Chapter Sixteen
The sun hits me in the eyes and I squint, trying to open them. I reach over to her side of the bed, hoping to feel her again, but when nothing but sheets and blanket greet me I snap awake, looking over to find the bed empty. “Kitty?” I shout, looking around the room as I sit up. There are no clothes on the chair anymore, and the bag she had next to the door is gone. “Fuck!” I shove the blanket off and step into my boxers that I threw on the floor last night. When I shove both legs into one leg hole, I topple over onto the bed, only to bounce a piece of paper up. I watch it float back down and then grab it, seeing the chicken scratch that is her handwriting.
West
I wish you a happy life, even if we can’t be together, just know that I will always have a piece of you with me.
Love,
Kitty
“Seriously!” I crumble the paper up and throw it across the room. Scrubbing my hands over my face I let out a long sigh, this isn’t happening. Not again. I cannot go without her again. My life is fucking miserable, I’m miserable. Even if I’m headed to law school, none of it is even worth a fucking damn if I can’t spend my time with the woman I love. And goddamn, I love her fiercely, last night reminded me of that.
I rush through the room, collecting my clothes and putting them on. Once dressed, I’m out through the door and on my way to the Winston household to finally get some fucking answers.
I ring the doorbell and I’m greeted by Mr. Winston, “Good morning sir, is George here?”
“Yes, up in his room.” He says, opening the door more so I can come in. “You remember where it’s at?” he says, patting me on the back.
“Yessir.” I take the stairs two at a time until I get to the top and go straight into his room. “Georr—” I cut my words off when I see Hilary on top of George, bouncing. They’re fucking, Jesus Christ. I don’t need this drama.
“Fuck. West.” George tries to push Hilary off but she clings to him like a goddamn spider monkey.
“Congrats, you can have her.” I say, flicking a hand like I don’t care. “I’m not here for her.”
“What?” Hilary cries out, as if I’ve offended her.
“Shut up.” I close the gap between me and my best friend while he’s balls deep inside my fiance. “You can have her, just tell me where Katherine lives.”
“Katherine?” George rolls his eyes, “Leave her alone, she’s a fucking train wreck, with a fatherless child, a tattoo artist, and completely despicable really.”
“George, I’m going to say this one time. Speak about your sister like that to me again, and I’ll rip your dick out through your fucking mouth, then shove it up your ass.”
“So vulgar.” Hilary says, attempting to cover herself up.
“Hilary, I wish you nothing but the most vanilla life with George, but please for the love of God, shut your fucking mouth.” I turn my attention back to George. “Your sister, where?”
“Somewhere in Washington. Dad knows.” I turn on my heels, leaving them to their lame ass sex, just as I reach the door to close it, “The kid is yours!” He shouts, forcing me to turn back around and look at him.
“I’m sorry, what?” Even if we can’t be together, just know that I will always have a piece of you with me. Her words run through my head again, she fucking told me but I was too blind to see it.
“Yeah, insane really, all this time, and you never knew.” He laughs.
“You’re a fucking monster, how long have you known?”
“Know what? That you were the father?”
“Yes fuckface.”
“Since the night I answered the phone in college when we were sitting there studying.”
“That was almost five years ago, George, you’ve known the whole time?” I clench my fists at my sides and fly at him, hitting him hard in his cheek, knowing damn well, he won’t be able to finish what him and Hilary started, fucking prick.
This time, I manage to get out of his room without any more bombs being dropped, “Mr. Winston.” I holler. “Where’s Katherine?” I ask, rounding the corner as I come down the stairs.
He shoo’s me out of the front door, follows me out and closes it behind him. He hands me a piece of paper. “They can’t know where she is, they treat her like shit, and I regret allowing it to go on for so long. Please, tell my daughter I love her and that I would like to meet her daughter.” The sorrow in his eyes is palpable.
“Our daughter.” I tell him, still letting it sink in. I have a daughter. Her daughter is my daughter.
“She’s yours?” Mr. Winston’s eyebrows shoot up to his receding hairline.
“Yessir.” I nod my head.
“Then go get your girls.” He shakes my hand.
My girls.
Looking at the paper, there is an address hand written by Katherine. She’s been clear across the country from where I’ve been living for the last nearly five years. No matter what Ive done in life, I seem to always come back to her. Dating Hilary was a distraction, proposing to her seemed like the right thing to do. Even though I never felt anything for Hilary as I did for Katherine. My entire heart beats for one woman, well. I suppose thats two girls now I have a daughter.
The airport line is stupidly long, who knew this many people were flying to Spokane? Not me. I bought my ticket from the car, right out in the parking lot. I parked in long-term parking, leaving my car there. I say my car, its the one I had as a teenager that my parents let me use. They refused to let me have it when I decided to run off with Katherine for the summer.
We take one step forward and the line is halted again. I look up at the line, counting heads, sixteen. There are sixteen people blocking my path to the plane that will take me to my wife. My daughter. No matter what happens from here, I will stay in their lives, forever. If I have to change schools, then Ill do it. Im not sure what Ill do with myself, since I have always wanted to be a lawyer. Im sure I could find a school on the west coast. I just never looked since I knew I wanted Yale. Ive always wanted Yale, but Ill give up everything for them.
When I finally make it to the person who checks the passes, I hold my phone up and they scan the QR code, I kick my shoes off, remove my belt, and empty my pockets, tossing them all into a bucket to be sent through the next line. Tickets first, then security. Step through, a lady in a uniform says, she waves her wand over me and nods for me to collect my things. Moving quickly I gather my things, put my shoes and belt back on, and head for the terminal to catch the plane. Im not sure what Im going to do when I get there, but I know one thing is certain, Im not fucking leaving, no matter what she says.
The lady at the terminal shouts, Last call for Flight 231 to Spokane. Fucking hell. I make a mad dash for her and show her my ticket. She scans it and Im down the hall to the plane. Im led to my seat and the male flight attendant takes my bag and puts it in the overhead storage. How I managed to get a window seat, Im not sure. Ive already made reservations for a car at the rental place through the airport and as soon as I get the car, Im gone. Buckling into my seat I stare out the window, imagining what my life would have been like if I had just answered her calls, or hell if I never left.
I could have been there for all these years, helping raise my daughter. Helping Katherine through the sleepless night, holding my baby girl after she was born. Ive missed it all. The first time she slept through the night, her first words, her first steps, her first birthday. Ive missed so many firsts, that I cant miss any more. Fuck, my head hits the window as I close my eyes picturing what it would have looked like. Katherine, sleeping with the baby on her chest. The three of us are at a park, walking together. The captain comes over the loudspeaker and makes his announcement, and the fasten seat belt light comes on. Just a little bit longer and Ill be on my way.
Feeling the plane move gives me a sort of calm, one that I havent felt while waiting. Ive heard most people hate the take-offs and the landings, but theyre my favorite. The promise of something new. What lies beyond, thats where I want to be. Beyond my expectations, beyond my realm of normalcy. Ive come to realize that my normal is a woman with thick black winged eyeliner and a fetish for black clothes. I wear pink because it reminds me of her, the way she was before, the way she was before Knox ruined her. It was her favorite color, and I wanted to keep that part of her alive. So here I sit, on a plane that is backing up to the runway, rocking my pink shirt on my way to meet my daughter.
I sit up on the plane, ready for the take off, my eyes still closed as I love to feel the motion of the plane while it speeds up. The undeniable monster of a machine making people believe in magic as it slices through the clouds. This magical plane will take me to them, to the life I shouldn’t have left.