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My father closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, they were fierce. I didn’t recognize them.
“Stop acting like a child, Laura. I told you; this isn’t what you think.” He grabbed the money from the floor and stuffed it into his jacket pocket. “I’ve got to go. I’ll see you in the morning.”
My eyes followed his retreat. He was running away from this argument—no, he was running from me. He couldn’t get away from me fast enough.
He slammed the front door and the house was still again, except for the beating of my heart and the shaking of my hands.
A few minutes later, his car roared to life. Something inside of me roared back. I jumped off the floor and grabbed my car keys. When my father’s car was down the road, I started my own, backing out of the driveway slowly.
Setting the car forward, my eyes staring straight ahead, I hit the gas pedal and followed him. I wasn’t a child anymore. I would take control this time.
A few minutes later, I dialed my friend.
“Hello?” Sam’s voice rang through my Bluetooth car speaker.
“Sam, it’s me. I need you to cover for me.”
“What’s wrong? Are you in trouble?”
“No. Nothing like that. I’m going to be late for work. I don’t know how long exactly. Can you get one of the other servers to stay a little later until I get there? I will take two of their shifts next time.”
“Yeah, don’t worry about it. I’ve got you. Just be careful, okay? I don’t like the sound of your voice.”
“I will. Thank you.”
I’d never followed anyone before, but I’d watched enough movies to know that I should keep a car between us and as much distance as possible. Fortunately, my father kept on busy roads and it was easy to hide among the other cars.
When he pulled into the parking lot of a local restaurant, I parked across the street, in front of an ATM, and waited in the car for him to go inside.
The restaurant was called Luna Rossa and the sign described it as a Fine Italian restaurant. I hadn’t heard of it, but I really didn’t eat out much. It could have been the most popular restaurant in town.
Maybe I had jumped to conclusions. Maybe he was meeting a date here. Maybe he withdrew the money from his bank account to save up for this date and buy new clothes and gifts for a new girlfriend.
That would explain why he was hesitant to tell me about it. Perhaps he felt bad and thought I would be upset with him for spending his money this way.
Oh, Dad. I would have understood!
My foot pressed on the brake pedal, ready to leave. But then I lifted it up again, changing my mind.
I had come this far. I had to check it out and put my suspicions to rest because while my heart wanted to believe my new theory, my head couldn’t forget the past.
I walked across the street toward the restaurant. Glancing through the windows before I walked in, I couldn’t find my father.
How would I explain my appearance if he were to see me? I hesitated. If this was truly a misunderstanding, he would be furious with me.
But, if my suspicions were correct… I could save us both a hell of a lot of heartache and time.
I pulled open the restaurant door and scanned the room. My father was nowhere in sight.
“Can I help you, miss?”
I turned toward the hostess’ voice. My eyes glanced over the room again. “Um… may I use your restroom? I’m just waiting for a friend and then we can be seated.”
I smiled sheepishly, hoping she’d mistake it for my urgent need to pee.
She smiled back. “Sure. The washroom is just down the hallway, at the back.”
I pressed my hands together. “Thank you.”
