I glance at the clock—it’s 12:28. It’s too late in the day for this talk…in every sense. “Dad, I’m tired—”
“No. You are not avoiding this conversation.” His voice is stern and his eyes narrow to pinpricks as he peers at me over his glasses. He’s mad. Really mad.
“Dad—”
“Quiet, son. You need to listen.” He sits on the edge of his desk, removes his glasses, and begins to clean them with the lint cloth he pulls from his pocket. I stand before him, as I often have, feeling like I did when I was fourteen years old and I’d just been expelled from school—again. Resigned, I take a deep breath and, sighing as loudly as I can, place my hands on my hips and wait for the onslaught.
“To say I’m disappointed is an understatement. What Elena did was criminal—”
“Dad—”
“No, Christian. You don’t get to speak right now.” He glares at me. “She deserves to be locked up.”
Dad!
He pauses and slides his glasses back into place. “But I think it’s your deception that disappoints me the most. Every time you left this house with some lie that you were studying with your friends—friends we never got to meet—you were fucking that woman.”
Christ!
to believe anything you’ve ever said to us?” he
fuck’s sake. This is a complete overreaction.
can’t. Of course, I blame myself. I thought I’d given you some semblance of a moral compass. And now I’m wondering if I’ve taught
you asking a
“She was a married woman and you had no respect for that, and you’re shortly to become a
has nothing to do
sobering. “It has everything to do with her. You are about to make a huge commitment to a young woman.” His tone softens. “It’s a surprise to
“Dad—”
you will soon be affirming, you seriously need to consider a
raise my hands to stop him. He’s gone too far. I’m an adult,
you. You living
years old!” I
this? I know I’ve always been a huge disappointment to him, but he’s never spelled
realize that in my moments of stress I do the same. This habit comes from him, but in my case the apple has fallen
in business. Both of you have been lying to us for all these years. And that’s what hurts the most.” His voice drops. “She was your mother’s friend. We
Fuck off, Carrick.