I stand in the open doorway of my parent's home staring into the eyes of one of the last people I want to see today or any other day for that matter. There was a time not that long ago that I thought it was impossible for me to hate someone but I know better now. I've been victimized one too many times this past year, and I now know pure hatred. I've felt it creep through my veins like a thick, toxic sludge, threatening to consume me. I feel it now but I refuse to allow this so-called man standing before me to ruin my day. I know I should be civil but I can't help but remember his ploy to hang onto his dead lover by trying to take my son away from me, and every time I look at him, I can't help but recall that he almost succeeded. I take a deep, calming, cleansing breath, hold it in for a few seconds, and then blow it out but unfortunately it doesn't help.
"I asked you a question, Mr. Black," I say, trying my best to keep my voice steady and calm for Tyler's sake. "What are you doing here?" I feel Tobias approach before I see him and Dad out of the corner of my eye but it does nothing to calm me.
"What's going on here?" Dad asks as he cranes his neck to see around the open door. When he lays eyes on our uninvited guest, his entire demeanor changes, and I think I'm witnessing firsthand the "new" man he referenced earlier. "We have no business today, Ethan. You shouldn't be here. I politely asked you to stay away from my family, especially Beatrice and her children but now I'm demanding it. Get off my property Black or there will be hell to pay." Tobias reacts, too, although silently. He rests his hands on my hips with a firm pressure. Whether he's keeping me rooted in place so I don't cause a scene or he's making sure he doesn't grab the unwelcome visitor in front of us by the throat and throw him out I don't know.
"I came to see if you would reconsider letting me see my children," he says, looking me in the eye, his words slurring slightly as he sways. Apparently, this pathetic excuse for a human being needed liquid courage before approaching us because the smell of alcohol drifts on the air between us, turning my stomach. When he hears this, Tobias' grip becomes quite painful, and Tyler's whole body begins trembling as he clings to me for dear life. Even though I have a few choice words for the sperm donor, I won't traumatize my boy any further than he already has been because of this piece of shit.
"Baby, I need you to go to your Grandma in the living room," I say to Tyler who still has his face buried in my neck.
"No," he whines, barely audible.
"Honey, Daddy and I need to talk to Mr. Black," I say. It's like a dagger goes through my heart when he flinches at the name. "I won't be long. I promise. I'm going to set you down and you run in there to Grandma. Okay?" He finally lifts his head and looks at me, tears streaming down his face as sobs rack his body. I get choked up as I try to kiss his tears away but there are just too many. I wonder if there will ever come a time that he isn't terrified that he will have to live with his biological father. He nods almost imperceptibly and after I set him on his feet, he takes off like a shot toward the living room. Dad, Tobias, and I move at once and an elbow gouges me in the ribs, my knees bang into someone else's, and a large booted foot steps on me … twice. I grab Ethan by his arm, spin him around as I walk past him, and drag him outside.
"Let's take this to the back yard," Dad says, remembering Abnegation ways. "It allows us more privacy." I glance up and down the street and am surprised to see so many people out and about. There are two small children across the street laying in the grass, staring up at the cloud-filled sky; a teen boy and girl sitting very close to one another on the stoop two doors down, talking animatedly, smitten smiles plastered on each their faces; and a family of four walking to an unknown destination down the side of the street, heads bowed, hands at their side. They barely acknowledge us with a nod and continue on their way.
"You're right," I say. I'm sure he doesn't want a scene and I don't want to embarrass him by causing one. I never release my grip on Mr. Black's shirt and drag him between the houses to the back yard. When I let go of him, he stumbles before righting himself. God, he's pathetic. "You need to stop this … now! Four and I have been nice but we won't be from this moment forward. You aren't their father. He is." I point at the only father my kids will ever know.
"You can't keep me from them," he slurs defiantly. "I'll keep showing up until you break."
"Why are you doing this?" Tobias asks, his voice deceptively cold and calm. I know it's his Four facade. "You come to my in-law's house and presume to see my children. You're asked to leave and you refuse, persisting to call our kids yours." I see that his finely tuned composure is quickly slipping.
"Four," Dad cautions, thinking that there might be a physical altercation.
"No, Andrew," he says, looking toward my father with a wild expression on his face. I put my hand on his back to comfort him, not aiming for a specific faction but it lands smack dab in the middle of his Amity tattoo. He looks down at me, eyes narrowed slightly and says, "He's crossed a line, and he needs to understand that it's not right. This can never happen again." He turns his attention back to Mr. Black and shakes off my touch, probably thinking I'm telling him to be nice when in fact that's the exact opposite of how I feel. I want him annihilated. "If you can answer any one of these questions, I'll consider letting you speak to my kids." He pauses for a moment and when he continues, he's regained his control.
"What is Tyler's favorite food? When did Tessa get her first tooth? Who is Tyler's favorite uncle? When did Tessa start army crawling around our apartment? What does Tyler call his baby sister? When did Tessa really smile for the first time? What's the only way to get Tyler to calm down when he's had a nightmare … most often a nightmare about you? How did Tessa react when we brought Teagan home from the hospital? What's the name of Tyler's best friend? How often does Tessa nurse? What is Tyler asking for when he says he wants toast?" Tobias continues firing question after question at him pausing slightly between each until his control starts to slip, and he turns away from all of us, running his fist aggressively through his disheveled tresses. I watch Mr. Black as the silence stretches on. He furrows his brows and shifts uncomfortably from foot to foot as his eyes slide from the back of Tobias' head to me.
"I don't know how you expect me to answer those questions when no one has ever allowed me to be a part of any of my children's lives," he says. "First, Evelyn decided to give Jeffrey and Laurel up for adoption without consulting me. I showed up at the hospital, I was told to sign on the dotted line, and they were each gone. Then she talked me into terminating my rights to Tessa. She selfishly didn't think she could take care of another child. And once I finally had custody of my son, Ellie told me that she would leave me if I didn't give you Tyler. It's not fair that I can't be a part of their lives." Wow! Did he just stamp his foot like a two year old?
"I can't believe you're blaming everything that happened on Ellie, Evelyn, and us," I say. "You need to take responsibility for your own actions. No one held a gun to your head and made you sign your parental rights away. You're supposed to be a grown man so grow up."
"It doesn't matter what I signed, I'm still their father," he belligerently spits. He must not realize how dangerous this conversation is turning. You don't come between my husband and his children under any circumstances. Before we realize what he's doing and can stop him, Tobias grabs Mr. Black by the collar and draws him up until they are practically nose-to-nose even though he's a good 6 inches shorter.
"Like I've told you before, repeatedly screwing Evelyn behind your wife's back doesn't make you a father," he says in his steely cold, scary Four voice. "Nothing will ever make you their father … not Tyler or Tessa and not Jeffrey or Laurel. They each have a father who loves them more than their own life. This is something that you will never understand because you are a selfish, taking man who only thinks about his own happiness and no one else's. You don't want what's best for the kids you fathered. You only want what you want. You're still selfishly trying to hold onto the past with someone you didn't love enough to marry, someone you left dying a little each day in the factionless sector. You had the chance to do the right thing years ago but instead you were a coward, stringing two women along … two woman who obviously had very questionable taste in men. You could have divorced Ellie and lived factionless with Evelyn and the four children you had together but instead you kept your cushy life inside a faction with your wife all the while screwing my mother on the side for nearly two decades while she delivered not one but four of your children. And. You. Did. Nothing. That to me is tantamount to abandonment." He scoffs. "I guess you did deserve Evelyn after all, you were two of a kind."
"Don't you dare speak like that about your mother," he says, breaking the hold Tobias has on his shirt. "She loved you with all her heart until the day she died, and you turned your back on her. You're the one who abandoned her in the end."
"Seriously!" I say. Tobias looks my way and shakes his head.
"Don't," he says then looks back at Mr. Black. "I won't discuss my relationship with my mother with you."
"She was the best thing to ever happen to me," he says. "I should have had the guts to leave Ellie when we reconnected then none of this would be happening. I'd be with the woman I love more than life itself and we'd be raising our children together, and I wouldn't have to pretend on a daily basis that I'm happy with the wife I no longer love and two ungrateful children." A soft gasp draws our attention, and there by the side of the house stands Susan Black. Emotions she's probably never felt before fly across her face. I expect to see remorse on her father's face but it's shamefully blank. He truly is a heartless bastard. "Go home, Susan. This doesn't concern you."
"Of course, it doesn't, Dad," she says. "I'm not one of your perfect children you had with your beloved Evelyn. I know when you look at me you see Mom and it disgusts you." If I were her I'd break down. She obviously is much stronger than I am. "There's something you should know, Beatrice. He's been trying to get custody of Tyler and Tessa."
"Susan!" he hisses, a truly evil look twisting his face.
"Four and I are their parents now. We adopted them," I say, completely confused as to the direction this has gone. "No one can take them away from us."
"Not unless you break up and are both deemed unfit then the city would find the closest living relative," she says. My brows knit together. It almost sounds like what the city wanted to do to Evelyn. "I know a little about adoption laws. He's been trying to break you two up for months now, and he's extremely frustrated that his plan isn't working out the way he thought it would." I know I should be upset by this news, disturbed even but I can't get past my confusion.
"What are you talking about?" Tobias and I ask at the same time. I slip my hand into his, needing to feel his skin on mine, and he squeezes it almost painfully.
"He arranged for my cousin to join Dauntless during initiation," she says. "She was instructed to break you up using any means necessary then discredit you both in the eyes of the court. He told her everything he knew about you and Tobias. He didn't know you would make her factionless. I've never seen him so angry." A couple pieces of a giant puzzle fall into place, and I can see the picture a little more clearly now.
"Who's your cousin?" I ask, already knowing what I'm going to hear. It's obviously the bitch.
"Olivia Nelson," she says. "She's always up for a challenge. If you ask me, she's a little unstable." I close my eyes and raise my hand to my throbbing temple and rub my head, trying to erase it from my memory … trying to erase her from my memory.
"You underestimated me," Tobias says as he releases my hand after giving it a final squeeze. "You actually thought that some … bimbo would turn my head?" He chuckles once, humorlessly. "Ouch. I guess you don't think very highly of me. Well, the feeling is entirely mutual." He takes a few steps until he's right in Mr. Black's face once again, and I see Dad tense. "I love Tris with all my heart. She's not only my wife, my lover, the mother of my children, and my very best friend, she's also my soul mate. That isn't easily undone and in our case never undone so you might as well come clean and tell us what else you have planned."
"We know for a fact you're still in contact with her," I say, remembering what Edward said about her meeting with someone from Abnegation. I swore it would be Marcus we would be confronting when we found out the name. Maybe he's been telling the truth about turning over a new leaf. Mr. Black remains stubbornly mute on the subject and rage floods my body. "You selfish son of a bitch! You come to my parents' house, insist on seeing my children while continually calling them yours then I find out you are the reason we had to endure Olivia." I slap him full on the cheek leaving my bright red handprint. "Tell us what you know." I hate that I'm pleading with him. It's just not right. I turn and look at Susan. "I know we weren't best friends but why didn't you tell me what was going on before now?"
"I'm sorry, Beatrice," she says, once again acting like the good Abnegation member she is, head bowed, eyes averted. "I have no excuse for not immediately getting in touch with you or relaying a message through your parents. I take full responsibility for my actions. I guess I was hoping that I was mistaken and that my father … my flesh and blood … couldn't be so cruel."
"Make it up to me now," I say. "He obviously isn't going to talk so I need to know everything you know even if you think it's inconsequential. It could be the key to everything."
"Have you seen your father with Olivia recently?" Tobias asks.
"Yes. Earlier this week. Tuesday evening I believe."
"Were they with anyone else?" I ask, not wanting to get my hopes up but feeling optimistic.
"No," she says, "but Liv has been here a few times with a couple."
"Can you describe them?"
"Keep your damn mouth shut, girl," he hisses to his daughter. She narrows her eyes at him then turns her back on him.
"I would guess they were Dauntless by the way they were dressed head to toe in black just like Liv. The girl was tall, black hair pulled back in a ponytail. She's not fat by any means but she's a big girl. The guy was smaller, red hair … well more orange than red. He looked like he was along for the ride and Olivia and the other girl were in charge." She just described Molly and Drew to a T. I look into Tobias' eyes and we both grin. She just implicated her father and Olivia in Molly's plans.
"Why are you smiling?" Dad asks.
"Because we have an eye witness that saw Olivia and Mr. Black with two murder suspects as well as plotting against leaders of a rival faction. That in itself is a serious accusation and it means we can arrest him and give a truth serum interrogation. We've been waiting for a long time for this." Tobias pulls his phone out of his pocket and sends a few messages. "I have some patrol officers on their way to take him into custody. Andrew, where can we hold him until then?"
"I didn't do anything wrong," he sputters, fear on his face instead of defiance for the first time since I opened the door. He knows he's screwed.
"I think it best we just wait here until your men get here," Dad says.
"Thank you so much," I say to Susan grabbing her up in a hug, which she awkwardly returns. "Without this information, who knows how long we would have had to wait to get some answers. You'll have to be interviewed under truth serum to corroborate your story but don't worry about it. Jack Kang from Candor will contact you with a time and place. Thank you again." I turn back to Tobias and say, "I'm going to go check on Tyler. I'm sure he's fine now but I need to make sure. I hated leaving him like that."
"Go," he says. "Hug him and kiss him for me. I'll be in as soon as I can. I love you."
"I love you, too." I go up on my tiptoes and give him a quick kiss that very easily could progress into more but I tear my lips away too soon then head toward the backdoor, feeling his eyes on me until the door closes behind me. My heart drops when I hear Tyler. He hasn't calmed down, not one bit. I rush into the living room and scoop him up off of Mom's lap. "Tyler, baby, it's alright. Mommy's got you." He wraps himself around me and doesn't budge an inch. I mouth "sorry" to everyone then head up the stairs and into my old bedroom. The only thing that has changed is the new light gray and white quilt covering the simple twin mattress I've spent many nights on. I sit on the edge of the bed and hold him tight, rubbing his back lovingly and telling him everything's okay over and over in his ear.
"I no wanna go with him," he blubbers or at least I think that's what he says. He has so much raw emotion in his voice and his bottom lip is trembling almost violently that it's making it quite difficult to understand him. Rage makes my blood boil thinking about those weeks before the custody hearing when my sweet boy was forced against his will to spend time with that man who might as well be a stranger to him.
"Tyler, you don't have to go with him," I say. "You don't have to see him or talk to him either. He came over to talk to Mommy and Daddy but he won't be bothering us anymore. I promise." He continues crying softly and it breaks my heart. "Please don't cry." I can't help my emotional state, and my voice breaks. "I don't ever want you to cry like this. I want you to be happy and laughing. I don't want you sad." He raises his red, puffy eyes to mine and sniffs.
"You cwying?" he asks, tears thick in his voice. "You sad?"
"My heart hurts when you're sad," I say as I caress his curls. "That's why I have some tears." There's a tentative knock on the door and Mom sticks her head inside.
"Tris, I hate to bother you but Teagan needs nursed," she says. "I fed Tessa but your baby won't be put off any longer."
"Shall we go downstairs and feed your sister?" I ask Tyler. "We don't want her sad either."
"Otay," he says although he's still very somber but thankfully his tears have dried up.
"Thanks, Mom," I say. I carry Tyler down into the living room following Mom closely. She excuses herself and slips out the backdoor and I go into the living room. The stress inside is palpable. I take Peanut from Cara after I sit Tyler on the couch then sit down beside him. I give her the acetaminophen then get her latched on with no problems whatsoever. "I am so sorry, guys. I didn't mean to leave you for so long."
"What happened?" Caleb asks. I look down at Tyler who is huddled next to me. I think his eyes are closed.
"Is he asleep?" I quietly ask and Cara nods. "Poor baby. I think he wore himself out. He never takes two naps this close together. I need to apologize again. I know that couldn't have been easy for the both of you. His reaction to that man hasn't changed one little bit." I then tell them the details of what took place outside, and they hang on every word.
"He really said those horrible things to his daughter?" Cara asks.
"Yeah."
"Poor Susan," Caleb says.
"I didn't think it was possible for my opinion of Ethan Black to get any lower but he proved me wrong," I scoff. "I don't know how he maintains his seat on the council."
"Hopefully, he won't after today," Caleb says. "A leader of the city can't act the way he did today and get away with it."
"I think his days as a faction member are limited also," I say.
"Do you think he helped with the murders?" Cara asks as she takes Tessa from Caleb. She puts her against her shoulder and rubs her back in little circles.
"I don't know," I say. "Ever since I found out that he was Evelyn's lover, my opinion of him changed. If you would have asked me a year ago, I would have said no but now, I believe he's possible of anything. It can't be a coincidence that Susan saw them meeting more than once."
"How could she not tell you?" Caleb says. "I can't believe I ever had feelings for her." My eyes slide to Cara.
"I know," she says.
"I told her about Susan a long time ago," he says then he smirks. "Have you ever told Four about Robert?"
"Ooh! Who's Robert?" Cara asks.
"Susan's brother," I say. "And yes I told him about Robert even though there wasn't anything to tell."
"Can I ask you something?" Cara asks. "Why is Four called 'Four'? It's such an unusual nickname."
"How much do you know about Dauntless' initiation?" I ask. "Has Will ever told you what it is we were put through?"
"We've never talked about it but I know you're put under a series of simulations," she says.
"Yes, fear simulations," I say. "We are subjected to our greatest fears over and over again until we go through something called our fear landscape, which is all our fears presented at once for our final test. I had seven fears that day while others had as many as 12-15. Four had … four."
"Who started calling him that?" Caleb asks.
"His mentor, Amar," I say. "He wanted to help him fit in. An Abnegation-to-Dauntless transition isn't easy for a lot of reasons." I chuckle, which I think surprises them. "Christina implied on more than one occasion that I left because of the food."
"It's not that bad," Caleb says as he rolls his eyes, obviously a trait he picked up in Erudite. "I actually crave it from time to time."
"I honestly could do without it," Cara says. "No offense."
"None taken," I say.
"It's the only thing Caleb knows how to cook," she says. "So needless to say, I do 99% of the cooking."
"When I'm home sick, feeling nostalgic, or just had an all-around bad day, a simple meal like my mom used to make is just what the doctor ordered. It's not Tyler's favorite either but he doesn't seem to mind once in a while." I finish burping Peanut and put her to my other breast. "How are the wedding plans coming? I'm surprised you weren't gushing over every detail at lunch." They share an awkward glance, and I momentarily wonder if there's trouble in paradise.
"It's really slow going," she says with a sigh.
"What seems to be the problem?" I ask giving my brother a hard look.
"Don't look at me," he says, putting both hands out in front of him.
"I'm the problem," Cara says. "Well to be more specific, the disagreements with my mother are the problem. I feel like I'm helping her with her wedding instead of the other way around. Did your mom try to take over the planning when you got married?"
"Um, no," I say. "I didn't plan my wedding though, Christina did." She looks at me like she's not quite sure she heard correctly.
"You didn't plan your wedding?" she skeptically asks.
"I did make all the big decisions, I guess, but no, she planned and executed the entire thing. It was her wedding gift to Four and me. I wanted to elope and she talked me into the full ceremony, which I'm thankful for now. She even thought of things I never would have in a million years like a photographer. I guess I'm just now getting used to the idea of being photographed and taking pictures."
"I don't think I could stand not having any input."
"Like I said, I picked out the venue and the color scheme. She asked me a lot of little questions, and I decided on a more traditional ceremony compared to the Dauntless norm, which is why I wore white. The only thing that Four and I decided independently was the date, 4/6 … our nicknames for each other."
"Six?" Caleb asks.
"The number of fears I have now," I say.
"One went away?" Why did I bring this up?
"Yeah," I say, my face going pink.
"Do fears just disappear?" Cara asks. "What was it?" I look around, making sure we aren't being overheard. I should be able to confide in my brother and soon to be sister-in-law.
"Fears don't go away easily," I shyly say. "I was scared to be … intimate … with Four."
"Aahh, I didn't need to hear that," Caleb whines, giving me a disapproving look like he used to do when we were children and he didn't think I was doing something right.
"Sorry I asked," Cara says with a giggle.
"So back to your wedding plans," I say, deciding to rescue not only Caleb from the uncomfortable conversation but myself also. "What's set in stone?"
"We're getting married Christmas Eve at the Crystal Gardens," she says. I expect more but she doesn't continue.
"That's it," I say. "Okay. What's your vision? Do you see yourself walking down the aisle in a traditional white wedding dress holding a big bouquet of red roses toward Caleb who is dressed in a black tux and top hat or do you see yourself in something more festive, maybe a simple white gown covered by a long, flowing red coat holding a bouquet of greenery and holly while Caleb and his groomsmen are in simple white suits with Santa Claus-covered ties and barely visible candy cane socks?" They both stare at me.
"Are you sure you didn't plan your own wedding?" she asks, her eyes wide.
"I guess Christina's rubbed off on me," I say with a chuckle. "In all seriousness, your wedding day should be all about you and Caleb. It should be what makes you and him happy. No one else's opinions should matter. Although, I know when strong willed individuals share their opinions it's sometimes easier to give in to them. I didn't think I needed a wedding. Christina talked me into it. For me, the marriage is what was important. I didn't grow up envisioning what my dream wedding would look like, I dreamt of who my dream guy would be."
"Too bad he's such an ugly muck," Tobias says as he comes into the room. He carefully lifts Tyler as to not wake him then sits down beside me.
"You are far from ugly," I say. "I could handle you bald but not ugly."
"I'm glad your good mood has returned," he says as he kisses my temple.
"We were just talking about weddings," I say.
"I kind of figured that out," he says.
"Where's Mom and Dad?" Caleb asks.
"Waiting outside with Black." He says his name like an affront. "They sent me inside. Part of me feels like a ten-year-old getting disciplined with a timeout."
"Did you do something?" I ask.
"No but I would have liked to," he says. "Maybe they were reading my mind."
"Or your body language," I say.
"How's our boy?" he asks as he brushes a curl out of Tyler's closed eyes. His hair grows just as fast as his father's. It seems like yesterday they got all their curls cut off and now they're back.
"He's still worried that one day, for some reason, he'll have to live with him," I say.
"He was inconsolable until Beatrice came back inside," Caleb says.
"Did she tell you what's going on?" Tobias asks.
"Yes," they both say then Cara continues. "I'm sorry that someone was trying to interfere in your relationship again but I'm glad you're going to get some answers." Tobias narrows his eyes.
"Sounds like you're speaking from experience," he says.
"It's my mother," she sighs after a long pause.
"She doesn't like me," Caleb says.
"She doesn't approve," Cara says. "She doesn't know you well enough to not like you."
"And she'll never give me a chance so she'll never know me," he says. "Remember earlier when we were discussing the serums and I was talking about people blindly following Jeanine?" We nod.
"My mother is one of her disciples," she says. "She hates anything and everything Abnegation and wants me as far away from Caleb as she can get me. It seems like I've done everything short of giving her an ultimatum to get her to give him a chance. It's making it hard to maintain a relationship with her." She looks at Caleb. "I love you, babe. Nothing or no one will stand in our way. I promise."
"You don't have to keep reassuring me, Cara," he says. "I know how you feel, and I love you, too." He caresses her cheek softly then places his lips to hers as I rest my head on Tobias' shoulder.
"To answer your question earlier, Tris, I've always wanted a simple wedding that focuses on me and the one I love," she says. "Nothing extravagant, nothing seasonal. Just me, Caleb, and the ones we love the most helping us celebrate the day."
"I'm sure if you asked her, Christina would be more than happy to help you plan the wedding," I say. "Her and Will both. He did an amazing job of putting their wedding together on short notice."
"I should reach out to both of them," she says. "It's been a while." Tobias and I look at each other. She must not know. "What is it?"
"Do you know what happened to Will earlier this week?"
"No," she says, her voice raising an octave with stress.
"He's fine," I say. "But a few days ago he went missing. When he was found, he had been hit over the head. He sustained a concussion and a minor head injury. He went home this morning."
"Oh, my God! Why didn't anyone call?" she asks shifting Tessa who has long been asleep into Caleb's arms then gets her phone out.
"I'm sorry," I say. "Christina was a wreck. She barely left his side. I just didn't think."
"It's okay," she says. "I'm going to call him. Can I use a room upstairs?" Caleb gives her directions to his childhood room and we watch her disappear.
"Are you okay with your future mother-in-law not approving of your relationship?" Tobias asks just as Peanut finally pulls away from my breast. I fix my shirt then put her to my shoulder. She holds her little head up and looks around while I pat her back. After she burps, I use the thrush medication then change her diaper while listening to Caleb.
"To be honest, it would be so much easier if Cara didn't want to have anything to do with her mother anymore," he says, "but the truth is she loves her very much and can't imagine her life without her in it. Although, I'm not entirely sure she's figured that out quite yet. There's a reason she's never went as far as to give the ultimatum. And I love her too much to make her choose. I know how I would feel if she asked me to make that choice." He shakes his head. "No, I would never hurt her that way so I'll just endure short visits with her mother. Who knows, maybe one day we'll be the best of friends." Mom walks into the living room, and I immediately know that something else is wrong.
"What is it?" I ask.
"Four, your father's outside," she says.
"That's alright, Natalie," he says. "I called him."