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“Hey, Dad. Mom wanted me to call and make sure I was still allowed to stay with you this weekend.”
“Of course, sweetheart. I’m looking forward to it.”
“Okay, good. Do we have any plans?”
“Well, if the weather holds out, I was hoping we could go to the aquarium. What do you think about that?”
“That sounds like fun.”
“Alright, then I’ll pick you up Friday after you get out of school.” I paused. “Is your mother around?”
“Yeah, she’s right here. I’ll see you on Friday.”
“See you then, Nica.”
“Bye, Dad, love you.”
“I love you, too.” The phone rattled for a moment, and then I winced as I heard Annie’s voice. Even after all these years, it still hurt to listen to her voice on the phone.
“Hi, Alex. You’re still up for taking Veronica this weekend?”
“Yes, I promised you that I would.”
“I know that, but I also know you always have a habit of breaking promises.”
“Hey, that’s not fair, Annie. You know I only broke them because of being deployed.”
“Yeah, well, she’s thirteen; if you don’t step up to the plate now, you’re going to lose any chance of getting to know your daughter.”
“I’m not the one that has kept me away from Nica the last six months. You’ve done your damnedest to keep me from her.”
“That’s not true. We’ve been busy.”
“Okay, well, instead of giving me a hard time about not seeing her, why don’t you help me out a little and fit me into your busy schedule. I’d like nothing more than to spend more time with my daughter.”
“Fine, when we get back, I’ll look at our calendar and figure it out. Maybe you can start having her one weekend a month, or something.”
“I’d prefer two weekends a month.”
“Let’s not push it, Alex. She has a busy schedule.”
“Fine. I told Nica I would come to get her after school on Friday. What time does she get home?”
“She’s home by four; don’t be late.” She didn’t wait for a reply and hung up.
I dropped my phone to the desk and ran my hands over my head. I’d been crazy in love with Annie, falling for her completely in only a couple weeks. We’d gotten married shortly after while I was on leave, and nine months later, Veronica was born. Sadly, I wasn’t there for it, or much after. Two years after she was born, I arrived home to surprise my family and found another man in my bed. What was worse was it was an Army officer that I knew from base.
Annie told me that she’d fallen out of love with me and that she wanted a divorce. My heart had broken, and I’d walked away without fighting. I’d gone back overseas as quickly as I could, signed the papers when they arrived, and hid my broken heart under my sixty plus pounds of gear.
Every once in awhile, I would get a letter from her about Veronica, and sometimes pictures too. At least she kept me updated on our daughter. I missed out on so many things as she grew, and now that I was back and firmly planted on U.S. soil, I was ready to have whatever relationship I could have with my daughter.
I pushed my laptop away and went to make dinner for myself. My mind at war with my thoughts. Annie seemed happy, and I was glad for that. Patrick was kind to her, and to Veronica, and although I didn’t like the guy for what he had done, I no longer hated him.
I turned on a hockey game and lost myself in the voice of the announcer for a few minutes as I finished off not one, but two beers. My gaze kept drifting back to the front window where I had a view of the entrance, and I wondered if Lexi was back yet.
Was she having dinner with her boss? Had they gone back to his place for a nightcap? Was she home now, and I’d missed her arriving? I started to become antsy and went to change clothes, hoping that another run would calm me down.
I was just coming back after six miles when I saw a car pull up and stop near the door. Lexi climbed out of the passenger seat and smiled over the roof of the vehicle at Ralph. He walked her toward the door, and I found my hands fisted by my sides. They stopped and faced each other, and then he leaned down and kissed her slowly. It didn’t last very long, but I was still seeing red by the time it was over and noticed I had come closer, sticking to the shadows.
