Walking on Broken Glass - Christa Allan [113]
Knowing Dani would be working Sunday, I called Dad and asked him to come to Peter's house so we could talk. I told him and later, Peter, if they didn’t agree to meet with me, I’d stop talking to both of them. Sometimes, guilt is an effective motivator.
The next morning, the three of us sat at Peter's pedestal table, and I held court. “You’re both going to listen, and I’m going to talk. I’m leaving here tomorrow knowing my family is not like those goofy squirrels outside.”
“What squirrels? What is she talking about?”
“Dad, no talking, remember? I’ll start with you. I know you’re lonely. You have to give Peter and me some credit. When's the last time you dated? Almost thirty years ago? You have every right to spend time with someone who makes you happy. And don’t think this is about your kids not wanting Mom replaced. You’re a successful man, generous, and kind. Not many men like you are left, and sometimes you’re the ones taken advantage of. Why would you want to live with someone you’re not ready to have a permanent relationship with? You’ve known her three months. Just be careful.”
Dad opened his mouth, then looked at Peter and closed it again.
“I’m almost finished,” I told him. He resettled himself in the chair, “harrumphed,” and waved his hand for me to continue. “Once she moves in, especially with her sons, your life is going to change. It concerns us that she's hurrying this along with the ‘have to renew the lease, don’t have enough money, where are we going to live’ story. What would she have done if she hadn’t met you? Where would she have gone? And if this doesn’t work out between the two of you in a month or a year, then what? If you’re going to do this, you need to protect yourself financially. By the way, if you don’t want people up in your business, don’t leave credit card bills hanging around. Peter may have looked too closely, but he was right. Did you win a lottery you didn’t tell us about? A daughter who's a recovering alcoholic, and you’re spending more money on drinks than dinner. Dad, really.”
Then I turned to Peter. Dad seemed almost amused.
I told Peter we didn’t have to like Dani. “It would make life easier if we did, but this is Dad's choice, not ours. If there's one thing AA is teaching me, it's that people have to be responsible for themselves—not just their decisions, but the consequences of them.”
“I want the two of you to agree to be honest with one another. For me, right now, agree to allow one another a life. One day at a time, guys.”
“Leah, before you and Dad leave, if we’re going to be all about honesty, I need you to hear this.”
If Dad hadn’t looked as confused as I did, I might have suspected they’d planned their disagreement to suck me in.
Peter apologized for being invisible, for not making time to spend with me, especially after we lost Alyssa. “I used school and my job as excuses, but the truth is you know I don’t like Carl. I know what you mean about Dani, because I wasn’t all that fond of Carl, but you loved him.”
“Carl's a good man. He's given Leah a nice life. He works hard,” Dad said.
“Dad, you don’t have to defend Carl,” I said. “I’ve known for a long time how Peter feels about him. I don’t think you ever understood because, well, you’ve had more of a relationship with Carl than with Peter.”
“Leah, your turn not to talk. Dad, you know she's right. You and I don’t have the same things in common that you have with Carl. I don’t blame either one of you. Sometimes it's like he's your son, not me. But that's something we need to work out between the two of us. Later.”
Dad said nothing, but I could tell by the way he stared at the table, running his fingers along the thick edges, he was beginning to own some of what Peter had said.
Peter continued. “When you first married, Leah, you seemed happy. As time passed, you seemed less like the sister I knew. Then, when Alyssa died, something died in you. Whatever and whenever Carl and his family wanted you to do something, you did it. Did you think you