Model Behavior by Randi Rigby

Author:Randi Rigby [Rigby, Randi]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-11-13T05:00:00+00:00

8

“I would rather be a comma than a full stop”

Coldplay

My dad was going on a date.

He said it was just dinner with someone he knew back in high school, but she was divorced and he was widowed and he seemed pretty nervous for something that was not a date.

“How do I look?” He was fiddling with his collar. Again.

I smoothed it down. “Really tall,” I said, running my hands down the lapels of his gray sports jacket as I stepped back. “Handsome, Dad. You look very handsome.”

“It’s not too…?”

“No. It’s perfect.” I smiled brightly and nodded because I knew that was what he needed right now. I’d cry when he was gone. “Now, go. You don’t want to be late picking her up.”

“Right.”

I almost blurted out, “Keep it classy, McCoy,” but that was one of Mom’s sayings—so not what he needed rattling around in his head right now. Instead, I substituted an earnest, “Have fun tonight, Dad,” and gave him a big hug, standing on my tiptoes to kiss his freshly shaven cheek, and cheerfully pushed him out the door.

“He’s been so lonely,” I told Charlie as we watched him drive away from our perch on the couch by the living room window. Tears spilled over and trickled down my cheeks as the leaden heaviness in my chest grew. “He deserves this.”

Drew had a group project tonight. I was on my own with this one. Swiping at my face I resolutely headed for my desk and the mountain of homework I had waiting for me. Being angry wouldn’t bring her back. If it could, Dad would’ve resurrected Mom the moment his raw heart got past imploding.

Deep into my seventh color of sticky flags and four different highlighters across two gutted plays, I was halfway through my compare and contrast of Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet when the front doorbell rang. It was Jack.

He rolled his eyes at my surprise at seeing him on my front doorstep. “Seriously, Kel? I texted you.”

I tucked a fallen tendril that had recently escaped from my messy bun back behind my ear and slid my glasses up the bridge of my nose. I definitely wasn’t expecting company tonight but Jack had seen me like this before. “My phone’s charging and I’ve been slightly preoccupied with Shakespeare. Sorry, come on in.”

“Hey Charlie.” Jack bent to scratch Charlie’s ears. “I come bearing news.”

“Would you like something to drink?” I asked. He followed me as I padded barefooted back down the hall and into the kitchen.

“Are we drinking water?”

Always. “I am. You can have whatever you want.”

“I rarely find that to be the case. But I’m good, thanks.” His hazel eyes narrowed as we sat down at the island, our stools in close proximity. “You okay, Kel?”

One of the problems with being so stinking fair was you couldn’t hide anything. Definitely not cry face without the benefit of eye drops, cold water, and a makeup kit—none of which I had the foresight to use. I was in my pajamas for heaven’s sake.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.