Page 22 of Daddy's Bad Girl
My dad beams like the proud dad he is.
“Thank you, Emma. I always knew you were incredibly mature and reasonable for a young woman. But first, if you’ll excuse me honey, I need to wash my hands before we eat. I’ll be back in a sec.”
Then, Rick gets up and disappears into the back while I take a deep breath, collecting myself. My dad adores me, and even more so because he missed a lot of my childhood. When I was nothing but an infant, my parents divorced and Vivian moved us miles away to pursue her career. Rick was enraged, frustrated, but ultimately stuck because as a young doctor, he’d just been placed with a hospital in Minneapolis. The matching system for junior physicians is a once-yearly thing, and he didn’t have a choice. As a result, I didn’t see my dad much growing up, and now, Rick’s trying to make up for lost time. His efforts are cute, if unnecessary. He texts and calls me a lot, although it’s fallen off a bit since my little sister was born. But again, I don’t mind because I’m an adult with my own life. I don’t need my dad hanging over my shoulder, even if he has the best of intentions. Meanwhile, Rick arrives at the table again with a smile. I see he’s fixed his hair in the mirror, and pulled his shirt straight.
“So where were we?” he asks, picking up the menu. “How’s school?”
I take a deep breath, trying to maintain my equanimity.
“Well, that’s the thing I wanted to talk to you about. You know how you’re always encouraging me to do something other than medicine? Because it’s a difficult path, which sucks your life away from you?”
“Yes, definitely,” Rick murmurs, still staring at the menu. “Goddamn, I could use a steak right now, with mashed potatoes and some greens. Yeah, that’s gonna hit the spot.” Then he turns back to me, his blue gaze casual. “Why? Are you having trouble with your classes?”
I bite my lip because the moment is here. Should I drop the bomb? Yes. I’m going to rip off the band-aid in one fell swoop.
“My classes are okay, but I’ve decided to change course. I’m going to quit pre-med and find something else to do.”
My dad snaps to attention.
“Really,” he says.
I nod.
“Yes, really. I’ve decided that pre-med isn’t right for me. At least not right now.”
The silence is so loud that you could hear a pin drop. Finally, Rick speaks again.
“So are you switching majors?” he queries. “To what, may I ask?” My dad’s expression is neutral, but I can sense danger in the air. I feel pinned to the table by that electric blue stare, and force myself to sit up straight in order to project confidence.
“Well, that’s the thing,” I say in an even tone. “I’m not switching majors. I’m actually dropping out of school to focus on other things.”
That does it. My dad’s eyes bulge.
“Dropping out of school?” he hisses. “What are you talking about? I’ve already paid two hundred thousand dollars for your education!”
“I know,” I say in a steady tone. “I appreciate it, and maybe “dropping out” isn’t the right phrase. More accurately, I’m taking a leave of absence and pausing my studies for the moment. But I can still go back to Evergreen in the future and finish my degree.”
“Taking a leave of absence?” my dad echoes with rage in his tone. “Pausing your studies? What the hell does that mean? You were always such a good student. What the fuck happened?”
I blush because this conversation is turning out harder than I anticipated.
“Well, what it means is that I’m going to focus on my store, Redline and Roses. You know I’ve done good business in the past, and I want to see where I can take it. I’m even thinking about opening up a physical location just to see what happens.”
“Just to see what happens?” Rick echoes, disbelief in his tone. “I’m sorry, honey, but jewelry-making is a hobby. You won’t be able to eke out a living selling red-string necklaces to customers. I mean, how many red-string necklaces does one person need? One? Two? Maybe three? It’s not like medicine, where medical care is a life-long need.”
I’m stung by his words because Rick has always preached the importance of being well-rounded and living a balanced life.
“Yes, but you’re the one who’s always complaining that medicine takes too much time. You’re always saying how draining it is, and how you feel like you’ve given your entire life to your career.”
Rick fixes me with a look.
“Yes, but I did it because my career puts food on the table, a roof over our heads, and pays for your college education. Maybe I didn’t love it all the time, but there’s also the flip-side, which is that it allows me to provide for my family. How are you going to provide for yourself with your Etsy shop? I didn’t even know what Etsy was until you started selling there.”
I take a deep breath.
“Well, I’m hoping to open a brick-and-mortar place. You know, a physical location for Redline and Roses, and I was eyeing that empty storefront on Spruce at the corner of Northeast First. You know, where the old Madison’s?—”
My dad erupts, slamming one hand down on the table. People turn to look at us, but Rick won’t be stopped.
