She stomped her foot. “No, I’m sick of it. You guys need a push.”
“Ash, that’s not for you to decide.”
“Well, maybe if you’d get over yourself, Dad wouldn’t leave.”
She ran out into the hall and into the bathroom and slammed the door.
“Ash, come back!”
I walked to the bathroom and pounded on the door, but she wouldn’t open it. After a few minutes, I gave up and went to my own room. I was angry. Upset. Confused. Was he really leaving?How the hell could he do this to us? To me?
Eventually, I heard Ash leave the bathroom and go to her room. When I went to check on her an hour later, she was fast asleep.
I called Tati and asked her to come over.
“It’s ten o’clock,” she said, flatly.
“I need to go to Matt’s and I don’t know how long I’ll be there.”
“Can’t you just call him?”
“No, because I need to punch him in the face.”
“Oh, Jesus. What happened now?”
“Ash said he might be taking a job in Singapore. We just had a big fight about it, and I don’t know what the hell to do. Just come over, please.”
“Got it. I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”
After Tati got to my house, I stormed several blocks to Matt’s house, raging with anger. I rang the buzzer over and over again.
“Yes?” Matt said over the speaker.
“It’s your baby-mama. Let me in.”
I heard him laugh. “Come right up.”
When I got to the loft, he opened the door wide, smiling. “Gracie.”
“Don’t Gracie me, you bastard.” I shoved past him, threw my purse down, and crossed my arms. He looked scared. “What in the fuck, Matt? What is wrong with you?”
He leaned against the wall, perhaps to get as far away from me as possible. “What are you talking about?”
“Our poor daughter was in tears tonight because you told her you were moving to Singapore. Is that true? Because if it is—”
“Grace, stop. Listen to me.” It looked like he was searching his mind. “I mentioned to her that I got a job offer a long time ago, when we barely knew each other.”
“Well?”
“I told my boss I couldn’t take it.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “When?”
“After that night you came here. I never would have left anyway; I was just in a daze. I had requested a job in the field before I reconnected with you and met Ash.” He was sincere, pleading. “I feel bad that she’s been dwelling on it.”
“Yeah, well, kids do that.”
He came toward me and reached out for my hands and held them between us. “I’m still learning, Grace.”
