“I was mad at the situation,” she sighed. “I was mad that you and my father were fighting. Mad that I felt like I had no say in the matter. Mad that you have perfectly wonderful parents who treat you like a person, not a possession.”
“I’m sorry,” I said, unsure of what else I could say, and not willing to risk pushing her further away. “I’m just sorry, Emily.”
“No, it’s not you,” she said, shaking her head as she covered her face with her hands. She cried, “I’m just tired of fighting them all the time. Nothing is ever good enough.”
“Emily…” I said, as I moved around the desk and pulled her into my arms. I could feel her shaking in my arms as I held her tightly and gently rocked back and forth. “It’s okay. Shhh. It’s okay.”
I could hear the second hand of the clock over the door ticking as I held Emily and waited for the sobs to subside. In a few minutes, she lifted her head and stared up at me with tear-stained cheeks.
“I’ve tried to distance myself from them,” she said, forcing back a sob. “I don’t want their money or their things. I just want some peace in my life, you know?”
Unsure of what to say, I simply nodded and waited for her to finish.
“My family has a lot of money, and they use that money to get the things they want regardless of the cost,” she said. “There’s always a price to be paid with them, though. And you’re never free and clear. Never.”
“You’re right, I don’t understand what you’ve been through,” I said, as I held her and slowly ran my hand up and down her back trying to soothe her. “But I assure you that I definitely don’t have a normal family. They are as weird as a family can get.”
“But they’re so nice!” she wailed, as she pressed her face against my chest and cried. “My family is not nice at all.”
“Emily, listen to me,” I said, speaking softly as I rested my chin on the top of her head. “It’s not your fault you have a family that drives you crazy. It’s not your fault that your father insulted me. It’s not your responsibility to find a way to excuse your family’s behavior and live with it. The only responsibility you have is to be true to yourself.”
“Thanks, Shakespeare,” she mumbled into my chest.
“I’m serious,” I said, pulling back and tipping her chin up so that she was looking at me. “You are only responsible for you. End of story.”
Emily nodded as her eyes filled with tears again. I leaned forward and gently kissed her forehead before pulling her back into my arms. I knew I’d missed her, but until this moment, I hadn’t realized just how much I’d missed her. I heard the classroom door open behind me, and when I turned to see who it was, I saw Nina smiling and giving me two thumbs up. I shook my head, and she quietly closed the door leaving Emily and me alone again.
“I’m a mess,” Emily said, pulling back and wiping her eyes. “I need to clean up and get out of this school.”
“How about I take you out for a nice dinner and then you can go home and get a good night’s sleep,” I suggested, hoping that she would say yes to dinner, and trying to come up with an alternate plan in case she said no.
“I don’t know,” she said, pulling away before starting to pack up her books and papers. “I should get home. I’ve got a lot of grading to do.”
“It’s just dinner, Emily,” I said, frantically trying to think of a reason she couldn’t refuse. When I found it, I smiled, “I know that Nina would appreciate it if you were there to help celebrate her improved History grade.”
“Oh my God, you’re going to use your daughter to blackmail me into having dinner with you?” Emily laughed.
“Yep. I’m going to use every weapon in my arsenal to get you to have dinner with me,” I said with a grin.
“Fine, I’ll have dinner with you two,” Emily smiled, as she finished packing up her things and grabbed her coat.
I took Emily and Nina to the diner on Lexington for dinner, and for several hours we sat and laughed about everything and nothing. It was good to see Emily slowly returning to the way she had been before the confrontation with her parents, but there was something in her eyes that told me that whatever had happened at her house wasn’t quite over yet.
On the drive home, Nina sang loudly with the radio from the back seat and then nudged me once I’d parked in the driveway in front of Emily’s house.
“Dad, walk her up to the front door!” Nina urged. “It’s totally rude not to do that!”
“Where are you getting your information from, young lady?” I said, shooting her a warning look.
“It’s okay, I’m fine,” Emily laughed, as she got out of the truck and headed up toward the front door.
“Dad!” Nina whispered. “Go! Now! You need to give her a goodnight kiss!”
“Don’t lecture me, daughter,” I said sternly before getting out of the truck and following Emily up to the door.
“Seriously, I’m fine, Blake,” Emily said, turning to look at me. Before she could say anything else, I cupped her chin with my hand, bent down and softly kissed her lips. When I pulled back, Emily let out a small sigh and said, “Oh.”
“Do you want to have dinner with me and my nice family tomorrow night?” I asked. “I would like it, and I know they would, too.”