31/Danielle #3
Shit! What the hell did he want?
I pretended like I hadn’t seen him and concentrated on my phone. I read the same sentence twice, but anything was better than trying to hold a conversation with my ex.
“Hey,” he said and flopped down in the chair across from me.
“Whassup?” I replied with a nod, then reached for my burger. As long as I had food in my mouth, I didn’t have to worry about holding a conversation.
“I came over so I could talk to you.”
“About what?” As if I didn’t have a clue.
“What do you think? Our daughter.”
“What’s her problem now? Is she not going to school?”
He nodded. “Oh no. She hasn’t skipped class once. In fact, her grades have been really good.”
“That’s a first.”
“Danielle, she is really trying.”
I shot him a twisted smile. “Good, then your parenting skills are working.”
“Why don’t you give her a chance? She really wants to make amends.”
“I don’t think so.” I bit into my burger and waited for him to respond. I’ve known Alvin long enough to know something was on his mind.
“My wife and I are having a hard time coping with a teenager in the house. I don’t know if I told you this or not, but Bonnie can’t have kids, so with Portia staying with us and about to have a baby...
it’s been really hard for her.” He paused and scratched his head.
“After the baby’s born, she can’t stay with us any longer. ”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s too hard for Bonnie.”
“I don’t see why. This baby could become the baby she’s always wanted.”
He ran an impatient hand across his thick dark curls, and I briefly remembered how I used to love to run my fingers through them while he rested his head on my chest and slowly drifted off to sleep. Damn, that was a long time ago. Now I couldn’t even think about kissing his uppity ass.
“Danielle, she’s your daughter and it—”
I cut him off. “My daughter? Oh, so now she’s my daughter.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Well, that’s what you said, and I don’t appreciate it. I’m the one who’s been raising her these last sixteen years while you breeze in for a weekend here and there acting like Santa Claus.”
“That’s not true. I’ve been there for her all these years.”
“Yeah, when it’s convenient for you.”
“I’ve been there for her for the last six months, so that should count for something.”
“Yeah, but now you’re ready to hand her back to me.”
“I can’t handle it. Okay? Is that what you want to hear? I can’t handle being a full-time father. And I definitely am not ready to handle two of them. It’s already a strain on my marriage.”
I hoped the hell he wasn’t expecting me to feel sorry for him.
“Who’s first in your life, your daughter or your woman?”
“Don’t judge me, because I clearly remember when you first found out Portia was pregnant, you choosing that thug over our daughter.”
I swallowed and looked away because part of what he said was true, but I’ll be damned if I’d admit it.
“That thug you like to keep reminding me of and I aren’t together anymore because I believed my daughter.”
“And knowing you, the second you found out she was lying, you went running back to him.”
It took everything I had to keep a straight face because I was not going to let him think he knew me as well as he thinks.
“I’ve moved on.”
He gave a cross between a snort and a laugh. “When can she move back home with you?”
“She can’t.”
“Then I hope you have some other options because she can’t stay with me.”
“You are one helluva father, turning your back on your own daughter.”
“And you better not hold your breath waiting to receive any Mother of the Year awards, because you failed your daughter. You were too busy running after some little boy.”
“Fuck you, Alvin.”
“Nah, never again.” He rose from the chair. “Get that room ready because Portia’s coming home.”
I gave him a long, evil look because he was not going to get the better of me today. I’ve been dealing with his shit for years and had enough.
“And if she comes home, you better believe I’m taking you back to court!”
He swung around. “For what?”
“An increase in my child support payments.”
He suddenly looked sick, and I smiled.
“I haven’t asked for an increase in five years, and if Portia’s coming home, then I guess we’ll need more money. Don’t worry, we’ll put it to good use.” I finished with a chuckle.
“I’ll be in touch,” he mumbled.
“And so will my lawyer.”
I watched him walk away in a pair of navy slacks and wondered what I ever saw in his tight ass.
Thanks to Alvin, the rest of my evening had been ruined. I couldn’t seem to get anything right. I tried calling Chance, hoping that hearing his voice would brighten the rest of my evening, but he didn’t answer his cell phone.
It was after midnight when I finally gave nursing report and headed out to my Durango. It wasn’t until I climbed inside that I noticed a note on my windshield. I waited until I had closed the door and started the engine before I read it.
What the hell?
“Who keeps sending me this shit?”
I stared at the note and tried to come up with possibilities, but I couldn’t think of anyone. Not one single person.