Page 72 of The Masks We Burn

I still get nauseous when I think of the hang glider.

Staying close to the sliding door, I lean against the frame, crossing my legs at the ankle. “What can I help you with, sir?”

He takes a deep breath before sighing, his eyes trained on the table as if in thought. “I was coming to give you your check for the fights, but then I wondered if—”

“Not to be rude, sir, but I can’t fight anymore. My plans have changed in terms of my future. But I want to thank you for givin’ me this opportunity. It was a great experience.”

“You mean, it served its purpose.”

It wasn’t a question. My eyebrows furrow as I begin to wonder what he’s really doing up here. “Yes, sir. It did.”

“And my daughter? Did she serve her purpose?” His voice isn’t angry and doesn’t have an edge. This leaves me confused as hell as to what he’s getting at or what he may know.

His face finally snaps to me and I stand upright, my heart dropping at the thought of her. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

“She has been… different these past few weeks when I talked to her. I assumed you two were no longer together.”

I ignore his latter statement. “Different how?”

He drags his lower lip through his teeth, his face turning toward the balcony for a moment. Mr. Orlov must make some sort of decision because he says “der’mo” under his breath and shifts back to me. “I love my daughter. I have worked very hard to give her the life she deserves. And because of that, sometimes I haven’t been there as much as I’d like.”

Nodding, I swallow my nerves and join him at the bistro table, careful to pull my chair away from the iron fencing. “She speaks very highly of you, sir.”

Mr. Orlov huffs, watching his finger as it glides along the edges of the envelope. “As you saw at brunch, her mother is very decisive. She knows Amora better than I, and I trust in my wife’s decisions. Mothers know what is best for their child, especially their girls.”

I want to correct him, tell him fathers are just as important and sometimes even more so for showing their daughters things mothers can’t. But it’s not my place, and surely not my business. I want to tell him it’s not too late to stand up to his wife. To release Amora from this outrageous ultimatum and let her be free. I’m not saying he needs to pay her bills, but damn, if the girl is just starting out, why is it so bad to help her get on her way?

Why does helping your child succeed stop when they turn eighteen or as soon as they finish college? Why is there a time limit when the little piece of paper doesn’t even guarantee a job anymore?

Times are different. And if the only thing that comes from this conversation is him understanding that, I’d say it’s a win. Plus, it feels nice to fight for her this way since I can’t fight for her the way I want.

“Did you know your daughter wants to open her own store?”

Her father’s face scrunches in confusion before he shakes his head. “No.”

I nod. “Yep. An anime café. It may not make her millions, but it’s gonna make her really happy. She wants to bake and watch her favorite shows all day long. Give the area something dope you only see in places like Cali or Vegas.”

“My little girl wants to open her own business?” He says it more to himself than to me. “She’s never mentioned it.”

“Have you ever asked?”

“Well, no… I thought her mother…”

“Amora talks a lot, but not when it comes to things she’s uncertain or insecure about. She keeps it to herself. If you talk to her, really talk to her, I bet you’d learn plenty more about her. She needs more than just someone who shows up.”

He nods again, running a hand through his gray. “Can I ask you something, William?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Do you love her?”

More than I want to admit. “Yes.”

The words come out barely a whisper, my voice catching and forcing me to clear my throat. “But my love isn’t what she needs. And that’s okay. I just want your daughter to be free.”

I stand up to leave, holding my hand out to shake his. He mirrors me before jutting out the envelope instead. “Your check.”

It almost feels wrong to take it, considering it seems as if I’m no longer keeping my deal of the bargain with Amora. I did pretty much tell her dad we weren’t together. But if I tell him to put it toward Amora’s start-up, she’ll hate it just as much as the merchandise I got her.

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