~Chapter 05~
My lips stretched into an ear splitting grin because I'd been looking forward to meeting my dad since the past few months.
As I cruised my way toward the famous brasserie on Lexington Avenue, I couldn't help but think about the last time I'd seen him. My dad, Robert Jones, is the senior head content editor for the election campaigns of the US senator Henry Craig. His sight for creativity in almost every aspect of his career put him where he deserves to be.
As soon as I was done with my high school, he took the offer to work for the election's advertising campaigns and moved to Washington DC and has become one of the most renowned names in the advertising world ever since.
It's always been just the two of us and after our lives got hectic, it became quite difficult for us to meet frequently. Days turned into weeks and then months and now it's been a year and a half since our last meet up.
My converse softly padded on the stone ground while I searched for a familiar face. I perched my sunglasses on my head the moment I spotted my dad.
I sprinted toward where he was seated out in the open, his back facing me. His posture was hunched over, probably engrossed in his cell phone.
The fall was near which was why the sun's heat wasn't so harsh and sitting out in the open seemed more than appealing. The reason why he must have chosen the spot outside.
"Hey, dad!" I wrapped my arms around his neck from behind and lightly pecked him on his cheek. Not seeming fazed by my actions, he glanced up at me.
He patted my arms as his raucous laughter filled my ears. It took me back to the old days and how his laugh would put me at ease. I sat opposite him with a huge smile and he mirrored my expression. "Val, my favorite human!"
"It's good to finally see you, dad," I said, rolling my eyes with a small smile still playing on my lips.
"Likewise, Val." He grinned, his eyes crinkling with effulgence.
Chuckling, I folded my arms on the table and looked at him expectantly. "So… how have you been? And how's the capital treating you?"
"I am good! Happy actually," he answered in his scratchy voice. When I looked over at him closely, he really did look relaxed and his eyes were twinkling with mirth. The way his lips were curved upwards the whole time was a sign that his happiness exceeded more than working for the senator. "Tell me about yourself. Does New York feel home yet?"
"You don't even have to ask," I chirped with a bubbling giggle. "I love it here and..." I drawled the last part intentionally to ignite his anticipation. "Your daughter finally snagged a position in her favorite company!"
We both probably looked like maniacs, exclaiming like we were. I don't know what it was but half our sentences were just that. Maybe a year and a half apart was filling us up with exuberance.
"Like you won't believe it but I am a copywriter in the ZAE Inc's advertising department," I gushed excitedly while my dad sported a serene smile.
"Actually, honey, I'd like to correct you there. I do believe in you working in one of the best enterprises," he said, his emotions taking over. I could see the pride glistening in his blue eyes. "But I'm mad that you never told me about this clink." He feigned anger while sipping on his lemonade.
"That's because I just joined two days ago. Plus, I wanted to give this news to you in person."
He nodded his head in understanding and before he could say something, a barista placed a glass of lemonade in front of me along with the other goodies. The delectable snacks urged me to take a bite of each. My dad followed suit and we both beamed in appreciation.
"Anyway… did your mother contact you lately?"
"Lately?! That's not even a thing in our case. We haven't talked nor met in like eons."
My dad looked at me with stupefaction. He must not have expected that answer maybe. "Really?"
"Yeah... but honestly? I am not as surprised anymore. She only calls me during Thanksgiving and Christmas. And guess for what?" I asked him rhetorically and scoffed. "To tell me that the only gift she wants is and I quote, 'sexy lingerie and swimsuit'. Like can you believe it?! The only reason she calls me is to remind me of her "gifts"," I told him, my anger getting the best of me.
My mother and I, well we're never on the same boat. She wanted to be free and not be hindered by a marriage and especially a kid. A few years after I was born, she couldn't take it anymore and wanted to leave, saying something along the lines of wanting a breather. I don't know how they even got together in the first place.
"I don't even wanna know what she does with so many of them already hung in her wardrobe. Because I swear, that woman asks for it every year," I grumbled.
My dad laughed and I cracked a smile at that. "Me neither."
"For all we know, she must be dating some pirate and going on a world tour to carry out different heists." I shuddered and we both chuckled.
As a minute passed by without us saying anything, I stared at my dad who seemed to be in a deep thought with the way he was looking at his glass.
"So, what's up?" I finally asked him the burning question. We both usually meet up for no apparent reason but this time he'd added a P.S. in the message saying that he wanted to share some indispensable news with me. By the looks of it, I could tell that it had to be something good.
He sighed, his finger slowly circling around the rim of the glass but his smile never faltered. I raised a silent eyebrow at his sudden shyness.
"Whoa, you okay there? 'Cause to me, it seems like you're in love," I teased, suppressing a chuckle but I was beyond flabbergasted when his eyes widened for a fraction of a second as if he was caught red handed.
"Wh-what…?" He sputtered. His face looked flushed and abashment was clearly written all over his features. I've never seen my dad looking all mushy and diffident about anything in his life. The confidence he's always exuded sweeped off his body as if hit by a cannonball.
"Wait… that is… true?" I gasped, cupping my cheeks, not ready to believe it even one bit.
"Actually, correction again. I was gonna tell you that I am getting married… with someone I love," he confessed with a sheepish smile and my jaw unhinged even more if that was even possible. The look on my face screamed utter disbelief.
"You're kidding me, right?" I laughed in hopes of finding this situation ironically funny. "Please tell me that you're joking." I bit my lip expectantly, my happy visage not wavering for a single second.
"Val," he said my name in a consoling manner and showed me his hands in a calm down gesture. "I am serious. This time for real."
I understood what he meant by his last statement. After his divorce with my mom, he had dated a few women over the years. Now, it wouldn't have bothered me much if he chose his ladies sensibly but that's never been the case. All his exes have thought of my dad as a leeway to get to Washington DC to have some powerful connections through him. And that has to be one of the most agitating attitudes ever.
Although, these things never bothered me personally but their standoffish and arrogant personality toward me did. They would always sneer at me for talking rational stuff with my dad. All they'd ever wanted was money and exposure. And trust me when I say this that they always got that. My dad always had sad luck when it came to love and dating. That or he was just plain naive when it came to those women.
The thing is, however, I've never had a problem with him dating those sharks like honestly never because I could tell that it wouldn't last long because of the way they'd usually bicker at even the most insignificant stuff.
My smile dropped in an instant and I leaned back on my seat, trying to look insouciant but failing miserably. I tried to keep my face up, I really did but I could feel my anger almost bursting out in flames. "That was fast."
"Not really, we've been seeing each other for a year now. She likes me, I like her. We know that we're ready to take the next step in our life together," he told me, not really paying heed to my livid expression. The way he was behaving seemed like he was on cloud nine and nothing could destroy his bubble.
"Yeah?" I asked him, tilting my head to the side. "Because I haven't heard anything so preposterous lately." My intentions were not to hurt him but I could already imagine the woman he'd be marrying. Cold and distant with the thirst for riches.
"You're overreacting, honey. I know for a fact that you'll love her."
I scoffed loudly and looked away. "I highly doubt that," I muttered under my breath.
He went on, ignoring my crude remark. "Besides, I wouldn't make the same mistake twice," he assured me but I wasn't buying any of it. I needed some time to accept the news he just splashed on me like a bucket of ice water.
"Okay," I said half-heartedly and sighed because this mere topic was draining the energy out of me, considering we hadn't even talked about it much. Who would have known that my morning would get so bad and dull within a matter of seconds.
"And… um… there's one more thing I wanna tell you." For some reason, he seemed hesitant but I nodded nonetheless.
What could be worse than my dad marrying off to some snob… right?
"Angela wants to meet you."
I just gave him a blank look because the name didn't ring a bell. "Angela…?" I shrugged confusedly.
He slapped his forehead as if realization just hit him and passed me an apologetic smile. It reminded me so much of Chelsea. "Oops, totally forgot to mention that my fianceé's name is Angela Rydell."
I almost choked on the cookie I was munching on and gave him a stern look. "Meet me? Then you can gladly tell her that the feeling's not mutual," I spat angrily and he reeled back in shock. God, so much for it not being worse than the first bomb.
"What is wrong with you?" His soft tone made me exhale and I instantly regretted my outburst.
"Nothing, dad. I am sorry, I just… when does she wanna meet again?" I couldn't help but think about how depressing it was getting for me right now. All I wanted was to go home and sleep. Maybe try to change my Sunday a bit. Oh, how I wish that were possible!
"Actually… today. Right now, in fact." He released a short laugh while I just sat there glaring at him.
"Really?"
"Really," he affirmed.
I closed my eyes to soothe my jittery nerves and the bottled up anger. Opening them back, I took a deep breath in. "Oh, okay wow!" I exclaimed sarcastically. "So your fianceé decided to meet me today which I daresay is right now. Yet, you never really cared enough to give me that piece of information up until now. I am so prepared, dad. I am so prepared."
"I am so sorry, Val. I would have told you if I'd known about it earlier. It was so sudden, I agree but she came here to meet her ill nana. And since she knew that I was already here, meeting you so…"
"So, you invited her over. I can't believe this," I croaked in the end because I was more than hurt. He'd called someone I didn't know to disrupt our day. I wanted to cry but I held it in. "I just… I can't take this anymore. I am leaving, I'm sorry."
As I stood up to leave, I was stopped abruptly when he held onto my arm gently. I hadn't even taken a single step because his melodic voice reached my ears. My favorite lullaby. Our lullaby. "Just stay… you have a beautiful smile. Just stay…"
Involuntarily, a smile slipped onto my lips. Chuckling, I sat back down and shook my head. "And you had to do that."
"Yeah, because I know you wouldn't resist it," he told me grinning mischievously and I mirrored his expression. All the previous tension left my body and my muscles relaxed almost quickly.
"How could I?" I said with a teasing scowl. "But how sneaky of you!" His lullaby took me back to the old days and how easy everything was during those times. Even if I went through any hard phase, all my dad had to do was sing this and I'd be ready to battle and combat all my problems away.
"I play dirty," he said mockingly, schooling his features into one of arrogance.
As I laughed, my eyes absent-mindedly fell upon an elegant woman crossing the street. It was hard not to look at her because of the way she was carrying herself. Her red sundress was billowing behind her due to the wind while she pushed back a few blonde strands falling on her forehead. The way she was pulling off the pixie cut look was nothing less than iconic.
She was walking in our direction but I didn't pay much attention to it, thinking she must be passing by us.
"No but seriously what am I supposed to call her? Mom? Stepmom? Angela? Ms. Rydell or Mrs. Jones?" I kind of shivered in repulse when I said 'Mrs. Jones'.
"You can call me Angela," someone said from beside me in their sensuous voice.
My breath hitched and I looked up to see the same blonde pixie cut woman. She seemed to be in her late 40s. Up close, she was even more beautiful while her unfiltered smile threw me off guard.
"Angie," my dad said with so much love that I could have cooed but my wariness didn't let me. Getting up from his seat, he hugged her and pulled out a chair for her. I had to resist an upcoming sigh when she sat between dad and I.
"Hello, Valerie," Angela's voice greeted me, a soft smile imprinted on her features.
"Hey," I mumbled and looked down at my empty glass.
"You're really pretty," she complimented me and I instantly knew that she was playing the good card on me. Little does she know that I am well aware of where she is getting at with this.
"Thanks," I said dryly. "You too."
Rumbling with laughter, she glanced at my dad and I looked away. I don't know why but her presence was annoying the daylights out of me. "You know, Bob talks a lot about you. All good things though." She laughed again. "And mind you, his talks really intrigued me to actually meet you."
"Bob?" I scrunched my nose, ignoring everything else she said while my dad gave me an admonishing stare. I didn't care about it though.
Angela's face fell instantly and she seemed uneasy for a second. "I am so sorry… I-I shouldn't have said that?" She stuttered and apologized.
I closed my eyes in hopes of calming myself as well as the anger I was feeling. And when I opened them again, I mustered up a sweet smile. "No no, it's okay. You can - you can call him Bob. And, um… actually, I just remembered that um… something came up." I showed them my cell phone. "I am sorry, dad. Angela."
With that, I stood up and left. I could tell that they knew I was lying straight through my teeth.
As I was a few feet away, I heard Angela's sweet voice. Second time that day, I stopped myself from walking off and silently listened in on their conversation. Leaning casually against a lamppost, I looked at them with a renewed interest. "I am so sorry. I didn't mean to push her away. Did I - did I say something to offend her? I just feel so bad."
At that, I could hear the truth in her voice. No spuriousness detected in it. I couldn't see her face because her back was facing me. I fisted my hands because for the first time in my life I was thinking that I might have made a wrong judgement about a person. A good person at that. Guilt consumed me. I really shouldn't have acted the way I did. My behavior was not different from those cold and standoffish women my father had dated in the past. I was so carried away that I didn't think about my dad and his fianceé.
Maybe he really is right with Angela. Maybe he does have good luck in love and a future with her. What would she be thinking of me now? A bratty twenty-five year old girl, that's what. I should just give her a chance too, after all.
"Nah, she just needs time, Angie. She's a really tough cookie. Brittle but sweet," my dad assured her, showing her the demonstration by breaking a cookie in half and offering it to her before putting it in her mouth. They shared a laugh and an amiable smile stretched across my lips.
"If you say so because I really want her to like me."
"You know what, guys?" They looked at me, startled. I was also surprised by my actions. I hadn't expected it myself either. It was like my body had a command of its own and made me walk back to them. "I just realized that I should ditch my work and continue my brunch with you both."
"Sounds fun to me, Valerie. C'mon, have a seat." Angela grinned excitedly and gestured for me to sit down. I obliged and took a seat beside her.
And that was how we spent our time, conversing about the light topics. I wouldn't say that I fully trusted Angela but I could say that I liked her. She's candid and the best thing about her is that even though she's not from this generation, she holds some really contemporary views. However I was a bit weirded out by the fact that she has a son who's a sophomore in high school. I was worried if we could ever get along.
"I'll be right back," I said, excusing myself.
"Where you going?" My dad inquired, a little furrow between his brows.
"Don't worry." I laughed to ease off their tensions about me walking away from them again. "I am just gonna go check up on that menu," I assured them, jutting my thumb behind me where a huge menu was hung up above the equally elongated counter. "This place seems pretty cool for the next time."
They both laughed and I left them with a small smile. To be honest, it was half true because I felt like I was a third wheel and they needed their moment together.
Just when I reached the counter and was scanning the menu, I saw someone from the corner of my eyes.
I turned to the side to look at them but was left gobsmacked because my eyes met Skye Williams'. He was already looking at me with an amused smile. "Hey," he said in his signature smooth voice.
"Hello. Good morning, Mr. Williams," I greeted him with a contagious smile. He was holding a laptop bag in his hand but I didn't think much about it. My sole focus was on him. He was wearing a casual gray t-shirt, making his gray eyes even more prominent which was paired with black jeans and timbs. I could say that casual look suited him as much as his business attire. The short sleeves of his tee showed off his arms with lean muscles.
He looks good, I appreciated him internally.
He started laughing softly and my brows furrowed in confusion. "What… what is it…?" I trailed off in embarrassment.
Shaking his head, he swept his hair back which was falling on his forehead. I couldn't help but be mesmerized and stare at him. "No, it was just strange because you called me Mr. Williams outside the work area. Just call me Skye please."
Mortification was written all over my features and I mumbled, "Sorry."
"No no, don't apologize about it. It's cool," he told me with a cute smile and I couldn't help but think that he's really kind, which was more attractive than anything in this world.
Before any of us could say anything else, a guy behind the counter interrupted us. "Sir, your order's ready."
"I'll take it," Skye replied with courtesy. This place serves its customers but a few interested ones could even take their orders on their own. Skye was one of those few people.
Just as he was accepting the tray of his food and balancing his bag in one hand, I decided to take my leave. "Okay… so, I'll leave. My dad's probably waiting for me," I informed him with an awkward chuckle in the end.
"Oh, sure. I am gonna go finish my pending tasks as well. Since we're launching a new model, there's a lot I'm supposed to approve to get it to the next level," he explained, nodding his head.
I could tell that he's a dedicated person which was quite contrary to what the media usually portrays about him. People think that Skye's the reason for the company's recent and gradual downfall and doom. Looking and talking to him firsthand, I realized one thing that he was trying just as hard.
"Of course. I wouldn't wanna stall you any longer," I said, beaming teasingly and he chortled. "But it's surprising that you're working here?"
"Yeah." He shrugged and I thought that he wouldn't elaborate but he did. "I mean it's better than my office and home," he told me but he sounded melancholy for some reason. I wanted to question him but it would sound too personal so I held myself back. "Besides, I can still roam around freely because not many people really know and recognize me. Might as well embrace this freedom before it's locked away." He laughed good-naturedly and I just smiled.
Exchanging our goodbyes, we parted our ways. Although all my mind could conjure up was how off and sad he seemed but covered it up with his smiles and laughs.
I firsthand witnessed the facade he was wearing instead of just hearing about it. He reminded me of someone but like usual I couldn't quite put my finger on it.