10
Richard
Igot out of the shower and wrapped a large, grey bath towel around my waist. It was almost time to pick up Annie for our date. We hadn’t agreed on an actual destination, so I decided to surprise her by taking her to a local Italian restaurant. Something told me that a health nut like her would enjoy a night of indulgence, whether it be their award-winning lasagna or their delectable Tiramisu.
As I cleaned up the facial hair, I kept thinking about my daughter. Danielle said that she’d be sending pictures over to me, but so far, I hadn’t received any. Hell, I didn’t even know my daughter’s name. I saw my face grow red with anger in the mirror, so I exhaled deeply to try and calm myself down.
I was about to go on a date with Annie, and there was no point in wasting energy by being angry with Heather.
After I was satisfied with my reflection in the mirror, I walked into my bedroom and heard my phone go off. I nearly broke my neck racing over to get it, stubbing my toe on the edge of my bed. I quickly regained my composure and checked my incoming text messages.
I had one from Danielle. “Meet your daughter, Addison!”
I sat down on my side of the bed, forgetting the fact that I was still partially wet and stared at her picture. Holding back the tears, I ran my thumb over the screen - Addison was the spitting image of me.
There was a picture of me at about the same age on the mantel at my parents’ house. Our facial features were so similar, especially our eyes. Her bone structure, and even her thick hair resembled me so much that I wanted to tell Danielle to forget about the DNA test. It would just be a waste of time.
There was no doubt in my mind that I was her father. But I knew better than to suggest it because Danielle had already told me that would be a mistake.
Just then, another text came in, and this time it was from Annie. “I can’t wait to see you!”
Her excitement made me smile. If it weren’t for our upcoming date, I knew that I’d just spend the entire evening at home, staring at Addison’s picture while cursing Heather for keeping her from me. Even at that moment, as I thought about the past several years that I missed with my child, I found myself getting angry again.
After replying to Annie, I put my phone back on the dresser and finished getting ready. I had wanted to go out with her ever since the night we slept together, and it was finally happening. I would only be letting Heather win if I spent our first date being upset. Plus, I kept thinking about what Danielle had said. There was no point in being so angry.
One way or another, though, I’d find a way to see my daughter. When I finally did get to meet Addison, I didn’t want her first impression of me to be one of an angry man. I wanted her to see a kind, generous person who loved her very much and was eager to get to know her.
That was an even bigger reason to let go of all that resentment.
I decided on a black Armani suit that I paired with a red Oxford shirt underneath. After getting dressed, I remembered to put on some Black Polo cologne. The look on Annie’s face when she smelled it was so erotic.
I made a mental note to always wear it around her.
As I went through a few work emails before leaving to pick Annie up, I thought about telling Annie about the whole Heather situation. Just lay it all out there for her. After all, Annie and I had been friends for quite some time. We weren’t just two people who had drunken sex. We were going on an actual date to get to know each other better on an intimate level.
We had a history together.
I decided not to tell Annie about it until I knew more, though. As of that moment, I wasn’t sure what would come of the situation. Despite what Danielle had told me, I might be ordered to pay a large lump sum to Heather for some sort of trumped-up damages and still be forbidden from seeing Addison. I’d heard and read about such things happening. In which case, there’d be no reason to tell Annie at all.
There were just far too many complications. Being a single guy was one thing, but being one with a child was another ballgame all together -- especially under the circumstances. Anna might suspect I had known about Addison all along but never admitted it to anyone, making me one hell of a jerk.
I pulled up to her place right at eight o’clock, and she quickly came outside, looking as stunning as ever. Annie was wearing a red wrap dress that tied at the side, sheer black stockings, and a pair of black heels. It was quite different from her usual look, which was a bit on the hippy side with lots of loose blouses and casual pants.
“Good evening, Richard,” she said after getting into the car. “I’ve never seen this car before. Is it new?”
I owned several luxury cars, all of them vintage, and decided on a 1955 powder blue Cadillac.
“It’s from the fifties, so technically no. But yes, I purchased it last month. What do you think?”
She smiled and gave me a thumbs-up, glancing down in a flirtatious manner. My heart was beating so hard that I thought it'd jump out of my chest.
Del Monaco’s Italian Restaurant was usually reservation-only, but they always made an exception for me. The hostess seated us at a private table in the back, far out of anyone’s view, which I appreciated since the place was fairly busy that night.
In the back of my mind, I couldn’t help but wonder if Heather was also at the restaurant. She knew it was one of my favorite places to eat, though, and it was apparent that she was going out of her way to avoid seeing me.
“Are you alright? You seem a bit distracted.” Annie had such a calm, collected voice that immediately put a smile on my face.
As she glanced up at me from over the top of her menu, I contemplated telling her about Addison. Maybe it was best just to tell her, especially since I had vowed to see my daughter regardless of what Heather said.
