The pool house isn’t as bad as I remember it to be. I guess they did some remodeling down here too. It’s no longer being used as a storage unit, which is a relief. There is a sweet kitchen area, which looks to have all of the facilities that I’ll need – a small seating area and through a door, a bedroom, and a bathroom.
There are no towels on the rail, but there is some bedding at least.
It hasn’t been decorated for me. None of my things are here. This is a guest space that I’m being allowed to use. I wonder what they did with my things when they moved Jameson into my room half a decade ago. I didn’t have much, but it would have been nice to have been given a choice as to whether or not I wanted to keep any of it.
As I flop back onto the bed, I feel a little relieved. At least down here, I’ll have privacy. I can keep away from the five douchebags and the wicked witch. I can live in imposed isolation until I’ve completed my course. Then, I can run back to Mom and my happy life and leave all of this behind.
Just as I’m thinking of Mom, my phone starts to ring, and it’s her.
“Hey baby,” she says. “Did you arrive safely?”
“I guess,” I say. “Dad didn’t make it to the airport. He sent the Grimm brothers.”
“Really?” she says. “But he hasn’t seen you in so long.”
I sigh. “I know…and I’m out in the pool house.”
“What? He didn’t keep your room?”
I shake my head even though she can’t see me. “He gave it to Jameson.”
“Is the pool house okay?” Mom asks, sounding really worried. “Do you need me to call him?”
“It’s okay. It’s clean and tidy…and I think it might be better for me to be out here. At least I won’t have people breathing down my neck.”
“I’m sure it’s going to be fine,” Mom says. “Those boys are all grown up. I’m sure they have better things to do than tease you.”
I don’t tell her how things have been since I arrived because I know she’ll only worry, and there isn’t much she can do to change the situation. I’m not a kid anymore. I’m grown and I want to show her that I can stand on my own two feet. I want her to be proud of me.
“I’m sure it’ll be fine too, Mom. I just…I miss home.”
“Well, home misses you too,” she says with a smile in her voice. “It’s pretty quiet around here without you.”
“I’ll come home for the holidays,” I say. “There’s no way I’m spending them here.”
“Well, see how you feel in a few weeks,” she says. “You know you’re always welcome here, but if you decide to stay, I won’t mind. You’ll have new friends, and it’ll be good for you to spend time with your dad. Remember, every door opens to a new adventure.”
I want to tell her that I feel like this adventure involves me being thrown into the lion’s den, but even in my head, it sounds overdramatic. “Adventure can be overrated, Mom,” I say.
“Be positive, honey,” she says. “Tell me one good thing that’s happened since you left.”
Mom always does this when I’m feeling down. I guess it helps me to focus on the positive.
“I met a girl on the plane…she’s going to Eastern too. We exchanged numbers.”
“Well, that’s great! You’ll have someone to hang around with on your first day.”
“I guess. She is pretty funny.”
“Funny is good in a friend.”
“Yeah.” I’m just about to tell Mom more about Sara when there’s a thump on my door. So much for being undisturbed. “Someone’s knocking, Mom. I’d better go.”
“Okay, sweetie. Give me a call when you have more time to talk.”
We say our goodbyes as I shuffle off the bed and stick my head out of the bedroom. The pool house door is glazed, and I can see a man’s shape through the frosted glass.
“Maisie, are you in there?”
Definitely Dad.
I walk slowly to open the door with a knot in my stomach that makes me feel queasy. I haven’t seen Dad for seven years, and the prospect of being faced with him now is daunting. It’s not that he’s a horrible person. Not really. It’s more that I have a whole swimming pool’s worth of unsaid baggage when it comes to this man. I have to keep stuffing it down so that it doesn’t spill over, and that feels very uncomfortable. It’s like all my disappointment with him rests between us, preventing any kind of real relationship. I don’t know if he can feel it or if he’s oblivious. Probably the latter.
I’ve seen my dad on video chat, but seeing him in person is a whole different ball game. I guess he must be thinking the same thing too because when we lay eyes on each other, there is definitely a mutual shock.
“Mais…sie,” he stutters. “Wow.”
“Hey, Dad,” I say. He’s definitely aged over the past seven years. I mean, I know it’s a long time, but I wasn’t expecting how much salt and pepper there’d be in his dark brown hair and beard, or how crinkly his eyes would be. I guess he wasn’t really thinking about how much I’ve changed over that timeframe, either.
When I left, I was a child. Now, I’ve got a woman’s body, and I’m almost as tall as he is.
He leans forward then looks as though he changes his mind. We’ve never been big huggers, and I guess my boobs and the prospect of them coming into contact with his chest has weirded him out.
Ugh. This is so awkward.
“So, the boys collected you okay?”
“Yeah.” I don’t tell him about the teasing or attitude, and I definitely don’t tell him how disappointed I was that he didn’t make an effort to come to the airport himself. I mean, what would be the point. Nothing ever changes. It’s like banging your head against a brick wall.
“And you’ve settled in.”
“Well, I haven’t unpacked yet. What happened to my things from my room?”
Dad looks thoughtful. “They might have been put in the basement. Was there anything important that you were looking for?” To be honest, I can’t remember what I left here. Probably some clothes that won’t fit and some teddy bears that I don’t need. I shrug, and Dad looks confused. “I can try and look for you if you want.”
“Yeah, that would be good.”
Dad glances to the side as though he’s struggling with this conversation as much as I am. “I thought we could have a barbecue tonight. Get all the family together.”
If he means his wife and her spawn, then family is not how I would describe them.
“Um, yeah. Okay.” That definitely wasn’t the most enthusiastic response I’ve ever given, but what can I do? I just don’t have it in me to pretend that this is a situation I’m happy being in.
“Great.” Dad takes a step back, looking to leave already. “So, you get unpacked, and I’ll get the meat ready, and look for that box. Just come on out when you’re ready.”
He gives me a grin that reveals a mouth full of very straight, white teeth. Has he had veneers? Wow. Things definitely have changed around here.
I nod and smile too. My teeth aren’t perfect. Mom hasn’t been able to afford for me to have braces, but nice that Dad has prioritized his old mouth over mine.
The resentment bubbles up, making my throat ache.
I don’t watch as he walks away because I’m too angry. Instead, I slam the door and go back into the bedroom, slumping down onto the bed.
