Page 1 of Motorycle Daddies

1

MEREDITH

The unbalanced fan above me and the old clock on the wall both seem to make a ticking noise at the same time, signaling the passing of the minutes as I sit on the couch in my dad’s living room on a Sunday night.

I have no idea why I even bothered to come home for the weekend. I usually come to spend some time with my dad even though I’m swamped with piles of work, trying to catch up with college and life in general. But as usual, he’s missing most of the time I’ve been here.

Heaven knows what he’s out doing.

I can only guess, but I thought he’d gotten better lately. He always says that he wants a relationship with me and wants to do better.

That’s just like sweet, forgiving Meredith. I always believe him and hope he’ll come around again. I guess I just want a father. But it’s too much to ask of a man like him.

Finally sick of sitting around and flipping through a million Netflix shows I’ve already seen or have no interest in, I decide to go ahead and take a shower and get ready for bed. I don’t have school in the morning—I’m lucky to have Mondays off other than one class in the evening. It’s the only day I get any kind of reprieve.

Instead, I’ll be meeting up with the girls. I haven’t seen Harlow in almost two weeks now.

As I strip off my clothes and make sure I have a towel and washcloth, I take my long hair out of the messy bun it’s been in all day. I smile at the thought of seeing my best friend again while I step into the shower.

It’s been hard going to college without her. I’m so used to having Harlow right by my side through everything.

Of course, Addy’s around. But she’s just as busy as I am. And she doesn’t live on campus.

She lives across the street in an apartment her parents are paying for, and her major takes up much less time than mine. It doesn’t help that I’m majoring in urban development and minoring in geology. I don’t know what I was thinking other than the fact that I want to help people so badly. I want to turn this community into something great.

I turn on the showerhead and let the water fall over me like rain. I hope the heat will release some of the tension in my shoulders from thinking about where my father is tonight.

Where he’s been all of these nights while I’ve been home trying to do my duty as a daughter.

My shower doesn’t last very long, and neither does the distraction of the hot water. My thoughts are already swirling in my mind as I wrap a towel around myself and head into my bedroom.

Nothing has been touched since I left—I’ll give my father at least that much credit. I always have a place to come back to if I want. It just may not be the ideal place for anyone.

Most people wouldn’t guess that this is the kind of thing I’m going through. They see me as sweet and innocent. I don’t speak up or complain a whole hell of a lot. Only Harlow really knows the depths of what I’ve been through with my family.

I take my time finding something comfortable to put on, and then I slide into bed. I make sure my alarm is set so I have enough time to get ready and go tomorrow.

As I shut my eyes, I try to sleep and focus on my excitement about the girls’ day. Unfortunately, after thirty minutes of being unable to get any shut-eye despite it now being midnight, my phone rings, making me sit up in bed.

My heart races as I look at the number. I know it’s local, but I have no idea who it is.

“Hello?” I say into the receiver, hoping it’s not some hospital telling me my father’s finally overdosed or died of alcohol poisoning or something crazy.

“Meredith?”

Familiarity scratches at my brain. I know this voice.

“Yes, this is she.”

“Thank goodness. This is Nurse Hadley. We’ve met a few times.”

I breathe a sigh of relief. If something is going on with my father, at least he’s with someone I can trust. We’ve had many a run-in with him passed out from drinking too much. She’s a nurse who happens to work at the ER nearby, and we’ve gotten to know each other on a first-name basis.

“Hi, is everything all right?”

Please don’t let him be dead. Please don’t let him be dead.

“Sort of. It’s unfortunately kind of the usual. I happened to catch your father in a confrontation getting kicked out of the casino. He was gambling his money away, and he was knee-walking drunk. He was about to be arrested for being drunk in public, but I intervened.”

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