into the washer and walking to the
kitchen to clean her mess.
“I eat wobber,” she called.
I looked toward her, dumping
water from a cup with a confused look. What the hell was wobber? “You want
wobber?”
“Uh-huh.”
I ignored her. I wasn’t even
going to try. She was getting hot dogs and French fries.
“My daddy make me wobber,”
she explained.
Stop saying that. “Alex gave
you wobber?”
“Uh-huh.”
My phone started singing the
hate song just as I finished scrubbing the floor on my hands and knees.
“I told you to call back
later,” I answered.
“It is later,” he replied.
“She’s still in the tub.
She’ll call you. What the hell is wobber?”
“Excuse me?”
“Maddie wants wobber for
supper. She said you made her wobber.”
He laughed. “I think she is
trying to say lobster.”
“Oh.” Maddie wasn’t getting
wobber. Maddie was getting a hot dog. “She’ll call you back.” And again I hung
up. I did do it to be rude that time.
I had just cleaned up our
supper dishes when my new favorite song went off again. Maddie mumbled the
words, I had to change it. I didn’t have the explicit version, thank God. Jesus
he was persistent.
“You’re ridiculous,” I
answered.
“I want to talk to my daughter.”
“MOMMY!” Maddie called from
the living room. I walked over to her kneeling down looking attentively at
something on the area rug.
“A t-wex in da house,” she
claimed.
“That’s not a t-rex. It’s a
grasshopper. Here, Alex wants to talk to you,” I said handing her the phone and
scooping up the bug in my hand. I heard him laugh as I handed over the phone.
Maddie talked for maybe two
minutes and then was on to something else. I hung up.
I declined the invite to eat
supper with my family. Maddie hadn’t spilled the beans yet, and I wasn’t ready
for that. We stayed home, walked to the river, and were in our pajamas by
eight. I was still feeling the effects of no sleep from the night before and
didn’t foresee it being any better tonight. How could it? I still didn’t have
an answer to my problem.
Maddie fell asleep on the
couch, watching the Lion King. I slid from beneath her and pulled her legs to a
laying position. I took a beer, walked out to my front porch and sunk to the
first step. I wanted to call someone. I needed to tell someone what I was being
forced to do. Who? There was no one to call. I honestly believed that my dad
would have been the only one to believe my story. I couldn’t tell him. This was
going to happen. Alex was going to force me to live with him or take my
daughter. My dad would end up in prison and Alex would live far, far under the
earth’s surface.
I rolled my eyes and hit the
end button as I sang, “I fucking hate you,” with Alex’s ring tone, not omitting
the word that was blanked out. I wasn’t talking to him. I had nothing to say to
him. He wasn’t going to dictate what I did. I chugged my beer and went in to
get another one. I finally answered my stupid baby daddy on the fourth ring.
“Oh my God, Alex. What do you
want?”
“Why are you ignoring my
calls?”
“Because, I don’t want to
talk to you.” I hung up. I hadn’t planned on doing that. I just did it.
“Yes……” I answered again.
“We can do this all night.”
“What do you want?” I asked,
rubbing my eyes.
“I wanted to tell Maddie
goodnight.”
“Too late, she’s already
asleep,” I had my finger on the end button when I heard him.
“Don’t you dare hang up on
me.”
“Is there something that I
can do for you?” I smartly asked.
“Yes, you can bring my
daughter and get back here. I miss her.”
“You don’t even know her.”
“I know her well enough to
know that she is mine.”
“She’s mine. You shouldn’t
have any rights to her at all.”
“I guess you should have
thought about that before you decided not to press charges when you were twenty-one.”
“I wasn’t fucking twenty-one,
Alex. I am twenty-one now. I was
kitchen to clean her mess.
“I eat wobber,” she called.
I looked toward her, dumping
water from a cup with a confused look. What the hell was wobber? “You want
wobber?”
“Uh-huh.”
I ignored her. I wasn’t even
going to try. She was getting hot dogs and French fries.
“My daddy make me wobber,”
she explained.
Stop saying that. “Alex gave
you wobber?”
“Uh-huh.”
My phone started singing the
hate song just as I finished scrubbing the floor on my hands and knees.
“I told you to call back
later,” I answered.
“It is later,” he replied.
“She’s still in the tub.
She’ll call you. What the hell is wobber?”
“Excuse me?”
“Maddie wants wobber for
supper. She said you made her wobber.”
He laughed. “I think she is
trying to say lobster.”
“Oh.” Maddie wasn’t getting
wobber. Maddie was getting a hot dog. “She’ll call you back.” And again I hung
up. I did do it to be rude that time.
I had just cleaned up our
supper dishes when my new favorite song went off again. Maddie mumbled the
words, I had to change it. I didn’t have the explicit version, thank God. Jesus
he was persistent.
“You’re ridiculous,” I
answered.
“I want to talk to my daughter.”
“MOMMY!” Maddie called from
the living room. I walked over to her kneeling down looking attentively at
something on the area rug.
“A t-wex in da house,” she
claimed.
“That’s not a t-rex. It’s a
grasshopper. Here, Alex wants to talk to you,” I said handing her the phone and
scooping up the bug in my hand. I heard him laugh as I handed over the phone.
Maddie talked for maybe two
minutes and then was on to something else. I hung up.
I declined the invite to eat
supper with my family. Maddie hadn’t spilled the beans yet, and I wasn’t ready
for that. We stayed home, walked to the river, and were in our pajamas by
eight. I was still feeling the effects of no sleep from the night before and
didn’t foresee it being any better tonight. How could it? I still didn’t have
an answer to my problem.
Maddie fell asleep on the
couch, watching the Lion King. I slid from beneath her and pulled her legs to a
laying position. I took a beer, walked out to my front porch and sunk to the
first step. I wanted to call someone. I needed to tell someone what I was being
forced to do. Who? There was no one to call. I honestly believed that my dad
would have been the only one to believe my story. I couldn’t tell him. This was
going to happen. Alex was going to force me to live with him or take my
daughter. My dad would end up in prison and Alex would live far, far under the
earth’s surface.
I rolled my eyes and hit the
end button as I sang, “I fucking hate you,” with Alex’s ring tone, not omitting
the word that was blanked out. I wasn’t talking to him. I had nothing to say to
him. He wasn’t going to dictate what I did. I chugged my beer and went in to
get another one. I finally answered my stupid baby daddy on the fourth ring.
“Oh my God, Alex. What do you
want?”
“Why are you ignoring my
calls?”
“Because, I don’t want to
talk to you.” I hung up. I hadn’t planned on doing that. I just did it.
“Yes……” I answered again.
“We can do this all night.”
“What do you want?” I asked,
rubbing my eyes.
“I wanted to tell Maddie
goodnight.”
“Too late, she’s already
asleep,” I had my finger on the end button when I heard him.
“Don’t you dare hang up on
me.”
“Is there something that I
can do for you?” I smartly asked.
“Yes, you can bring my
daughter and get back here. I miss her.”
“You don’t even know her.”
“I know her well enough to
know that she is mine.”
“She’s mine. You shouldn’t
have any rights to her at all.”
“I guess you should have
thought about that before you decided not to press charges when you were twenty-one.”
“I wasn’t fucking twenty-one,
Alex. I am twenty-one now. I was
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