My Bully's Father

“How did you know I had one?” I just held my hand out as she searched her purse.

“Were there any other copies made?”

“No, I just got one for emergencies. I figured you forgot to give me one, so I talked the maid into giving me hers to make a copy.”

“Which maid?

“Gladys.” Good, now I know who to fire.

“Come in, Susan. It’s good that you’re here. I want to talk to both of you.” Darla looked around as if searching for someone. She hadn’t been back to the house since yesterday, so I’m guessing she thinks she’d run her off. “Where’s your friend?” She asked snidely.

“We’ll get to that. What happened here yesterday?”

“Oh, dad, it was awful; she attacked me. I came by to pick up some stuff I left in my room, and she just started cursing at me.”

“Oh, is that so?”

“Yes, and she even tried to hit me, then she kicked me out and told me you didn’t want me around.”

“Why would she do that? I thought you and her were close before she and I got together; where did all this hatred and animosity come from?”

“Didn’t you talk to her?”

“No, she was gone when I came home.”

“So, how did you know I was here?”

“The staff told me, so I put two and two together and figured something happened between you two, and she ran away.” I wasn’t expecting her to remember what time the staff came and left each day since she never treated them as anything more than lifeless droids here to serve her.

The two of them shared a look, and then Darla moved to the edge of her seat and settled in to tell her tale. In her version, Jenna or Genevieve, as she was only too quick to inform me, was the ugly, mean girl who’d been jealous of her and had made her life hell. I’ve seen pictures of her as a teen, and she looked like any other teenager to me with growing pains and acne.

She was a little chubby, yes, but who isn’t at that age? Obviously, she’d grown out of it, as there were no plastic surgery marks anywhere on her, and I would know. Except for the slight scar on her scalp from when these two had burned her. Listening to her tell of the things she’d had to go through to heal had angered me beyond belief, and it looks like that anger won’t be assuaged anytime soon because my daughter was sitting here lying to me.

“You’re lying. I know the truth, and that’s not it.”

“How can you know anything? She signed an NDA. I can sue her for that.”

“So, you can talk.” Too late, Susan remembered to zip her lip. I wasn’t even really interested in the fact that she’d spent the last six years or so pretending to be sicker than she actually was. I don’t want to know her reasoning behind it, though, I can guess.

“Shut up, both of you. She didn’t have to tell me anything; I saw it with my own two eyes. You forgot the cameras, didn’t you?”

“But always leave them off.”

“Not when I’m leaving my woman and going miles away.”

“Stop calling her that.” She covered her ears like a five-year-old.

“Look, dad, mom can walk and talk again, isn't that nice? I know we fooled you, but it was only for the last two years.”

“Why didn’t you tell me that your mother could walk?”

“We thought you’d throw her out if you knew, so we came up with a plan. It’s her home anyway.”

“No, it was her home, but not any longer. And for this and what you did in the past, I’m cutting you off.”

“No, daddy, you can’t mean that you can’t do that.”

“I do, I can, and I am. I’m disappointed in you, disgusted by your viciousness and lies. I accept that I have a part in the way you turned out, but years of therapy I paid for don’t seem to have helped, so I’m done. You two can leave.”

There was a lot more said; they put up a fuss, but in the end, I herded them out the door. I didn’t even bother calling her down. I’d expected to be calling her for the owed apology from my daughter because I naively held out hope that she’d do the right thing. Now there’s no more need to hope.

GENEVIEVE

I WAS a bundle of nerves ever since he went downstairs to meet with his daughter. I was tempted to go to the top of the stairs and listen in, but we’re past that now. We’ve decided to be honest and open with each other going forward. I know what he’s expecting, though, and I know he’s going to be disappointed. After the way she reacted yesterday, I’m almost certain she’s going to throw me under the bus.