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It rings a few times and my stepmom, Megan, picks up.
“Helloooo!” she answers with a high-pitched sing song voice.
“Hi, Megan, it’s Mollie.”
“Oh, hey girl, happy fourth!”
“Thanks, you too. Is my dad around?”
“He’s next door, but I could run and get him for ya?” God I’m pathetic, even my dad has plans.
“Oh no, that’s okay, you guys have fun and tell him to call me tomorrow if he gets a chance.”
“Sure thing, Mollie,” she says and hangs up.
Megan and I have a weird relationship. When I was younger, I felt like it was a betrayal to my mom to like her or be friendly, but I quickly got over that after my dad grounded me for a week because I called Megan a home-wrecker. She for sure wasn’t the reason my parents split and I didn’t know what it really meant. My original home was wrecked and I needed someone to blame and she was an easy target.
I stretch out my limbs and take a sip of my warm wine as I watch what must be the finale as there are multiple explosions happening. After a few minutes they die down and I just feel nothing. The phone rings and I see it’s my dad. I knew he wouldn’t be able to wait until tomorrow, but I did try.
“Hey, pops.”
“Hey, Molls,”
“You didn’t need to call me back so soon, I don’t want to interrupt your party.”
“Nonsense, you gave me an excuse to get out of hearing about Keith’s colonoscopy. Why do people think you’ll be interested in that? I don’t care about my own colon, so why would I care about yours?”
“Now dad, you should really care about your own colon.”
“I should, but I don’t,” he says and we both laugh. “Now, I’m 100% sure you don’t want to hear about your old man’s anything, tell me what’s happening.”
“We saved a mom and her son today,” I tell him.
“My hero! Of course you did. Tell me all about it”
I do, and when I get to the part about me passing out, he goes dead quiet.
“Dad?” I ask and no response. “I’m obviously fine, I’m talking to you and I even worked the rest of the day.”
“You worked the rest of the day?” he asks, incredulous. “Are you insane?”
“No, I was fine and it’s the busiest day of the summer, I couldn’t just leave unless I was really sick or injured, which I was not.”
“Give me the number of your supervisor,” he demands.
“Nope.”
“Fine, is your mother there? Are you really okay?”
“She’s here and yes I’m fine.” I’m a big fat liar but he’ll really lose it if he finds out I’m here by myself, and I am fine.
“Okay, butter bean, did you get to see fireworks?”
“Nah, I’m too old for them anyway.”
“Now that’s bullshit. I hope you at least have a fun party to go to?”
“Of course, there’s a lifeguard orgy happening after midnight on the beach. We’re even doing a ritual sacrifice of a virgin. Hope they don’t pick me.”
