Rum and Coke

“Brian, I just don’t see why you’re so against it,” Michelle told her husband over the phone that night.

Brian rolled his eyes as he leaned against a wall near the stage. This is the reason she dragged me away from seeing my daughter perform live?!, Brian thought to himself. This is the reason why I missed out on seeing the crowd finally singmy daughter’s Ellie’s words back to her! God, is it wrong to want to shoot your wife? Is it just me or am I speaking to the crowd?

“Brian, are you even listening to me?” Michelle asked, mid-ramble.

“Michelle, now is not the time to discuss this,” Brian replied firmly, desperately wanting to run back to the stage to see Ellie perform.

“And when will be the time? When you get home in two and a half months?! I’m not getting any younger, you know!”

“Exactly! Michelle, wake up and smell the roses! A baby isn’t going to save us! And don’t take this too personally, but it would be stupid for you to get pregnant right now! Do you know all the risks and complications that can come? You are far too old to have a child.”

“Oh, so you’re saying I’m too old to fuck now?!”

Brian rubbed his temples with the hand that wasn’t holding his cell phone up to his ear. This is not how I pictured how my life would turn out. I seriously did not want to deal with her as she was going through a mental breakdown right now. “That’s not what I meant and you know it. Stop being a fucking drama queen by playing the victim card. It’s never worked with me before, so why do you think it will work now?”

“Brian,” she said in a warning tone.

“No, I am so sick and tired of your bullshit. Take your damn medication and go see Dr. Robertson like a good little wretch. Then call me when you’ve calmed down.” He said through gritted teeth before hanging up the phone. Muttering obscenities under his breath, he walked back to the stage to see that Ellie and the rest were finishing up the set.

Matt looked over at Brian. “So, what was that about?”

“The bitch wants to have another kid,” Brian growled. “Sorry, Val,” he tacked on after seeing her face.

She waved him off. “Whatever, I’ll hear all about it pretty soon. It’s fine. Oh, come look at this,” She said, shoving her camera into Brian’s hands. It was a picture of Ellie. She was looking back at her band mates with a mixture of complete shock and excitedness etched into her features. Brian instantly knew that this was her face when she heard the crowd singing. A small pain ripped through his heart as he realized that he didn’t get to see it firsthand.

Matt let out a low whistle. “What are you going to do?”

“Watch my daughter finish up her set,” Brian said, looking across the stage to Ellie. His anger subsided and his face relaxed into a smile the longer that he gazed at her.

“No, I meant what are you going to do about Michelle?”

Brian shrugged in response. “Right now, I really didn’t care what would happen to her. I know, I’m a horrible person…whatever.”

Matt chuckled beside me. “You’re worse than me.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

He chuckled again. “You and Ellie. You’ve known her for less than a month and she already has you wrapped tight around her little finger.”

Brian looked over at the lead singer. “The second you held Kay, you were wrapped, and she had only been alive for a few minutes.”

“And who’s to say that if you were there, that wouldn’t have happened to you? And, hey, at least I don’t ignore my wife and son to spend more time with my daughter.”

“You don’t have a son.”

“But you do. Remember him…before you lose him, too.” He warned before walking away.

Val placed a hand on her brother-in-law’s shoulder. “He’s right you know.”

Brian sighed and hung his head. “I know. It’s just…I’m so confused. I mean, Mich is going through a midlife crisis back in HB, but I don’t care. What I really care about is focusing all my aggravation on Danni. I’m so pissed at her for keeping Ellie from me, yet I’m also relieved for it.”

“That’s because you love her.”

“Of course I do, she’s my daughter.”

“No, I meant that you still love Danni.” Val was interrupted by her cell going off she rolled her eyes. “And that would be my sister. You owe me big.”

“I’ll make you breakfast in the morning. Just, don’t mention what we were just talking about.”

She smiled at the man in front of her. “I won’t. I promise.” As she left, Brian looked back over to the stage.