Page 8 of I Won't Be In On Monday

A young voice speaks, and rocks fall in my stomach.

“Hello?” The voice is soft and sweet, and my heart flutters for a few seconds before extreme panic sets in.

"Hi, Canyon," I say.

"Is that you, Daddy?" she asks, and I frown slightly at the use of the worddaddy. I’d never been called that before.

"This is Remington Parker," I say and then clear my throat. I sound obnoxious. "I guess I am your dad technically, but..."

"Daddy.” She says the word again as if she’s learning it for the first time. “Mommy says that you're a lawyer, but sometimes people call you a liar." She giggles. "So are you a lying lawyer?"

"I am a lawyer. Do I lie? No.” I clear my throat. “I mean, we all lie sometimes. But is my career about lying? No." I pause. "Anyway, your mom said that she is going to Southeast Asia and that you're going to spend some time with me, and I just want to make sure that this is something you'd actually be okay with. I don't want you missing your mom or?—"

"Daddy, I can't wait. I've always wanted a dad, and now I have one. Mommy showed me a picture of you on the internet, and you looked kind of funny.”

“I looked kind of funny?”

“Yeah, you were wearing a suit and tie, and you were sitting on a chair, and there was a lady behind you, and you had a?—”

"I'm not really sure what photo that was, but I will see if I can find out,” I say quickly, my face going red. I’m pretty sure she is talking about a photo taken at a burlesque show, and I can'tbelieve that Karen showed that to her. Trying to make me look bad.

"Can I decorate my own bedroom?" she asks, giggling and talking a mile a minute. "I'm so excited. Or did you already decorate it? What sort of bed did you get for me? Are you going to buy me new clothes and toys? And can I get a MacBook or an iPad? I don't mind which one. And can we go to McDonald's? And... Oh, Mommy says she wants the phone." She giggles again, and my heart thuds uncomfortably. There’s an odd feeling in my chest, and I feel like I can’t breathe. My space is soon to be invaded. My peace and quiet. My solitude. My peaceful haven. "Can't wait to see you, Daddy. Love you.”

“Excited to see you, as well, Canyon,” I say, running my hands through my hair. My heart is racing, and I'm starting to feel very nervous. I hope she doesn’t notice that I didn’t tell her I love her. I’m not used to saying the words. In fact, I never say the words.

"So, Remington," Karen says as she takes the phone back. "As you can see, Canyon is very excited to spend time with you. Do you want to pick her up tomorrow, or should I drop her off at your apartment, or the office or..."

"I just don't know if this is a good idea, Karen. I mean, we don't even know each other that well. And..."

"You're her dad," she says. "You really need to step up right now. There have been a lot of years where you haven't been in her life."

"Because I didn't know about her," I say in a stilted tone.

"Well, now you're going to get to learn everything about her. I am going to get her stuff together and a list of important documents. I will give you her doctors and her dentists numbers. I think she has a dental appointment coming up here in three weeks. I'll give you my parents' number in case you need to get a hold of them, and they might like to see her on the weekends orsomething. And I'll give you all the information for the tour with me and the Great Budini."

"So this is really happening," I say.

"I mean, unless you want to marry me and make an honest woman out of me, then make me a housewife, and let me joinThe Real Housewives of New York, and..."

"I don't think so," I say quickly, and she bursts out laughing.

"Exactly. So then I need to make sure that I have a career, and I've put a lot on hold for my darling daughter. Of course, I don't regret it, but I'm not getting any younger, you know? I am not going to be a blonde bombshell forever."

I blink rapidly and swallow. I don't really know what to say in response to that.

"Okay, well, I guess you can bring her to the office tomorrow afternoon and then?—"

"Good," she says. "I'll be there at 2:00."

"Two o’clock? But..."

"But nothing, Remington. When you were fucking me that night without a condom, you had the time of your life. Well, there were consequences to the time of your life." I press my lips together. The simple fact of the matter was, I don’t even remember fucking her without a condom, and I don’t even remember having the time of my life. But I wasn't going to say that. No one needed to start an argument at this point. The simple fact of the matter is whatever sex we engaged in did result in a child. I had three positive DNA tests confirming the fact that I was the father.

"So, I'll see you tomorrow," I say. "Just let me know if there's anything else I should know before then."

"Sounds good," she says. "And trust me, it'll be fine. Canyon is a self-sufficient girl. She'll let you know if she needs or wants anything."

"Great," I say and hang up.

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