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“We don’t want another mix-up like we had on the floors,” Mac said gruffly.
Not wanting the conversation to deteriorate further, I said, “Let’s do a walk-through of your space to confirm what you want.”
Mac was swinging from being nice to irritated like a pendulum. I needed to get control of this project before Mac or Natalie pushed it off target.
When we’d finished reviewing Natalie’s plans for her living space, my phone buzzed, and I felt comfortable leaving Mac with her. As I stepped outside, my chest tightened when I realized it was Maggie’s mom, Felicia.
“Hello?” My stomach twisted when I remembered she usually only called before a visit.
“I’m going to be in town, and I’d like to see Maggie.” Her tone was warm, as if she hadn’t been gone for four months without checking in.
Normally, I’d say yes, and tell her she had free rein with Maggie, but this was the longest she’d gone without a phone call to her, or a word on when she’d be back to visit. I wasn’t sure it would be healthy for Maggie. “You’ve been gone a long time.”
“I’ve been busy at work. You know that.” Her tone went from warm to irritated.
“Maggie’s four. You haven’t called her.” Maggie barely mentioned her mother anymore. Lately, she was consumed with Alice, as was I.
“What are you talking about? You’ve never complained before.”
I gritted my teeth. “This isn’t about me. This is about you being a mother to our daughter.”
Lately, Maggie had begun to feel more like mine than ours, but I wasn’t rash enough to say that thought out loud.
She sucked in a breath. “And I’m planning a visit to Telluride to see her.”
“My point is that you can’t just disappear for months on end and then show up on a whim. It’s weird for Maggie.” How could I explain that Maggie might not be interested in seeing her? Or she might be confused?
“Are you planning on keeping her from me?” Anger infused her tone.
“Not at all. I just want you to think from now on about how your actions or inactions affect our daughter.” Because at the end of the day, I was the one worrying about Maggie, making sure she was growing up in a healthy environment, properly stimulating her, and getting her ready for kindergarten.
Felicia clearly didn’t care.
“What’s gotten into you?” she asked in disgust.
Had I never said anything before now? I was too scared to rock the boat, content to have Maggie to myself. But the reality was that her mother’s absence affected her in ways I didn’t understand. It couldn’t be healthy. And the older Maggie got, the more resentful or hurt she might feel. As her father, it was my job to protect her.
“I’m asking that you make more of an effort in between visits. Video calls would be a good start.”
“It’s never mattered before.”
“Not so much when she was a baby, but she’s growing up. Your absence is noted.” I kept a picture of her mother in her room, but Maggie didn’t even ask about her anymore.
“Only if you make a big deal out of it.”
“I don’t have to do anything. Your lack of calls and visits speaks for itself.”
“Are you saying shit to our daughter about me?”
“I don’t have to,” I said to a stunned silence. My heart was pounding in my chest. I’d never been this honest with her. I’d told her she needed to do what she needed to do, and I was always there for Maggie. She was more important than calling her mother out on her absence. But Maggie was getting older, and soon, she’d have questions. Questions about why her mother didn’t want to be around her, and I didn’t know how to tackle that.
“Do I need an attorney?” she practically hissed.
My heart spasmed. The last thing I wanted was to involve a judge. She’d never stuck to the visitation agreement we’d come up with and didn’t pay child support. I had no idea what she earned, if it was more than me or not, and I didn’t care. I liked providing for Maggie. “I’m asking for you to think about Maggie in the future. How your absence affects her.”
“Can I see her or not?”
“I wouldn’t stop you from visiting Maggie. I’m just warning you that it might not be the same as last time.” Although Maggie was only four. She’d probably jump at a chance to see her mother. But I dreaded the questions that might come after.Why does she only visit a few times a year? What was so important across the country that she can’t be here with me?
