Page 8 of Bending Under Pressure

I sit in my car to call him back since it looks like Mom and Walter are home already.

“Hey, Haley,” he answers.

“Hey, Dad! How are you?” I can’t help my excitement. It’s so good to hear

from him. I’ve missed him so much.

“Good. Sorry I missed your calls. I’ve been working a lot lately.”

“It’s okay.”

“I was thinking I could come down and have dinner with you tomorrow.”

“That would be awesome. I’d love to see you.” I can’t stop smiling. Yay! I get to see Dad. “What about around seven? That will give me time to shower after practice.”

“I’ll be there. I need to go. I’ll see you soon.”

“Bye, love you.”

“Love you too.” He hangs up.

I practically skip inside. Mom and Walter are in the kitchen cooking. They look up when I walk in.

“School must have been fun for a smile like that,” Walter comments.

“Dad called,” I say to Mom, whose smile disappears. “He’s coming to have dinner with me.”

“Is he? When?”

“Tomorrow.”

She’s skeptical, I can tell. “I wouldn’t hold your breath,” she tells me gently.

Okay, so Dad may have canceled on me twice before, but he won’t do it again. It pisses me off that she’s automatically doubting him. Shouldn’t he be given a chance? He’s my dad! “He’ll come,” I say firmly.

“Do you want us to save you a plate, just in case?” Walter asks carefully.

“No,” I snap.

“Okay, well, dinner’s ready.”

“I’m not hungry.” I stalk to my room. Really, is there any wonder why I don’t like Walter? It’s one thing for Mom to give her opinion, but Walter needs to stay out of it. I am hungry, but I’ll wait until later to sneak into the kitchen and grab something to eat. In the meantime, I’m going to read.

Five chapters later, my phone buzzes with a text.

Keelan: Hey

I smile and quickly respond.

Me: Hey

Keelan: So, how did you end up here?

Me: My mom remarried and then her husband got a new job nearby. I don’t know why they chose to live here instead of there though

Mom and Walter both have a thirty to forty-five minute drive to work, depending on traffic.

Keelan: Oh, cool. Where are you from? Do you get to see your dad?

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