baby.”
My father shakes his head and begins pacing the
apartment. Then he stops, clears his throat and
speaks to me in a calm tone of voice.
“Okay dear, what’s done is done. There is no
problem. You will come with me and I will take
care of everything. You will have the baby and we
will find someone to take care of it so that you will
be able to continue with your life and—”
“Dad,” I interrupt him. “This is my life.”
“This?” he looks at me, unbelieving. “Working
part-time in a pub for some guy that got you
pregnant? That’s what you’re aspiring to? We had
plans, Erin.”
“She’s grown up, sir. She’s grown into a
wonderful woman. And she’s my woman.” Patrick
intervenes with eyes full of pride and with his
chest puffed out with emotion.
“Good lord, Erin! How could you have fallen so
low? Look at him! He’s a complete failure. How
old are you, lad? Twenty-eight? Twenty-nine?”
“Thirty,” Patrick corrects him once again, and
once again my dad replies with the same words.
“This gets even better! Thirty years old and still
here playing barman and what? Wait a second,
you’re a musician, right? What do you think you
can give my daughter? Come on, let’s hear it.”
Patrick does not freak out even though I can see
his jaw is tense. I squeeze his hand hard to give
him my support, hoping he looks at me and that he
