Pirate Smile

Holly

“Don’t do this, Mom, alright?” I decided to use my lunch break to talk to my mother. “I know you’ve helped me out a lot over the years, and I am grateful, but Delilah is my daughter. And Jared is her father.”
She slammed her palm down on the tabletop. The couple sitting next to us flinched but pretended not to notice.
“Is this really the man you want that little girl to fall in love with—a drunk? A junkie? Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten those times you found him—”
“Stop it,” I warned. “He doesn’t do that stuff anymore.”
“How do you know? You haven’t seen him since he got you pregnant and took off.”
“Do not talk about him like that, you know he didn’t know. And you had no right attacking him the way you did, what the hell is the matter with you?”
My mother reclined in her chair, smirking.
“Jesus, one look from this guy and you’re on your knees. You’re a mother now, Holly, and that means you have to put your child’s needs before your own. Grow up.”
I wanted to say so many things to her—so many things she didn’t know and wouldn’t understand. She couldn’t understand what Jared and I had—the complications, the emotions. She was married to my dad for three years before she left him. She had so many boyfriends over the years I could only refer to them by number.
“Someday you’re going to find out—”
“We’re going with him,” I interrupted her. “To Nashville, we’re going with him. On Sunday.”
The words just poured out of my mouth. But it was what I really wanted, even if it turned out to be the wrong choice. I wouldn’t know what life could possibly be like if I didn’t follow him.
“Excuse me?” Her eyes blazed and for once, April Finn had run out of things to bitch about.
“Delilah and I are leaving for Nashville on Sunday. With Jared.”
“I don’t believe this—”
“We are going.”
My pulse throbbed. I had just ultimately defied my mother, for myself.
“You’re just going to drag her around until you’re happy.”
“Like you did?”
Her lips disappeared into a thin line and my breathing began to even out. My heartbeat felt so loud I was sure it was disturbing the silence.
“You have no idea what you’re getting into.”
“No,” I stood up and pushed the chair in. “I don’t.”
“So that’s it?” She stared at me blankly. “You’re just up and going? Two days—what about your jobs? The life you and Delilah have here?”
I shook my head and turned to leave. She was not going to make me talk myself out of this.
“We don’t have anything here.”
…
“What do you think about a vacation—tip your head back.” I rinsed the suds from her hair. She squeezed her eyes shut so tightly I couldn’t even see her eyelashes. “Alright, I’m done.”
“What’s a faycation?” Delilah’s eyes popped open.
“Well, we’re going to leave for a couple of weeks and go somewhere else…” Days, weeks, months—I wasn’t sure.
“Leave here?” She reached up to scratch her nose. This was clearly a new concept for her.
“Yepp,” I smiled. “And I won’t have to work.”
“So we can play?”
“Of course we can play.”
She beamed at me.
“Where are we going?” She stood up and stuck her arms out for me to start drying her off.
“We are going to visit Jared—”
“But Jared’s here!” The towel muffled her voice as I tried to dry her hair.
“He doesn’t live here though, babe.” I tickled her underarms as she pulled on her underwear and she squirmed, giggling. “We’re going to stay at his house.”
“At his house?” Jumping up and down, Delilah turned to face me as I knelt in front of her. The kid was frantic with excitement. “Jared!”
“Yeah?”Jared was in the living room drinking a beer.
“Deli—”
She screamed, tearing out of the bathroom and down the hallway.
“Jared! We’re going to your house!”

Jared

“Jared!” I looked up from Rolling Stone when Delilah began shouting my name from the bathroom.
Did she need help?
“Yeah?”
“Jared!” This little girl with dripping wet hair sprinted into the living room hopping around like the damn Easter Bunny.
I tried not to laugh, but it was so difficult not to. Delilah could not care less that she was only in her underpants.
“We’re going to your house!”
My heart stopped.
“Momma said we’re going on a faycation and that we’re going to go visit you at your house because you don’t live here. Where do you live? Do you have a big house? When are we going?”
Holly loomed in the doorway, leaning against the wall. She shrugged.
“We are going to your house!”
I refocused on the moment.
“Yeah? We’re going to go on Sunday. Do you know when Sunday is?”
“What’s today?” I could’ve sworn I saw Delilah foaming at the mouth. Holly slowly walked out, a small smile on her lips.
“Friday.”
“Friday…Sunday is after Saturday.”
“And…?”
“Saturday is after Thurs…day…Friday—Saturdays after today!”
“Good job, kid!” I went for a high five but she was moving too fast I couldn’t catch her.
“What do I bring?” Her excitement ended abruptly as she landed on the ground. “Do I bring my clothes?”
“Uh huh.”
“Do I bring my toys? What about Rita, can Rita come?”
“Of course she can, just don’t let the dog get a hold of her.”
“You,” She breathed as if she’d gotten the wind knocked out of her. “Have a dog? Are we going to live with you?”