“Don’t worry. I won’t.”
The silence between us becomes unbearable, so I begin to back away.
He strides forward and points his finger at me. “The minute you walk out that door,” he bellows, “you won’t get anything from me! Good luck paying rent on that swanky apartment your mother picked out for you. You’ll be on your own!”
“That’s exactly the way I want it.”
Freedom. I need freedom to live my own life. I can’t keep existing to please him, and I can’t compete with Arthur. Arthur is everything I’m not, and I don’t want to be like him anyway. I want to cook and create. I don’t care about a big house or a fancy car. I want to see where things go with Sienna. I want to belong to a family that loves and supports one another.
I walk out of Dad’s office, and he slams the door shut behind me.
The brunch table, when I return, is empty. Everyone has gone, except for Jane, who is clearing away the dishes. She doesn’t look at me, and I feel like I’ve become invisible. Then I feel a vibration. Thunder from the floor beneath my feet. I look down and realize it’s the bass speakers in the theater room downstairs.
My body is wound tight with stress, every muscle coiled like a spring on the verge of snapping. It’s a stark contrast to the lightness I’ve known over the past month with Sienna.
I need to call her right away and tell her it’s time to come and get me. I move quickly to the telephone in the kitchen and dial her number. She answers after the first ring. “Hello?”
“Hi, it’s me. Can you come now?”
“Sure. But what happened? I didn’t expect to hear from you for at least another hour. I just got here and ordered a coffee.”
“I didn’t waste any time,” I explain. “My dad’s in his office, frothing at the mouth, so I should get out of here before he decides to cook me for dinner.”
“I’ll be right there,” she replies.
We say goodbye, and I dash down the wide, curving staircase to the entertainment room. I pass by the pool table to the home theater beyond, walk through the double doors, and find everyone seated, fully engrossed in the opening scene ofMonsters, Inc.
My mother sits between the twins in the front row with an arm around each of them. Alex sits in the back row, filing her nails. I don’t know where Arthur has gone.
“Hey guys,” I say. “I have to get going.”
Mom looks up. “But we haven’t had your birthday cake yet.”
I rub the back of my neck. “I’m sorry. Go ahead and enjoy it without me. Light the candles, and let the kids blow them out. Make a wish for me.”
She frowns, and I suspect she knows what just happened.
Alex looks up from her nail filing. “You’re going? But you don’t have a car.”
“Sienna’s picking me up,” I explain. “She’s at the coffee shop down the road.”
As I wave goodbye to Andy and the twins, I’m thankful that no one questions Sienna’s convenient proximity, ten minutes away. They don’t know that I came prepared for getting kicked out of the house before the cake was served.
The rain outside softens. Its pounding rhythm slows to a gentle patter on the long, tree-lined drive. I walk with my hood up, my head down, the tension in my chest slowly dissipating, leaving behind a strange emptiness. I’d expected to feel relieved—triumphant, even—but instead, all I feel is a hollow ache where the bond with my father should have been but never was. Still, there’s no turning back now.
I look up and see Sienna’s Audi Q7 pull into the driveway from the main road. Relief pours through me, and I start to jog toward her, my boots splashing through puddles. She stops and unlocks the passenger-side door for me. I quickly get in and lower the hood of my rain jacket.
We turn to each other, and our gazes lock. “How did it go?” she asks.
I lean back against the leather seat, close my eyes, and let the reality sink in. “Not great. But I haven’t changed my mind. I’m quitting law school.”
Sienna’s voice becomes quiet. “How did he take it?”
My heart steadies as I look at her caring expression and feel her belief in me. “Exactly as I thought he would. First, he tried to intimidate me. Then he tried to make me feel worthy of his love if I caved. When that didn’t work, he exploded. Textbook Dad.”
Sienna lays her hand on my thigh. “I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be. I’m used to it, and now I can do what I want. I don’t have to worry about being good enough for him. It doesn’t matter anymore, what he thinks.”
