Chapter Twenty One

It came to my cell phone, and it was a number I didn’t recognize.  I answered it anyway.  “Hello?”

“Katie, come home.”  I couldn’t believe it.  It was my dad.

“I thought you said that you didn’t want to see me there ever again.”  Mike and Kayla were there, staring at me sharply.

He replied with a pained voice, “I need you, though, Katie.  I never knew that I needed you so much.  But I miss you.”

“You miss how much I did for you.  You miss me cleaning and cooking for you.  That’s all you miss.”

“Katie-”

“No, Dad.  You had your chance, and you blew it.  Now I’m gone.  And I’m not coming back.”

I was just about to hang up on him when he said, “Can you just listen to me?”

“You have two minutes.”  I motioned for Mike to start his stopwatch.

Dad inhaled and exhaled, causing static over the phone.  “I made a huge mistake, Katie.  My life hasn’t been all that great, but I’m the one who caused that.  Your mom and I made a mistake, and things should have turned out differently, but I shouldn’t have started drinking.  I had no right to do that, to myself or to you.  Come back, Katie, and I promise things will change.  I got rid of all of my alcohol, and I cleaned the apartment.  Come back, please.  I need you.”

I stayed silent, thinking.  Then I sighed.  “Fine.  If I don’t find a drop of alcohol in the apartment when I get back, I’ll stay with you.  But if I even find a shot glass I’ll leave.”

“That’s fine, that’s fine.  I already got rid of everything,” he promised.

“Fine.  I’ll be there in an hour.”

“See you then, dear.”

Snapping the phone shut, I looked at my friends.  “I had to.  He does need me.  But this is his last chance.  He’s going to blow it, but I’m going to pretend that I don’t know that and I’m going to live with him.”

“I give him a month,” Mike snorted.

“Well, he might make it through two.  Your room will still be ready, Katie,” Kayla promised.  I nodded and packed my stuff up again, but I left the clothes just in case he didn’t last that long, and some of my older sheet music from a few years ago.  Mike drove me back to the apartment.

“Are you sure you want to do this, Katie?”

I nodded.  “Not entirely, but I want to do this.”

“You should come visit Grandpa tomorrow.  Have a little break from your dad,” Mike said.

“Okay.  If I can.”

He rolled his eyes.  “You shouldn’t have restrictions like that.  Really, Kayla’s parents should become your legal guardians if this is what it’s like with your dad.”

I laughed.  “I’m used to it.  Well, here goes nothing.”

I was about to get out of the car when he took my hand.  Looking back at him I tried to ask him what was wrong but he squeezed my hand and waved it away with the other, like it was nothing.  It probably was.  Getting my things out of his trunk, I waved him good-bye.

Opening the door to the apartment, I was caught off guard when Dad immediately gave me a hug.  “Oh, I missed you so much!”

“Dad.  Enough,” I snapped.  He set me down and I started my hunt.

I looked through the entire apartment.  There wasn’t a single place that I didn’t know about, and I searched through all of the hiding places that I knew of.  I didn’t find a single bottle of alcohol.

When I finished Dad asked, “Well?”

“You’re good.  I’ll stay here,” I told him.  “I need to go unpack.  I’ll be right back.”

“I’ll go cook dinner for you,” he said.  He reminded me of a puppy eager for a treat so he was on his best behavior.  Well, he wasn’t getting a treat yet.  I still remembered the last time he had had an accident.

When I had finished everything he was waiting at the kitchen table for me.  I sat down and looked at the food.  It was peanut butter toast with a glass of milk.  “I know it isn’t much, but you don’t eat much anyway, do you?”

“I like it, Dad.  Thanks.”  I ate the toast and went to bed.  He checked in on me, but he didn’t come in and say good-night or anything.  I think I would have puked if he had, anyway.

Things were good for a few days.  Dad made sure that I didn’t have to do too much, I was allowed to go out and do stuff with my friends, he did the dishes if I did the laundry, that kind of stuff.

Dad was at work and I was home alone one day when I decided to do some cleaning out of sheer boredom.  I was in his room when I found it.

A bottle of peppermint schnapps.  I couldn’t believe it.  He had broken his promise.  And it hadn’t even been a week.

I rummaged around in the kitchen and found a piece of paper and some tape.  On the paper I wrote, “That was your very last chance and you blew it.  Don’t expect to see me here again.”

Then I started packing.  He would still be at work for five hours, so I had time.  I got three huge boxes out, and I even called Mike and Kayla to help me.  When they got there I showed them the bottle and they helped me pack.  They took care of my clothes and things in a box and a half, and in the other box and a half I brought mementos, things that would remind me of the happier times before his drinking got really bad and when Mom was sane without any meds.  The apartment seemed empty by the time we were done, because I had even brought my favorite quilt, but that was a good thing.  Then maybe Dad would get the idea that he was really alone.

We went to Kayla’s house and Taylor asked, “What happened?”

“Dad blew it.  I found schnapps under his bed, half empty.  He got it recently, I think.  I’m just surprised that it wasn’t empty,” I replied, carrying a box in and bringing it up the stairs to my room.  There was a dresser and I started putting my clothes in it.

“So are you staying here for good?” George asked.

“If you’ll have me.”

“Of course we’ll have you, sweetie!  Come on, Kayla and Mike can unpack for you.  Why don’t we start on those cookies for Mrs. Sylvia, huh?”

I left them in my room and followed Taylor to the kitchen, or was about to when Mike came over and asked, “Can I talk to you alone?”

Kayla quietly went to her room and Taylor went down the stairs, muttering something about checking to see what George was doing.

“What do you want to talk about?” I asked him.

He inhaled deeply and said in a rush, “I like you, Katie.  I’ve liked you for a really long time.  I don’t know how you like me, most likely like an older brother, and I understand if you do, but it doesn’t change the fact that I want to be with you.”  He waited a few seconds before asking, “What do you say?”

I smiled, blushing slightly.  “It depends.  Where will our first date be?”

“I was thinking the Atrium, but you can decide.”

“Pick me up Friday at seven,” I laughed, hugging him.  He hugged me back tightly when we were interrupted by Kayla’s squealing.

“I knew it!  I so knew that you two would end up together!  It took you guys a really long time, you know,” she said, jumping up and down and all around.

We laughed.  “Well, sorry that I didn’t have the guts to ask her out before!” Mike replied.

Still laughing, we went down the stairs to where Taylor was waiting for us in the kitchen to make the cookies for Mrs. Sylvia.