“No, Dad, I don’t have to have a man to move forward in life. You know I’ve told you this.”
“Now, honey, don’t be irrational and overdramatic. A man will provide for you and always give you anything you ever desire,” he counters. Yeah, I’m sure he would… Me and the five other women that I’m certain will be on the side.
“I’m done beating around this. Romi, just because you had one hiccup in a relationship doesn’t mean all relationships end at the alter like that one did. Besides, look how it’s turned out. Speaking of, I forgot to tell you that their engagement party is this weekend in Austin at Rebecca’s family’s estate, and you will be there. Now, I know you and Rebecca had a falling out, but you’ll just have to overlook that for the sake of Allen’s family being our dear friends.”
All I can do is stare at him. His eyes bore into mine in a standoff of wills. Gone is the kind, loving eyes of a father, replaced by a stern businessman who will stop at almost nothing to get what he wants. Including his own daughter’s happiness.
I’m done. I’ve tried to tell my parents that I am perfectly fine on my own, yet they have some filter over their eyes and ears and refuse to listen to me. It’s like talking to two wooden posts. In their eyes it’s not acceptable to be single at a certain age. You would think we are still living in the eighteen-hundreds with the way they lay on the pressure about getting married, and how dare a woman work hard to build her business and provide for herself.
Saying anything else is a waste of breath. All I can do is turn and walk out. Leave the house I once thought of as my safe haven, my sanctuary, where I was unconditionally loved. It’s quite the opposite now, and that realization makes the tears escape my eyes. Loneliness runs rapid in my mind, and my heart hurts.
7
“Hey, bro, do you and Beck want to meet me at the diner to grab a bite?” I ask Levi, hoping he’s available.
“Yes, we can meet you there in just a bit. If you want to head that way, go ahead?”
“Heading that way, see ya soon,” I respond, turning the lights off and locking up the office. The drive is only a few minutes to downtown.
The diner has the best food and always beats cooking after a long day of work.
“Hey, gorgeous, look at you. You are as pretty as ever.” Matilda has been a waitress here since I can remember, and her smile warms my heart each time I walk through the diner’s door.
“Flattery will get you everything, young man, you just keep it comin’.” She swats the air in front of her and blushes a little. “Now, what can I get ya to drink?”
“Levi and Beck are meeting me, so can we get a lemonade for Beck, and Levi and I will have sweet tea.”
“Coming right up, just sit anywhere you like,” she directs before walking behind the counter to fill our drink order. I choose a table close to the front, so they can see me when they walk in. With a moment to sit and think, my mind wonders to the painted goddess with crystal blue eyes that’s embedded into my memory. I went to bed dreaming of them and woke this morning with them being the first thought of the day. It’s a good thing her stint here is temporary because those eyes are something I could get lost in for a long while and lose track of time.
Seeing my best friend and his mini-me opening the door, brings me back to the harsh reality of the fact I only have time for quick flings and one night stands. “There’s double trouble walking in right now,” I greet Levi and his son. You can tell that they are father and son due to their identical cocoa colored eyes and dark brown, unruly hair. Levi tried to tame his by pulling it up in a man bun, while Beck’s is short but long enough to be messy.
Beck is Levi’s three-year-old son, he’s been raising him on his own since right after the boy’s first birthday. Anyway, that’s Levi’s story to tell. I’m just saying, Beck’s mom isn’t even worth the toilet paper I wipe my ass with.
“Unc Clay!” Beck yells, breaks free from his father’s arms and runs to me to jump in my lap for a hug.
“Hey, little man. Whatcha been up to?” I turn him around and sit him on my leg so we can talk.
“We went fishin’.” He’s so cute and full of energy.
“Did ya?” I look to Levi to confirm if this fishing story is true, so I can continue my intriguing conversation. With a nod of agreement from his father, I add, “Well, did you catch anything?”
“Oh, yes. I caught one all by myself.” He beams with the biggest smile. “And it was this big!” he says and stretches his arms out as wide as they will go. I can’t help but laugh; however, I try to keep it held in to show him that I am believing his story.
“Beck, it was a little more this size,” his father corrects him by pushing his hands a lot closer together. “Come here, come sit in your chair.” He shuffles down from my lap and Levi helps him up onto his chair to get him ready for dinner. Look, Ms. Matilda is here to see what we want to eat.”
“I want corn dog, Daddy.”
“Corn dog it is, and I’ll have the burger basket. What do you want, Clay?” Levi says as he sits down after getting Beck all settled.
“Burger basket sounds good, I’ll take that. Thank you, Matilda.”
“You’re welcome, sweetie. It will be out in a jiffy.”
Levi doesn’t waste any time interrogating me. “So, you still have dreams about a lady and a dog covered in paint?” Ever since I told him about the beautiful woman I met at the Winters’, he hasn’t let up. Well, I probably brought it on myself from calling him right after I left her and Roxy. I was tongue tied and not making much sense, until I calmed down and finally got my words out.
I miss my wingman, even though we continue our talks about these things, it’s not the same. We do still go out on occasion, but only when he has a babysitter, and even then we have to be back home at a decent hour and always sober, so we can pick up Beck. Don’t get me wrong, I respect the hell out of Levi for stepping up and being the father that Beck needs, I just miss the old life sometimes. He’s a great dad who loves that little boy with everything he has, and I know he wouldn’t change any of his past struggles, just to have Beck.
“Come on, I told you nothing would come of it. She’s not from here, and I’m busy with work.”
“Well then, moving on. You had anymore code two’s lately?”
“Only a few code threes.”
“Code three? I thought it was code two.”
“Aw, you know, pretty soon we’ll be changing it to code five.”
“What’s code three mean?” Beck says. Oh my, I don’t need to explain that one to him. It will be interesting to see how Levi handles this. My sister came up with the stupid code and shared it with Levi, now they won’t stop bugging me about it. Code plus the number means how many ladies come into the office trying to schedule an appointment to see me without an animal.
“It’s the number of kitty cats that Uncle Clay takes care of in a day at the office.” He says that right as I’m taking a drink that goes down the wrong pipe, sending me into a coughing fit. Beck immediately leans over the table towards me and pats me on the back. This kid. Love him.