Page 26 of The Mistakes I've Made
At least I’d have a nice view while my father tore into me for my behavior.
“Hi, Daddy,” I answered, placing my phone on speaker in hopes that perhaps the soothing sound of the bay would calm his uptight nature. It was a long shot, but I was willing to take whatever small chances I could.
“Where are you?” he asked, getting straight to business.
My father wasn’t known for warm and fuzzies. It was why he was able to turn an adorable chain of Hawaiian hotels into an international conglomerate that was worth billions.
“On a balcony, overlooking the water,” I answered innocently as I took a seat in one of the plastic chairs.Plastic? Seriously?At least they were clean. “Can’t you hear it?”
“Leilani,” he said, a distinct warning in his tone.
“North Carolina,” I sighed.
“When this was brought to my attention today, I hoped it was a mistake. I hoped that my own daughter wouldn’t have done such a thing. Please tell me you have a reason for this, that there is some logical explanation for this.”
“I want to prove myself to you,” I said, feeling more and more like a child with every word that fell from my lips.
My father was also known for that, too—making everyone around him feel small and insignificant.
I was no exception.
“You do that by hard work and determination, not by taking something that isn’t rightfully yours.”
“How is it not rightfully mine, Dad?” I asked. “How did I not work for it? I’ve been at that company for six years, and not once have you promoted me or even thrown my name into the ring for a project. How long will it take for you to see that I have talent and drive and commitment to this company? A company that will be mine one day, I might add.”
“Not if you keep acting like this!” he roared.
“Let me buy it from you,” I blurted out.
“What?”
“I haven’t spent a cent of my trust fund. I can afford it.”
“You want to buy something from me with money that I gave you?”
Suddenly, the idea seemed ludicrous. This was the real reason I’d never spent any of the money. It wasn’t really mine to begin with. Not really.
Silence fell between us as I stared out onto the crystal-blue water of Silver Lake Harbor and waited for him to calm down.
Finally, I heard him release a breath on the other end as his mind worked to fix the problem I’d created in his life.
God forbid, he had to deal with his daughter from time to time.
If it wasn’t for this little event, he probably wouldn’t have thought of me at all.
Well, until the next time he canceled on me, that was.
“Here’s what we’re going to do,” he began, a distinct note of authority to his voice. It was the tone he used whenever he was in business meetings or giving a speech. It was also the tone he used when disciplining me. “You will have plans to me in six weeks.”
“Six weeks!” I immediately protested.
“Let me finish,” he demanded, an air of finality in the way he spoke. It was as if God himself was proclaiming the Ten Commandments to Moses.
There was no room for negotiation.
There would be no appeals process.
It was either his way or the highway, and if I wanted my hotel and my big break with my father, I needed to shut up and listen.
