Delayed (6 page)

“I’m sorry you have to spend your birthday dressed as an ugly witch. You should have tried out for Dorothy.”

She nudged his side. “I did. But the director thought I would fit the role of the wicked witch.”

Michael was smiling again. “Sounds like a jerk.”
 

Olivia shrugged. “He’s cute. A little demanding during rehearsals, but cute.”
 

A command spat out of his walkie-talkie. He turned his gaze back up to her. “Curtain call. Go and take your bow.”
 

She nodded, already following a few munchkins to the stage. “I’ll meet you after. Don’t forget about our dinner date.”
 

Michael was lost to his director duties before he could answer. Olivia took her place on the stage as the curtains pulled back to reveal the auditorium. The applause made her feel whole again. She waited for the supporting cast to take in the praise. Dorothy followed and then the Good Witch; they both curtsied their way down the stage, then turned and left a space for her.
 

Olivia picked the skirt of her costume and brought her right hand up to her witch’s hat. She removed it and gave a deep bow, a part of her didn’t think villains curtsied. The audience’s clapping grew louder. She let herself bask in it, scanning the crowd, gracious to all the strangers. Then her eyes landed on the last two people she wanted to see. Jocelyn gave her a nod. Olivia’s dad stood right next to her, grabbing his girlfriend by the waist.
 

Olivia stood up from her bow and took the spot next to Dorothy. Whatever enjoyment she’d felt vanished. Thankfully the curtains closed, blocking her view of them.
 

All the actors began to scurry in various directions. She felt her way around the darkness back into the dressing room. Then spent the next half hour removing green makeup from her cheeks. Her face was red and irritated by the time she went to meet Michael in the front of the auditorium.
 

Jocelyn had already lured him into her web. He stood near the doors with a huge smile on his face. Olivia watched as her dad patted her boyfriend on the shoulder. She winced. Maybe she could wait for Michael to find her.

Her dad gazed up. He immediately waved her over. She hesitated for a moment but made her way over to them.

“You were wonderful Liv,” he said, before throwing a bouquet of flowers into her arms.
 

Jocelyn took a step back, letting Olivia stand next to her dad.
 

The flowers were beautiful, white roses, wrapped together by a green bow.
 

“Thanks,” Olivia said. Michael took the flowers from her, handing her the sweater she’d left in his director’s chair.
 

“Oh and happy birthday sweetheart. Jocelyn already made reservations for the three of us at your favorite cafe.”
 

“La Petite,” Michael said at the same time Jocelyn did.
 

“I’m having my birthday dinner with Michael,” Olivia said. She threw on the sweater. “I thought you were working tonight.”

“Something more important came up,” her dad said. For a moment, she almost believed that the something might be about her, but from Jocelyn's presence she knew it wasn't.
 

“Well, I have dinner plans with Michael. You two can use the reservation Jocelyn made.”

Olivia didn’t know why she seemed to lose any sense of maturity when she was around her dad. It was like whenever she saw him she wanted a reason to be angry. Sometimes just looking at him was enough to make her feel unnerved. The fact he had primary custody of her didn’t make it any better.
 

Michael came up behind her and took her hand into his own. His skin felt warm against hers, but it brought no comfort.
 

“Olivia we should just have dinner with them. I mean we’re going to the same place.”
 

She brought her gaze to him, hoping that her eyes might quiet his suggestions, but her boyfriend wasn’t quite finished.
 

“I can drive Olivia there, sir. We can be there in fifteen minutes.”
 

Her dad gave Michael a quick nod. He placed an arm around his own girlfriend.
 

“That sounds like a good compromise. We’ll see you there, then.”
 

Olivia watched her dad walk away, hand in hand with the woman who tore their family apart. She turned, snatched the flowers out of Michael’s hands and walked straight to the trashcan. He followed behind.
 

The roses crumpled under the small opening and seeing them destroyed brought her no satisfaction.

"What are you doing? Those were probably expensive," Michael said. He tried to salvage a few of the roses from the trash. In the process, a few people stopped to assess the situation.

“I don’t care what he paid for them,” Olivia grabbed the roses and threw them back into the trash.
 

Michael grabbed her arm, making her stop mid toss. “You’re making a scene for no reason. Let’s just go and get the dinner over with.”
 

She snatched her arm out of his grasp and tossed the bouquet out for a second time. He didn’t try to retrieve them. Her dad’s missing presence calmed her.
 

“Fine. Let’s just go,” Olivia said. She walked ahead of Michael. Neither one of them said anything on the short car ride to Glensford’s historic district. La Petite was already starting to crowd when they arrived.
 

“They're over there,” Michael pointed out as soon as they walked through the doors. Jocelyn waved them over but stopped when she saw Olivia.

The two of them took their seats in silence. She realized she still had on the black nail polish from her wicked witch ensemble.
 
A waitress took their orders, and silence loomed as they waited.
 

“You did a great job directing the play, Michael. Your hard work really showed,” her dad said.

“Thank you, sir. It means a lot,” Michael said. He took a sip of his water. There was another bout of silence.

“How has your birthday been so far?” Jocelyn asked. She let her brown eyes rest on Olivia.
 

Olivia tilted her head, trying her best not to scoff at the question. “Better than my fourteenth birthday.”

"Olivia. Not now," her dad said. He whispered the command as if that would make it more effective. It didn't. In fact, it only made her want to continue.

“Why? I’m sure most parents forget their daughter’s birthdays once in a while.”
 

“We didn’t come here to argue Liv,” Jocelyn said.
 

“Don’t call me that,” Olivia said. “Don’t ever think you can call me that.”
 

“Olivia, please,” Michael said. He tried to take her hand, but she pulled it away.

The waitress brought over their orders. The food provided only a temporary moment of reprieve. She wished her mom could be with her, but she’d have to wait until tomorrow.
 

Olivia took a few bites of her pasta and set her fork down. Some topic loomed in the background.
 

“What’s the real reason for this dinner, dad? You’re not the type to waste your time on birthdays. So what is it?”
 

Her dad bit his lip, holding in whatever it was that he truly wanted to say.
 

“It’s your birthday, and you’re my daughter. I’m not wasting my time…”
 

“Just tell me whatever it is you need to say.”
 

Jocelyn's hands were shaky as she tried to eat. Olivia's dad took his girlfriend's hand and sighed.

“We have news,” he said in a monotone voice.
 

“News. How lovely,” Olivia said. Michael was trying to turn himself away from the conversation, focusing too much energy on cutting his chicken.
 

“I don’t need sarcasm Olivia,” her dad said. He paused and tightened his grip on Jocelyn’s hand. “We’re engaged.”
 

The words slipped Olivia into silence. Every sound and sight turned into part of the backdrop for the image of her dad and his mistress. She knew it was inevitable, but hearing the words was a different experience.

“What?” she asked.
 

“We’re engaged Liv,” Jocelyn said. Then she paused and turned to her fiancé, “We’re also expecting. I’m four weeks along.”
 

Olivia stared at the white tablecloth. She couldn't use sarcasm or some witty come back to hide anything at that moment. Her heart was breaking and the tears were already welling up in her eyes. She slid her chair back and walked out of the restaurant.
 

She didn’t want to cry in front of them, not on her birthday. Somehow she found a back door that led out to a darkened alleyway.
 

Michael followed right behind her. He took a step forward, blocking her path.
 

“Olivia what was that?”
 

“You wouldn’t understand,” she said, crossing her arms.
 

“You’re right. I don’t understand why you act like this whenever you’re around your dad. He’s just trying to move on with his life,” Michael said.
 

“There is no moving on from what he did.”
 

Michael shook his head. “Why can't you let him be happy? I don't get it. For the past year and a half you've barely said one good thing about him. I don’t think he’s the problem.”

“Excuse me?”
 

“You’re not exactly helping the situation Liv.”
 

She fisted her hands. “Did I ask for sideline commentary on my family life? You don't know anything, Michael.”

“That’s the problem. You’re my girlfriend and I don’t know anything about you outside of school,” his normally calm tone was slipping.
 

The words left her mouth before she even thought them through. “Let’s just end it.”
 

“What?”
 

“I’m not going to waste my time fighting,” she said.
 

He tried to take a step toward her, but she stepped back. “People fight Liv. You argue and make up, so you can move past things.”

Olivia shook her head. She knew there was no turning back. “No. People fight then they fall out love and they just end up hurting each other. Let’s end it before we get to that point.”
 

“Olivia. We’ve been together for almost
two
years.”
 

She nodded, hiding every urge she had to let herself break down. This wasn’t about Michael. “They were a fun two years. Let’s keep the good memories. We’re done.”
 

She turned to walk back into the restaurant. There was a slight pause in her step, a chance to turn back. Michael hadn’t moved. The hesitation eased and she continued forward. It would be better this way.
 

Her dad stood up when she approached the table. Olivia picked up her purse and sweater. She sucked in a breath while staring at the table again.
 

“I’ll call you when I get to Shepton tomorrow.”
 

Jocelyn didn’t look up at her. Her dad just shook her words away and went back to reassuring his soon to be wife.
 

Olivia took a cab back home. She finished packing up the majority of her summer wardrobe into one suitcase. At least she would get to see her mom tomorrow.
 

Michael didn’t call. She hadn’t expected him to. The cab arrived at her dad’s apartment before the sun was even up. He hadn’t come home. He had a habit of staying over at Jocelyn’s. Olivia wondered what the new living arrangements would be like, but she didn’t give herself time to think too much into it.
 

And as if the previous day hadn’t been bad enough, her flight was delayed. It was leaking some sort of fluid. She took a seat in the emptiest part of her departure gate, only to remember she’d skipped breakfast.
 

Olivia brought her carry-on with her, realizing it was the same one she’d used two years back. The thought brought back the image of the strange goodbye at the beach house. She approached a small breakfast bar, trying to see past the head of the boy in front of her.
 

The stranger turned. He probably noticed her odd side stepping and jumping as she tried to read the menu.
 

“Oh sorry,” he said, “I didn’t realize I was in your way.”
 

“It's okay, I was just…” Olivia stopped as she locked eyes with the stranger. She recognized the disheveled black hair up close. He looked older and thinner. His smile hadn't changed though, and his dark eyes lit up as he recognized her.

“You got taller,” she finally said.
 

7
 

June 4, 2006

Nick recognized her before the comment even left her mouth.
 

“You’ve gotten taller,” Olivia said, as if it were another fact of life.
 

He could feel his cheeks flushing as her eyes traveled the length of his newly grown six-foot frame. It turned out he was no longer the runt of the family. His sixteenth year of life had gifted him with the emergence of his father’s genetics.
 

She smiled, a short and brief sort of smile. Her gray eyes lingered on him, waiting, assessing.
 

“Olivia,” Nick finally managed. Hearing himself say her name, made the situation even more real. “I didn’t think I’d ever see you again.”
 

That wasn’t a complete lie. After the first day they met, at the beach house, a part of him had known he would have to see her one more time, to return the keychain to her. Yet, when he got his chance, when the world aligned everything, and brought Olivia into his life, he couldn’t do it.
 

“I guess the universe had other plans,” she said. Her fingers remain wrapped around the handle of her carry-on. She paused. “How have you been?”
 

Regretting,
Nick wanted to say. He’d spent the last year wondering why he hadn’t approached her that day. And the casual tone with which see seemed to pick up their conversation, made him feel sillier.