I may not have had siblings by blood but there were many foster kids I’d shared homes and rooms with that I thought of as family and would’ve gladly been a great auntie to their kids if I was needed.
So, here Dad was, all smiles for the camera, looking well-fed, well-groomed, and yet there was a weird aura about him, something in his eyes, a nervousness in his laugh. He seemed off, like there was something shifty going on. He kept checking his phone and looking around suspiciously. When everyone had gotten their fill of camera flashes in their eyes, Rose tried to corral everyone so we could go back to her house where a big buffet and gifts were waiting.
“Please join us, Gregory,” she said to my Dad.
“I’d love to!” he beamed, “Tia, ride with me. We can catch up on the way back.”
I nodded, feeling like something was way off. Did he have something to tell me? I was happy to see him; it’d been ages since I’d seen him, but something was off, I could just feel it.
He had a decent enough car, surprisingly. We drove through a coffee shop drive-thru for Dad to get a coffee and me to get an iced cappuccino on our way and then we parked so Dad could get out and have a cigarette first, knowing I wouldn’t want him smoking in the car with me.
“Thanks so much for coming, Dad.”
“Like I’d miss it!” He gave me an ‘Are you kidding’ look. As if he hadn’t missed other milestones, like my first communion, my confirmation, school plays, every single birthday since my 10th, and so forth.
“What’s new, then? You working?” I asked.
He nodded, “Yeah, I’ve been working at an auto parts place over on Dufferin for about 7 months. I do parts counter, a few minor repairs. Got a nice apartment. Got myself a nice girlfriend, too. You’ll like her. Sadie. She’s a schoolteacher. Teaches kindergarten. This is her car.”
“Really? That’s awesome!” It’d been the longest he’d held down a job for ages and this was the first relationship he’d ever told me about. He knew what was going on with me already; I’d filled him in with my Facebook message where I’d invited him to come to the grad ceremony.
“Something off, though, Dad? You seem stressed.”
He nodded quickly and lifted the lid off his coffee and took a sip, “Yeah, we need to talk.”
I frowned, “Okay?”
He sat down on a picnic table outside the coffee shop and picked at an imaginary thread on his suit pants, “I’m in some trouble. Chickens coming home to roost, sorta thing.”
My heart lurched, “What kind of trouble?”
He let out a heavy sigh, “I have old debts from when I was gambling. I haven’t gambled in a long time, Tia. I go to a support group. The debt was sold to someone high up in organized crime, someone who hates my guts and has a vendetta from years back. He’s decided to make life --- difficult.”
I nodded, urging him to continue, feeling dread spread through my gut.
“I need to figure this out, find a way to get them paid. They’ve already given me an extension but they want a marker. I just need a few days to sort this out; I was hoping you could help me.”
“How? How could I help you?” I didn’t have any money. Well, $248 in my savings account from my job at the ice cream parlor but that was it.
“You need to be my marker.” He said, resigned.
I was gob smacked, “Your what?”
“Yeah. I know it’s not ideal but I have a plan to clear it up and then there won’t be anything else. This is the last loose end from my old life, Tia. I’m really sorry to drag you into this but I have no choice.”
“Dad…” I began.
I noticed a black SUV pull in beside us. The passenger window rolled down and a shady-looking guy in dark sunglasses was eyeing us.
“Tia, it’s just for a few days. I have a plan, I…” He glanced over his shoulder and then his shoulders slumped.
“Dad, you can’t expect me to…who are these people? What on earth have you gotten yourself into?”
Dad’s face took on a look of desperation, “Sweet pea, I’m sorry. I’ve been such a fuck up.”
He hadn’t called me that since I was little, since before Mom died. This was one messed up situation.
“You need to go with these guys. Trust me. I’ll make this better. It’ll be better.”