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“You can’t buy off everything in my life. I said no gifts over a hundred dollars.”
“No, what you said was I wasn’t allowed to give you gifts over a hundred dollars. And I haven’t. Well, the bracelet was three hundred. So, I’m sorry about that.”
I don’t say anything. He didn’t do terrible things. I don’t know how to back down, and then as if he can tell what I’m thinking, he addresses it.
“My love, let me in. It’s ok to need help; it doesn’t make you less. I want to buy presents that matter. It’s ok to take it. I know you don’t want to be indebted to anyone but let me help.
“Yes, but…” I sputter and can’t finish my sentence.
“I wanted to spend the money in places that would matter. Kind of a new thing for me. I usually toss it out there into the nonprofit void. I think the shelter dogs are getting what they need, but I’ve never met the boots on the ground people or the pooches. I care about these people, and I can help. You told me to do better and I’m trying. I felt this is where I could make a difference but not be obnoxious with it. I’m not sorry.”
“Money can’t be our love language.”
“No, your clit is our love language.”
“Tony, I’m serious.”
“I wanted to ease the tension a bit for places and people that matter to you. You should also know that I offered Chelle and Julia a round trip vacation in one of the Ladd jets to anywhere they want to go.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re my love language. It’s all for you.”
I wipe a tear, wishing he were standing next to me. My voice is smaller than I like, and my pride is raging. But I push it down trying to see the good being done around me because of him.
My heart bursts open and I let the reality settle over me. “Thank you.”
“Was that so hard?”
“Yes. It was extremely hard.” He laughs and I exhale loudly. It’s like I’m releasing tension in my body and mind that I thought I’d carry forever.
tony
The door slams open, and my father’s face is beet red. It can’t be the launch, it was cha cha real smooth. We’re already amping up to make more money than he could dream of. There’s not a media outlet in the world that hasn’t mentioned Cookery in the last couple weeks. I hit it out of the park. I’m not the fuck-up, so not sure why he’s got the ‘Tony screwed something up’ face.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Lill appears as my father bellows at me, and I motion to her to close the door. He slams down a whole shit-ton of papers. I recognize one stack as my final assets agreement that I signed, and the division is in motion. I waited one hundred and twenty days for the actual divorce. But the settlement is in motion and all the assets are in escrow until it’s approved by the court. I’m days away from being out from under all of this. It was a sealed deal, so I don’t know how my father has it. He wasn’t supposed to know yet.
His voice is unnerving. “You gave her an insane amount of money. And you’re paying her monthly? Boy, that’s quite enough. You’re shut the fuck down. I’m not doing this again. I’m not handing over my hard-earned family money again, because you can’t keep yourself single.”
“Slow up, Pops. She deserves all of that.”
“For a three-year fucking marriage?”
I stand behind my desk and stare at him. I’m not his son in this office. “Didn’t know we were putting a price tag on monogamy but cool.”
“Don’t be flippant with me, boy.”
“Again, with this boy bullshit.” I come around my desk and square off to him. “Thirty hardly qualifies as a boy.”
“Well, then act like a man.”
“And fuck anything that moves without regard, so we can protect the money? That was your mature plan? Christ, Dad, you inherited, on both sides. As did Mom. We’re so steeped in fucking money and decorum that it’s become meaningless.”
“Is that why you’re throwing it away?” I roll my eyes.
“Just because you gave me some of it doesn’t mean you get to decide how it’s spent.”
“Like hell.”
