“Yep, all packed. But do I get to pick?”
“Of course.”
“Can we eat pizza for dinner while we watch?”
“Done.” I pull my phone from my pocket and start placing the order.
I spend the next thirty minutes setting everything up in our theatre room, where we have a one-hundred-inch screen mounted to the wall and four cinema-style luxury chairs that recline all the way back. I’m overdoing it, but I can’t help myself. Atop our built-in tray tables are popcorn, chips, lollies and chocolate, along with two large glasses and a bottle of Sprite. There are two empty plates ready for the pizza and napkins too. Lu has been busy scrolling various streaming services and has cued up a movie ready to watch.
Once the pizza arrives, we sit down, and I pour her a glass of lemonade.
“Dad, you’ve gone a bit overboard,” she says laughing. “This is a lot of food for just the two of us.”
“I know, but I wanted to make it special. I’ll miss you while you’re on camp.” Also, this is only our second movie night, so I want her to love it so much it’ll become a regular thing.
Lu places a slice of pizza on her plate, then looks at me, concern etched on her face. “You’ll be okay on your own, won’t you? I mean I know you’re low-key happy Papa’s away this week, but thisisa big house for one person.”
“I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me, just go and enjoy yourself. I’m glad to have time to study and just eat frozen meals for dinner.” I slap a slice of pizza on my plate before adding, “Hey, how’s school? Are you and Amanda still fighting?”
“School’s fine. Not really friends with Amanda anymore. She’s kind of a shallow bitch. I’ve been spending more time with Bella.”
I nod. “Fair enough. What’s this Bella like?”
“I think you’d like her. She’s on scholarship and wants to be a doctor. Amanda and some of the other girls give her shit because she doesn’t have expensive clothes and the latest iPhone. I remember you telling me what it was like growing up poor, so I had a go at Amanda for bullying Bella. Let’s just say she didn’t like it.”
Pride swells in my chest. “I’m really proud of you, Lu. You should invite Bella over. I’d like to meet her.”
“Okay. I’ll invite her over after we get back from camp, but we should start the movie now. I have to be up at 6:00, remember?”
“Okay, what’s the name of this movie you’ve picked out?”
Lu picks up the remote and clicks play. “Bottoms.”
“Excuse me!” I exclaim, then promptly start choking on my pizza.
Lu roars with laughter while she slaps me on the back. “It’s okay, Dad. It’s not gay porn! It’s a teen comedy. Although it does have some lesbians I think.”
I groan in horror. I don’t even want to live in a world where my baby girl knows about the existence of porn. “This better be appropriate,” I warn. “What’s it rated?”
“Dad,” she whines. “I’m fifteen and allowed to watch MA movies.”
I huff. “We’ll see.”
“That cute actor you like is in it. You know, the one from Red, White and Royal Blue.”
“Henry or Alex?” I ask, suddenly a little more interested.
“The one that plays Henry.” Lu raises her eyebrow at me. “God, Dad, settle.”
The following morning, I embarrass Lu by waving the bus off as they leave for camp. I’m not the only parent, but Iamthe only dad.
I’m glad to have four days to myself, not only so I can study, but also for the peace and quiet. When James is around, I’m never truly relaxed, always having to watch what I say to avoid a potential argument.
As I slip into the front seat of my car to head back home, I can’t help but smile about my evening with Lu. In my opinion, the movie had been way too old and explicit for her, so I was very happy when she got so embarrassed at watching it in front of me thatsheasked to turn it off. We ended up watchingWickedinstead. As far as I know Lu hasn’t had a proper boyfriend or girlfriend yet—thank God—and if I have it my way it’ll stay like that for a good while longer.
She’s had a sheltered upbringing in many ways, so unlike my own. Sometimes I can’t believe what I was getting up to atfifteen. When I look back on my teen years, I can see that I experienced things way too young.
But Bren and I didn’t have parents who protected us, let alone love us, so we grew up fast. Bren was the only light in my life back then, and loving him was a lifeline. I held onto him, both emotionally and physically, as if my life depended on it. And perhaps it did.
