how she ‘hated her Daddy’ and ‘hated all this
stupid talking’ and ‘he hated her anyway.’ Sweat beaded under Margot’s shirt
the longer Antony sat there, glaring at her as if this were somehow her fault.
She prayed that no one would catch her in this mess because
she would surely, without a doubt, one hundred percent, lose her damn license
to practice if they did. Antony cleared his throat, shifted in his seat and
attempted to drape an arm across the increasingly miserable girl’s shoulders.
“Get off me!” Her screech made Margot’s head pound. Antony withdrew his arm,
his face red and his hackles raised. “I hate you!”
She jumped to her feet, purse clutched to her thin frame. A
sudden thought filled Margot’s head and she acted on it, for reasons that never
really clarified themselves. “What’s in the bag, AliceLynn?”
The girl blinked, brushed the back of her hand across her
runny nose, then glared at Margot. “None of your dang business.”
Antony snagged it quick. The girl made an attempt to grab it
but he held her off, and tossed it to Margot without a word. The surrealism of
the moment made her heart race. This was not right. This was not her place. She
was not the girl’s mother.
Even so, she sat and tugged the strings, getting a distinct
whiff of marijuana when the bag opened. Frowning, she pulled out the elaborate,
blown-glass pipe and a baggie about a quarter filled with weed. She set them on
the desk, ignoring Antony’s sharp intake of breath. Antony’s mother and his
younger brother Dom had filled her in on his pot and beer-fueled high
school and college days. That wasn’t what concerned her at the moment anyway.
The item below all that stuff did.
Just as Antony opened his mouth to bellow or berate,
generally making the whole scene a million times worse, she held up a hand. To
her relief, his lips pressed together in a thin line and he stayed quiet.
Margot closed the purse, leaving the paraphernalia on the desk and handed the
bag over to the red-faced girl. “AliceLynn,” she said in a firm voice. “You
need to get a grip on yourself now. We understand…” She stopped, catching her
error. “Your father understands how you feel. Our…uh, I mean your task
now is to move forward, to get past it, to work together and be stronger as a
unit.”
“He’s a jerk,” the girl said, clutching her bag that
contained something Margot would be discussing with her, just not in her
father’s presence. With that move, she sincerely hoped AliceLynn would trust
her. “That’s my property.” She jerked her chin toward the baggie of weed and
pipe. Margot raised an eyebrow, surprised, but not really. From what she had
heard about Crystal and knew about Antony, AliceLynn came by her strong,
defiant, somewhat self-centered personality honestly.
Antony rose, his set shoulders blocking Margot’s view. “I
may be a jerk, but I am your dad. And I am sorry. Really, I truly
am so sorry, honey.” Margot hesitated. This she had not anticipated. Antony
held out his arms. Margot willed the girl to respond but she just stood,
gnawing on her lower lip, her pale cheeks tear-streaked, red hair in a wild
riot around her face.
“You should be sorry, Daddy.” AliceLynn spit the last word
out as if it tasted bad. Antony took a step back, straight into Margot. She put
a hand on his bicep. “You dumped me. Dumped me right out of your life,
like I was never in it. Like… like…without my mama you didn’t even care about
me, you know?” Antony didn’t move. AliceLynn’s gaze flickered down to the hand
Margot still had on his arm. “And I think,” she said, drawing herself together
in a classic self-justification stance. “I think this session should be over.”
Margot dropped her hand to her side, feeling her face flush
hot. “I love you AliceLynn,” Antony said, making Margot frown when AliceLynn
flinched as if he’d slapped her. “I love
stupid talking’ and ‘he hated her anyway.’ Sweat beaded under Margot’s shirt
the longer Antony sat there, glaring at her as if this were somehow her fault.
She prayed that no one would catch her in this mess because
she would surely, without a doubt, one hundred percent, lose her damn license
to practice if they did. Antony cleared his throat, shifted in his seat and
attempted to drape an arm across the increasingly miserable girl’s shoulders.
“Get off me!” Her screech made Margot’s head pound. Antony withdrew his arm,
his face red and his hackles raised. “I hate you!”
She jumped to her feet, purse clutched to her thin frame. A
sudden thought filled Margot’s head and she acted on it, for reasons that never
really clarified themselves. “What’s in the bag, AliceLynn?”
The girl blinked, brushed the back of her hand across her
runny nose, then glared at Margot. “None of your dang business.”
Antony snagged it quick. The girl made an attempt to grab it
but he held her off, and tossed it to Margot without a word. The surrealism of
the moment made her heart race. This was not right. This was not her place. She
was not the girl’s mother.
Even so, she sat and tugged the strings, getting a distinct
whiff of marijuana when the bag opened. Frowning, she pulled out the elaborate,
blown-glass pipe and a baggie about a quarter filled with weed. She set them on
the desk, ignoring Antony’s sharp intake of breath. Antony’s mother and his
younger brother Dom had filled her in on his pot and beer-fueled high
school and college days. That wasn’t what concerned her at the moment anyway.
The item below all that stuff did.
Just as Antony opened his mouth to bellow or berate,
generally making the whole scene a million times worse, she held up a hand. To
her relief, his lips pressed together in a thin line and he stayed quiet.
Margot closed the purse, leaving the paraphernalia on the desk and handed the
bag over to the red-faced girl. “AliceLynn,” she said in a firm voice. “You
need to get a grip on yourself now. We understand…” She stopped, catching her
error. “Your father understands how you feel. Our…uh, I mean your task
now is to move forward, to get past it, to work together and be stronger as a
unit.”
“He’s a jerk,” the girl said, clutching her bag that
contained something Margot would be discussing with her, just not in her
father’s presence. With that move, she sincerely hoped AliceLynn would trust
her. “That’s my property.” She jerked her chin toward the baggie of weed and
pipe. Margot raised an eyebrow, surprised, but not really. From what she had
heard about Crystal and knew about Antony, AliceLynn came by her strong,
defiant, somewhat self-centered personality honestly.
Antony rose, his set shoulders blocking Margot’s view. “I
may be a jerk, but I am your dad. And I am sorry. Really, I truly
am so sorry, honey.” Margot hesitated. This she had not anticipated. Antony
held out his arms. Margot willed the girl to respond but she just stood,
gnawing on her lower lip, her pale cheeks tear-streaked, red hair in a wild
riot around her face.
“You should be sorry, Daddy.” AliceLynn spit the last word
out as if it tasted bad. Antony took a step back, straight into Margot. She put
a hand on his bicep. “You dumped me. Dumped me right out of your life,
like I was never in it. Like… like…without my mama you didn’t even care about
me, you know?” Antony didn’t move. AliceLynn’s gaze flickered down to the hand
Margot still had on his arm. “And I think,” she said, drawing herself together
in a classic self-justification stance. “I think this session should be over.”
Margot dropped her hand to her side, feeling her face flush
hot. “I love you AliceLynn,” Antony said, making Margot frown when AliceLynn
flinched as if he’d slapped her. “I love
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