Page 4 of Lily In The Valley
I shrugged quickly, eyes flicking down to the clipboard in my hands. “Same mess, different day. My parents have been doing this petty push-and-pull thing for as long as I can remember. I’m trying not to get roped in.”
Janelle winced. “Oof. Been there. I can’t stand when grown folks act like kids.”
“Exactly. I’m twenty-eight. I shouldn’t still be dodging their guilt trips like dodgeballs in middle school.”
We exchanged a knowing look before parting ways. I headed to the locker room, stripped off my scrubs, and changed into a fitted black tank top and baggy jeans that hugged the roundcurve of my ass just so. The outfit said, “I’m off the clock but still the best-dressed person in the room.”
On my way out, I checked my phone and saw I had a text from my dad.
Daddy-O
Heard you’re going to your mom’s. Again. When are you gonna spend some time with your old man?
I rolled my eyes. I’m sure the “again” was meant to be drawn out like I was some disloyal teenager sneaking out to crash at a boyfriend’s house. I debated calling him back but decided against it.
If he was truly hurt, he knew where to find me.
My mom livedin a Mediterranean-style townhouse in the Houston Heights area. It was beautiful with its exposed wooden beams, stone arches, and cream exterior. It was a far cry from the brick mini-mansion my parents shared before their latest split. Her bachelorette pad had a kind of modern aesthetic that influencers would sell a kidney for. It was a little much for someone who claimed to hate “all that modern mess,” but Charisse Reid was nothing if not a contradiction.
As I pulled up, I spotted my dad’s car in the driveway.
Of course.
I parked anyway. I wasn’t about to play hide-and-seek over grown folks’ drama.
When I got on the porch, the door opened before I could even knock. My dad stepped out, dressed in one of his too-expensive polos and cologne that hit my nose before he even said a word.
“Hey, baby girl.”
“Hey, Daddy,” I said, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. He lingered, eyes scanning me like he was trying to read between the lines of my outfit.
“You look tired. Been working too hard again?”
“Residency is supposed to be hard,” I said lightly. “I’m fine.”
He nodded, but his eyes drifted to the front door. “I just think it’s funny–”
Lord.
“–how you always find time to come see your mama, but I haven’t seen you in weeks.”
“It hasn’t been weeks,” I groaned. “I just saw you at Nessa and Zay’s engagement party.”
“It’s been eleven days since that,” he corrected like he’d been counting. “And before that, it was weeks.”
I sighed, shifting my weight. “Daddy, I’m not picking sides.”
“You don’t have to say it, Kelly. Actions speak louder than words.”
I hated when he did this. Turned every visit into a referendum. Like loving one parent meant betraying the other.
“Look, I’m here now, okay? I’ll call you later this week. Maybe we can grab lunch.”
His expression softened a little, but the weight in his eyes didn’t lift. “Alright. Just…don’t forget who taught you everything you know.”
I blinked. “Really?”
“I’m just saying.” He opened his car door, shook his head like I’d already failed some unspoken test, and drove off.
