Page 45 of More Than Chemical
She frowned. “I know, sweetie. That was awful, and I still feel so horrible about it.”
“I didn’t dare go to the senior all-night party for fear of what people might do to me. That isn’t something a teenager should have to deal with. Ever. My life was ruined, and he is to blame.”
She sighed. “He made mistakes. He knows that.”
“But he’s never admitted to any wrongdoing.”
Mom shook her head and said softly, “Just because you make mistakes that you regret doesn’t mean those mistakes are illegal.”
“Well, the government thinks they are.”
“Your father deserves a chance to be heard, to defend himself. That’s what our justice system is about.”
I covered my face with my hands. Maybe I should cover my ears. I didn’t want to hear this. I wanted her to be as upset as I was. “Guilty or not guilty, I’ll not forget so easily. And neither will Eric.”
“Actually, I think things with your dad and brother are better. Did Eric tell you that he signed with an AHL team in Canada?”
It was like a vacuum had sucked all the air out of my throat and choked me. “Since when?”
“Since the beginning of January.”
I crossed my arms and tapped my foot on the ground. I couldn’t believe Eric hadn’t told me. I couldn’t believe he’d been talking to Dad.
“I think connecting with Dad would help you too.” She paused. “No matter how you look at it, he’s your father—he’ll always be your father, and you need him.”
I put my hands back on the table. “I didn’t need him before. I don’t need him now.”
“You don’t mean that.” She lowered her chin.
“Yes, I do.”
“Well, he’s paying for college, so, in fact, for now you do still need him.”
“I thought they froze his bank accounts.”
“They didn’t freeze his retirement accounts. He’s drawing money from them.”
An ache swelled in my chest. I’d wondered about that. “Tell him to stop,” I said. “I’ll take out student loans, whatever.”
The waiter appeared with bowls of miso soup and set them in front of us. I concentrated on the pieces of tofu suspended in the broth.
“You arenottaking out loans.”
“But I can.”
She sighed again. “Ade, you need to hear him out. He’s very sorry about what happened.”
Mom retrieved a pad of sticky notes and a pen from her purse. After consulting her cell phone, she scratched down something, pulled the top note off, and set it on the table next to me. “This is his new cell number.”
I clamped my mouth shut, but what I really wanted to do was laugh out loud. My dad had made our lives total shit, and yet she wanted me to reach out and make amends with him.
But I had things on my mind other than just Dad. So I searched my jacket pocket for my phone and brought it out.
“I’ll put his number in here right now if and only if you take these flyers home with you.”
She stared at me blankly. “Honey, I’m not going to move.”
“Please,” I said. “Keep them just in case.”
