"You're not going."
Mercedes rolled her eyes as she straightened several perfume bottles on her vanity.
"Mercedes—"
"I heard you the first time, Sam." She snapped as she looked up and met his angry eyes in the mirror. "I am not a child and you are not my father. I can go wherever I please."
"Fine, I can't tell you what to do so I'll ask you instead, please don't go."
Mercedes sighed heavily as she stared at Sam's pleading gaze in the mirror. Her resolve faltered a bit but it didn't break. She had to this, with or without his support.
"Sam, look, I get why you don't want me to do this, but I need to go. I need to know why he abandoned me."
"You know why! He's a selfish bastard and he's never given a damn about you. That's why he left!"
Mercedes flinched at Sam's cruel words but she shook her head firmly and turned on her seat to face him, "that may be true but I need to know for myself, once and for all."
Sam heaved out a loud sigh as he threw his arms up in the air, "why are you doing this?" he demanded. "After the month we have had the last thing we need is more stress in our lives and you're just inviting it in with open arms."
"I need—"
"You need what?" Sam yelled, "To get your heart broken again? To feel worthless because of some flippant remark he makes?
"I'm not—"
"You've had trust issues for years because of this asshole and when you finally start to get over them you decide to bring him back in your life so he can fuck you up some more."
"That is enough, Sam!" Mercedes shouted angrily, "you may not agree with my choice but I'll be damned before I sit here and let you berate me for it."
The two stared at each other for a long moment before Sam finally muttered, "I'm going to check on the baby," before stalking out of the room.
After the door shut firmly behind him Mercedes sighed and turned back to face her vanity. She couldn't help but notice the bags under her eyes and the tight lines around her mouth that seemingly sprang up a week ago and only seemed to get more and more pronounced as the days went on. It had been a week since her father had showed up on their doorstep and ever since then they had been living under a continuous cloud of tension and there were moments that Mercedes felt so wound up that she thought she would spiral out of control at any second. Sam was right they didn't need the extra drama in their lives but Mercedes found that she couldn't help herself, she needed to know. It was a dark cloud that had been hanging over her life for as long as she could remember and it was time for it to be gone one or the other. She knew her mother and Sam didn't understand this compulsion that she had to speak with her father but it was there and she couldn't ignore it.
Mercedes continued gazing at her dull brown eyes in the mirror before heaving a heavy sigh. She picked up a make-up brush and started to work on her tired eyes as her thoughts drifted to the night her father arrived.
"Daddy?"
Mercedes choked out in a small voice as she stared in the face of the man that she thought she'd never see again.
She watched in detached disbelief as he reached out his hand to Sam and introduced himself as her father. She hated to admit it but her heart gave a little flutter at his words. She continued to watch as he held out his hand expectedly at Sam who just stared at it wordlessly. Finally, her father got the hint and lowered his hand while sending a sheepish glance in her direction.
"Why are you here? And how in the hell did you find out where we lived?"
"You must be Sam, let me introduce myself I'm—"
"I know who the fuck you are, not get off of my property!"
"Sam!" Mercedes gasped out when she finally found her voice, "that is not necessary."
Sam whirled around to stare at her disbelief before stalking towards her and harshly whispering, "What are you talking about? I don't have to be nice to this bastard."
"He's still my father," She snapped, "you don't have to be so rude."
Sam continued staring at her with a confused look on his face until finally she had enough of feeling his eyes bore into hers. She pushed past him and cautiously made her way to the front door. As she got closer she took a second to take in her father's appearance. It had been 8 years since she had seen Richard Green and he had changed so much since then, and not in a good way. He skin hung loosely as if he had gained a considerable amount of weight and then lost it too fast. His once shiny black hair was now peppered liberally with gray and the buzz cut he wore faithfully for years had turned into a dense, dry, tightly curled mess on his head. His clothes appeared to be new but they still hung around his frame and looked to be a size or two too big.
She walked the remaining steps between them and she met his listless brown eyes, he smiled at her gently but the smile didn't quite reach his eyes. He held his arms out towards her for a hug but she just glanced at his outstretched arms coolly until he lowered them.
"What are you doing here?"
"I'm came to see you"
"Why?"
"I heard about you and the baby and I wanted to come and check on you."
Mercedes narrowed her eyes at that but he seemed genuine so she didn't question it any further.
"How did you find out where I lived?"
"I went to your job and—"
"And they gave you our address?" Sam shouted from behind her in disbelief.
Her father looked instantly uncomfortable but he quickly assured Sam that no one gave him their address.
"I was going in to see if I could set up a meeting with you Mercedes but when I was walking in I saw you and Sam walking out."
"So what…you followed us home?"
"More or less," he answered sheepishly.
"Why didn't you say something instead of stalking us?"
"I was ashamed," he answered and the contrite expression on his face matched his words, "it's been years since we saw each other and I didn't think it was right to bumrush you in front of your job."
"But you thought it was okay to lurk around like some creep?"
"Sam!" Mercedes hissed as she whirled around to look at him.
He stared at her unapologetically before shifting cold eyes to look at Mercedes' father, "why are you here?" He snapped rudely.
"Like I said, I want to check on my daughter and my granddaughter."
"Well, it's nice of you to show up a MONTH after your granddaughter was born. A whole MONTH after your daughter almost died. A MONTH after your granddaughter struggled day in and day out to be strong enough to come home. It's nice as always that you were there when you were needed."
Richard's already lukewarm eyes turned bitterly cold at Sam's words. The affected contrite expression on his face instantly hardened into a scowl and his hand clenched at his side.
"Listen here boy, I don't care who you think you are but I'm not going to stand here and let you talk to me any kind of way."
"Then get the hell out." Sam snarled through gritted teeth, "you weren't invited and you're not wanted so go!"
"THAT IS ENOUGH!"
The tension in the room snapped like a stretched rubber band at the sound of the feral cry at the bottom of the stairs. Mercedes, Sam, and Richard all turned to find Marilyn glaring at them angrily. Out of the corner of her eye Mercedes could see Sam lower his head shamefully before lifting it back up so that he could apologize to Marilyn. His words fell on deaf ears though because Marilyn didn't even glance in his direction as she stalked past him towards Richard. Mercedes watched in stunned disbelief as her mother reached back her hand and smacked the hell out of her father's face.
The force of the blow caused Richard to stumble back a few steps but he quickly righted himself and glared down at Marilyn.
"As always, it's good to see you Marilyn."
"Go to Hell," she hissed cruelly, surprising Mercedes once again with her choice of words, "you are not wanted here."
"I didn't come here to see you or him," Richard answered sending a withering glance in Sam's direction, "I came here to see my daughter and I'm not leaving unless she asks me to."
Three pairs of eyes swung in Mercedes direction and she wished that they floor would open up and swallow her whole so she wouldn't have to make this decision. A part of her wanted him gone but there was a part of her, a small part, that wanted him to stay because as always that part of her believed that this time would be different.
"You should go." Mercedes finally answered after a long stretch of silence, "this is not only my home but Sam's as well and he shouldn't be disrespected in it."
Mercedes heard the two simultaneous sighs of relief coming from her mother and Sam and her heart clenched at the sight of the hurt in her father's eyes.
"I'm sorry." She whispered.
"I understand, it's just…can we have dinner?"
"I don't know if—"
"Just dinner, Mercedes. I know it's a lot to ask but I would really like to spend some time with you."
"I…"
"Don't answer now. I know all of this is a bit overwhelming. Think about it for a few days and let me know." He thrust a small white card with a number hastily scribbled on it in blue ink.
Mercedes looked up at him and nodded slightly and he grinned widely at her. He inched forward as if he wanted to embrace her but the warning look in her eyes had him visibly rethinking that decision.
"I look forward to your call," he said gently before turning and walking out the door.
After the door clicked shut the room was left in a heavy silence for what seemed like an eternity to Mercedes.
"Give me that card," Marilyn snapped, "I don't know why you do this to yourself Mercedes!"
She turned around to find both Sam and her mother regarding with angry, accusatory looks on their faces.
"Please don't start you two, I know what I'm doing."
"And what is that exactly? Are you going to call him?"
"I don't know, Mama." Mercedes answered tiredly, "he said to take a few days so that's what I'm going to do."
"Why?" Marilyn burst out, "why must you put yourself through this? You are just setting yourself up to be hurt again."
"I can handle it—"
"No you can't! You have proved time and time again then when it comes to your father—"
Mercedes pushed herself between her mother and Sam and headed towards the stairs ignoring the cries from her mother to stop. She ran up the stairs and went straight to her daughter's room and closed the door shut tightly behind her. She walked over to the crib and looked down on her sleeping baby and felt herself calm down almost immediately. The tight feeling in her chest eased as she trailed one hand gently down Lilliana's back.
"Am I crazy, Lily?" Mercedes whispered to her sleeping daughter, "am I insane for actually wanting to talk to my father?"
Outside the door Mercedes could hear her mother's raised voice and Sam's deeper, calmer one followed by a loud door slam. She sighed heavily at the sound knowing that she was going to have to deal with her mother eventually. She knew Marilyn meant well and in this particular situation she was probably right but that still didn't help to suppress the need that Mercedes felt growing inside her to find out why her father showed up again after all these years. Despite her reservations Mercedes' mind was made up, she just hoped she wouldn't regret her decision.
With one last gentle pat Mercedes turned and headed out of Lily's nursery. She walked down the hallway towards the other bedrooms and paused briefly outside the guest room. She could hear several items being thrown unnecessarily around the room so she decided that approaching her mother tonight would not be wise. She turned away and went towards the master bedroom, and when she stepped inside she found something that caused her heart to stutter slightly. Sam sat on the edge of their bed and his blonde head was buried in his hands.
"Sam?"
She reached forward to run her hands through his hair but the second he felt her touch he flinched away. Mercedes jerked her hand back and looked down at him with sad eyes.
"Sam please, talk to me."
He looked up at her and his green eyes shone dully in the muted light of the bedroom.
"What are you going to do?" He asked as he looked pointedly at the small card she was holding tightly.
"I don't yet…I'm not sure." She answered evasively.
"Stop lying," he answered wearily but without malice, "you knew what you were going to do when you took that card from him."
Mercedes was silent for a moment before finally sitting down next to him on the bed.
"What do you think I should do?"
"Does it matter what I think?"
"Of course it matters! I love you, Sam, your opinion is important to me."
"Ok then, don't go. Don't let him hurt you any more."
The pleading note in his voice struck a nerve and Mercedes' throat tightened as she looked into his eyes.
"Sam…he's my father, I can't jus—"
"I knew it!" He stated angrily, "I could feel it when we were downstairs, you're going to meet him aren't you?"
"You and my mother are over-exaggerating, it's just dinner. I can handle an hour with my dad. I'm not that same teenaged girl hanging on to her father's every word. "
"Aren't you?"
"What? No! I'm not as fragile and weak-minded as you seem to think I am." She spat out coldly, "I don't know whether to be touched that you and my mother are so worried about me or insulted that you think I'm some mental case that's going to freak out if I spend too much time in my father's presence."
"Nobody thinks you're a mental case, Mercedes. But yes, we are worried about you and we have every right to be."
"Fine. Thank you for the concern, Sam. It's been duly noted."
She opened her mouth to say more but her words were shut off by the sound of the doorbell. Sam glanced at his watch and let out a sardonic snort, "45 minutes…looks, like we're getting free pizza after all. Guess this night isn't a total bust."
Mercedes rolled her eyes but didn't respond to Sam's jab. She could feel him staring at her and she can tell he wanted to say something else but the second peal of the doorbell had him getting up from the bed and going downstairs to pay for their meal.
Once he was gone Mercedes got up from the bed and walked over to her vanity and sat down and gazed at troubled face in the mirror. She was making the right decision, she had to believe that. One way or the other she would get the answers that she had so desperately wanted for years.
A week later Mercedes stared at the same mirror and replayed that night over in her head, ever since then Sam had probably spoken to her a handful of times and most of those conversations focused solely on the baby. Her mother was even worse, that next day she had screamed and ranted at her before switching gears and coddling and cajoling but once Mercedes made it clear that she wasn't changing her mind Marilyn gave her the cold shoulder. Mercedes knew her mother was hurt by her decision and didn't understand why she was doing it and that was the only thing keeping her from being upset about her reactions.
Being in this house the last week had been hell on everyone and Mercedes just wanted it to be over but she wanted her answers as well. Ultimately she just hoped that what she was looking for from her father was worth all the strife between her and those she loved the most.
She put the finishing touches on her make-up and hair before standing and giving herself a once over. Her fitted black top, skinny jeans, and nude pumps were simple, understated, and classy. She grabbed her black trench coat from the bed and left the room and headed towards the nursery.
The door was cracked so Mercedes pushed it open gently and what she found had her heart swelling with emotion. Sam had taken off his shirt and he had Lilliana cuddled into his warm chest. Lily blinked sleepily as Sam hummed low under his breath as he danced around the room with her.
Mercedes swallowed around the lump in her throat as she witnessed her daughter having something that she never had.
"I love her more than life, you know," Sam's quiet voice snapped Mercedes out of her reverie and she looked up from their daughter to find him staring at her.
"I know," She whispered back.
"There is nothing on Earth that I wouldn't do for this little girl."
"I know Sam…why are you telling me this?"
"Because you need to know. You need to know what a real father thinks about his child."
Mercedes hastily wiped away the tears that dropped on her cheeks before walking purposefully across the room to drop a kiss on Lily's head. She avoided eye contact with Sam and turned to walk out of the room but she was pulled up short by the strong, but gentle hand on her wrist.
"I'm proud of you," he whispered in her ear, "I don't know why you have to do this and I wished more than anything that you wouldn't but I'm proud of you nonetheless. We both are." Sam nodded his head in Lily's direction and she let out a loud yawn in response.
Mercedes giggled quietly at her daughter before turning her attention to Sam, "earlier…all week really, you've been so mad and—"
"I'm still mad. I don't want you to go because I don't trust that man and if he does anything to hurt you I swear to God…" his voice trailed off but his expression remained thunderous.
"I will be okay, I promise."
Sam looked down at for a second before nodding his head reluctantly, "okay but I'll be here no matter what."
"I know."
Sam gave her a slight smile before leaning down to give a small kiss. She hummed appreciatively at feeling his lips again after a week and she couldn't help the wide smile that crossed her face.
"Bye baby girl," she whispered against her daughter's head as she gave her another kiss, "don't give Daddy too much trouble, okay?"
Lily's quiet snore was the only response and the two of them shared a laugh. A weight that Mercedes didn't realize had been sitting on her chest for a week finally started to ease up.
Maybe this dinner with her father wouldn't be so bad after all?
Half and hour later Mercedes started to feel the first stirrings of regret and she realized that she really didn't want to be there. She wanted to be at home with her fiancé and their baby watching a crappy sitcom or in the kitchen with her mother trying to soak up as my knowledge as she could before she went back to Ohio. Hell, she'd rather be at work than be here. That need that had been so sharp and clear just a week ago suddenly felt like a huge monkey on her back weighing her down.
She looked around the swanky restaurant that her father picked and wondered again why she was here. Even with all of Sam's money a place like this was simply not their scene. They would both happily eat cheap Chinese take-out then come to a place like this. The air in the room seemed stilted and their was a hush across the room that almost made one feel as if they were in a library with a strict librarian hovering over their shoulder. It was cold and uninviting even with all of its opulence and she couldn't for the life of her understand why her father would think to meet her at this place.
The ball of dread only seem to grow as she was lead to her table to the point where she thought it would crush her from the inside out. As her table came into view she saw her father get out of his seat so that he could slide hers out. The maitre'd looked slightly perturbed to have his job stolen but he just gave them a tight grin and informed them that they're server would be with them shortly.
Once they both were seated they gave each other awkward grins before focusing their attention on their silverware, plates, glasses, and about every other thing they could look at aside from each other.
Finally, Richard cleared his throat loudly and said, "I'm so happy you joined me Mercedes, after what happened at your house I wasn't sure you would come."
"I almost didn't, I've been going back and forth all week." The words came out colder than Mercedes intended and she felt bad after seeing Richard's slight flinch.
"I understand, I know that choosing to meet me wasn't easy considering how your mother and…that man reacted."
Mercedes bristled at him referring to Sam as 'that man' and her accidentally cold voice turned purposefully cold as she said, "his name is Sam and he is my fiancé."
"I apologize, Mercedes but you have to understand I'm not used to being treated the way tha—Sam treated me that day."
"Well, you have to understand where he was coming from."
"Bad manners—"
"Sam, doesn't care much about manners," Mercedes cut him off curtly, "yes, his language was vulgar but it was his home and you were an uninvited guest in it. I apologize if you were offended but I'm not going to apologize for what he said or did."
"Fair enough," he finally answered stiffly after a long pause, "I apologize for turning up the way I did, maybe if I had done things differently myself things wouldn't have escalated the way the did."
"Maybe," she allowed even though she didn't believe it.
Before either one of them could began talking again their waiter showed up to take their orders. Mercedes just asked for water while her father ordered an expensive bottle of wine. She ordered the house salad even though she knew she had no intention of eating it while her father ordered an expensive crab cake appetizer and steak dish for his entrée.
"I thought we were going to talk?" Mercedes asked as the waiter walked away with their order.
"We are, but this is one of the best restaurants in the City, you are missing out on one of hell of a treat."
"That's too bad," She answered blandly.
As her father nervously played with his silverware she took a moment to take in his appearance, unlike the last time she saw him he seemed well groomed this time. His salt and pepper hair looked as if it had been cut and it was once again gleaming like she remembered it. His clothes looked sharply tailored which was a sharp contrast from the misshapen, ill-fitting clothes he wore the last time she had seen him. Logically speaking his appearance could just be explained as him dressing for the occasion but Mercedes couldn't help but feel as if something was off about the whole thing.
Her eyes drifted to his left hand and she noticed the ring were his wedding band should be was missing.
"Where is your wife?"
"Who?"
"Your wife? Traci was her name, right?"
Richard's eyes darkened menacingly for just a flash of a moment before he fixed it and smiled gamely, "Uh, Traci and I…things didn't work out with us. We divorced a couple of years ago."
"I'm sorry to hear that," Mercedes replied even though she was lying through her teeth.
"And your daughter…my little sister, how is she? She should be about 10 now right?"
"11" He answered curtly.
"What does she do, is she into sports, ballet, Sci-fi movies—"
"I would prefer if we talked about something else." He answered in the same curt voice.
"Why don't you want me to know about my sister?"
"It's not that, Mercedes—"
"Oh really, because that's what it was before. Do you even remember before? In the park?"
"Mercedes, that was years ago and I would like to move past it."
"How do you move past something you never dwelled on in the first place?" Mercedes asked angrily.
"Mercedes, seeing you upset did bother me, despite what you may think.
"Really? Then why not stop me? Why not contact me afterwards and apologize? Why not just introduce me to my damn sister instead of trying to pretend like I didn't exist?"
"It was complicated—"
"Well let me simplify it, I was the dirty little secret that you didn't want your wife to know about."
"Merce—"
"No! That's it isn't it? Just admit it!"
"Fine! My wife didn't know about you—she still doesn't know about you and neither does Mia."
Mercedes knew the truth but it still hurt hearing it out loud.
"Mia…that's my sister's name?" She asked quietly.
"Yes."
"That's beautiful…why did you never tell them about me? I can almost understand you not doing it at the park, but never? I can't understand that."
"Because…look, why does it matter now?"
"Why. Not." She repeated through gritted teeth.
Richard was silent for a long time before saying, "With Traci and Mia I felt like a new man, I didn't want things from my past interfering with my new life and future."
"Things from your past? Mercedes choked out, "I was just a thing from your past?"
"I was stupid and selfish, I can see that now. If I could go back and change it, believe me I would."
"Change what, exactly?"
"I would have been nicer to you…I would have visited more. I would have tried harder. I would have been different."
"And my sister?"
"I would have talked to her mother and see what she wanted to do in that situation—"
"Unbelievable." Mercedes said with a half-laugh, "you are unbelievable."
"What do you want me to say Mercedes, I'm just being honest."
"That's the problem! You haven't changed, you are still the same selfish asshole you've always been."
"HEY!" He growled, hitting his hand hard on the table and causing the glasses to rattle, "you will NOT speak to me like that!"
Mercedes glanced around and noticed several diners glancing in their direction and she gritted her teeth and put on a false smile until most of the diners went back to their meals.
"Respect is earned Richard," she spat once she turned her attention back to her father, "you didn't deserve it then and you sure as hell don't deserve it now."
"I'm you father!"
"No, you're not."
A heavy silence fell over the table and Mercedes and Richard eyed each other warily. They had only been there for about 10 minutes but it felt as if they had been battling for days. This had been such a bad idea. She didn't know this man and it became clearer and clearer with every word that came out of his mouth. This visit wasn't about reconciliation it was about something else and she was damn well going to figure out what it is.
"Why are you here?"
"I told you I was here to see you and my granddaughter."
"Oh really? You want to see your granddaughter? I have about a million pictures of her on my phone but you never asked to see one of them. You never asked what she looked like, or what her name was, or what happened when she was born. You don't give a damn about that little girl, just like you don't give a damn about me so again I ask, why are you here?"
"Lower your voice, people are starting to stare—"
"I don't care. I want to know once and for all why you are here. Do not lie to me."
Richard bristled at her tone and his face took on a hard edge to it.
"How did you find out about me, Sam, and our baby?"
"I have a friend—"He started off uncertainly, clearly lying, "I have a friend that knows…uh, I know someone who knows someone close to Marilyn…and…and…"
"You're lying." Mercedes said simply, "you're lying and I want to know the truth. Only close family knew about me and the baby being in the hospital and I know for a fact that there isn't a single one of those people that would ever tell you about me or my baby."
"There was an announcement in the paper…"
"No, there wasn't." She snapped, "We never put anything in the paper about Lily's birth. The only thing that was ever in the paper was….ah, I see."
Mercedes started to chuckle as the realization came over. She was starting to think she finally lost it because this was no laughing matter but instead of feeling sad or betrayed she actually felt relieved.
"The only thing that was ever in the paper was the announcement of the very large monetary donation that Sam gave to the hospital's maternity ward. That's what you saw, isn't it?"
The article came out about three weeks after Lilliana had been born and it lavished praise on Sam for the 2.5 million dollar donation he gave to the hospital's maternity ward thanking them for saving his fiancé and daughter.
"I should've known," Mercedes said, almost to herself, "it was right there in front of me and I was too stupid to see it."
"Merce—"
"The article mentioned that Sam and I worked together—where we worked…that's how you found us! I only went back to the office a few times once I got of the hospital so you were lucky to have found us. What did you do? Sit outside the office everyday hoping for a glimpse of us?"
"It's not what you think—"
"Why are you here?"
"I told you, I wanted to see you—"
"STOP LYING! Lie to me again, and I'm walking out that door and I will never look back, do you understand me? Why are you here and what do you want with my family?"
Richard glared at her for a second before his composure broke, his face crumpled and she could see tears welling in his eyes.
"I have no one," he finally choked out, "my wife—ex-wife remarried and she took my daughter with her. They live somewhere overseas and I have no access to them."
"Why not?" Mercedes asked suspiciously, "couldn't you have fought for custody? Or at the very least joint?"
"I…you have to understand I was weak back then…"
"What the hell does that mean?"
"I had a great job about 5 years ago but then I lost it and after that it was damn near impossible to find more work. I started to drink and then I started to gamble, I was on a downward spiral and I couldn't stop myself."
"What happened with Traci?"
"She finally had enough and found somebody else, by the time we got divorced she was already ready to marry her new guy. I think they waited about a month but that was it."
"And they just moved after that? Without consulting you first? They just took Mia out the country?"
"Not exactly…"
"What happened?"
"Traci wanted to leave but I wouldn't let her, not with Mia. I fought it for months but then…then…I had a few gambling debts and I had people coming after me. I needed the money."
"What money?"
"I owed about 75,000 dollars and there was no way I could pay that. Traci's husband knew about it and he was well-off so when he saw the opportunity he pounced. He offered me a 100 grand to sign over my rights to Mia. I was desperate…so I did."
Mercedes gasped and her eyes filled with tears for the sister she would never know.
"They left within a month. Didn't tell me where they were going or anything, it's been almost three years and I haven't seen or heard from her."
"And now?"
"I lost one daughter, I don't want to lose another—"
"You're lying." She repeated for what felt like the millionth time, "You don't give a shit about me and you never did and it's clear that you don't give a shit about Mia either. Thank God her mother had enough sense to put an ocean between the two of you."
Richard lowered his head in shame but Mercedes didn't feel an ounce of sympathy for him.
"Why are you here?"
"I have nothing! I need…I need help. I know I haven't been the best father but I'm still you're father. You wouldn't be here if it weren't for me. You can hate me all you want but you can't turn your back on me, you're a better person than that. You can't sit on all that money and not help. Hell, that boy gave over 2 million dollars to a hospital, don't tell me that you can't spare a few dollars for your Daddy."
Mercedes felt something dark and angry flutter inside her at the slimy way Daddy sounded coming from his lips but it was quickly expelled by the feeling of calm that descended almost immediately. She wanted answers and she got them. She wanted closure and she got it. There was just one more thing she wanted to know.
"Did you ever dance with me?"
"What?" He asked in confusion.
"When I was little…a baby, the few times when you were around, did you ever dance with me?"
"Mercedes, dancing isn't something I'm good at and—"
"It's okay," she answered, almost gently, "Sam dances with Lilliana. He loves it."
"That's…nice," Richard answered carefully, "What does that have to do with anything?"
"Nothing…and everything."
Just then the waiter came scurrying over and with great flourish he laid out their plates. Mercedes regretfully watched as he smoothed napkins and straightened glasses before stopping him and saying, "I'm sorry but we're taking this to go."
The waiter looked at her in horror before finally gritting his teeth and telling her in a strained voice that he would take care of it.
"So, back to business Richard, what exactly do you want from me and my fiancé?"
"Just a little help, not much…four maybe five?"
"Thousand?"
"Hundred thousand."
Mercedes chuckled darkly before looking at her father as if he lost his mind. "I'm sorry do you have some type of mental illness that I need to know about? Just for future reference?"
"That amount of money is a drop in the bucket for someone like Sam Evans, he probably wouldn't even notice it was gone."
Mercedes stared at him for a long time before finally saying, "And that's all you need and you'll be gone."
"With that amount of money you'll never have to see me again."
And there it was, that final nail in the coffin that Mercedes needed. That proverbial monkey crawled off her back, the heavy feeling in her chest dissipated and she felt a million pounds lighter.
The waiter scurried back over with boxes and the check. Mercedes reached in her purse and pulled out the black Amex that Sam got for her. The waiter's eyes widened briefly he scurried off again to run the card.
Mercedes reached back in her purse and pulled out a checkbook and surveyed it carefully before deciding on what amount she wanted to give. She took her time writing the check as she could feel Richard's eyes following every stroke of the pen. Just as she was finishing up the waiter came back with the receipt to sign. She quickly took care of that before signing the check as well. She gathered up her things and then rose from her chair. She walked around the table and dropped the check on the table in front of Richard. He smiled widely at her before looking down at the check.
"Wha—wait…wait a damn minute! This only says a thousand dollars on it!" Richard sputtered out in disbelief. "What am I supposed to do with this?"
"I don't know….maybe you can use it for college, or put a down payment on a car or something."
Richard's eyes narrowed dangerously as he realized that she was throwing his words back in his face.
"This isn't a joke Mercedes, I need help. Surely, you wouldn't be so cold-hearted as to deny your father? Your future husband is a multi-millionaire, YOU are going to be a multi-millionaire! This…this is nothing!"
"Exactly, but that nothing is more than you deserve. If you don't want it, don't cash it but that is the last dime you will get from me or my fiancé."
She turned away but he grabbed her wrist and dragged her back towards the table forcefully.
"This isn't over, I'll go to the press—"
"And say what?" She snapped angrily as she jerked her arm from his grasp, "that you are a deadbeat that came back into your daughter's life long enough to extort hundreds of thousands of dollars from her fiancé'? Please, by all means, go and tell the press all about that. You are pathetic and why I was stupid enough to ever think you'd change I will never know but I'm happy now that I know the truth. You will never be able to hurt me again. You will never be able to hurt my daughter. From now on you don't exist to me, you are nothing to me just like I've been nothing to you all these years."
"Mercedes, I—"
"Good-bye Daddy." Mercedes gave one last look to her father before turning and walking away.
She didn't look back.
A/N: Thank all for your patience, this chapter ended up taking a lot longer than I originally planned but I finally got over the hump. Next up is a wedding and more importantly a honeymoon…;-)