“It’s Vic,” a small voice said from the other side. “Can I come in?”
“Victoria?”
I ripped the door open and saw the fourteen-year-old standing in the hallway. She was all bundled up and, much to my surprise, she was wearing a face full of make-up. “Come in,” I said, shuffling her inside. She had a light dusting of snow on her coat which she shook off on the welcome mat as I closed the door. “What are you doing here? And why are you wearing all that make-up?”
“I came to talk to you,” she said. “And I put the make-up on because I wanted to look older.”
I raised a brow. “Why?”
“Because I took the subway, and my dad always said I wasn’t allowed to take the subway because I am a kid. So, I thought, if people thought I was an adult woman, they wouldn’t bother me.”
I shook my head. “Oh honey, that’s not how it works.” Then I felt a wave of panic crash over me. “Wait, you took the subway?” I gawked, checking the time on the stove. “It’s after 11! What were you thinking? What if you had gotten lost?”
“I have my phone,” she said. “And I got your address from my dad’s contact books. It was fine, no one even gave me a second look.”
I sighed. “It’s dangerous, Vic. Something really bad could’ve happened.”
She laughed. “Chill out. You sound like my parents.”
Without thinking, I put a hand over my stomach. “Well, at least I know I’m good at lecturing. That’s like 50% of parenting, right?”
“If you’re my dad it is.” Then Vic’s eyes went wide. “Wait… are you saying you’re pregnant?”
Shit.
Well, no point in lying now.
“Yes,” I said. “I am.” I walked over to the living room and Vic followed. We sat down on the couch together.
“Is the baby my dad’s?”
“Yes.”
“What! This is so exciting. Oh my God, do you know if it’s a boy or a girl? How long until you have it? I’m freaking out, I always wanted to be a big sister.”
“I’m glad you’re excited,” I said. “But really, you should be talking to your dad about all of this.”
“I can’t,” she said. “He won’t talk to me. But I can tell he’s really sad and that’s why I came looking for you. You and my dad have been dating right? I know he told me, before Thanksgiving, that you two were just friends, but now that I know you’re pregnant, I know that was a lie.” She cocked her head to the side. “Also, I saw your name pop up on his phone one time a couple weeks ago, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen that man smile so big.”
I looked out the window, watched the snow fall down on the street below. “We were seeing each other, but everything got really complicated and now we’re not together anymore.”
“I know,” she said.
I looked back at her. “You do?”
“I mean, I guessed as much. He’s depressed,” she said. “Miserable. I figured it had to be that something went wrong between the two of you, but when I tried to ask him about it, he just said it was work stuff and changed the subject. He’s getting sadder and sadder by the day, though, and I’m really starting to worry about him.”
“I’m sorry that he’s having a rough time,” I said. “But we broke up.”
“Whydid you break up?”
I pursed my lips. “Vic, you can’t expect me to get into all the nitty gritty details. This stuff is private, and if your dad wanted you to know about it, he would’ve told you himself.”
“Fine,” she said. “Just, tell me one thing, okay?”
“What do you want to know?”
“Do you love my dad?”