Page 55 of The Gathered Fragments of Us
"Hello?" Jessica's voice, crisp and slightly irritated.
My good mood faltered immediately—I double checked and confirmed I'd clicked the right name, "Oh—Hi, Jessica. It's Felicity. Is Macy available?"
A pause that felt loaded with something I couldn't identify. "She's... busy right now. Homework."
"Oh." I glanced at Caden, who was sitting up now, paying attention to my expression. Something in Jessica's tone felt off, but I couldn't put my finger on what. "Could you tell her I called? I wanted to thank her for something."
"I'll let her know." Jessica's tone was dismissive, like she was already ending the conversation.
The brush-off stung more than it should have. This was about Macy, not about whatever issues Jessica had with me. "Actually, could I just say hi quickly? It'll only take a minute."
Silence. I looked at the phone and saw that she had disconnected the call. What the hell? Looking over at Caden, I saw he was just as annoyed as I.
I called again. After a single ring, "Felicity, I said she's busy and can't speak right now." The call was disconnected again.
Caden stood up. "Are you kidding?" He pulled out his own phone and dialed Jessica's cell, placing the phone on speaker.
"Hi, Caden," was the response he got.
"Jessica, did you just hang up on Felicity? Twice?"
"Caden, Macy is busy right now," she says in a placating voice. "I was just trying to help her understand that it's not a good time. It's not my fault that Felicity went crying to you because she is just sensitive."
I mouthed to him, with as angry a face as I could muster, "What the fuck!? Sensitive?!"
"Jessica, I was sitting right here with her when she called. Don't try and play that game. We'll discuss this another time. Put my kid on the phone."
Jessica sighed, "Caden, I'm trying to avoid drama. Macy said she didn’t want to talk right now, and I think it’s best if we just respect that. I think she feels like she was made to apologize for something you did, Caden. And now she doesn't want to talk toFelicity. This isn't my problem. It's yours. So don't put this on me. I'm trying to be nice h—"
"What the hell are you talking about Jess—you know what? It doesn't matter. Put Macy on the phone."
"No."
"Excuse me?"
"I'm not letting my daughter get caught in the middle of whatever you have going on there. You need to shape up Caden. Whatever is happening is not okay. I don't think I want her over there for a while. It's not healthy."
"Jessica, you better put my daughter on the phone, or so help me God you will be hearing from my lawyer before the day is out."
"Don't you threaten me Caden Barrett!" Jessica barked. Her voice and tone were getting louder and significantly more agitated—way more agitated than the situation called for.
"Jessica, that's enough. I don't know what's going on here, or why you're trying to keep me from my kid, but I will figure it out. We are on our way over."
"Why, Caden? I already told you I don't like how things are unfolding and that she won't be coming over for a while."
"You can't keep me from her, Jessica. She is my daughter, and our agreement clearly states you can't prevent me from seeing her."
"Caden, Macy doesn't want to see you. This isn't about me! It's about you and your wife. You know what? I have a seriously painful migraine Caden, and you’re just making it worse."
"I'm coming over and you better have my kid ready to see me or maybe we'll be revisiting our custody agreement!" He hung up, his face flushed with anger.
I stared at him, my mind reeling. "What just happened? Yesterday Macy was planning to help you with my surprise, and today she suddenly doesn't want to talk to me? Something isn't right here, Caden."
"None of this makes sense," Caden said, pacing now. "Jessica's lying. I know she is. But why? What's she trying to hide?"
I felt a chill run down my spine. "Caden, she's been increasingly hostile toward me for a while. I let it be—didn't want to make waves given how much else has been going on. But now she's actively preventing contact with Macy, making up stories about how Macy feels—there's something going on and it can't just be about me. "
He stopped pacing and looked at me. "What do you mean?"
