26. Drake
Drake
Sitting down to lunch with my father isn't normally something I stress about. I want to impress him, and doing well with my business is important, but today, I have something much different to discuss.
I get to the restaurant about fifteen minutes before him and sit toward the back of the dining room. When he arrives, I stand, and shake his hand, as I normally do. We spend a few minutes making small talk, catching up on our businesses.
“If you think wining and dining me is going to get me to invest more in your business, then you’re mistaken,” my father begins as he finishes a big bite of the steak he ordered. I laugh and shake my head, sipping the old fashioned I ordered to soothe my nerves.
Even though my dad won’t punch me when he hears the news, I'm just as nervous about telling him. It's not as much the idea of me starting a family as it is something else I've needed to get off my chest.
“That's not why I invited you out,” I say, setting my utensils down and sitting up straight. “I've been seeing someone, and it's serious. Her name is Olivia, and I love her, Dad.”
He raises his eyebrows and sets his fork and knife down when he realizes the conversation has turned. “Drake, are you sure? Not that I'm not happy for you, but this is pretty unusual for you.”
“I've never been more sure about anything,” I reply with a smile. “She's everything I didn't know I was looking for. Every moment I've spent with her has been incredible, and I'm ready to spend the rest of my life with her.”
“You're proposing?” A fearful look crosses his face for an instant. It disappoints me to see that he isn't excited about the news, but he has never been fond of marriage even though his lasted thirty years.
“Someday, I will. We might have started things off a little backward, though, because she’s pregnant.” I watch his face shift through a range of emotions as he processes the news. I'm sure this is the last thing he was expecting out of this lunch.
“Wow, I never imagined this day would come,” he says, leaning back and running his hands on the side of his slacks. “Certainly, you must know that being in a serious relationship and raising a child isn't easy. It's something you have to be prepared for. Otherwise, you risk scarring the child.”
“Like you and mom did?” The words are out before I can think any better, and my dad looks at me as if I’ve slapped him. I shouldn't have said it, but it's a segue into a part of the conversation I'm most nervous about.
He huffs and takes a long sip of wine before turning his attention back to me. “I thought your mother and I did a good enough job raising you. You didn't complain when you got all the latest technology and trendy clothes whenever you wanted.”
I roll my eyes. It takes more than money to raise a child, and that's not something he ever learned.
“I spent more time with babysitters and nannies than I did either of you.” I fold my arms in front of me at the table as I lock eyes with him.
It's almost like looking in a mirror, aging me thirty years.
“I watched you live your lives independently of me as if I didn't exist for sixteen years. You both had affairs. It was like our family meant nothing, but you kept up the facade for so long.”
“A child needs a mother and a father. Of course we stayed together when we fell out of love,” he says.
“That's not what I'm saying.” Seeing how defensive he is, I soften my demeanor to let him know I'm not angry. This is something I need to talk about before I become a father. “Do you remember Peter Yang? He was my best friend in middle school.”
“That sounds familiar,” he says, furrowing his brow at the sudden change of topic.
“Before his family moved away, I spent a lot of time with him. One of the reasons I spent so much time at his house was because of how his parents acted,” I begin, smiling as I recall those happy memories.
“They walked around the house holding hands, and his dad would sneak kisses in the kitchen while we played in the basement.
Whenever I saw it, I got jealous because I wished that you and Mom were like that.
Instead of you turning a blind eye to each other's lovers, I wanted you two to be together.
I swore off relationships at a very young age because watching you two made me realize that love isn't real. But I should have been modeling myself after the Yangs, because I know now that it is.”
A moment of silence thickens the air between us as I wait for him to respond. I'm tempted to apologize for bringing this up, but I know I shouldn't. He needed to know that his actions hurt me, regardless of what he thinks of them.
“I had no idea you felt that way,” he says, slowly exhaling as he shakes his head. “I'm so sorry. Your mother and I only ever wanted what was best for you; that's why we stayed married. We grew accustomed to the way things were, and neither of us thought about the repercussions.”
“I'm sorry to bring this up like this. Knowing I'm going to be raising a child, I needed to get it off my chest. I hope you understand.” I offer him an appreciative smile, letting him know I'm thankful for this conversation.
“I understand. Believe it or not, I'm proud of you for this. For all of this,” he says, his eyes glassy as he clears his throat and sips his wine to force back emotion. “So, tell me about this Olivia.”
We pick up our utensils and resume eating as I tell him everything I know about her. He asks countless questions, and I answer to the best of my ability. I also tell him about Leonard and being attacked during dinner.
“You care about Leonard as a friend, don't you?” he asks, shaking his head as he listens to me talk about our friendship disappearing.
I nod disappointedly, shrugging as if silently telling him I give up.
“You should go find him and talk to him.
If he wants what's best for his daughter, he needs to accept you.
Especially if he wants to be a part of his grandchild's life.”
We finish the rest of lunch making conversation about my plans with Olivia and plans for when the baby comes.
I say goodbye and get in my car to head home.
I sit behind the steering wheel for a few moments thinking about what my father said.
I need to hash this out with Leonard. It's not fair to ask Olivia to give up such an important person in her life just because he can't come to terms with us. I need to talk to him.
Instead of going home, I drive to his gym, steel myself, and walk inside. It's busier than I expected it to be. The interior is modern and trendy with mirrors lining the walls for people to perfect their physique as they work.
Leonard owns the gym, but he still works as a personal trainer, and he's not hard to miss in the center of the room.
He's standing beside a man on a rowing machine, encouraging him and helping him straighten his spine as he moves.
Leonard doesn't see me right away, but as I approach, he spots me, and steps away from his client.
“You've got a lot of nerve showing up here,” Leonard loudly says when he is still ten feet away. A few people around us turn their attention to me, but I ignore them.
“You and I need to talk,” I say as calmly as I can. “Please. For Olivia's sake.”
He grits his teeth, chins toward an employees-only room, and starts walking toward it. It's probably best to have this conversation in private, but there will also be fewer witnesses in there.
“What do you want from me? Name your price, and I'll figure out a way to pay you,” Leonard says, flailing his arms wildly as he glares at me. “I want you gone. My daughter is off-limits, and you need to think of whatever excuse you can to get away.”
“What about the baby?” I ask, feeling more annoyed now than anything.
“She has me to help her,” Leonard explains, as if it's that easy. “What she doesn't need is somebody who's going to get involved and then walk away. You don't know the kind of heartbreak that girl has had to go through. I won't have you hurting her.”
Suddenly, his apprehension makes more sense. While he has some valid points about my past, a lot of this is about Maria.
“I'm not going anywhere, Leonard. I'm going to be in Olivia's life for a long time, and you can either accept that or not. Neither Olivia nor our baby has anything to worry about.”
The door behind us bursts open just then and an employee rushes in, looking nervously between us. “I'm so sorry, Leonard. A friend of your daughter is on the phone, and she says there's an emergency.”
My heart sinks, and I reach for my phone in my pocket, realizing it's been off since my lunch with my dad.
I frantically turn it back on as Leonard rushes to a phone on the wall and picks it up.
He asks questions but doesn't update me. By the time he hangs up, my phone is back on, and a text from Olivia’s phone comes through.
This is callie. Taking liv to er meet us there.
“We've got to go.” I fish my keys from my pocket and storm out of the gym. I don't need to look behind me to know that Leonard is following.
I call on the way and get information about what hospital we're going to, and Leonard and I drive in silence. I can feel the panic radiating from the passenger seat, but it's nothing compared to mine. I don't know what's going on, and I don't know if Olivia and the baby are okay.
A million possibilities race through my mind as we get to the ER and head to the room Olivia is in. When I see her sitting on the hospital bed in the blue gown, I feel like I could break down. She offers me a soft, nervous smile as I rush to her side and grab her hand.
“You're going to be alright,” I whisper in her ear, kissing her cheek, and brushing some of her hair out of her face. Her face is sticky from tears, and I feel awful for having missed calls from her. “What's going on?”
“I had some strange pains in my stomach,” Olivia says, choking back tears.
I open my mouth to ask more questions as the doctor walks in. She kicks everybody but the parents out of the room and asks Olivia questions about how she's feeling and her medical history. I sit in silence, watching as attentively as I can.
“You're far enough along that we should be able to find a heartbeat on an ultrasound, so I’m going to have a look,” the doctor says, scooting closer to the bed on her stool.
I squeeze Olivia's hand as she closes her eyes tightly waiting for the doctor's news. My heart is beating so hard. I watch as the doctor puts gel onto Olivia's stomach and slowly moves the wand along the curves.
The doctor makes a small noise like something surprises her and I perk up in my chair. “What is it?” She hesitates to answer, and I run through countless scenarios of what that could mean.
“I found the heartbeat,” she says, turning to me with a smile growing on her face. “But I didn't find one heart beating; I found two. You're having twins.”