“Probably. But I was in town last weekend and forgot to tell him,” I explain.
Forgotis a cop-out, and I know it. I put it off until I ran out of time.
“To be fair, Lu Lu, you were busy. You purged a hundred and sixty-five pounds of dead weight, became a rock star, and claimed your destiny—not to mention going viral with Sammy.”
The acid swirling in my stomach feels pretty darn viral right now.
Annie leans around me to see my face. “Lu Lu, what’s the big deal? I know y’all have a complicated relationship, but it’s just a phone call. I didn’t think anyone hated calls as much as I do.”
I squeeze my eyes shut and rub my temples, resting my elbows on our kitchen bar.
“It’s fine.” I sigh. “Maybe it’s just a friendly hello for the first time in my life.”
“Does he have social media?” Annie asks.
“Yep.”
Social media’s helpful when you’re cheating on your wife or covertly gathering intel on your kids.
“He’s a lurker,” I explain. “He wouldn’t say anything memorable if he commented on the video.”
“But you answered everyone who messaged you, right?” she asks.
“Except Nathan. Yes.”
“Unless you broke plans”—she holds her palm out, gesturing toward my phone—“it’s just a call.”
I appreciate Annie’s attempt to ground me with facts and logic, but they won’t do me much good with Dad. I can’t explain it. Her parents are amazing. A little overbearing and nosy but so proud of Annie and her brothers.
I tap the screen to call him for real, turning on the speaker so Annie can hear. Her facial expressions might just be the incentive I need to get through this conversation.
He answers quickly. “Hey, there. Looks like you finally found some free time.”
Annie tilts her head and scrunches her nose.
“Yeah, I’ve worked until close every day this week,” I reply casually. Work’s usually a safe topic. “And I’ve got a fun Friday night of work in an hour. How about you?”
“Oh, you know. Work and then more work at home. Ruth’s daughters live in California, and your sisters and brother don’t care to be at my house much.” He pauses. “Apparently you don’t either.”
I smirk and glance at Annie. Her mouth drops open, appalled at what she hears.
“They don’t love sharing a room,” I deflect. If he were more pleasant to be around, they wouldn’t care about the room. “Plus, your house is away from all their friends. I’m sure it’s hard.” I need to shut up before I open a can of worms.
“There’s only so much I can do with my income supporting two households.” He huffs. “I’m sorry I can’t provide more luxury at two locations.”
“Yeah, I’m sure it’s inconvenient.” I roll my eyes, barely containing my snark.
Dad’s income covered round-trip airfare to visit his online mistress in California at least twice. I’m sure some of his income helped her move across the country too.
Liza told me the room they share is a dining room off the kitchen with bunk beds. The spare bedroom is Ruth’s sewing room.
The amount he pays in child support is far below what Mom needs to raise three teenagers, although it’s probably the most consistent contribution she’s ever had.
Dad shifts gears to reverse the tension. “So, when did you change careers?”
“Change careers?” I play along. “I’m a student, and I work as close to full-time as I can, but I don’t have a career to change yet.”
“Aren’t you in school for psychology or psychiatry? Counseling or something?”
