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“Isn’tthat for your daughter to decide?”
“No, it’s not,”Istated calmly. “Sheis a child and doesn’t get to do whatever she wants.”
“Weboth know your daughter is much more than a child.”
“Eitherway.I’mher mother, andIget to decide who’s in her life.Whateversick games you’re playing, make me the target, not her.Ican’t have some celebrity barging into my daughter’s life becauseIhave become their flavor of the week.That’snot how it works with kids.Theythrive on stability, which you don’t reflect.”
“FromwhatIhear, your daughter’s not thriving at all.”
Myhands balled in my lap. “Sayanother word against my daughter, andIwon’t be so kind about forgetting what you did last night.”
Axelseemed impervious to my threat. “Alittle touchy, aren’t we?Isit because there is truth to whatIsaid?”
Don’tlet him get to you.“Youseem to think you know more about my daughter thanIdo,Mr.Trimalchio.”Ikept my voice friendly, knowing the formal addressing pissed him off.
Axelsped up on the deserted roads lined with trees. “I’llpull this car over to spank you on the side of the road if you use the formality bullshit again.”
Iswallowed at the gentle way he made the threat. “Fine,Axel,”Iemphasized his name, “Whatis it you think you know aboutPoppy?”
Axeldidn’t look at me, eyes steadfast on the road. “Detached.Single-minded.Emotionallyreserved.”
Iglanced at him pointedly. “Soundsfamiliar.”
“Lackingin impulse control,” he added. “Doesthat sound familiar as well?”
Ibegrudgingly admitted thatAxeldidn’t lack impulse control.Hewouldn’t have made it this far in life if he had.
Asmuch asIwanted to argue with him,Axelhad already seen enough ofPoppyto identify the problem.Overthe last year,Ihad hoped to makePoppysee reason with love.Despitemy daughter’s hard shell, she wanted to control her reactive nature but constantly lost the battle.Therecent troublesome developments had vanquished my optimism as well.Itwas so unfair that some people thrived withASPDwhile others gave in to their primitive urges.
Axel, for example, had no criminal records, no altercations, not even a parking ticket.IhadGoogledhim obsessively, and there was nothing on the guy.Cool, calm, and collected,AxelTrimalchiowas a downrightSamaritanas far as the world was concerned.Otherthan while with me, he had immense control over himself and was as clean as a whistle.
Iglanced atAxelas the thought jarred me.
Hehad immense control over himself and was as clean as a whistle.
Eventhough he had the same affliction as my daughter,Axelapproached things differently.Howwas he doing it?
PerhapsIhad been looking at this all wrong.Ihad been running fromAxel, and for a good reason, but here was a rare window to learn about someone withPoppy’scondition living their best life.
Ihad tried everything and hit a wall withPoppy.Theuniverse had suddenly bestowed me with a resource otherwise unavailable.Axelwas unhinged, sure, but he suppressed it well in public.
Foronce,Icould turn the tables onAxeland use him for whatIwanted most; a happy, healthy life for my daughter.
“Itturns out your daughter’s exactly like me,” he spoke again.
Ihuffed. “Iassumed someone like you thought highly of themselves?”
“Ido.”
“Thenwhy would you claimPoppyisn’t thriving by being exactly like you?It’snot like she is doing something vastly different than you,”Isaid as nonchalantly asIcould manage, hoping he’d bite.Thelast thingIneeded was forAxelto know he had somethingIwanted.
Axelstilled, the car coming to a slowed stop at a signal.Tiltinghis head, he watched me methodically, dissecting me piece by piece.Thelook was so intense, so possessive, my skin exploded with what felt like bites from a thousand fire ants.
“ExceptIcan control my inner demons while she’s a fish out of water… and you want to know howIdo it.”
Ofcourse, he knew whatIwas up to; he was always one step ahead of me.
“Whydon’t you ask me what you really want to know,Princess?” he asked as the light changed to green.Myupper body flung back against the seat asAxeltook off at full speed.
