18. Escaping
eighteen
I was in deep trouble, and there was no denying it. I couldn’t focus on work or enjoy spending time with my friends. I’d missed the last two family gatherings, and my mom was beginning to worry. When my father called a week later, I was already on the brink of drunkenness.
“Hey, dad,” I ruffled the thick fur across Dylan’s neck.
“Hey, dad?” he scoffed. “What’s the matter with you?”
“How do you mean?”
“Oh, we’re gonna play it that way.”
“I—I don’t know—”
“When was the last time you called me or your mother? Mind you, the last time you left the house? You don’t think I have Briga’s number?”
Smirking, I clicked my tongue. “You’re keeping tabs on your grown-ass son. The epitome of any healthy relationship.”
“It is when he’s not acting so grown up.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I demand an explanation as to why you’re drinking yourself to death. You show up at the company looking like a train wreck. You—”
“I get it. You’ve got all the reports.”
“Abel… son… do you need help?”
I chuckled, shaking my head. “Are you referring to a drinking problem?”
“Well, what else could it be? How long has it been, right under our noses, before it got so out of hand? How were we so blind, Abel, and how could you be so irresponsible?”
“Dad, dad…” I sharply exhaled. “It’s not what you think.”
“You don’t know the first thing about what I think—”
“Dad,” I interrupted him, “I’m flying to Mykonos tomorrow.”
“With whom?”
“Nobody. I’m going to my place.”
“Alone.”
“Alone, yes. Is that a problem?”
“On a whim.”
“I need a break.”
“From what? The view? You’re sick of the Atlantic, so you wanna get drunk by the Mediterranean instead?”
“Dad,” I huffed, pinching the bridge of my nose. “Would you like to come along? I promise it’s nothing like that.”
“Actually, yes, I think I will. What time do you take off?”
“Nine o’clock. We can move it—”
“Don’t,” he sternly said. “I’ll be there.”
“Fine.”
The next morning, we took my jet and essentially fled to Greece. I shut my work phone and instructed Iris not to call me on the private number unless New York was burning down. As far as my friends were concerned, I was taking dad away for a change of scenery. Adele, on the other hand, texted me one line.
I knew you were going to sabotage it.
“Whatever,” I breathed as I programmed the phone to silent mode. Turning to my father, I rested my chin on my fist. “What did you tell Adele about this trip?”
“That it was just us boys,” he relaxed in his seat, stretching his legs. “Why?”
“Never mind.”
My sea-front villa was located on a dead-end road within a private five-acre estate. Facing south, it was complete with its own private beach, Olympic-size pool, and seven bedrooms.
Contrary to his earlier concern, the first thing my father did was head toward the open bar by the pool, demanding a cocktail. Shaking my head, I took off my clothes and jumped in the pool.
“So,” he hollered as he adjusted his position on a chaise lounge nearby. “Why are we really here?”
Spreading my arms over the solid edge, I tilted my head back, facing the sun and closing my eyes. “I told you. I need to clear my head.”
“I may be old, but I’m not forgetful. You said you needed a break.”
I forced a laugh, “I apologize, Philip.”
“What’s going on with you?”
“Nothing worthy of mention.”
“We’re in the middle of nowhere with nothing to do. Help me kill time, will ya?”
Flashes of the last time I saw Ella’s face haunted me, so I opened my eyes, letting the glaring sun blind me for a second before I looked away. “How’s mom?”
“Concerned. Can you blame her?”
“I’m not a child anymore.”
“To her, you still are. To me, you seem like a man, confused.”
“I’m not confused.” I turned to look at him, crossing my arms on the ledge.
“Women,” he suddenly said, smiling as if with reminiscence. “Can you imagine that there was a time when they loved acts of jealousy?”
Furrowing my eyebrows, I waited for him to elaborate.
“Take Vicky, for instance—”
“Please, don’t,” I raised a hand.
“No, no,” he chortled, taking a sip of his orange drink. “Listen to me. One time, when we were still… dating?” His smile grew wider. “I went over to their house and found Vicky standing with a handyman out in her father’s garden. He was fixing a shed or something.”
Smiling, I watched him fondly recall the memory.
“She was wearing this white dress, standing out in the sun, and… her legs were practically showing.”
“Dad,” I warned.
“That’s the extent of it, I promise,” he reassured me. “Anyway, I stood there for a while before she saw me… watching.”
“Creep.”
“Call it whatever you want, but that hunk had muscles coming out of his knees, and what was I? A young businessman who spent all day at his desk. I knew he could take me.”
I laughed, and he continued.
“Mind you, I wasn’t looking at him. It was her face that mattered—her expression. I wanted to see a look of awe… fascination… I wanted to know if she was impressed.”
“Was she?”
He chuckled, shaking her head. “Bless her, your mom. She was only in a rush because we were supposed to meet later. But when she offered him a lemonade and turned around, she caught me.”
“Hah!” I grinned.
“And she knew.” He narrowed his eyes, gesturing with one hand. “Somehow, she knew that I was jealous. ‘Why didn’t you call me to do it?’ I asked, and she said, ‘Honey, your job is how we’re going to get married. Leave the little things to me.’ And then she laughed, that beautiful song of a laugh she does when she’s shy…”
“I know just the one.”
“And she asked me if I minded, and I said I did… and guess what?”
“What?”
“From that day on, not a single man stepped into the house without me being there.”
“Not even the help.”
“Not even the help,” he repeated. “She hired all women just for my sake.”
Nodding, I pushed myself away and took a long lap. If only things had gone south with Ella because of my jealousy, I would have found a way to make amends. When I returned, my dad was still ready to talk some more.
“So… Ella was her name?”
Taken aback by his knowledge, I guessed that my sister must have told him. “Adele, huh?”
“The girl’s smart. She saw a chance to divert the heat off of herself for a minute, and she took it.”
“How’s that?”
“Don’t change the subject,” he tilted his head. “What happened? Was she poor, is that it?”
“Well,” I pushed myself up, getting out of the water. “She’s not rich.”
“And?”
Grabbing a towel, I looked away. “And she didn’t know that I was.”
I heard him laugh. “Just how could that have happened?”
“It did. She mistook me for a waiter at Lily’s wedding, and I didn’t correct her.”
Slowly nodding, he looked down at the glass in his hands and raised his eyebrows. “So, it’s not really about jealousy at all.”
“Oh, I’m getting there,” I scoffed, taking a seat in the chaise lounge next to his. Looking down, I slowly rubbed my fingers against each other. “I also hit her ex-boyfriend when he attacked her.”
“That’s a point in your favor,” he chuckled.
“Not when the New York police department treats me like royalty while she still thought I served drinks at club openings.”
“Dammit, Abel. That’s how she found out?”
“That’s how her ex told her… in front of everyone.” I looked up and saw him cringe. “What a mess, right?”
“Oh, it’s a mess, alright. What happened then?”
Shrugging, I mindlessly stared at the tile underneath us. “Exactly what you think.”
“Well, I can’t say she’s entirely wrong.” He paused. “But then she’s not entirely right, either.”
“I’m not gonna go to the woman I’d been lying to for over a month and blame her for the position we’re in.”
“She should at least let you explain yourself.”
“What would I even say?” I threw my hands in the air, signaling defeat.
Standing up, I took a few steps away, heading nowhere. Running my hands through my wet hair, I spun over toward the bar, grabbing a beer before I returned to where my dad was sitting.
“How about an apology?” he suggested.
“What good are those when someone’s lost all trust in you?”
“Acknowledging that you made a mistake could be the first step toward rebuilding that trust… only if… you really want to.”
“I don’t know what I want.” I sat down, stretching my legs and leaning against the backrest.
“Funny how you can’t see something when it’s right under your nose. Because I don’t recall watching you drink your nights away over anything before.”
I bit my lower lip and said nothing, taking a sip of my beer.
“Do I need to spell it out for you?” he gestured with his right hand. “She may think she’s done with you, but you sure as hell aren’t done with her.”
“I’ve learned not to force anything, dad. Especially when it comes to things like—” I stopped mid-sentence, not certain of what to call it.
“Like… love?”
My eyebrows met in a wrinkle. “Or something like it.”
“Abel, I’m lost for words.”
I chuckled, turning to him as I mocked, “Yeah? I think you’re doing fine.”
“No, really,” his tone turned serious. “You were never that confused in your life.”
“I said I’m not confused—”
“Not about work. Not about investments. Not even when it came to women,” he continued. “You know what you want, and God help me, but I can’t understand what’s stopping you from going after it.”
Sitting up, I shifted to face him with determination in my eyes. “Ella is not like any woman I’ve ever known, Philip. She’s honest—brutally, sometimes it even hurts. She lets whatever’s on her mind just come out of her mouth. She’s fearless and ambitious.” I paused, drinking in his solemn expression. “She didn’t deserve the hell she went through with her ex, and after that, the last thing she deserved was being lied to… by me.”
“You feel guilty; I get it—”
“No, you don’t,” I hissed. “It’s worse than that. I fucked up really badly, dad. I knew what he’d done to her, and I promised not to have her hurt again, and here I am… admitting that I did it. How bad did it have to be for me to not even think that I deserve forgiveness? Think about that.”
“You’re being hard on yourself.”
“You think I’m exaggerating.”
“Hell, no. Your lie was too much; I’ll give you that. But you know what else is true? She’s back there in New York wondering why you’re not fighting for her.”
“But I did—”
“By what, beating up some asshole? Any man with warm blood would have done that,” he snorted. “But what did you do next? Let me guess. You tried to call her.”
“I did.”
“And she didn’t answer.”
“I’m not gonna force myself on her, dad. That’s exactly the kind of thing that he did, and she hated him for it.” Shaking my head, I looked downward, whispering, “And God knows she probably hates me already.”
“I’m guessing she didn’t wanna be with him no more, am I right?”
I stared into his eyes and said nothing.
“I just don’t think the guessing game applies here if you don’t know for sure that after the dust has settled… she doesn’t want you back.”
Perhaps she did. Perhaps she didn’t. But would I ever forgive myself for not trying to find out?