Authors: Wendy Potocki
“But I thought she was seeing Justin?” Collette pried. Unabashed about delving into personal matters, it was one of the reasons Melissa liked having her around. If there were any awkward questions that needed asking, Collette could be counted on to do so.
“I believe the two love birds are still nesting, and it’s nothing like that. I was in the rec room, watching TV. She came in and said she needed to show me something. Satisfied?” he asked smirking, heading for the door.
“At this hour of night? What are you supposed to see in the dark?” Melissa called out after him.
“Have not a clue, my dear, but I’ll tell you all about it. Later,” he said blowing a kiss and exiting through the door.
“Oh, Christ! I knew she was going to try to get her claws into him. It’s like if something is male and on two legs, she’s going after it!” Melissa complained, exasperated with the contemptible behavior.
“Yeah, well, I wouldn’t worry too much about that. You know that there’s no love lost between them. Kurt’s a smart guy with a good head on his shoulders. Plus he has the hots for you. I swear, you get all the good ones. Why don’t they ever lust after big thunder thighs?” she teased. Seeing Melissa’s no nonsense glare made her relent. “Okay, it was just a joke! I won’t mention my lower half ever again!”
“You’d better not or I’ll beat you with one of those long sticks old Russian teachers used to use!”
“What do you mean used to? My former teacher used one—and he wasn’t old and certainly wasn’t Russian! Have the bruises to prove it too,” she said, rubbing her behind.
“Collette, I swear!” she giggled. “You are too much.”
“I’d have a smart retort for that, but it seems I’m not allowed to joke about my weight in front of you. Hey, you want to get a cup of tea or something?”
“Nope. Just want to call my dad to let him know his daughter is coming home and then hit the sheets. I am exhausted.”
A blast of cold air let them know someone had entered. The happy faces of Justin and Zoe appeared, frozen from the wintry winds.
“Zoe!” Melissa blurted. “But I thought you ….?”
“Thought I was what?” Zoe answered, pushing her hood off.
“Thought you were …” Stopping in mid-sentence, she wondered if Justin knew about the secret rendezvous. While she didn’t owe Zoe any favors, she wasn’t a troublemaker. Deciding that discretion was the better part of valor, she swallowed the rest of the sentence.
Zoe attempted to stare her down. Her rigidly formal beauty confronted Missy in its contempt for having the temerity to ask her anything.
“She meant she thought you were meeting Kurt,” Collette offered, filling in the blanks.
“Kurt?” she repeated, nervously turning towards Justin. “Why would I be meeting him?” Greedily grasping Justin’s hand, she held it close to her.
“Oh, God, whatever!” Melissa replied, shaking her head. Whirling around, she rolled her eyes at Collette before heading upstairs. It was so stupid of Zoe to have set up the covert meeting with Justin around.
Once inside her room, she kicked off her boots. Flicking on the overhead light, she hung her coat in the closet, making sure to tuck her other outwear properly away. Grabbing her cell, she threw herself on her bed, hitting speed dial. Adjusting the pillow under her head, she waited for the familiar voice to answer.
“Missy girl?”
“It is indeed! Catch you at a bad time?”
“Nay, not doing anything I wouldn’t want you to see. How’s my soon-to-be famous ballerina daughter doing?”
“I don’t know about all that, Daddy, but I’m fine … considering.”
“Don’t tell me more has happened? I’ve been reading the papers and … look, maybe you should …”
“Come home?” A smile on her lips, her father did care. “It’s why I’m calling.”
In the background was the sound of banging—as if someone were going through drawers. The sound of a woman whispering taking her by surprise, what was going on?
“Dad, are you alone?”
“No, no, I’m not, Melissa. I, um, I met a woman. A very nice woman.”
“You’re dating?”
“You upset, Missy girl?”
“No, no, not at all. I’m happy that you met someone.”
“I’m glad. Now what were you saying? About coming home?”
“Given the situation, Madam Velofsky is closing the school early—and keeping it closed until the end of January. It’s precautionary. You got my message about the arrest, right?”
“Yes, yes, I did. Made me breathe easier, but I think she’s doing the right thing … only …”
“Only what? You sound weird Dad.”
Her father paused, covering the phone to make sure a flurry of whispers wasn’t overheard.
“Dad? Dad! Are you there?”
In another second, he was back, exhaling sharply.
“Look, honey, I’m thrilled you’re coming, it’s just that it’s kind of awkward. I was going to tell you … about Toni, I mean.”
“Toni? Is that the woman you’re seeing?”
“Yes, Antoinette.”
“Well, I’d love to meet her. It’ll just be a little sooner, that’s all.”
“That’s not what I’m saying, Missy. She lives out of state, and she had some time off for the holidays. So I invited her to stay with me …and, she’s here. Staying here …”
“Oh,” she responded. Turning on her side, she sat up. Resting her head against the wall, she hadn’t anticipated this. Yes, she wanted her father to meet someone, but this was sudden, and it would mean that a strange woman would be occupying her household. It was going to make things so awkward. Putting her hand on her stomach, she tried to ease the queasiness developing in her belly. Steadying herself, she realized she was being ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous. Her father had been single for long enough, and they were all adults. She’d just have to deal with the new addition to her father’s life the best she could. The same as he would when she eventually met someone and brought him home to meet dear old dad.
“You okay, hon?”
“Yeah, I’m fine, Dad. I guess I was hoping to spend time with you, but you didn’t know they’d change the schedule.”
“No, I didn’t, hon. You’ll love her though. Toni, come here!” he said calling out to his girlfriend. “Here, let me put her on the phone!”
“Oh, Frank, I don’t know,”
“Go on! She’s a terrific girl.”
Hearing the frantic discussion in the background, she became even more anxious about the situation. The phone passed, she braced herself for the worst.
“Hi, Melissha! It’s-s-s good to meet you!” Toni slurred.
Parting her legs, Missy dropped her head through them. Thinking that she’d prepared herself, she hadn’t. The woman was drunk. Drunk! Just like her mother always had been. She thought she’d escaped that whole scenario and here was her father chaining her to the past. As if nothing changed, as soon as he got rid of one lush, he brought in the next.
The raspiness, the elevated good cheer driven through a slightly lazy voice, she could always tell when someone had been drinking. Having had enough practice, she held her head in her hand, unsure what to do. Tears broke through, her nose clogging up with mucous. She didn’t want to play this game anymore.
“Put my father on the phone!” she screamed, her breathing coming in spurts.
“What? Aren’t you even going to say hello?” Toni demanded. A haughty air of entitlement in her voice, it was exactly how her mother had always behaved. Never apologizing for her bad behavior, she’d demand respect instead. Her father and Melissa had always tiptoed around her bad moods to avoid a tirade.
“No, I’m not going to say hello! Now put my goddamned father on the phone!” she shrieked even louder.
Clipped chatter was exchanged. She caught the drift of harsh words flung in her direction. Not caring that Toni thought she had an attitude, the idea was just so priceless. Flipping scripts was what alcoholics did best; everyone was always in the wrong except for them.
“Melissa? What was that all about? Toni said you were kind of rude. It’s not like you to act like that. I don’t understand, why …”
“She’s a drunk!” she yelled, stopping her father short. He started to hem and haw, the way he did when he’d defended her mother.
“No, it’s nothing like that. She just had a few drinks, that’s all.”
“No, that’s not all! You’re an enabler! I never even realized it before, but there was something wrong with you, too! It’s why Mom was the way she was!”
“That’s a terrible thing to say, Melissa. You know that I tried to …”
“…to do nothing to break up the sick relationship you had with Mom! And now that she’s dead, you’ve replaced her with someone just like her! And you bring her into MY house …” she screamed, her voice shaking. Her father started to object, but she drowned him out. She’d always been quiet, but no more. She’d stop talking when she was finished and not before. “And then you even put her on the phone knowing she’s blitzed out of her mind! What were you thinking?”
His manner becoming conciliatory, he tried to calm her down.
“Melissa, I didn’t even think. It’s not the same. It isn’t, honey,” he pleaded.
“Yes, it is! Damn you and damn the holidays! I won’t be coming home!”
“What? Now Missy, we got all your presents here. And the tree is up—just how you like it! Toni helped me with …”
“Well, then Toni can just share it with you! All of it! I hate you! Do you hear me, I hate you!” she screeched, hanging up before her father had a chance to respond.
Letting her phone drop, she pounded her fist against the mattress as she dissolved into tears.
Chapter Thirty-nine
After dropping the girls off, Todd drove back to the motel. Entering into the less-than-median-range lodging, “ratty” was the term that came to mind. Adequately describing the furnishings, in an odd way, they seemed to suit the old man that was stuck in the past. His retro appearance was in line with the out- of- date surroundings. He melted into it rather than adding a contrast.
Placing Todd’s coat over the back of a cheesy plastic desk chair, the haunted face of the man who’d professed no knowledge of what happened to Barbara Moore tried to play courtly host.
“Could get you some coffee if you like. Vending machine is just down the hall. It’s not that good, but good enough, if you know what I mean,” Mulligan explained, jostling a cup of rancid java.
Todd fully understood the sentiment. Sometimes what you needed superseded the quality of what you received.
“I’m good, thanks,” he deferred, waving his hand like a magician wanting to make it all go away.
The old man’s hair was dyed. No doubt about that. And whatever he used to hold that outdated pompadour gave it a greasy gleam. Apparent even in this dim room, the light on the nightstand was on, as was the bare bulb in the bathroom. The room faced the parking lot. Occasional intrusive blasts of light originating from high beams came chattering in like teeth. Blazing across the aged face, they lit it in diagonal streams reserved for lighting effects in experimental films. Taking a long swig of his stale coffee, Mulligan exhaled with a slight growl for his trouble.
Mulligan took his time in getting to the point. Rambling, he poured his heart out. Todd chose to go slowly rather than behave like an attack dog. If what he alleged were true, he was also a victim.
“I appreciate you sharing your feelings, but what you’re saying differs dramatically from what I was told. You see, I was under the distinct impression Barbara left with you.”
The paper cup hit the tabletop with a clipped, hollow sound. The noise of an engine starting signaled another blade of light penetrating the window like a spotlight in a prison yard. It was an apt analogy. Todd would swear that it was the way Mulligan felt. In prison, and unable to escape.
“Yeah, you mentioned that. You mind me asking who told you?”
“Her mother.”
“Her mother? But how …”
“Barbara came to see her about six months after she disappeared. Told her that she was happy and to stop trying to find her.”
“Then she saw her,” he whispered, his lips trembling, his eyes filling with tears. He looked off into the distance as if seeing an apparition. His upper body collapsed on the Formica table. Yellowing and cracked, it had a lot in common with the man resting his arms on it.
Mulligan heaved. Lifting his head, he grabbed a coffee-stained napkin, noisily blowing his nose. Wiping at his eyes with his sleeves, he cleared his eyes of the vestiges of tears clinging like dew to his lashes.
“I’m sorry,” he apologized, his voice breaking up in chunks of despair. “It’s the first time I’m hearing this. Always wondered what happened. I came back here a few times. Watched her house to see if she was there. I even asked around, but everybody said she was gone. I didn’t know what to think, but based on what you just said, I figure that she ran off with one of those kids she was mixed up with. As long as she’s happy, though. That’s the main thing. Really, it is,” he said staring like a cocker spaniel wanting you to take him home.
“Well, it might not be that simple, Mr. Mulligan.”
“Why would you say that?”
“Because of what Midge Moore told me.”