When I Met Him In The Summer

Nine

Dad, can we uhm, talk about tonight?" I sputter nervously when he lets me into his study, my body basically oozing shame.

I would never say it out loud, but I was a bit spontaneous with everything I said during dinner, and I could have handled the entire conversation this evening a lot better.

It is not his fault that he is never here...work demands it, but at least he tries to be here when he can. Using it against him when it is out of his control was pretty low of me.

"Mom worked so hard on dinner and I wanted it to be successful, I mean she actually cooked," I blurt out and chuckle, but my attempt at humor falls flat with him.

He just stares at me, with a look that says I don't have all night, and I clear my throat and go on.

"Point is, dad I never meant any of those things I said, it's just that...it's like you never give me any credit and—"

"But I meant every word I said. Look, Daniel, I give credit where credit is due," he says before I get the chance to apologize, and fresh tears blur my vision.

"I just got off the phone with one of my friends. He owns a cafe a few minutes from here, and he agreed to let you work there. This job will be a chance for you to learn responsibility and independence. Now if you want credit, don't screw this up. I'm busy, so go ahead and close the door on your way out."

"Actually, I was thinking I could use the summer to catch up on my school work if that's okay with you?" I say without letting my voice crack too much.

That's a lie, but I am hoping he will drop the thought if he thinks I want to give school a chance. Anything to get out of this job. He turns around and fixes me with another look that I cannot place.

"Is there a reason you cannot do both?" he deadpans, and i try to speak, but no words form.

"Exactly like I thought. Now, please, close the door on your way out," he says again, and turns his attention back to his computer.

ASSHOLE! ASSHOLE, ASSHOLE, ASSHOLE!

I slam the door behind me as I leave the study, clamp a hand over him mouth and scream. It is literally the fact that he cannot visibly show annoyance or irritation, but you just know it is there that gets to me the most. Because it is always there when it comes to me.

I run into mom in the hallway and obviously she asks how it went. I just roll my eyes in response and slam my bedroom door equally as hard—wow,I really am not afraid of consequences tonight, am I?—just in case she did not fully understand, then lock it. I am not in the mood to talk, and she is one thousand percent going to come and try to make me see reason.

I fail to go to sleep the whole night, and I am wide awake when mom knocks to tell me something came up last minute, and she has to leave with dad.

"It's five a.m, mom. You could have FaceTimed when you got there," I feign annoyance as I stand on the porch, the chauffeur loading their luggage into the car.

"Be good, honey. I love you, I promise to call as soon as I get there and to come back soon," Mom says, planting kisses all over my face.

"Tell that to Jake maybe. Not doing my laundry is as bad as I can get. I can't speak for him," I say, pulling out of an extremely tight hug.

I groan. As if I have not said enough shit about Jake already for one night.

"Oh for God sake Linda, we can't be telling him to grow up when you're going to treat him like that. He's seventeen, not five. He can take care of himself for a few weeks. And Daniel, don't forget what I talked to you about." dad says, walking past us and entering the car.

"Don't listen to him. You're always going to be my baby. Try and fix things with your brother, okay?" she whispers, pushing the hair from my forehead, and I nod.

I wave as she gets in the car and closes the door and then wait until they have gone down the block before I go back inside. The doorbell rings just as I settle down on the couch with my iced coffee for the Kardashians, and I go to answer it.

"Mom, you'd forget your head if it wasn't screwed onto your bod—" I gasp and almost drop my coffee jar.

"Austin?"

"Hey, loser. I'm back, " he growls excitedly in my face, and throws his backpack at me.

You have got to be kidding me.