Page 212 of Steeling Her
“We aren’t too bad; this guy here is as tough as nails. I could swear he doesn’t feel anything anymore,” he jokes and Ted starts to laugh. I stand taller and silently wait for him to shut the fuck up and fuck off home.
So, I yawn to amuse myself.
“How are you, Elaine?” I reach over and kiss her on the cheek to greet her once again. I ignore the stupid idiot that’s beside her still cackling like it was actually hilarious.
“I’m very well, thank you, Nick. I saw your commercial on the big screen earlier today. My goodness, you have grown up so much.” She gives me a motherly smile. “You played brilliantly too. Very skilful on the field. I’d say your parents are so proud of you.” She was doing so well until the end. When someone mentions my parents, I immediately shut down. It reminds me of my dad, and naturally my mom. She stood by him despite not being very happy with what he did.
“Yeah . . .” That’s all I can manage to say before we are greeted once again by the girls.
“Dad?” Carter calls to him in amusement. “Why are you here? In a club?” She chuckles as she greets him with a hug. There is not a moment you can’t see when these two interact with each other and show so much love for one another.
“What? I can’t be cool and come to a club with my kids?” He wraps her up and smiles down at her as she rolls her eyes.
“I thought they’d turn you away after one look at your ID.” She shakes her head.
“Why? Because I look like I haven’t aged a day?” He wiggles his eyebrows.
“No, because you’re too old, Dad.” Chris dodges the hand that was coming toward him from his dad. The rest of them laugh. We’re all in high spirits from a winning game today. We all played quite well, except for Chris. Although, he was gathering a bit more momentum towards the end of the game.
“And why didn’t you come?” Rodger directs his attention to Ted along with a cold tone. Now it’s my turn to laugh; I do so under my breath but enough for him to hear me.
“I had work to do, Rodger. I’m a busy man,” he jokes and they reluctantly shake one another’s hand. Rodger has always been a tough cookie, but I had begun to break him down when I was dating his daughter over the time. Ted has had the year and he still hates him.
This interaction is almost comical too.
“Too busy to support my son, or be there for my daughter?” he bluntly asks and I feel my eyes widen rapidly at how openly he asked that with no hint of remorse.
“It wasn’t like that—”
“I’m sure it wasn’t, but relationships are all about compromises, right?” he asks him.
“Football just isn’t my thing—”
“I get that, but have you even tried to watch a game? Go to one? Huh?” He holds on to his daughter that little bit longer. I can see she’s uncomfortable about the grilling her dad is giving.
“N—”
“Give it a try, Ted. You might actually like it,” he says.
“No thanks. I’m fine.” Ted takes me by surprise by answering confidently that it’s not going to happen.
“Okay, so, what did you girls get to drink?” Elaine steers the question away from the tense and awkward state that it was heading because of these two in the room.
“Martinis!” Haley answers quickly.
“I’m going to get a beer.” Ted leaves the circle and goes to a spot that’s the furthest place away in the bar. I watch Carter’s eyes follow him. She stares up at her father and sends him a look that he knows all too well.
“You shouldn’t have said that, Dad.” She leaves the circle and follows after Ted.
“Cart—” he calls after her but she continues to follow after him, ignoring her dad’s plea.
Looks like he’s in trouble.
“She’s right, you know,” Elaine warns him. “You need to stop giving him such a hard time about football. He doesn’t like it, don’t push him to and don’t punish him because he doesn’t,” Elaine warns him.
Rodger scoffs and mumbles something under his breath that nobody catches. No doubt, it’s about Ted. He doesn’t like him and doesn’t think he’s worthy of his daughter. Neither do I, but I don’t like to express it as much as he does.
I suppose it is his only daughter.
