The Journey Home

9 - Conflicting Events

Alexander

I drummed my fingers on the table, impatient. Not necessarily at the fact that we'd been waiting for our food for over twenty minutes, but at Eileen's silence. The dark bags under her eyes were proof that after that text message she hadn't slept.

"Aleexx! Can you please answer me?" I chuckled at Angie's frustrated voice. She'd been giving me the reasons as to why she thought certain princesses were better than the others.

"Well, why do you think Cinderella is better?" I asked, placing my chin on my hand.

"Because the prince charming found her!" she explained, as if that was the most logical answer.

"Hm, I don't think that's good enough a reason, darling." I said, taking a small sip of coffee. "Eileen, what do you think?"

Eileen snapped out of her daze, looking back and forth between her daughter and I.

"Um, well, I like Belle," she said, leaving me clueless as to what she was talking about. Angie's stared at her mother wide-eyed. Eileen wrapped her arms around her daughter, placing a kiss on her head. "You are your own princess, you don't need to try and be like any of them."

Angie smiled, pleased at Eileen's answer.

The conversation flowed easily throughout breakfast, which focused on the many small stories that Angie had from her school and friends.

It seemed to be a good day for Eileen because she didn't hesitate to agree when Angie suggested we go to the park. I knew I'd regret this, considering the shitload of work I left at home with the excuse of working on it no later than noon. But I found it difficult to care.

"Since you are in a decent mood, can I ask a question?"

"I guess that means my mood will be changing soon, doesn't it?" Eileen countered.

"Yes. You'll probably tell me to fuck off."

I had no business asking about Angela's father. It was obvious he didn't see her often, much less that he was involved at all in the care of the young girl. The lessons that my mother had instilled in me of helping those in need pressed me to do more for them, though I knew Eileen would reject any more of my help.

"Where is her dad? Is he in the picture at all?" I asked, expecting an angry response. Instead Eileen smiled, her sad eyes meeting my own as she spoke.

"No, he's not. Never has been."

The noise around us of children playing faded away as her silence invaded the space between us. She seemed lost in her thoughts. I let her be, waiting to see if she'd keep talking. She didn't, forcing me to ask more questions that I was sure would end up with me being slapped.

"Well I can't imagine it being easy having a baby so young, perhaps it was difficult for him as well."

Her lips parted, as if she was about to speak, but in an instant they closed. What was going through her mind? Her eyes were fixed on her daughter who played with the other children on the playground. Angela waved at us excitedly before running off.

"Have you ever considered having children, Alex?"

"Nope." I said, without hesitation.

"Hmm. When you have them, every thing you do, even the things that you don't do, are for them, to keep them safe, so no, she doesn't know her father. She never will."

★★★

It was a surprise to both of us running into Marty at the park. The old man was walking the same trail that I remember he used to walk with his late wife Sylvia. Though I had spent time with him since I got back, I didn't really spend much of it out of the cafe like we used to.