Page 78 of Rider Forbidden
Mum is looking between us both. “What? What has he done?”
I motion with my head towards mum. “Do you want to tell her?”
I'm so mad right now I could pick something up and throw it at the wall.
Dad is silent staring at me, but he’s cottoned on, I can tell by the look on his face.
“Did he tell you?” he asks me
I shake my head. “No . . . he didn't, he’s a mess - we've both been a mess this week.”
“Will someone tell me what’s going on, now!” Mum is getting mad. “And where is Eli?”
“Eli is at home in bed, Denny's sitting with him. Mum, dad found out that Jack and I had been seeing each other, he had him followed. Then he went to Jack and told him that if he didn't end things with me that he would pull his investment. Jack’s whole career would crumble, along with everyone else's that works for him.”
Mum gasps. “Greg, this isn't true is it?”
He barely looks at her. “Of course it's true. She messed up her life once, do you think I was going to sit back and let her do it all over again?”
I rear back as though he’s hit me. “You think I messed up my life?” I whisper, “Because you have no idea. Eli is the best thing that ever happened to me, how dare you say he messed my life up.”
“You took off for four years!” he yells
“Yes, because of you - not because I was pregnant! Because you always wanted to control my life dad, I knew that as soon as I had Eli that you'd want to control his too - no way. But look at you. You can't help yourself, you haven't learnt, haven't listened. You make me sick. I don't want anything more to do with you and I'm not sure that you're a good role model for Eli to be around either. You've gone too far this time.”
“This is ridiculous, all this so you can fulfil your female urges, or whatever it was that you were doing with him.”
“First of all, if I choose to do that, have sex with all the town, well that’s up to me, isn't it? It's none of your bloody business. If you'd have bothered to voice your concerns with me then you'd have realised that we liked each other dad, that I'd fallen for him.”
I hear my voice break and mum speaks. “Oh, love.”
I turn to her. “I love him mum, and dad has messed it all up.”
I see a look come over her face that I have never seen before, she turns to her husband. “This is what I’ve been telling you for four years - when are you going to let her grow up? You drove her away once and you're going to do it again. Well not this time. You will sort this out, Greg. I'm not losing my daughter or my grandson again because you think you can rule her life.”
“But . . . but she’s proved she can't look after herself - look at the decisions she’s made.”
“What? Managing on her own, building a life for her and Eli? I’d say you should be pretty damn proud of our daughter, not having her followed, I mean Jesus, you had herfollowed?”
“I had him followed not her.” Even he sounds ashamed of that.
“Sometimes I feel like I don’t even know you. She came back here to give Eli a family, after her being on her own all this time, and this is what you do when she finds someone that makes her happy. You’re fixing this.”
He looks at me. “But him Robyn? Really? Is he honestly what you want . . . for you . . . for Eli?”
“Dad if you’d spent any time with us, you would see how he was with Eli, and me, he treats us like we're the most important and interesting things he’s ever come across. And his family, god they treated us like we’d been in their lives forever.”
“His family? What family? They’re not his parents, he doesn’t even know who his parents are.”
“How dare you look down at people like this! I mean it, dad. You don’t sort this out we’re done. I don’t know if we'll ever get past this. You’re not a nice person.”
I turn to mum, “Don’t worry mum, I’ll never stop you from spending time with your grandson, but I don’t want him being around dad.”
“You can't mean that.” Dad whispers
“I’m sorry dad, I do. Until I feel like you’re a good role model to be around, you’re not being around him. Bye mum. And dad - if you have a decent bone in your body you will sort this - apparently Jack isn’t doing too well at the moment, he won't win tomorrow if his head isn’t in the right place. Denny said that Jack feels that he has to go through with your ultimatum because he doesn’t want to let his team down - but he’s lost already - unless you go to him in the morning and sort it out.”
I turn and leave, I’ve said my piece.
