Daniel let out a puff of air, annoyed that no one was really listening to him anymore. Good luck steering your brood of loons around, I wanted to say to him. Especially as I would soon be included in that brood.
Poor guy.
***
We had lunch at the café that was made famous in When Harry Met Sally. I couldn’t remember the film all that well but Perry’s mom did a minor – and yet embarrassing – re-enactment of the “I’ll have what she’s having” scene and all that it involved. Thankfully the place had a fuckton of pie. Pie was awesome.
At some point during our meal, Perry and her mom both simultaneously excused themselves and went outside. Again, she must have been sending her telepathic messages that I couldn’t pick up on. I knew what they were talking about, though. Perry was coming clean about switching her mother’s pills on her.
I didn’t know how I felt about that. I understand why Perry did it, but since I had been on the receiving end of that at one point, I also sympathized with her mother. There is nothing worse than seeing the carefully planned and crafted world you had created for yourself come tumbling down and you can’t figure out why.
But judging by the way they were hugging out on the street, it seemed to go all right. I suppose after everything, her mom was just happy to be alive and happy to have her daughter. I still wasn’t too sure how she felt about her future son-in-law.
“So,” her mother said as they came back inside. “We should get going.” She clapped her hands together and smiled and it was then that I realized she looked like she belonged in that god-awful Disney movie, Frozen. Not that she looked like a talking snowman, more like the blonde snow queen.
Beside me, Ada let out a small groan. I had been listening to Daniel talk about all the things wrong with New York that I hadn’t been watching her. She got up to her feet and then ran toward the bathroom, looking like she was about to barf.
“What’s wrong with her?” Perry asked.
“I don’t know,” I said, eyeing Daniel. “She seemed fine.”
“She probably had bad pie,” he said.
I frowned. “There is no such thing as bad pie.”
Minutes later she came back out, paler than normal but looking bright-eyed. “I’m okay,” she said sheepishly. “Sorry, I just felt nauseous.”
“It’s all the stress, honey,” her mom said. “We can go another time.”
“No,” she said, slinging her designer backpack on. “I’m all good. Totally. Let’s go.” She looked to us. “Are you guys sure you don’t want to come?”
Perry nodded and offered her a kind look. “Thank you but we’d rather be alone.”
Ada nodded, understanding. “All right, me and the rents it is.”
They left the restaurant and after we got coffees to go, we followed.
“Think they’ll be all right?” Perry asked as we stood outside the shop. The air was still stinky and hot as a wet sauna, but I couldn’t complain. I was alive.
“Don’t see why not,” I said, but even as I said it, it felt weird. Like I was jinxing things. But I didn’t know how.
Perry appeared to be satisfied with that, though I know she’d worry about it in the back of her brain. “So what do you want to do?”
She looked at me as if I was automatically going to suggest sex but that, for once, wasn’t what I had in mind. Not now, anyway.
“You were at the hall of records the other day, right?” I asked.
She cocked her head, appraising me. “Yeah. Why?”
“Did you find out anything about my father?”
“Your father? No. No, we searched for your mother.” She paused. “Why?”
I try to shrug it off like it was no big deal, but it really was. “No real reason. I guess, I just thought while I’m here, I’d try and track him down.”
“Are you serious?”
I nodded. “I know it seems ridiculous considering he’s a bastard that up and left me. And yeah, I kind of want to punch the guy in the teeth. But if he’s here, I want to see him. And yes, possibly punch him in the teeth. At least step on his foot or leave flaming doggy-doo at his door.”
“Dex,” she said in a warning tone, “are you sure about this? I mean, I know you have gone through the most traumatic event that anyone can go through but I don’t know if that means you should start contacting everyone you know.”
I gave her a look, reminding myself to stay patient with her. “No offense kiddo, but you don’t understand. You have a dad. He’s stayed by you, even though he can be a little Don Corleone at times. I never had that. No DeNiro, no Brando. I had nothing. If I have the chance to find him, get some closure, I want to take it.”