Still. He had to be found, even if I had to do it myself.
I pulled my phone out of my pocket and stared at it. I didn’t think he would answer if I called. I hadn't tried since he was usually the one to call me anyway. When I did, maybe three out of ten times he’d pick up my call. This wouldn’t be one of them. He’d be worried about me selling him out since I’d been so ready to spill everything before.
Where else could he be?
I thought and quickly arrived at an answer. There was one place where I could find him when he wasn’t answering his phone, and I needed to talk to him.
When I was eighteen, Dad introduced me to a woman. I wouldn’t quite say what they had was dating since I still saw Dad with other women occasionally, but I knew the two of them fucked on a regular basis even now. Of course, he didn’t introduce her to me out of choice; I was just lucky enough to track him down since her place wasn’t too far away from the place we called home.
I’d seen her plenty of times and only knew her as Barbara. I didn’t have her number, but I didn’t feel like doing anything at school, so I might as well head there.
With a plan in mind, I got out of bed. I hadn't showered or changed since yesterday, but I didn’t care as I hurried out of my room and off the campus. It was still early in the day, and I was relieved when I checked the time and realized I could take the bus home. I had to run to catch the bus, then settled in for the three and a half hour ride.
When I arrived in the area I used to call home I paused for a moment to orient myself. I hadn't really been back here since Dad sold off the apartment after I left for college and got a smaller, cheaper place for one that I’d never been to. I usually stayed with a friend or found a motel while I did part-time work to pay for my stay through the school breaks.
I headed in the direction I wanted. I didn’t hold any nostalgic feelings for the area. It wasn’t like I had any friends that lived nearby.
Even though it had been a while, I still vaguely remembered where Barbara lived. It was a bit of a walk before I arrived. The place looked like it would pass for an old motel, except all the rooms were actually homes. Her house was the one right at the edge, and I walked over and knocked.
Only then did I worry that Barbara might be out. I didn’t know what she did; I didn’t know if she even had a job. It had been years; things could have changed. I had no reason to worry, though. The door opened after a while, and there she was. Barbara was a tall, slim woman with blonde hair, always messy and pushed away from her face, with wrinkles starting to show at the corners of her eyes and mouth. She was dressed in a crop top and a mini skirt, and she frowned when she saw me, though it cleared almost immediately.
“Noah, right?” She said, tilting her chin at me. “Are you here for your dad? If so, then I’d appreciate it if you could get him out of my house. I’ll head out for a bit.”
She stood aside to let me enter, then walked out and closed the door. As usual, she minded her own business.
I walked further into the room, and sure enough, Dad was there. He sat on the old, decrepit couch, curtains hung on the only window in the room half closed, making the room a little dark, watching TV with a beer in hand. He looked up as I entered, looking completely unconcerned as if this was any of the last times I’d come and found him here.
“Yo, kid,” he said, raising up his beer. “Want something to drink? There are a couple more bottles in the fridge.”
I frowned. “No, Dad. I don’t want a drink. What I really want right now, though? Is an explanation.”
He tilted his head and had the gall to pretend he didn’t know what I was talking about.
“An explanation for what?” He asked, sounding puzzled.
I frowned, hands clenched tightly by my sides, but I didn’t walk forward to punch him like I really wanted to right then.
“What exactly do you think you’re doing, Dad? Tina is broke, and she’s devastated because of what you did to her. She trusted you, and you go and do a thing like this.”
He frowned. “What, do you want your cut already? It’s not convenient right now, but if you can wait for a little, I’ll send you your college money, every single cent.”