Page 23 of Big Stick Energy
Let me know if noon works on Sunday. I’ll call the country club.
The first bit makes me roll my eyes, because I doubt Theo will notice if I turn up at his shower. But the rest of it is a puzzle.
When I was a teenager, I would have given my right arm for an invitation to lunch alone with my dad. After he moved out, I never got any more alone time with him. In fact, he seemed to make it his life’s mission to force his so-called blended family to spend time together.
Like on my fourteenth birthday, when he told me he’d made a reservation for us at the Olive Garden—my guilty pleasure. So I’d put on the new sundress my mother had sewn for me—pale yellow with tiny daisies—and I’d watched from the window for the glint of his car.
But when his silver BMW pulled up, Tessa was in the passengerseat. I remember the humiliation of having to climb into the back. And instead of the Olive Garden, we went to some trendy bistro that Tessa picked. I’d felt babyish in my cheerful sundress while Tessa wore designer jeans and a slouchy sweater.
That birthday still haunts my teen memories. Tessa had given me a twenty-five-dollar gift card to Abercrombie. Twenty-five bucks barely covered a T-shirt, and I’d hated myself a little when I’d shopped the sale rack the following week for something—anything that I could afford from that store.
My wariness at a lunch invitation from my dad is justified, to say the least.
I puzzle over it instead of finishing my first homework assignment. I know I should just turn him down and forget about it. Hell, I could just bail on the wedding shower, too. That would be healthier than pouting here, along with my inner fourteen-year-old.
But after a few minutes of indecision, I hit on the perfect solution.
Hey, Dad. Noon might work for lunch. Is it just the two of us? I’ll have to check with my date. He and I haven’t figured out our itinerary yet.
I hit send, feeling very satisfied with myself. And he answers almost immediately.
Dad:It was going to be just the two of us. But if your date is at loose ends, he can join us, and we’ll have a private coffee afterwards or something.
Hmm. What would he want to discuss, anyway?
Darcy:Okay, I can probably make it work, unless he needs to get back to the city early in the day. I’ll tell you by tomorrow.
Dad:Super! And let me know if I can help out with your hotel reservation. I know it’s an inconvenience to come from out of town.
Itisinconvenient. But I don’t take favors from him as a point of pride, and he knows that. Luckily, my job has some serious perks.
Darcy:I used points to get a room, but thanks. Any idea what’s on Maribel’s gift registry?
Dad:Sorry, pumpkin. That’s your lovely sister’s department. See you Saturday!
Mylovely sister. How nice it must be to live in a world where you get to create your own reality. Where you see everyone as lovely because it’s so much easier than acknowledging the truth—that your own selfishness brought so much confusion and pain to your family.
And I still need a fricking shower gift.
“Darcy? Are you texting with yourfather?”
I startle to find my mother standing over my shoulder, holding a curtain panel. “Um, yup. There’s a wedding shower for Theo next week.”
She flinches. “You’re not seriously considering going, are you?”
I put my phone face down and rise from my chair. “I think so. Dad just invited me out to lunch afterwards.”
“Oh, honey.” Her face falls. “He’ll probably cancel at the last minute. People don’t change.”
That’s exactly what I’m worried about, of course, but it still irritates me to hear her say it. “It’s just lunch. I turned down invitations for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s, but he still asks every year. It seemed like an easy thing to say yes to.”
She shrugs. “I’m sure you’re right. I just don’t want to see you get hurt.”
“I’m a big girl, Mom. Nothing he can do will surprise me.”
“Fine.” She hands me the curtain panel. “But if any part of this wedding is amusingly tacky, I expect a full report.”
“You got it.”
