Addison ended up with the wrong parent, and there was nothing I could do about it.
“Heather has also suffered through a tremendous amount of stress, Danielle. She had to be a single parent for several years, all of which wore her down, and that’s one of the reasons she’s sending Addison to boarding school.”
I unmuted my phone again.
“Except she didn’t have to be a single parent,” I said. “Had she reached out to me when she found out she was pregnant, Heather knows damn well that I would have been involved. I would have had no problem co-parenting Addison with her, but that’s not what she chose, Donald. She chose to keep Addison from me, and for what? Because she didn’t want to stay in River Valley?”
Again there was dead silence on the line.
“Why should I have stayed, Richard? To watch you bow down to your father instead of becoming a real man? You’re nothing like Michael! You strung me along for how many years? Of course, I wanted to get out of River Valley.”
“I think we’re getting off track again,” Danielle said.
But I was too angry.
“You’re right, Heather. I’m probably the opposite of him because I’m happy with my life. I’m not stuck with some bitch of a fiancee trying to deceive her ex-boyfriend out of thousands upon thousands of dollars. So no, Heather, I’m nothing like Michael!”
“I think we should call it a day,” Danielle said. “Donald, you and I will be in touch.”
I heard her hang up with them and promptly poured myself some more whiskey. “Are you alright, Richard?”
“No, Danielle. I’m not. I’m the opposite of being alright. I had to break up with Annie because of this whole Addison situation, and it’s all because of Heather. To top it off, I know that I’ll end up paying her exactly what she wants because I have to see Addison.”
“Well, let me see what else I can do. I’ll let you know when our next conference call is, okay?”
“Okay,” was all I could say.
“And please, Richard, no matter what you do, make sure that all contact with Heather and Addison is done through me. I cannot stress this enough. In the eyes of the court, when it comes to these situations, you need to play by the rules at all times.”
“I understand.”
I angrily hung up my phone and sat on the couch, sipping the whiskey as fast as I could. I couldn’t believe that Heather was so cold and heartless, but why wouldn’t she be? That’s how she had always been, but I was simply blindsided by love back when we were together.
My thoughts kept going back to Addison. I couldn’t help but wonder what she was being told. She was young, but still pretty smart. Was Heather telling her that I didn’t want to see her anymore? Or did Addison know that I wanted to see her, but I wasn't allowed to because of legal reasons?
Not knowing was the worst part.
Even though it was still the early afternoon, I put on my pajamas and ordered some food. What I wanted was to be with Annie during all of it, but I kept telling myself that it was for the best. If we didn’t work out and Addison got attached, then it might be too much for her to handle.
But why wouldn’t we work out?
I got into bed and stared at my home screen picture, the one of all three of us smiling when we were at the lake. I never knew that I wanted a family until I met Addison and Annie. As far as I was concerned, I’d spend the rest of my life as a bachelor. I had never gotten tired of my lifestyle until these past few months.
With my eyes focused on the picture of us, I felt myself falling asleep. I didn’t remember all of the details from my dream, but it involved Addison and Annie.
21
Annie
Iwas in bed and under the covers, curled up in a ball when someone knocked at my door. I refused to answer it, though. If it didn’t involve me using the bathroom or getting something to eat, then I insisted on staying in bed. Losing Richard was one of the most painful experiences of my life, even though it had been my shortest relationship.
Several yoga instructors had gone through training right up until Richard broke up with me. As soon as that happened, I immediately put them to work. The idea of teaching people how to reconnect with their bodies was the last thing I wanted to do when I couldn't even take care of myself. Instead, I holed myself up in my apartment, under the covers, and alone with my thoughts.
Crystal still didn’t know all of the details about the break-up. I simply told her and the other instructors that I needed time off to work on my product line, but I hadn’t looked at my business plan or any of my products in days. The wallpaper on my laptop was too painful for me to see, and I couldn’t bring myself to put up a new one. It was Richard, Addison, and me at the lake. We looked like the perfect family, smiling at the camera in our bathing suits. The look on Addison’s face was vastly different from when her mother showed up.
Every time I looked at the picture, I could hear her calling me ‘Annie’ in her sweet, adorable voice.
The knocking on my door grew louder and more persistent. I flung back the covers and made my way to the front door. I wasn’t expecting any packages, and I knew better than to find Richard standing on the other side of the door.