Inseparable

Not that I thought he’d call back but just in case. Drunks had the tendency to dial anyone and the last thing I wanted was to take that chance. In five minutes he’ll forget what he said and call me up telling me the opposite.

There were a lot of guys at school who drank as a hobby. I was terribly cliché not to mention expensive. They’d come up to me and my friends when we were out blowing off steam and try and talk to us. The promises we’d hear were laughable. Some guys were bold and just came right out asking for a blow job or hand job. Other guys would go the seductive route.

I hate to admit that I would go along with their lines like I was really interested just to hear where the conversation would go. It inevitably always circled back to their groins.

But this was not a surprise either. Lucas wasn’t one of the dozens of desperate guys. He could have any woman he wanted if he’d just be nice. But, somewhere along the line he learned he didn’t have to be nice and the women will still put up with him.

I knew what he was thinking. He was wondering how long I’d put up with his abuse. That’s what he was thinking. He assumed I was so interested in his money that I’d let him talk to me that way. How did he ever plan to be happy? This certainly wasn’t a recipe for it.

Just then there was a quiet knock on the door.

“Come in.”

“Hey.” My dad whispered from the dark hallway. “Tell Sandy to get some sleep. She can call you in the morning.”

“It wasn’t Sandy.” I chuckled.

“Who was it?” He asked, leaning against the door jam.

“Just some guy.?

?

“Lucas Prine?”

“Yeah. Don’t say it so loud.”

“What does he want from you?”

“I don’t know, Dad.”

My old man came in. His silhouette was all I could see but it was familiar and the same as it had been my whole life. He sat down on my bed.

“He doesn’t seem to be too good at making you smile.”

“He’s not. I mean, he can be but he’d rather be a big baby about everything. How can you whine so much when you’ve got everything you could possibly imagine?”

“Obviously, he doesn’t have everything. You’ve got something he wants and since he can’t get it he’s going to continue to be an asshole.”

I chuckled.

“I’m sorry I was never that much of a go-getter like Mr. Prine to give you and your mom everything you wanted. You either have a knack for it or your born into it. I was neither.”

“I’m not sorry, Dad. Besides, where can you drive a Ferrari around here? How stupid would that look going to the grocery store?”

My dad laughed but I could tell he was a little sad.

“We did our best. Now, we’ve got a daughter on her way to law school all the way in New York. I’d say we pull out all the stops at the end.” I felt his hard, thick hand brush across my face.

“Someday, dad, you won’t have to worry about a thing. You and mom will come live with me and you won’t have to worry. Well, maybe not with me but next door or down the block.” I joked.

“When you’re a parent you never stop worrying.” He said, leaning down to give me a kiss on the forehead. “And if this Prine character can’t get his billion dollar ass in line he’s no good for you.”

“Thanks, dad. I think you’re right.”

I was glad the lights were out so he couldn’t see me crying. He stood up from the bed and headed out the door.

“Good night, Tilly.”