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“Well, he’s been pleasant all evening. I wouldn’t have guessed he would be a bad boyfriend. But you never know someone outside of the business. Did he do anything… terrible?”
I lie because I don’t want Peter to do anything in retaliation. I do have to commend him for not saying anything about Chris. If he had, I would have heard about it as soon as I walked in. My dad wouldn’t wait for Peter to leave to rip me a new one. “No, no. Nothing like that. He was just a bad boyfriend. We left on bad terms. I think he wants something from me like wants me back or wants me to do something for him. He just makes me feel uncomfortable.”
His hand touches my back, and my body finally relaxes. This is my dad. He’s here for me and I’m safe. “Hey, you should never be uncomfortable in your own home. I’ll try to get him to leave, okay? I’m sorry I brought him here in the first place. He won’t be back again. I’ll meet him at the office if he wants to talk shop.”
“Thank you.”
We walk back to the dinner table and Peter is still sitting there waiting for us. The grin on his face doesn’t fit the man I know. I remind myself again that I need to be brave in front of him. If he sees me crack, I’m done for. He knows exactly how to get under my skin.
“Peter, I think we’re going to get some sleep. It’s getting late and everyone has work in the morning. Thank you so much for helping me figure out those accounts, I really needed the help.”
I know he didn’t need help with any accounts. There’s never been a problem my father couldn’t solve. But he likes to keep up with his employees. He tests their skills, finds their processes, and tells them ways to help the team succeed. He just likes to do it under the table, so they don’t know they’re being evaluated. He used to do that with me and my homework. He’d tell me he wants to learn and listen to me try to explain all of my work. It’s asimple, but effective method of testing out someone’s knowledge.
“Of course, Don. Lovely to spend time with you and grateful to learn from you. It’s been a lovely evening. I’ll see you at work tomorrow morning.” Peter nods his head and walks towards the door. His feet move in my direction, and I think about running away. I’m repulsed by him. Instead, no matter how hard it is, I stand my ground.
Purposefully, he drops his phone right next to me. He whispers to me as he picks it up, “I’m everywhere. I’ll find you soon enough.”
Before I had Chris to talk to about him, that comment would have made me cry on the spot. But because of my newly found confidence, I put it in the back of my mind for now. I’m holding my breath until he leaves. When he finally does, I give my father a hug goodnight and run upstairs to my room.
As I close the door, I catch my breath. Tears stream down my face. Not just because I’m scared, but because I’m also so glad I didn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing my fear. I know I’ll see Peter again, but I take my little victory and hold onto it to fuel my next one.
