Page 115 of Fortunate Misfortune
“That I’m going to risk it all for my dream, and my dream isn’t to work at Gray Construction. I don’t know if I’ll get into a biostats PhD program, but I’ll regret it if I don’t try. Even if it means I have to lose some things.”
“Some things? Boy, you’re about to lose everything. All over some silly dream?”
“Yes,” I say simply, deciding not to fight him on the word silly. It would be pointless.
After sitting in the financial aid office and speaking with an advisor about scholarships and grant opportunities, I devised a plan. My athletic scholarship will be increasing for senior year, which will help a little bit with the financial aspect, and I’ll be working as a lifeguard this summer and tutoring during the school year. I’ll do whatever to make it work.
The hairs on the back of my neck rise when I catch a whiff of my dad’s Tom Ford cologne. He rounds the long desk and sinks into his leather chair, lips twisted in a menacing curl.
“This decision wouldn’t have anything to do with Mallory, would it? I’d hate to think some girl is the reason you suddenly feel so passionate about going against your family. I never expected you to be so easily distracted. Pretty face or not, she’s nothingmore than that.”
“Don’t—”
He cuts me off. “A crush is all this is. Something you’ll forget the moment you get your diploma and join us at Gray Construction. This, your family, will last forever. Mallory?” Her name rolls off his tongue like a curse word, and my stomach clenches. “She is fleeting.”
“Keep her name out of your goddamn mouth,” I hiss, slamming my fist against the desk. “This ismydecision, so leave her out of it.”
Mallory may have helped me get the courage to do this, but he has no right to have her name on his lips. I need to get out of here and get back to her, because tonight I’ll tell her everything. My dad’s plan. My uncertain future. The fact that I love her.
Holding his hands up, he leans back. “I feel like you’ve got a lot to say, so say it. Tell me how terrible I’ve been to you when I’ve given you everything. A roof over your head, which you decided to leave as a teen. A vehicle with no payments. Free rent for you and your friend in a house that’s much too nice for two college kids. A check every month for whatever you need, not including tuition each semester for a degree that I didn’t agree to. Hell, without me you’d be nothing, Kenneth. So please, go ahead and tell me how I’m the world’s worst father.”
I shake my head. It won’t be that easy to pull me back in this time. “I’m not doing this with you, Dad. No more back and forth. I’m done.”
“Done?” he asks, his cool demeanor shifting into boiling rage as he stands. “There’s no being done when it comes to your family. The people who took care of you and still do to this day! All I asked was that you would prioritize your family and the plan I have spent years setting in motion, and you couldn’t even do that right!”
“I never wanted any of this! Not once did you stop and ask me what I wanted.”
“Because I shouldn’t have to! I’m your father. I sacrificed—”
“No!” I cut him off. “You did those things foryou. Not because you loved me. Not because I’m your child. Not because you wanted to be agood, caring, or supportive parent. But because one day, you wanted me to repay you by giving up my dreams to help you meet yours.”
As if I’m nothing more than an annoying child, he waves me away. “Karla would do anything for me, but I didn’t even have to ask Keaton.”
“Well, I’m not Keaton.”
He rolls his eyes. “That’s obvious. Keaton listens.”
Months ago, my biggest fear about going against my father was losing the people who raised me. Now I’m questioning if being my parents means anything at this point. The people who feel like home don’t make me feel like this.
“You said I would lose my family if I turned you down, but I don’t think you ever cared about losingme. All you cared about is losing a future partner and employee. Losing the perfect father title you’ve created by minimizing the passions of your children for your own benefit and coercing them into a life they never wanted.”
He bares his teeth. “I didn’t coerce Keaton and Karla. They made their decisions.”
“Yet you thought you could force me into one.”
He drops back into his seat with a huff. “You’ve never been one to make the right choice. You were always the most difficult child. I was only trying to help steer you in the right direction.”
It almost sounds like he’s being genuine, but I know him. All he’s doing is trying to pull me back into his web of manipulation.
“My decision-making skills are great. In fact, this is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.”
While I’m often hasty, my actions have brought me nothing but fortune. Asking Cade if he wanted to come swim at the lake on our first day of kindergarten. Switching my major to biostatistics. Making Mallory mine.
That one is my favorite.
“We’ll be moving to Lake Anita when the semester ends in a few weeks.” I stand and head for the door. “Goodbye, Dad.”
Each step feels like a breath of fresh air. I did it. I stood my ground and now I’m free. Right outside of this door is freedom. A new start. A life with Mallory doing exactly what I want.
