there
was no way he could break his ‘one at a time’ rule and live with himself.
Chapter Ten
“Over
here!”
Sabella
scanned the crowd, attempting to locate Lauren. Once again they’d agreed to
meet at Bistro Sabor, after Sabella had been
assured it would be just her and Lauren with no unexpected guests. Finally
spotting her, Sabella waded through the crush. Of course on a Saturday
afternoon the little restaurant would be busy, but it didn’t deter Sabella. She
needed someone to talk to before she exploded, and preferably someone in the
scene who might give her a fresh perspective on how to deal with Ethan.
Sliding
into the booth, Sabella tossed her handbag on the seat next to her and accepted
the menu the waitress offered. As the woman left, she finally glanced at Lauren
and blurted out the first thing that came to mind. “Lauren, we gotta talk.”
“Funny,
this isn’t the first time I’ve heard that in the past twenty-four hours.”
Lauren sipped her iced tea. “So tell me what has your panties in such a twist?”
Twisting
the napkin in her hand, she sighed. “Men.”
Nodding
sagely, Lauren agreed. “Okay which man pissed you off this time, your dad,
Kaleb, or Ethan?”
Sabella
gave an exasperated laugh. “Well, Dad is a given. He won’t listen to me or what
his doctors say. I’m seriously afraid I’m going to come home one night and find
him dead. Last night I caught him with beer again. He knows he can’t have it,
but still insists on drinking it.”
Lauren
placed her hand over Sabella’s. “I know it’s frustrating, Bella-mía. He’s set
in his ways, but he’ll eventually come around.” Lauren gave her fingers a
squeeze. “Remember how he threw a fit about you going out with Tommy Laski to
our Junior Prom?”
Sabella
sighed. “Yeah, he eventually came around. It wasn’t until the day before but he
let me go.”
The
waitress interrupted them to set down their drinks and take their orders. Once
she left, Lauren picked up their conversation.
“Well
it’s just like that but instead of you growing up, it’s been reversed. Instead
of him telling you what to do, you’re now the one doing the telling. I firmly
believe your Dad’s attitude has to do with the fact he has no control over his
life. For the past three to four months you’ve done nothing but ride him about
how to eat, when to exercise, and even about going to the doctors. He’s trying
to take back some decision making.”
And
when letting him ends up with him in hypoglycemic shock or even worse –
dead...I’m supposed to say, oh well, at least he made the choice to die? Sabella opened her mouth to protest,
but Lauren cut her off.
“I
know, you want him around long enough to see his grandbabies, girl, if you ever
should be lucky enough to have them. But in reality it’s no different than what
your dad did before our Junior Prom. The need to protect is instilled in you
just as much as your love of family.” Lauren let go of her hand. “And if your
dad had truly wanted to spite you, he’d have gone on a three-day bender.
Instead you found, what a single light beer in the fridge? A light beer he’d
planned on enjoying during the football game?”
She
nodded grudgingly. “Yeah.”
“Now
I’m sure the doctor assured you alcohol isn’t good for diabetics, but a beer
now and again won’t kill him. I know you don’t want to hear it, but you need to
loosen the reins a bit and let him breathe. I promise nothing bad will happen
if you do.”
Shame
suddenly filled her. Had she really been that bad? Had she turned into a nag
when all she wanted was to make sure her father was healthy and around for a
good many more years? Rubbing her fingers over the icy surface of the glass,
she finally faced the fact she may have been more on edge when she’d returned
home from her training session with Ethan than she’d realized. Lauren was
right. She needed to loosen the reins or she’d end up driving her father
was no way he could break his ‘one at a time’ rule and live with himself.
Chapter Ten
“Over
here!”
Sabella
scanned the crowd, attempting to locate Lauren. Once again they’d agreed to
meet at Bistro Sabor, after Sabella had been
assured it would be just her and Lauren with no unexpected guests. Finally
spotting her, Sabella waded through the crush. Of course on a Saturday
afternoon the little restaurant would be busy, but it didn’t deter Sabella. She
needed someone to talk to before she exploded, and preferably someone in the
scene who might give her a fresh perspective on how to deal with Ethan.
Sliding
into the booth, Sabella tossed her handbag on the seat next to her and accepted
the menu the waitress offered. As the woman left, she finally glanced at Lauren
and blurted out the first thing that came to mind. “Lauren, we gotta talk.”
“Funny,
this isn’t the first time I’ve heard that in the past twenty-four hours.”
Lauren sipped her iced tea. “So tell me what has your panties in such a twist?”
Twisting
the napkin in her hand, she sighed. “Men.”
Nodding
sagely, Lauren agreed. “Okay which man pissed you off this time, your dad,
Kaleb, or Ethan?”
Sabella
gave an exasperated laugh. “Well, Dad is a given. He won’t listen to me or what
his doctors say. I’m seriously afraid I’m going to come home one night and find
him dead. Last night I caught him with beer again. He knows he can’t have it,
but still insists on drinking it.”
Lauren
placed her hand over Sabella’s. “I know it’s frustrating, Bella-mía. He’s set
in his ways, but he’ll eventually come around.” Lauren gave her fingers a
squeeze. “Remember how he threw a fit about you going out with Tommy Laski to
our Junior Prom?”
Sabella
sighed. “Yeah, he eventually came around. It wasn’t until the day before but he
let me go.”
The
waitress interrupted them to set down their drinks and take their orders. Once
she left, Lauren picked up their conversation.
“Well
it’s just like that but instead of you growing up, it’s been reversed. Instead
of him telling you what to do, you’re now the one doing the telling. I firmly
believe your Dad’s attitude has to do with the fact he has no control over his
life. For the past three to four months you’ve done nothing but ride him about
how to eat, when to exercise, and even about going to the doctors. He’s trying
to take back some decision making.”
And
when letting him ends up with him in hypoglycemic shock or even worse –
dead...I’m supposed to say, oh well, at least he made the choice to die? Sabella opened her mouth to protest,
but Lauren cut her off.
“I
know, you want him around long enough to see his grandbabies, girl, if you ever
should be lucky enough to have them. But in reality it’s no different than what
your dad did before our Junior Prom. The need to protect is instilled in you
just as much as your love of family.” Lauren let go of her hand. “And if your
dad had truly wanted to spite you, he’d have gone on a three-day bender.
Instead you found, what a single light beer in the fridge? A light beer he’d
planned on enjoying during the football game?”
She
nodded grudgingly. “Yeah.”
“Now
I’m sure the doctor assured you alcohol isn’t good for diabetics, but a beer
now and again won’t kill him. I know you don’t want to hear it, but you need to
loosen the reins a bit and let him breathe. I promise nothing bad will happen
if you do.”
Shame
suddenly filled her. Had she really been that bad? Had she turned into a nag
when all she wanted was to make sure her father was healthy and around for a
good many more years? Rubbing her fingers over the icy surface of the glass,
she finally faced the fact she may have been more on edge when she’d returned
home from her training session with Ethan than she’d realized. Lauren was
right. She needed to loosen the reins or she’d end up driving her father
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