“Daddy catch,” Luna says.
“Oh yes, Daddy will catch you. Daddy will always catch you,” Ace says, his voice thick with emotion. He glances at me and holds my gaze briefly. That is a promise from a father to a daughter. I send a silent prayer of thanks. This is all I’ve been wanting for Luna. For her to have both parents in her life.
Vanessa and I grew up without a dad and my ultimate fantasy was Dad knocking on the door one day and saying he had come to get us. The fantasies increased when Mom blacked out, which was often and I was frightened out of my mind.
After the slides, we head to the swings. We’ve been lucky when it comes to parks. This one is near Ace’s condo, our new home and it’s a lot bigger than the one that was near our place.
I briefly wonder how Vanessa is faring. I spoke to her on the phone yesterday and she sounded okay but I’d love to see for myself. Luna and I have completely settled in, and if it were not for my worry for Vanessa, I’d be completely fine.
I took care of my sister for so long; it became a habit to worry about her. Miles is unambitious and lazy, but he’s largely harmless. She’s safe, I tell myself. And she’s an adult. One with a good career and who easily supports herself.
“Mama,” Luna says, gesturing at the teddy bear in my arms.
“Oh, you want teddy to swing?” I ask her and she nods.
Luna and I arrange teddy on the swing seat, and I step back and let Luna push him. She grins at me as Teddy goes higher and higher. Ace is on a bench nearby and I sit next to him and together, we glue our eyes on our daughter.
“She’s beautiful,” Ace says, echoing my thoughts.
“That she is.”
“She takes after her mother,” he adds.
Compliments have always made me uncomfortable. Having received none when I was growing up, I don’t know what to say or even whether to believe the person dishing them out. “Thank you.”
My phone vibrates with a call and I reach for it in the pocket of my jeans. A glance at the screen shows an unfamiliar number. I swipe it and answer.
“Hello,” a voice says hesitatingly from the other end. The hairs at the back of my neck stand up. I know that voice so well. It’s a voice that sometimes torments my dreams.
“Mom,” I say, the same hesitating tone in my voice.
I’m an adult but the mere sound of my mother’s voice is enough to propel me back to childhood. All sorts of emotions come over me. To my shame, the overall one is disappointment. Why does she have to come back when Vanessa’s life and mine are going so smoothly?
“Did you know that your sister is living with a man?” she demands.
“Yes,” I answer. My chest squeezes painfully. It’s been years since we spoke or saw each other, and she cannot ask how I am?
“How can you let that happen? She’s your responsibility, Lexi,” Mom continues, her voice slurring just the slightest bit.
I wonder if she’s drunk but historical patterns tell me that she’s most likely on a sober stretch. That’s when she gets self-righteous about things, especially Vanessa.
“Mom, Vanessa is not a child! She’s an adult now and she can make her own responsible decisions,” I tell her.
There’s silence from the other end.
“I want to see my grandbaby,” she finally says.
All air leaves my lungs. This is what I’ve been dreading. I don’t want to see her, and I don’t want her to see Luna.
“Are you in town?” I ask her.
“Yes, I’m in the house,” she says.
“Is Vanessa home?” I ask.
“No, her boyfriend told me that she’s at work. I don’t know if I like the idea of a strange man living here,” she says.
“Miles is not a stranger,” I tell her and resist the urge to remind her of the many strange men she brought home to spend a night. “I know him.”
“I should have known you’d stick up for your sister. You two were always as thick as thieves,” she spats.
“Look, Mom, I have to go. I’ll call you tomorrow,” I say and abruptly disconnect the call.
She’s pulling me into a place I don’t want to go. I immediately call Vanessa. Her cell phone is switched off. I text her to call me when she sees my message but it’s nothing bad. Vanessa is prone to panicking at the slightest suggestion of disaster. So am I.
“Is everything okay?” Ace asks, returning to the bench with Luna.
I force a smile. “Yeah.”
“Luna and I are going for a walk around the park,” Ace says. “Do you want to come with us?”
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” I say with forced cheer and jump to my feet.