Broken macys story, p.19
Broken: Macy's Story, page 19
“Why’d you do it? What has your sister done to deserve that?”
“First of all, let’s get one thing straight. I did not invite him to my room. Ever. He showed up. And he would have never showed up if Mom and Hannah hadn’t shown him my sketchbooks. Oh, I was the joke, wasn’t I? Only that showed Jake how big of a school-girl crush I had on him. And then why did I let him keep coming back? I don’t know. Maybe it was because when he was in my room I felt wanted.”
“You were jealous,” he said. “You always were.”
Pedro came from around the corner. He had a fiery glint in his eyes. “Are you serious?” he said to Dad. “She just told you that a grown man came into her room uninvited, and you’re going to blame her?”
“This is NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!” Dad exploded.
“Yes, it is,” Pedro said, without backing down. “Because I care about your daughter, and I don’t want her mistakenly thinking that this crazy, psychotic situation at your house is her fault.”
“You better walk away, boy,” Dad said through gritted teeth. “You don’t talk to me that way.”
“Don’t tell me what to do.”
Both of them glared at each other, ready to pounce.
“Pedro, it’s okay,” I said.
“No, it’s not.” He turned to me. “I don’t get how your family can pin this on you.”
“I shouldn’t have done it.”
Pedro shook his head. “And your mother shouldn’t have stolen your sketchbook, and she certainly shouldn’t have shown Hannah and her boyfriend. And they shouldn’t have publicly bullied you. And they shouldn’t have pushed you into a corner where you reached for the first person who gave you any attention. How your father doesn’t see that—”
Dad suddenly grabbed Pedro by his muscle shirt and threw him back. “Get away from my daughter!” he bellowed.
“That’s enough!” Gramps said, coming around the corner.
Seriously? Who else was coming to the party?
“Why are you throwing my employee on the ground?” Gramps asked Dad. To Pedro, he said, “Thank you for calling me.” To me, he asked, “Are you all right?”
I didn’t know how to answer.
“Tell him to leave,” Dad said. “He’s butting his nose into our business, and I won’t have it.”
“He’s trying to protect your daughter,” Gramps said evenly. “Something you should have been doing.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You know exactly what that means. You have absolutely no right getting upset at Macy when you keep secrets from her.”
“Don’t you even think about it,” Dad said to Gramps. “Don’t you bring that up. Not here. Not now.”
“Why not? I am amazed at how you do not see your culpability in all of this. Macy has felt like an outcast for most of her life. And there’s a reason for that. A reason you have refused to see.”
“Stop it,” Dad ordered. “You are not turning this around and making this about me! I just found out that my teenage daughter was sleeping with a man under my roof. The same man that was supposed to marry my other daughter! Let me deal with one problem at a time!”
“What’s gotten into you?” Gramps said, stepping in front of Dad. “Why are you acting like this? At the very least, lower your voice. This is my place of business. If you can’t respect yourself or your daughter enough to calm down, then do it for me. This is the start of one of my busiest weekends.”
Everything happened so fast that my mind and heart were reeling in shock and guilt and hurt. “Dad?” I asked, going over to him and taking his hand. “Please forgive me?”
But he wouldn’t look at me. He only closed his eyes briefly before saying, “I need to process some things. I’ll be back in a little bit.”
Then my father left me standing there, watching him walk away.
“What is going on with him?” Gramps asked. “He would never become that angry.”
“I broke his heart,” I said.
Pedro had pushed himself off the ground and made his way over to me. “Macy, I’m sorry. I didn’t want to start anything with your father, but I couldn’t believe that he wasn’t even listening to you.”
“Just…Just leave me alone for a while,” I said.
“Macy, you shouldn’t be alone right now,” Gramps said.
“I’ll be fine. I have to process this, as well.” I started to walk away. Before I knew what I was doing, I was running past the office, across the street, and up the driveway. I burst into the house, grabbed Gramps’ keys and yelled out, “Gram, I’m taking the car. Be back in a few.”
I couldn’t start the car fast enough. My hands shook, my stomach trembled, and my eye twitched. I backed out nearly hitting the garbage can, before peeling out of the driveway and heading toward town. The late afternoon sun still blazed and the spring weather had turned warm. Perfect for alone time at the lighthouse.
As I pulled up to a stoplight, I noticed the convenience store. I thought about alcohol for the briefest of moments, then shoved it out of my mind. Whatever. I had enough problems to deal with, the last thing I wanted was to turn out like Pedro’s mother.
Once at the beach, my cell phone began ringing. “What does it take for a girl to be left alone?” I asked, looking to see who called. I didn’t recognize the phone number, but it had a local area code. Sighing, I answered, “Hello?”
“Yes, this is Meadowbrook Elementary. We’re looking for Derek Blackstone? This number was on the emergency contact list.”
“I’m not with him,” I said, feeling the tendrils of worry reaching further inside of me. “Did you try his cell number or work number?”
“We’ve tried all of it. He’s not at work, and his cell phone goes right to voicemail. After-school latchkey closes at seven, and it’s already ten after. Someone needs to pick up Lillian.”
“Of course,” I said, resting my head on the wheel. I had my own issues, and now I had to take on Derek’s? But that wasn’t Lillian’s fault. I knew what I had to do. “Where is Meadowbrook?”
I peeled out of the beach’s parking lot, my heart hurting for the little girl. As I followed the woman’s directions, I found my own problems had to take a back seat. I couldn’t get the question out of head. Where is Derek?
Chapter 19~
Not an Invitation
Lillian sat quietly in the back seat. Even she knew something was wrong. I covered for Derek and said I forgot that he asked me to pick her up, but she hadn’t bought it. “My Dad’s never been late.”
“How about a slushee?” I said, pulling into 7-11. “I could use one right now.”
“Okay,” she said with little enthusiasm.
I tried to be cheerful in the store, but once in the car again, Lillian asked, “Can I go see my mom?”
“When your Dad gets home, we’ll ask him.”
“I just want to say hi and give her a hug. You haven’t taken me to her. Ever.”
“That’s because your Dad likes to take you,” I said, leaning back and squeezing her hand.
“You LIE,” she cried. “Daddy hates taking me. He said so.”
“I think he meant that he hates taking you to see her because she’s sick. That’s all.”
“I want my mom!” Big tears rolled down her cheeks. She leaned against the door and cried.
“I know you do,” I said, still holding her hand. “And I’m sorry I can’t take you.” With my free hand, I texted Derek. Where r u????????
Just then, my cell phone buzzed. But it wasn’t Derek, it was my Dad. I’m sorry about earlier. Can we talk?
Now’s not a good time, I texted back. I started up the car. My alone time would have to wait. “Let’s go see what’s for dinner.”
“Will Daddy be there?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “He had to work late.” For a brief moment, I thought about grabbing Derek by the shoulders and shaking some sense into him. But I reminded myself he was grieving. At least Lillian had us. Then I started thinking of Derek not telling her grandparents about her, and felt myself getting irked again. How could he keep this adorable little girl away from her grandparents? I gripped the wheel and reminded myself—once again—that he was grieving. If I got a chance, I would try to talk to him. Maybe he’d listen to me.
We arrived at Gram and Gramps, and I found myself tensing up. Dad’s SUV sat in the driveway.
As soon as I walked inside, Gram came out of the kitchen and hugged me. “Don’t stress about your father,” she whispered in my ear. “He’s upset about a lot of things that have nothing to do with you.”
I released her and nodded, not wanting to talk about it. Honestly, I was more worried about Derek. “Lillian, go wash your hands,” I said.
“It smells good,” she said.
“That’s because it’s pot roast and potatoes,” Gram said, leaning down and smiling at the little girl. “And for dessert, I made pineapple upside down cake because that’s my son’s favorite.”
“Is your son here?” Lillian asked.
“Yes, I am,” Dad said, coming out of the kitchen. “How are you, little lady?” he asked, extending his hand.
Lillian shook it and giggled. “I remember you! You’re Macy’s daddy!”
“Yes, I am,” Dad said again, glancing up at me. His eyes were filled with regret and sorrow.
“Hurry,” I said to Lillian. “Wash your hands, so we can eat.”
As she scampered into the bathroom, Dad leaned over and hugged me. I stiffened. “I’m so sorry about how I acted,” he whispered. “Can we try again?”
“Not now,” I said, stepping back. “Lillian is my first concern.” To Gram, I said, “Have you heard from Derek? He didn’t show to pick her up.”
“Really?” Gram asked, immediately concerned. “I have no idea. How’d you know to go get her?”
“The school called me. Derek wrote my number down as an emergency contact.”
Gram raised her eyebrows. “Your grandfather’s in his study. I should tell him.”
When Gram walked away, Dad and I still stood there.
“I should go wash up too,” I said, moving to leave.
“Wait,” Dad said.
“Not now,” I snapped.
“This is important,” he said. “You are important.”
“We don’t have anything to say to each other. It is what it is.”
“I have something to say.” Dad took a breath and continued, “I apologize for acting like a complete numbskull. I handled everything poorly, and I’m sorry.”
“You have a right to be upset,” I said, feeling the pain all over again. “But I can’t change what happened. And even though some of the blame falls on my shoulders, not all of it does.”
“I know. I don’t blame you. What I said earlier was wrong. Completely wrong. I had your mother and Hannah in my head, and then when I saw you and that kid, I sort of lost it.”
“Pedro’s not a kid. He’s nineteen. And he’s treated me better than most of my immediate family.”
“He’s a kid to me. That’s all I meant.”
Lillian came out of the bathroom. “I’m done!” she exclaimed.
“Okay, my turn!” I said to her. “Go, save me a seat.” I headed to the bathroom and shut the door before Dad could say anything more. I stared at my dirty reflection, thanks to a full-day’s work at the motel, and saw the dark circles under my eyes and messy bun on the top of my head. The tears came, but I kept staring. I stared at the girl who made a complete mess of things. And I didn’t look away. I thought of what Gramps had said earlier: If you spent time trying to repair your relationship with Hannah with as much time as you tried to make amends with Pedro, you and your sister wouldn’t be at odds.
Making a decision, I nodded at my reflection. “You can fix this,” I said to the girl staring back at me. I used the facilities and washed my hands and face. I dialed Hannah’s number, hoping she wouldn’t pick up.
“What do you want?” she said without a greeting.
“Hey,” I said nervously. I paused. Why had I called again?
“What do you want?” she asked again, getting more upset.
“Listen, Hannah, I never apologized for…everything, and I’m sorry. You didn’t deserve what happened, and I regret it.”
There was silence for several seconds. Eventually, she said, “Don’t ever call me again. We have nothing more to say to each other.”
I heard the click of a dead line and exhaled. Okay, so that went horribly. But how’d I expect her to react?
I left the bathroom and made my way to the dining room. “I’m ready,” I said to everyone. “Gram, the roast smells great.”
“Doesn’t it?” Dad asked. “It’s my favorite.” He smiled at his mother.
“I’m just glad you got to make it up for dinner,” she said pleased. “Why doesn’t Macy say grace tonight?”
I blinked in surprised. “I’ve been saying grace a lot lately, but sure, why not?” Lillian folded her hands, mimicking everyone else. I closed my eyes and began, “Thank you, Lord, for this food we are about to eat and for the family we are to eat with. Protect us near and far and bring us all back together again…” I paused, then with my eyes closed, added, “And if you’re truly listening and you truly care, please take care of Pedro…and Derek and Lillian…and please mend everything I broke.” I whispered, “Amen,” and discreetly wiped at my eyes.
“Amen,” everyone said. But no one moved to eat.
“Peanut,” Dad said, his voice choked up.
The tears wouldn’t stop. I sat at the table, wiping at my eyes, until finally I buried my face in a napkin. I felt my Dad’s arms around me. “I’m sorry, Dad,” I sobbed. “I’m sorry I messed up our family. I’m sorry I hurt Hannah.”
“Macy, don’t cry,” Lillian said.
“And I’m sorry that I made you doubt my love for you,” Dad said. “I’m sorry that I refused to see how broken my family was. I’m sorry I blamed you and not Jake. There’s so much I’m sorry for.”
“Me too,” I said.
“Let’s just agree that we’re sorry,” Dad said, removing the napkin from my face. “We’ll deal with everything together.”
I nodded, still sniffling.
“That was the best prayer I’ve heard in a long time,” Gramps said. “I should let you lead in service.”
“No way,” I said, giving a slight laugh. Feeling a million times better. “You’ve already twisted my arm to sing and teach Sunday school. Don’t push your luck.”
The adults laughed. Lillian still watched me with concern on her face.
“I’m okay,” I whispered to her. She got up and hugged me.
“How about we eat?” Gram said, serving Lillian’s plate, then passing to the others.
Even with Derek missing and the mess of my own life, I ate and talked with everyone, enjoying this little bubble of time where I felt cleansed and my burden a little lighter.
***
As I finished helping Gram with the last of the dishes, someone knocked on the front door.
“Derek,” I said, dropping the kitchen towel and running to the door. Even with everything going on, I was still worried about him. I opened the door and smiled, but it wasn’t Derek I was smiling at, but an older couple—possibly in their sixties—who looked well-put-together but acted like they were struggling to keep their emotions inside. The woman, with her blonde cropped hair, had red rims around her eyes, and the gentleman, with his tucked-in, collared shirt and khaki pants had dark circles around his. I knew immediately who they were.
“Hello,” I said, not quite opening the door all the way. Derek said he hadn’t told them about their granddaughter yet. “Can I help you?”
“We’re looking for our son-in-law, Derek Blackstone? We were told that he stays in the motel across the street, but there is no one in the office,” the woman said. “One of the customers said to come over here.”
“My grandparents own it,” I said.
“I’m heading over there right now,” Gramps said, opening the door all the way. “Macy, you should have invited them in.” To them, he said, “Please, come in.”
“Thank you, but no,” the man said. “We need to find Derek.”
“Derek?” Lillian said. “Where’s Daddy?”
I pressed my lips together and closed my eyes. Oh man. Not good.
No one said anything for what seemed like an eternity.
When I opened my eyes, the couple were staring at Lillian, as if trying to figure out the puzzle piece.
“Do they know where Daddy is?” Lillian asked me.
“I think they’re trying to find him.”
“Where is he?” she started to get emotional. “Why didn’t he pick me up? He promised me a slushee.”
“But I bought you one,” I said. “And he’ll be here. He just had to finish up some business.”
“Why…” the woman’s voice shook. “Why does that little girl look just like my daughter?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “Who are you?”
“We’re Tom and Nancy Garrett. Lindsey’s parents,” the woman became more and more upset. “Who are you?”
“I’m Macy,” I said, extending my hand to shake theirs. “I’m Lillian’s babysitter.”
“Is this…our granddaughter?”
Gramps and I exchanged glances. I wasn’t about to lie about this. Especially because I was becoming more and more worried about Derek. “This is Derek’s daughter. Was Lindsey his wife?”
They didn’t answer. Both of them looked at Lillian clearly emotional. Nancy covered her mouth as if that would keep the sobs back.
“Why is everyone crying today?” Lillian asked.
Tom knelt down and studied Lillian, smiling at her. “You have your mommy’s eyes,” he said, getting choked up.
“No, I have my eyes, not mommy’s.”
“Please, come inside,” Gramps said. “My wife put some coffee on to go with our dessert. We’d love for you to join us.” Gramps turned to Dad who had been standing behind us. “Son, could you go and man the office for a couple hours? Reservations will be coming in, but I should stay here.”
