“Anabeth, I really don’t have time to deal with this,” I mumbled to the girl who stood in front of me with a jean mini skirt and halter top, having no resemblance to my daughter. I grimaced at the thought of her going out with her boyfriend of the week, Nick, who owned a motorcycle and did everything a parent had nightmares of.
I glanced back at her, watching as she ran her hot pink fingernails through her dyed blonde hair that was once a chestnut brown, down to her slim waist where her hair stopped. She stomped her foot and pouted at me like she used to when she was five, the only difference is that now she had a lip ring.
“Dad, I don’t think you understand how much I’m in love with him!” Anabeth cried to me, flailing her hands around, like it actually mattered. I scoffed at that. Love, what did she know about love? Nothing. That’s what she knew. Absolutely nothing.
“Ana, really? It’s a school night and it’s already nine o’ clock. Plus you are only fifteen; I don’t think you’re old enough to have a boyfriend; who you say you’re in ‘love’ with.” I said sternly to her, air quoting the word love. I frowned at her as she put her hands on her hips and proceeded to play with her lip ring, watching as she thought of the possibilities that I may just cave to her, again.
I always did, but I couldn’t help it. She looked too much like her mom, and her mom means everything to me. Or should I say she meant everything to me. I looked up from my work again, filing taxes was such a pain but it needed to get done. I pulled off my glasses, rubbing my eyes and replacing them back on.
“Fine Ana, go have fun. Be back by eleven or you won’t go out for a month,” I said, exhausted with having to deal with this every day. I couldn’t trust her for a second, but I’ve explained to her before that if she does anything that I have a problem with that can be seen, smelt, heard or talked of, I will kick her out. Especially if she got pregnant, that would make both of our lives miserable.
It’s not that I minded raising her child, it’s just not okay. I threaten that I’ll kick her out if she gets pregnant, but in reality I wouldn’t be able too.
“Thank you Dad! I promise I’ll be back by eleven!” She squealed, clapping her hands together as she rushed over to me and gave me a kiss on the cheek. I rolled my eyes but also smiled. It had been so long since she actually touched me. Generally she’d say she was sick, or that she had wet nails, or had just applied lip gloss; just too many excuses.
I watched her retreat away to the front door, looking out the peephole on her tip toes. She plopped back down and hurriedly put on her black wedges and black coat as she opened the doors; jumping into the arms of Nick. I was happy she had enough sense to put on a coat, but the skirt was a little much. I sat back in my chair as Nick gave her a kiss on the cheek, smirking at me; reaching over and shutting the door.
I sighed in disapproval, frowning at the papers before me. Where did the days go when I could go to the club and dance with my wife Avery?
I stood up, grabbing the piles of papers, shoving them into a manila folder and sticking it into the drawer of my desk. I put my glasses next to the computer screen, admiring how neat everything was when usually it was all just one big mess.
I walked out of the office, walking down the long almond colored hallway, past Ana’s room; shutting her door on my way to the kitchen. Before I shut it all the way, I turned on her light and looked around, noticing how she had posters covering the rose colored walls that once had yellow flowers detailed into the paint. I shut the light off, smiling at the memory of Avery and I spending all of our money to buy all of the supplies to make the perfect nursery.
I had splashed paint into Avery’s hair by accident when I painted the ceiling; she had grabbed me off the ladder and tackled me to the floor, wrapping her slender arms around my waist and grabbed her paint brush to drag it across my face. Which she did. I took a picture of us when we were done and I had it hanging up on the wall in the bedroom.
