Hotbox (53 page)

             
On our way back through the reception we stopped
at one of the ice sculptures.

             
“I wonder what one of these things cost,” Jayden said, gazing at it. “Probably the price of my
Washburn
,” she smiled.

             
“I couldn’t even tell you. I wonder what this entire
wedding
cost.”

             
She
shrugged. “I can’t even imagine. Megan told me that she had planned certain parts of the wedding, and then her mom would basically
triple
it. Like the ice sculptures… Megan wanted the swan, and her mom ordered two more. The menu was pretty basic, and then her mom special o
rdered all the foreign dishes. T
he f
loral arrangements on the table?
They started off being just a
third
that size. And the orchestra was just supposed to be a
quartet
, and her mom hired an entire ensemble.”

             
“Wow. I guess money wasn’t an option.”

             
“No,” she smiled, “they’re pretty well off. A
nd Megan’s their only daughter. At least I can guarantee my
dad
won’t be like that,” she laughed.

             
“Mmm, I don’t know. I can see your dad
fittin
’ the bill for anything you might want.”

             
“Yeah, I guess. But
I can think of better things to
the
spend money on. I’m sure a wedding like this is memorable—I’ll certainly remembe
r Jack and Megan’s wedding for
quite a while,” she laughed, “—but it’s not really my thing. I already told you what I wanted. Hopefully it’s still okay with you after seeing all this…
lavishness
.”

             
“It’s more than okay. I think what we decided is perfect for us.”

             
She smiled, almost seeming relieved. Out of the blue she said, “I dare you to lick the swan.”

             
“What?” I laughed. “The ice sculpture?”

             
She nodded. “Mmhmm. Tell me what an expensive hunk of ice tastes like.”

             
“Probably like ice.”

             
“I don’t believe you. Prove it.” She had the
cutest
smile on her face.

             
“Why don’t you taste it yourself?” I teased back.

             
She looked around for a second to see if people were watching and shrugged her shoulders. Then she actually stepped closer to it and stuck her tongue out, lick
ing the wing.
A
s she tasted the water in her mouth
I was trying to hold back a laugh
, but it didn’t work and I laughed out loud
.

             
“Yep, just tastes like ice. I’m very disappointed.”

             
“I guess we’ll have to have
flavored
swans,” I said, pulling her into my arms.

             
“Hey, there’s an idea.”

             
Sunday was relaxing and I very much enjoyed spending time at Jayden’s house. I came over in the morning around nine and we spent
a lot
of time looking through some of her photo albums and high school memorabilia.
It was kind of cool to see so many pictures of her and her friends, and some of the events in their lives.

She had chicken enchiladas ready for lunch at noon, and Joe turned on a
Mariners
game. Jayden shared her plans for our wedding and her dad didn’t offer much of a response. I didn’t take it as a
bad
sign, but I wondered what it meant.
Later on
she
assured me
that his reaction was normal
. His only daughter was getting married, and although it wasn’t a
depressing
thought to him, it was change; sometimes her father had a hard time adjusting to change.

             
After
the game we left to rent a couple of movies, and then we went to my house. We were appreciating the privacy of b
eing alone together
on the couch
when there was a knock at the door. Jayden looked just as surprised as I was, and she immediately straightened her
hair
.

             
“Whoever it is can just go away,” I
murmured
, and
I
continued to kiss her. The knock sounded again and I groaned.

             
“Just go answer it,” she
giggled
, shoving me away.

             
I got up and peeked out the window. I cussed out loud when I saw
the familiar
car
.

             
“What’s the matter?” Jayden asked.

             
“It’s my dad.”

             
She was quiet for a moment and then she said,
“Maybe
you should
just see what he wants.”

             
“I don’t want to see what he wants.”

             
She got up and
stood next to
me. “Ty, you haven’t talked to him for a long time. You won’t answer his calls. He’s
come all this way to see you, so j
ust find out what he wants.” The knocking continued. “
Then
I’ll
answer
it
.”

             
“No,” I said, stopping her with my hand. “I’ll…I’ll answer it.” I took a deep breath and moved to the door, and Jayden walked back to the couch. When
I
opened
it
, my father was smiling at me.

             
“I’m sorry, son. Did I wake you up?”

             
“No D
ad, you didn’t wake me up. What do you want?”

             
He glance
d
behind me and caught site of Jayden. He looked extremely pleased. “Oh. Hi, Jayden,” he smiled. “How are you?”

             
“
Fine, thank you
—”

             
“What do you want?” I asked him again.

             
He looked back at me and seemed to refocus. “Oh. I just wanted to see you. I haven’t seen you for
months
.”

             
“That’s how it was meant to be,” I said firmly.

             
“Tyler,” he said quietly. “Please let me come in. I just want to talk to you. I don’t want anything from you except…just
a few minutes of
your time.”

             
I sighed. It wasn’t in me to turn him away, but I had suffered so many things bec
ause of him.
I was afraid just seeing him again was going to cause something bad to happen.

I reluctantly opened the door further and allowed him
to enter
. He released a breath of air and seemed grateful.
I shut the doo
r behind me and followed him in, and
Jayden began talking to him right away.

“Are you just in the area?”
she
ended up asking
.

             
My father shook his head. “Uh, no, not exactly. I just, uh, haven’t seen Tyler for awhile because, uh…”

             
“Dad, she knows why.” He glanced back at Jayden and seemed completely embarrassed, but I didn’t care. I was tired of
family
secrets. I sat down besid
e her and
put my arm behind her on the back of the couch
.
“The only reason you should be here is if you’ve followed my wishes. If you haven’t, then
I’d rather you not stay.”

             
He didn’t seem surprised and nodded his head
as he sat down
. “I’
ve done what you’ve asked. I’ve
actually
spent six weeks
in rehab. I admitted myself a few days
afte
r you left
.”

             
That was truly surprising.
“And?”

             
“And I’m clean
and sober
,” he replied, like it was supposed to be obvious. With my father, I never knew.

             
“How’d you pay for it?”

             
After a brief pause
he said, “I sold a few things.
”

It was quiet for a long time. I just didn’t know what to say to him. I wasn’t even sure if I believed he’d been to rehab.

“I go to meetings now,” he continued with a
tiny
smile. “You know, the infamous AA meetings.”

             
“How’s that going for you?” I asked dryly.

             
He shrugg
ed. “Fin
e. They’re all right. Sadly, a
lot of people with
lives
that
are more screwed up than
mine
.”

             
“Y
ou actually found people that are more screwed up than you? I’m shocked.”

             
He paused for a second
as he looked between Jayden and myself. Finally he said, “Son, could I talk to
you in private? About…about you and me
?”

             
Jayden was about to get up but I
put my hand on her leg and
held her where she was. “Whatever you have to say you can say right here. She’s not going anywhere.”

             
He looked uncomfortable, and it took a few second before he added,
“But…it’s about things you might not…”

             
With a sigh I said,
“She knows all about it, D
ad. Is this part of the program
or something? Are you here to make amends
? To rebuild bridges? What, a
re we supposed to hug and celebrate that you finally got a clue?”

Jayden
gently
rubbed my leg with her hand. I didn’t know if I was making her uncomfortable, or she was trying to calm me down. Either way I took a deep breath.

“Fine,” I said to him. “Say what you need to say so you can leave.”

It probably wasn’t the response he wanted, but he took it anyway. “Yes, it’s part of the program. I am here to apologize to you. I
am
sorry, Tyler. I’m sorry for the horrible life I gave you. I’m sorry for
becoming
an alcohol
ic and subjecting you to such a
terrible and unsafe environment. I’m sorry for all the bad choices I made, and for never being there for anything you did. I’m sorry you had to work so hard just to get away from me. I’m sorry you couldn’t bring friends home, or rely on me to ever be there
for you
at all
. I’m sorry for all the money you’ve spent trying to help me out, or the time you took when I didn’t even deserve it.
I’m sorry for…being such a selfish, irresponsible father,” he said angrily.

He wiped his eyes with his hands and took a deep, shaky breath. “Anyways, that’s why I came,” he said softly. “To admit out loud what a horrible person I am.
Was
,” he corrected. “Hopefully…hopefully I can change that. I know I can’t make up for the past, but I’d like to try.
”
He paused, and the
n got up from the chair. He handed me a check
from his pocket
and said, “This is only an eighth, but I promise I will pay you back for every penny you’ve ever given me. I, uh, had Sue give me an amount, but if you think it’s more, just let me know.
It was
nice to see you again, son. You
too, Jayden.”

M
y father
got up and
made his way to the front door.
Jayden was giving me a
look
as
I silently told her that I just couldn’t do it, and she nodded her understanding. But something inside me was telling me to listen to her, even if I didn’t want to. I shook my head and groaned quietly.