Page 12 of One Good Puck
A familiar pang lands at the center of my chest when I hear about the relationship Sophie has with her dad. How close they are. How this tough hockey coach is soft for his daughter.
I’m so happy for her, but it also kills me to know that my own daughter won’t ever have that relationship with her dad. He’s only ever seen her a dozen times since she was born. I don’t even know where he lives. He’s too busy being selfish to build a relationship with his only daughter.
Sophie’s smile turns wobbly, and her eyes are teary. She fans her hands in front of her face. “I can’t cry! I’ll mess up my makeup!”
I rip apart the cocktail napkin in my hand and gently press the pieces under her eyes to keep her mascara from running.
Sophie lets out a watery chuckle. “Thanks, Abby. You’re a lifesaver.”
“No problem.” I smile at her. “It’s so sweet, the relationship you have with your dad.”
I pull away the napkin pieces a few seconds later. Thankfully, Sophie’s makeup is fully intact.
“He’s the best dad in the world,” she says. “He was pretty overprotective of me for a long time. It honestly drove me crazy. But as I get older, I understand why he’s like that. You love your kids more than anything. They’re your whole heart. I’m not a parent yet, but when I am, I’m sure I’ll be protective too. And I’m sure Xander will be a lot like my dad was with me if we end up having a daughter.”
Everyone chuckles. I do too, despite the ache in my chest thinking of Emma, how she’ll never feel that love from her father.
We chat for a few minutes while sipping our drinks and grazing on the appetizers. Xander walks by and grabs four puff pastry bites with his massive hand from the tray of a waiter walking by.
He downs them in just a few bites, then kisses Sophie. While everyone gets pulled into side conversations, I run to the restroom. On my way out, my phone buzzes in my purse. When I see it’s my landlord calling, I answer right away.
“Hey, Howard. What’s up?”
“Hi, Abby. I’m so sorry, but I have some bad news. I won’t be able to renew your lease at the end of next month. You’re going to have to move out.”
Chapter 5
Abby
“What?” My voice is practically a shriek. I glance around. Thankfully, I’m the only one by the bathrooms.
I step farther into the darkened hallway and lower my voice.
“Howard, what do you mean I have to move? Did I do something wrong?”
“No, it’s nothing like that. You’re a perfect tenant. Renting to you has been wonderful. But my arthritis is getting bad, Abby. Real bad. I just can’t do the things I need to do as a landlord anymore, and on my fixed income as a retiree, I can’t afford to hire someone.”
My heart sinks. Howard is in his mid-seventies. He’s the sweetest man and a kind, reliable landlord. I’ve lived in the duplex next door to him for the past three years. Any time I have a maintenance issue, he’s fixed it that day or the next. And he doesn’t charge me the market price of rent because he says I’m a great tenant, and because the duplex hasn’t been updated in a decade.
But I’ve definitely noticed how much he’s agedin the last year. He’s been moving slower. He drops things more often. It makes sense why he can’t work as a landlord anymore.
“I’m putting the whole unit up for sale and moving in with my son’s family,” Howard says. He sniffles. “I’m so sorry to lose you, Abby. But I hope you understand.”
I let out a sad sigh. “Of course I understand.” I lean back against the wall and close my eyes. “I’m glad you’re moving in with your son.”
“I am too. I know this is sudden, but I wanted to give you enough time to look for a new place. I know it’s not much consolation, but I’m happy to give you references to your new landlord. You’re a dream tenant.”
I stare at the wall, a sad smile pulling at my mouth. “Thanks, Howard. I appreciate it.”
He apologizes again, and we say goodbye. When I end the call, I’m feeling stressed and sad and panicked all at once. But I’m too overwhelmed to do anything, so I just stay slumped against the wall, staring ahead at nothing in particular.
My head spins as I think of what to do next. I’ll need to find an apartment soon. But every place in a decent neighborhood is out of my price range.
I could move back in with my parents. They have a small two-bedroom, one-bathroom house in the suburbs. They’d let Emma and me move in without hesitation, but it would be such a burden on them. They’d have to give up so much space for us.
And who knows how long it would take for me to save enough money to get a place of my own. I have an emergency savings account, but that’s for when Emma has a medical expense or I need to fix the car. I don’t want to sacrifice that safety net for a newapartment.
What am I going to do?
