Page 16 of Terms Of Un-Endearment
"I do love him, okay?" I shoot back.
“Okay.” Another pause. “That doesn't mean Dad gets to choose your life for you. I love him too, but I'm happier without him pretending he wants what’s best for me when, actually, he just wants what’s best for him."
I let those words sink in.
Would I be happier if I didn’t have contact with Dad? Would it be a huge stress out of my life, not having to worry about pleasing him? Or would I feel a loss?
I don’t know.
And I don’t think I’m ready to find out.
I should’ve known Frankie would turn my problem into therapy instead of a brainstorming session, and I’m keen to get off her metaphorical couch now.
I’m nearly to Kenzo, my favorite sushi place. Surprisingly, there’s not a line out the door, which is a sign I should wrap up this conversation and get in before the place fills up. "I’ll consider what you’ve said, but what I really need is encouragement. Am I crazy to believe I can start a surf wear brand or run my own company?"
She lets out a laugh. “If I didn’t believe you could do it, why would I come up with the name Bombora?”
“You? I thought of that name!”
“You’re misremembering, but I don’t have time to argue, so I’ll let you take credit for that piece of genius.”
“I wouldn’t go so far asgenius,” I mutter on the wisps of a vague recollection of her telling me Bombora would be a perfect name for my brand. It not only sounds cool, but surfers will recognize it immediately as what Australians call a large wave breaking over a shallow area offshore. The reef or rocks create powerful, rideable waves in deep water.
“It’s genius, and you know it.” Frankie laughs. “But the real question we need to discuss is why Cynthia wants a house Dad used for cheating on her, anyway?”
“She doesn't want it for herself. Piper’s got an internship in LA. I reckon Cynthia chose to settle on the house for her.” I rehash everything Piper has told me—which isn’t a lot—about her temporary job at Valente.
“Wow. LBP is all grown up.” Frankie tosses out the nickname I’d almost forgotten I gave to Piper. LBP was code for Little Bratty Piper. I used to talk about LBP when Piper was around, so she wouldn’t know for sure—only suspect—I was talking about her.
“Yeah. You could say that.”I will not think about Piper’s leopard undies.
“So, Dad wants you out Monday because she’s moving in?”
The distraction in Frankie’s voice and the sound of clinking plates and glasses is a signal her break is almost up, and the only thing I’ve accomplished is getting a lecture on independence and confusing her about the details.
“Piper is actually in LA already. Her internship starts on Monday. She showed up before anyone had a chance to tell me I was supposed to sign the deed back to Dad by today.”
“Wait, Piper is living in the house with you, and Britta and Dex?”
I close my eyes and take a breath, steeling myself for another lecture. “Britta and Dex are still in Fiji on their honeymoon.”
"Sooooo, you and Piper are staying in that house together? Alone?" I can almost hear Frankie’s rapid, surprised blinking.
“I reckon I should’ve led with that, yeah?” I flash a grin, even though she can’t see it. I’m sure she twin-senses it. “It’s only for the weekend until she finds somewhere else to stay. It's not her fault Sybil gave her bad info about when she could move in.”
“Huh. We’ll see if it lasts the whole weekend but tell her I said hi.”
“What’s that supposed to mean—we'll see if it lasts the whole weekend?” I walk into Kenzo and wave to Hiroshi behind the sushi bar. They know me well here.
“One of you isn’t going to survive that long in the same house—I get the sense she doesn’t back down the way she used to, if her social media is any indication. She’s a powerhouse. My money’s on you being the one to throw up your hands and go somewhere else.”
The background noise gets louder, and before I can defend myself, Frankie says, “I’ve gotta go. Good luck with Piper!” She laughs and ends the call.
I slide into a seat at the bar, less amused at her joke than she is. Usually, I see someone I know at Kenzo and we chat while we eat, but I’m fine keeping to myself tonight. I wouldn’t be good company, anyway. My brain is too full.
Between Piper showing up and my conversation with Frankie, I can’t stop thinking about what’s ahead for me. Frankie may love being on her own, but it scares the hell out of me.
But she’s right about one thing. Until I’ve got my next step firmly in place, I can’t let the house go. What she’s wrong about is doing things in a way that could end my relationship with Dad.
