Chapter 2 – Marco
I’m happy for Bea; I really am. But having her gone for an entire month has been rough on our entire family. We’ve gotten used to being spoiled by her, so her absence was felt immediately after she left.
Oh, and both girls now understand that she is my girlfriend, and they are very happy about that. I made it a huge deal for no reason.
I haven’t talked to her today. We’ve both been so busy.
And how she even ended up in England is kind of crazy. She continued to do the open mic nights at her record store and other places when someone from a music agency in Milwaukee just happened to be in town and hear her. After that, she was signed, and a national tour was being planned.
Well, that went so well that her next trip was overseas.
She hasn’t decided whether or not she wants to sign with a record company, as her original music, which consists of four songs now, will be their copyrighted material if she does, but her agent is helping her with that too.
It has really been amazing to see her go from the timid girl who didn’t want to sing in front of anyone to the songwriting powerhouse she is now. I’m also so thankful that a badass woman like that is making a great example for my kids to look up to.
But after that’s all said and done, I still miss her. I can hardly wait for the few days we still have apart. I wanted to engulf her in my arms and smell her hair—the scent of which remained on my pillows for a week, but then I had to wash them.
“What’s for dinner, Daddy?” Aurora asks.
“I don’t know. Probably leftover mac n’ cheese.”
She groans. In terms of the kitchen, the food prepared has declined significantly while Bea’s been away.
“Dad!” Alessia calls me over to where she is sitting at the dining table.
“What is it?”
I’ve caved in and given them a joint cellphone, which I knew was genius because I knew they’d spend more time fighting and arguing over it then actually using it. But that night, for whatever reason, her sister allowed her to have full control of it.
“Isn’t this Bea?”
I took it from her and pressed play on the video.
“It sure looks like her,” I say. She’s singing our song with a young guy in a leather jacket.
“Who is he?” She asks while pointing at him. “He’s cute.”
“I don’t know. And you know the rule.”
“No boyfriends until we’re sixteen,” she recites before slinking down in her chair.
“That’s right.”
Of course, I trust her completely, and I know that singing with someone is inherently romantic…and two people doing it can easily be mistaken for being in love. But I still wonder who he is.
I listen to the rest of it as I start heating the coagulated mess up for our dinner. It sounds really good; I have to admit it.
Later that night, as I was getting used to doing it again, I go to bed in a quiet and cold room. In Bea’s place is a body pillow that I’d be lying. I said I didn’t hump to completion while imagining it was her.
And I wake up in the same stillness—that is if the girls don’t barge in.
I get them up and start making them some burnt eggs for breakfast.
How did I do this before Bea, I wonder. Those days feel like such a distant memory.
Then, my pocket starts vibrating. It’s her.
“Hey, baby.”
“Hi, sweetheart. How are you?”
“Good. Hey, I saw a video of you and some guy singing on the internet.”
“Wait, really? How?”
“I don’t know. Alessia found it. I assumed it was on your account or something.”
“No.”
I hear her hit a few buttons on her phone, and I hold it away from my ear.
“My love, that’s kind of loud.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. Is it okay if I call you back in a few minutes?”
“Sure, but I’ll be driving them to school in half an hour.”
“Got it.”
I serve my children when my phone goes off again.
“Oh, my God.”
“What? Are you okay?” I can’t tell if she’s crying or is happy.
“Someone in the crowd took a video of us two nights ago, and it went viral.”
“…which means?”
“A lot of people have seen it.” She doesn’t even crack a job about my age.
“That’s awesome. Congratulations.”
“Thank you. I can hardly believe it.”
“So, what does that mean exactly? In the long-term, I mean.”
“I—I don’t know. But it has to be good, right?”
I shrug. “You tell me.”
Then, I hear knocking. “Sorry, I gotta go. It’s Blakely. Hi!” she squeals before hanging up the phone.
She didn’t even say she loved me.
“What’s wrong, Dad? You look sad,” Aurora asks after I join them and just sit with my chin resting on my hand. I probably was pouting a little bit.
“Nothing, sweetness. Just finish your breakfast and get your teeth brushed. Did you two get all of your homework done last night?” I forgot to check before I tucked them in.
“Mhm,” they mutter together.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes!”
“Prove it,” I suggest after they’re done eating. Their teacher always writes their assignments down in their take-home calendars, so parents know exactly what’s expected of their kids. It’s incredibly helpful. Mine are in the same class, so they have a joint one.
“See? Spelling practice…done.” Alessia shows me her slip.
“Aurora? Where is yours?”
She goes over to her backpack and gets it out before handing it to me.
“Okay, good.”
It’s kind of funny how my life and Bea’s are currently so different. She’s in videos that are being seen by millions of people, and my main concern is spelling homework.
“How many sleeps is it now until Bea gets back?” one of them asks as we drive to school later that morning.
“Just one! She’ll be home tomorrow. We’re going to pick her up from the airport after I get you from school.
“Yay!”
I’m incredibly excited too.
“Okay, be good! Listen to your teachers!” I call after them once they get out.
They just wave at me.
It’s just another day that I have to deal with my client, Jeff Kelckin’s bitter child custody case.
His life was kind of a mess when the agreement was first made, but he’s done a lot to clean up his life, and he wants more time with his children now. On the other hand, his ex-wife is skeptical of his ability to maintain this calm lifestyle, and she is actually for him to have less time.
“Hey, I think I saw your girlfriend in a video,” Jeff says after arriving at my office.
“Oh, yeah?”
“Mhm. Melody was watching it, and I just happened to walk by.” Melody is his fifteen-year-old daughter.
“Yeah, she’s in London right now.”
He nods. “I remember you saying that.”
“But she’ll be back tomorrow.”
We move on to his case.