Cowboy Baby Daddy

“Did you or did you not leave Nina home alone last night while you went out with your girlfriend?” she asked.

“I went to the Celtics game with Emily,” I said defensively. “I was home by midnight.”

“And you left our teenage daughter here alone while you went out?” she continued.

“She’s 16, and it was a school night, Remy!”

“And did you or did you not go to work overnight even though you knew Nina was missing?” she asked.

“I reported it to the police and let them do their job!” I shouted.

“I see,” Remy said, shifting into deadly calm mode. “And you didn’t feel that it was something important to share with her mother.”

“Remy, I didn’t want you to worry,” I sighed, feeling frustrated that I had to repeat myself. I knew why she was mad, but I was so pissed at her for always putting me down, I didn’t care. “I knew that there was nothing you could do from a distance and that by the time you got back, the chances were good that Nina would be home.”

“But you didn’t know that for sure, Blake,” she said, narrowing her eyes. “You seem to think that parenting is a one-person job, and that I don’t deserve to be included in the decisions you make regarding our daughter.”

“What the fuck are you talking about, Remy?” I shouted. “I involve you in every single thing I do with Nina. Why are you making a federal case out of the one time I hold back information in order to keep you from worrying?”

“One time?” she said, raising an eyebrow as she thrust the papers in her hand at me. “When were you going to tell me about filing paperwork to change Nina’s permanent address?”

“Again, what the fuck are you talking about?” I said, as I took the stack of papers from her and began reading.

“You knew that Nina wanted to come live with you full-time, but you didn’t bother to ask me how I felt about the arrangement, or even inform me that she wanted to live here!” Remy shouted, as she paced the foyer her heels clicking on the wood floor. “I am her mother! I have rights, too!”

“You don’t have the right to tell me what I can and can’t do, lady!” I shouted, slamming my fist on the table holding mail and keys. The impact rattled everything on the table, sending the basket with car keys and change crashing to the floor. I roared, “Goddamn it, Remy!”

“STOP IT, YOU TWO!” Nina screamed, as she emerged from her bedroom. “Stop it! I’m sick and tired of you two fighting over me! I never get the chance to say what I want because you two are so busy fighting about what it is YOU want!”

“Nina, honey,” Remy said, reaching out to her daughter.

“NO! Do not ‘Nina, honey’ me!” Nina screamed, as she batted her mother’s hands away. “You are a pain in the ass, Mom! You hold on to me so tightly I can’t breathe! Is it any wonder I’d want to live at Dad’s? At least he gives me space!”

“Too much space, apparently,” Remy muttered, as she backed away from Nina and shot me a murderous look.

“Don’t blame everything on Dad like you always do,” Nina warned. I remained silent, knowing that anything I could say might tip the balance in either direction, and I didn’t want to alienate my daughter before I understood what was at stake. “You’re constantly on my case about everything, Mom. You nag me about my room, about my grades, about my weight, about every little thing! I’m sick and tired of it! I can’t breathe when I’m with you!”

“What on earth are you talking about?” Remy said. The look of shock on her face told me that she had no idea that Nina had been gathering evidence against her for so long. “I just want you to be the best person you can be. I want you to be a responsible adult. I want people to like you.”

“No, those are your hang-ups, Mom!” Nina cried. “You always push things on me when it’s you that’s worried about how everything looks! You’re such a bitch!”

“Nina!” Remy and I both said at the same time.

“Don’t talk to your mother that way, young lady,” I warned.

“Or what? You’ll cut me out of your life just like you did Emily?” Nina dared me. “You’re no better than she is, Dad. You just pretend like you’re the good guy, but you never stand up to her! You’re weak, and you know it!”

“NINA!” Remy yelled. “Knock it off, young lady! I’ve had about enough of your smart mouth and your disrespectful attitude.”

“Whatever,” Nina said, rolling her eyes as she slumped against the wall. I was still stinging from the accusation she’d leveled at me, and stayed silent as Remy moved toward Nina and began speaking.

“See?” Remy said, turning toward me. “This is what happens when you let a teenager run wild. I’ve had enough of this, Blake. She cannot behave like this and every time she comes back from spending time at your house her attitude is worse than the time before.”

“And you’re blaming all of this on me?” I said, looking at her in disbelief.

“I am,” she said coolly. “And this afternoon, I’m going to have my lawyer draw up the paperwork to file for sole custody.”

“MOM!” Nina shouted. “You can’t do that!”