Page 133 of February

“Sort of. But it’s more that I know you need me, and I want to be there for you and for Mom, but I need this for myself, too. So, I’m trying to toe the line. Dad, the truth is that, in New York, I only have Arnette. Don’t get me wrong; I have you and Mom, too, of course, and Aaron, but Aaron will be here for at least the next four years, and you and Mom will be traveling a lot when you retire. It’ll just be me in the sparsely decorated apartment that I only bought to piss off my ex-wife.”

He laughed and replied, “As much as it might not have been the best financial decision for you, I still think it’s hilarious.”

“Me too,” she said with a smile. “And, Dad?”

“Yes?”

“I don’t know yet, but I might not want to stay on at Arnette.”

“After I retire?”

“No, I mean now. Well, soon.”

“Wait. You want to leave? Now?”

“Not today, but soon, I think,” she replied. “I meant what I said about Darius, though. I’ll help him however I can whether I’m still full-time or not.”

“Honey, you’d leave? Are you that unhappy?”

“No, Dad; I’m not unhappy at all. I just don’t think I’m as happy as Icanbe, and I feel like I’ve sort of seen the light since I got here, so I want to explore that.”

“Well, it’s not like you need the money… But are you sure? What will you do?”

“I don’t know yet, honestly, and I’m okay with that for now. Taking even just a few days away from work made me realize that I don’t need it how I thought I did, and I think I’d like to take a little time to figure out my next steps. I’ll stay on until you find my replacement and longer so that I can train them, but I’d still like to do at least some of that from here.”

“Monica, there’s got to be something you’re not telling me here,” her dad replied. “I get that you like it down there, that you made some new friends, want a new adventure, and all that, but if you’re quitting anyway, you can train someone from here. Help me hire them from here. Why the need to be there right now?”

Monica knew they would get to this eventually, and she was happy that she’d been able to get her main reasons and arguments out before they started on this path because she knew what he was going to say when she told him.

“Dad, I’ve met someone.”

“Someone?”

“Yes, a woman.”

“Sophie?” he asked.

Monica laughed and replied, “No, not Sophie. It’s Dale and Margery’s daughter, actually.”

“The Bridgette you’ve been talking about?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, hell. Monica, you slept with their daughter?”

“Dad!” She laughed. “I didn’t sleep with their daughter,” she lied. “I fell in love with her.”

“Can I say, ‘Oh, hell,’ again? How are you in love with the girl? You just met.”

“You fell in love with Mom and married her six weeks after you met.”

“Don’t go throwing that back at me.” Her dad chuckled. “Monica, you can’t give up your whole life for this girl. You just met her.”

“She’s awoman, Dad, not a girl. And I know that. I’m not, I promise. I know you won’t believe me, but I’m not. I’m in love with her. I know it’s hard to understand, but it happened, and I want to be with her. I also meant what I said about work: I’m ready for something new. I want to spend as much time with Bridgette as I can because I really, really want this to work, Dad. She’s different than anyone I’ve ever been with, and she loves it in New Orleans. Now that she’s taking over the company, she has to be here, anyway, and I can be here with her.”

“So, that’s why you helped her and not the company?”

“No, I helped her because I believe in what she’s doing. Yes, I also wanted this for her, but I knew we’d be just fine without Southern, and she needs it. She has this drive to take over for her parents that, I’m sorry to say, I don’t have myself these days.”

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