“Eddie, this is my friend, Jesse,” Maisey said.
“Jesse, huh? You look familiar - oh, yes!” Eddie exclaimed. “Jesse Colorado! I saw you in an underwear ad in GQ, last month, didn’t I?”
“Yeah, I guess. Nice to meet you, Eddie,” I said, extending my hand. Eddie gripped it strongly, pumping it up and down as he looked at me suspiciously. “Why are you here, exactly?”
“I - um, well —,” I was at a loss for words, and I looked over to Maisey for help.
“Jesse and I went to high school together,” Maisey explained.
“Uh-huh? And?” he asked.
“Eddie, Jesus! Okay, look! Jesse is Maddy’s father. She overheard us talking about it on the porch and she ran out - she ran away.”
“Oh, dear! Wow,” Eddie replied, his eyes widening in surprise. “Her father, huh? This is big…” he said, turning to Maisey and elbowing her. “Damn, Maisey, you sure can keep a secret, can’t you, girlfriend? I can’t believe you never told me.”
“I never told anyone!” Maisey protested.
“I just found out myself,” I said quietly.
“Ohhh! The story gets even juicier!” Eddie said, clapping his hands together gleefully.
“I’m so glad this is entertaining you, but that’s not why we’re here, Eddie. Did Maddy say anything to you?”
“Not really. She just said she needed to get away, and asked if she could watch TV. She’s only been here about ten minutes.”
“Okay,” Maisey said, taking a deep breath and squaring her shoulders. “I’ll go talk to her.”
She turned to walk away and disappeared down a hall, leaving Eddie and I alone in his living room. He turned to me, his dark lined eyes full of questions.
“You look like you could use a drink,” he said, flipping his curly auburn wig over his shoulders.
“A drink sounds good, but it’s probably best if I wait on that,” I said, gesturing to the back room.
“Oh? Handsome, rich and responsible, huh? So far so good,” he laughed, turning to walk in the kitchen. I followed behind him, watching the exaggerated sway of his hips. “I can’t believe Maisey never told me about you.”
“Maisey likes to keep things to herself,” I replied, dryly, as I watched him pour himself a drink.
“Apparently,” he laughed. “She’s a good woman, though. I’m sure she had her reasons. She’s not the reckless type.”
“We were young,” I explained. “It was a long time ago.”
“True,” he agreed, “and now here we are. Not so young anymore.”
“Here we are,” I nodded, allowing a small smile to cross my face for the first time today. “Here we are…”
40
MAISEY
I walked down the hallway that led to Eddie’s back den, clutching Maddy’s inhaler and trying to figure out what I was going to say to her. I’d imagined this conversation a million times in my head, and it had never played out like this. All my practiced speeches and explanations abandoned me, leaving my brain a tangled mess of confusion and uncertainty.
I walked down the few carpeted stairs that led into Eddie’s den, and saw Maddy watching television, eating a banana with Snowflake in her arms and sitting in front of the open sliding glass door that led to the backyard. It was dark out, and the light from the television cast a dim glow across the room.
“Hey,” I whispered.
She glanced up at me quickly and then looked away.
Slowly, I walked into the room and sat down beside her.
“Maddy, we need to talk,” I said. Her eyes flashed over at me, and I could see she was angry.
“Who is that man?” she asked, her voice quiet as a whisper.
“His name is Jesse. He’s my friend.”
“He’s the one who gave you the car and sent all the flowers?” she asked. “And Snowflake, too?”
“Yes, baby,” I said.
“I heard him say he was my father,” she said, her little voice quivering. “Is that true?”
My heart was breaking as the reality of all the mistakes I’d made came crashing over me. I looked at her, my sweet trusting daughter, and I felt like the worst person in the world.
“Yes, baby,” I said. “It’s true.” I couldn’t lie anymore. I couldn’t go on with this facade that I didn’t need anyone else, that I could do this all on my own. I’d left Jesse in the living room with Eddie, and I wished so badly that he was here by my side right now.
“Why didn’t he come to see me sooner?” Maddy asked. I could hear the pain in her voice and it broke my heart in two. “Why did he leave us alone for so long?”