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Myneck twisted toward him to meet the side profile of his face. “Whatare you talking about—”
“Doyou remember howIdescribed your daughter earlier?”
Iblew out a breath. “HowcouldIforget?Detached.Single-minded.Emotionallyreserved.Lackingin impulse control,”Icounted them off, wondering how to makeAxelpay for each insult he directed at my kid.
Heread my mind. “Youspeak as ifIinsultedPoppy.”
“Youdid,”Iaccused.
“Whatyou consider insults are some ofPoppy’sgreatest strengths.”
“Howso?”
“Thefact that she is single-minded means she won’t stop until reaching her goals.Asfar asI’mconcerned, that’s a good quality.Shedoesn't want a mediocre life, nor understands those who settle for less instead of achieving their full potential.”
Myshoulders slackened.
Itwas apparentPoppydidn’t respect me the same way she respected her papa.Jaywas a mogul with keys to a kingdom.Asfar asPoppywas concerned,Iwas overindulged and had never worked a day.Shehad no clue about my secret career or thatIhad a seven-figure income.Ihuffed in self-deprecation.Imade one million dollars last year, yet my daughter dismissed me as ifIdidn’t know the meaning of hard work.PoppythoughtIthrummed on the piano for hours becauseIwasso boredwith my pampered life.
“Ialready knew that,”ItoldAxel.
“Ifyou know that, why don’t you see these things as her strength?Fromthe conversationIoverheard between you two, it sounded like you want her to dream smaller.Doyou not believe in your daughter?”
Myjaw dropped in aghast disbelief. “Ofcourse,Ibelieve in my daughter.Ijust don’t want her to be so wrapped up in her ambitions that she doesn’t notice her childhood passing her by.Poppyis light-years ahead of her classmates and about to become a junior in high school.Idon’t get it.What’sthe rush to grow up?Atthis rate, she’ll be in college by fifteen or sixteen.”
“Sowhat?Igot accepted into college at fifteen.”
“That’stoo young,”Iprotested.
“Isn’tthat for her to decide?”
“I-I,”Istammered, unsure how to voice my side of the argument.
“Ifinished myGEDat fourteen and applied for scholarships to any college that would have me.Iwas dead set on getting out of myPodunkshithole of a town.Iaccepted the first college to offer me a full ride.ButwhenIasked my parents for a loan to pay for costs the scholarship didn’t cover, my father slapped me over the head.So,Iworked and saved up for a year before starting college at sixteen.”
Axel'swords hovered in the air between us.Onceupon a time, he had disclosed his alcoholic parents and how he’d severed all ties with them.Iwas glad he cut out the toxic components in his life.Nonetheless, it was heart-wrenching to hear.
Axeldismissed the sadness etched on my face. “Don’tneed your sympathy,” he said in a cutting tone. “Mypoint is thatIknew whatIwanted by the timeIwas ten, and nothing could stop me.Ifyour daughter is like me, she doesn’t care about living her childhood to the fullest.That’swhatyouwant for her.”
Therewas no one else in this car, yetIfelt ganged up on. “Whyis it so wrong thatIdon’twant to put pressure on my kid?”
Axelignored my incredulous mien. “ItseemsPoppylikes the pressure.Perhapsshe thrives on it.”
Iwas stumped.Therewas a truth inAxel'swords thatIcouldn’t refute.
“Likeyour daughter,” he continued, “Iwanted bigger and better things for myself.WhatIdidn’t want was people telling meIcouldn’t do it.Didn’tyou once tell me your mother didn’t support your choice to pursue music?Howdid her advice affect your relationship?”
OhGod, hadIturned intoZainaMittal?Momnever believed in me, and it hurt.Badly.Whetheror notIunderstoodPoppy’sdreams, this was a wake-up call thatIhad failed by not supporting her.
Ididn’t look atAxelas we took the exit and went down a familiar path, staring out the window for several moments.
“IcalledPoppyyoung ladytoday,”Ireluctantly admitted, running a hand down my face.Momused to call meyoung lady,andI’dalmost cringed when the exact words had slipped out. “Inever thought calling someoneyoung ladywas even in myDNA.”Yuck.
Thecorners ofAxel’smouth quirked knowingly.Itamazed me how he had given me more insight intoPoppy’smind within less than a day whenIhadn’t achieved it through months of therapy.Itwas a breakthrough.
PerhapsIshould callPoppytonight to implement some ofAxel’sadvice.Thiswas a good start, butIneeded more.
“Anyother advice you’d like to bestow?”
