The Tenth Night
Greg Nottels
Everything had changed. Greg no longer felt the burning need to eradicate scum off the earth, not if in doing so he tarnished Samantha's mother's memory. His daughter and her mother meant the world to him, and the past ten years would be for nought if his daughter ended up resenting him.
He sat on the settee with the telly on low, thinking over what he could do. Having missed the meeting, he was sure the others wouldn't be happy with him, and even if he explained that it was because of his daughter, he was fairly certain some wouldn't accept that. Rae might, as she loved children, but Veronica definitely wouldn't and if there was anyone who he wanted to stay on the good side of, it was her.
How she became a mother three times bewildered him. She couldn't stand children and he had seen her maybe four times with her children and never once had he seen her give them an ounce of warmth. Then again, he had seen her more times with her husband and she never seemed to give him any warmth either. She was just a cold woman altogether and he knew she would have no problem in getting rid of both him and Samantha if she thought he was going to betray them - which he wasn't, but that wasn't the point.
He just couldn't do it this year.
That in itself was something that hadn't been heard of in the previous years. They had each been sworn to participate each year, to ensure that one would not grass on the others, and each had obeyed because it was a type of security for themselves. He wasn't even sure how Nathan would react to him wanting to sit out for this year, and that man wasn't one that he took too seriously most times.
"Dad?" his daughter asked, bringing him from his thoughts.
He looked up to see her stood in the doorway and he motioned for her to sit next to him. "I'm really sorry that I made you think I was cheating on your mom," he explained, patting her knee. "I've just been so focused on trying to give you this perfect life, one that might try and make up for her loss, that I neglected to take your feelings into consideration."
"You said this last night."
"And now I'm saying this again. You are the most important thing in my life and I truly don't know who I'd be without you. That's why I was thinking that maybe we need a fresh start."
She looked confused. "What do you mean? Like, move?"
"Yes," he confirmed, giving her nod. "We could stay with your mother's parents and find a place there, start a new life that is closer to your mom."
"But what about the motel?"
He sighed and looked at the floor. "This was never what I intended to do with my life. When your mother was alive, I was set on becoming a lawyer in her father's company. That changed when she died because I had you to think about."
She grabbed his hand and made him to look at her. "Let's do this then. I want you to become a lawyer, Dad. I want to move closer to Mom and start a new life. I want us both to make Mom proud."
Greg couldn't help but wrap his arms around his daughter, pulling her close against him. "What did I ever do to deserve such a daughter," he murmured, stroking her hair.
Now all they had to do was leave before the others discovered his plan.
He sat on the settee with the telly on low, thinking over what he could do. Having missed the meeting, he was sure the others wouldn't be happy with him, and even if he explained that it was because of his daughter, he was fairly certain some wouldn't accept that. Rae might, as she loved children, but Veronica definitely wouldn't and if there was anyone who he wanted to stay on the good side of, it was her.
How she became a mother three times bewildered him. She couldn't stand children and he had seen her maybe four times with her children and never once had he seen her give them an ounce of warmth. Then again, he had seen her more times with her husband and she never seemed to give him any warmth either. She was just a cold woman altogether and he knew she would have no problem in getting rid of both him and Samantha if she thought he was going to betray them - which he wasn't, but that wasn't the point.
He just couldn't do it this year.
That in itself was something that hadn't been heard of in the previous years. They had each been sworn to participate each year, to ensure that one would not grass on the others, and each had obeyed because it was a type of security for themselves. He wasn't even sure how Nathan would react to him wanting to sit out for this year, and that man wasn't one that he took too seriously most times.
"Dad?" his daughter asked, bringing him from his thoughts.
He looked up to see her stood in the doorway and he motioned for her to sit next to him. "I'm really sorry that I made you think I was cheating on your mom," he explained, patting her knee. "I've just been so focused on trying to give you this perfect life, one that might try and make up for her loss, that I neglected to take your feelings into consideration."
"You said this last night."
"And now I'm saying this again. You are the most important thing in my life and I truly don't know who I'd be without you. That's why I was thinking that maybe we need a fresh start."
She looked confused. "What do you mean? Like, move?"
"Yes," he confirmed, giving her nod. "We could stay with your mother's parents and find a place there, start a new life that is closer to your mom."
"But what about the motel?"
He sighed and looked at the floor. "This was never what I intended to do with my life. When your mother was alive, I was set on becoming a lawyer in her father's company. That changed when she died because I had you to think about."
She grabbed his hand and made him to look at her. "Let's do this then. I want you to become a lawyer, Dad. I want to move closer to Mom and start a new life. I want us both to make Mom proud."
Greg couldn't help but wrap his arms around his daughter, pulling her close against him. "What did I ever do to deserve such a daughter," he murmured, stroking her hair.
Now all they had to do was leave before the others discovered his plan.