up ends now.
I set down my drink on the stage’s edge and take the microphone from him. It feels heavy in my hand.
“Thanks, Dad,” I say, a little too close to the microphone. Only Fred catches my tone, but he laughs, a fist over his mouth.
“I love being a dentist,” I start, placing a hand on my chest. “My father has been magnanimous enough to let me go on some dental missions to places in need, and that’s when I’m happiest. Now, I’ve met many of you before, and you’ve watched me grow up. As you know, I never had a father before Fred walked into our life.”
I look out in the crowd, and my mother’s cheeks are wet with tears. A tiny voice tells me not to continue, to let it be, but I can’t hold this in any longer.
“Fred…” I shake my head, looking to him. His shoulders hunch at my use of his first name. He’s always been Dad. However, he lost that privilege about twenty-four hours ago.
Honestly, he should’ve lost it ten years ago.
“I’m glad I love being a dentist. Because it would really suck if you forced me into this and also forced me away from my child and the woman I was in love with.”
The crowd makes a collective gasp, and the chatter begins. Gossip flows through the crowd as I continue.
“I have a child I didn’t know about until this week. Her name is Olive. She’s nine.”
I let the crowd absorb that news. I can’t look at Fred, or I’ll lose my nerve. Staring at the ground, I wiggle the mic in my hand.
“She lives with her mother in northern California. I fell in love with her mother in a week about ten years ago, and we made the most perfect human. If I would’ve known she was pregnant, I would’ve picked up and moved in an instant. May not have finished dental school. But that wouldn’t have worked for dear old Fred now, would it?”
I look at my mother, who’s standing there, aghast.
“Of course my mother didn’t know. It was all Fred’s plan.” I lean back like I’m the Joker, continuing with the lambasting. Fred reaches for the microphone, but I circle him like a wolf rounds a sheep. Holding out my hand, I continue.
“My life would’ve been very different if Fred had given me a chance to make my own decisions. Maybe I would’ve gotten married and had more children, doing dentistry in a tiny town with a lake, enjoying my life and being content. Instead, my life is hollow. I’m a shell of a person. Now, I’m not perfect. I could’ve been braver. But I wasn’t.”
My mother nods, just once, encouraging me to say my peace.
I lean in to get my mouth as close to the microphone as possible. “Oh, and if you couldn’t tell, I quit. Fred, find someone else to take over. I’m done.”
Fred rips the microphone from my hand and gives a politician smile to the crowd as he squeezes me to him, wringing all the breath out of me. “My son, Dr. Maxwell Sawyer, everyone.”
I leave my drink as I walk down the stairs, pulling off my sport coat and undoing my top button. When I feel a hand on my arm, I whip around to see my stepfather.
“Where do you think you’re going, Max?”
“Home.”
