Daddy's girl

It was a sunny day. One of those days where the breeze cooled you but in a good way. The birds sang, the kids played, the dogs lay panting in gardens happily. Then the phone rang. She looked at the caller ID ‘Ryan calling’ What does he want? she thought as she answered it.

“Hi, dad.”

“Hi, Shelley, look, erm, your gran’s dead.”

Click. That was it. No explanation, nothing. Her bottom lip trembled as the tears spilled out of her eyes. Shelley hadn’t seen her paternal grandmother in month’s because of covid. Now she would never see her again. She looked at her phone in her trembling hand, calming herself as she rang her mam.

“That was it? He didn’t tell you anything.”

“Nothing, this call has been longer than his call, maybe he’ll be back in touch later.”

“Possibly. He shouldn’t have told you like that though.”

“I didn’t mind, mam. How was he supposed to tell me?”

The next few days Shelley spoke to her biological father several times. The most contact they had had since the falling out when she was 15, She was 33 now. Nothing like funeral or weddings for bringing the family together. She began to feel hopeful about their relationship. Maybe now the bridges could be remade.

She went to her grans house to take some memento’s. Her friend joined her for moral support, the only thing she wanted was the family picture. No one else would want it. It was taken before her parents divorce and other divorce’s had happened. She had barely made it through the door when the snide remarks started.

“You moved out of here seven years ago, why do you still have stuff here?” Her stepmother said when no one was around. Shelley said nothing. Today was not a day for arguments.

With arms full of her own and her gran’s things Shelley and her friend started to say their goodbyes and leave.

“Wait, you forgot this.” Her dad held out a photo magnet to her.

“Oh, I thought you would want it.” Her dad looked confused.

“Why would I want this?”

Shelley felt tears creeping into her eyes, luckily her friend saved her by grabbing it.

“I’ll take it! You look great.”

Sitting in the car Shelley felt drained. Why didn’t he want a photo of his only daughter? She knew then that their relationship would never be repaired. After the funeral she would walk away. She had to.

The day of the funeral her real dad asked her back to his house, she accepted.

She shouldn’t have.

It started well. They sat outside in the sun drinking. She talked to her dad more than anyone else that was there, her dad spoke bout the holidays he and his wife had been on. They started on the photo’s Shelley liked looking at holiday photo’s as she didn’t like to fly. They had been inside for ten minutes when his wife came in.

“Ryan go back outside you have guest’s.”

“We’ll be out in a minute, we are just looking at our America photo’s”

“I’m sure she can look by herself.” The wife replied guiding Ryan back outside, Shelley followed them annoyed and feeling like a naughty child who stole the toy.

Once the family had left they went inside as it was getting cooler. They were all tipsy by now. Shelley’s stepmother got out their wedding DVD and put it on. She started to cry as they watch. She looked at Shelley and pointed at her bridesmaid.

“That should have been you.”

Shelley stared back in disbelief. She couldn’t believe it.

“How should it have been me?”

“You should have been there.”

“Then, you should have invited me.”

The tears stopped. They had been fake as Shelley had suspected.

“You were the one that left.”

“Girl’s don’t start.” Ryan said.

“No! She left and she thinks she can talk to me like that!”

Shelley rolled her eye’s. Years of hurt and frustration came bubbling to the surface. It was the day of her grandmother’s funeral, why would her stepmother try to cause a fight.

“Well. What do you have to say for yourself?”

“Well, firstly. I don’t think you can remember that night you were so pissed. I left because you were both screaming at me for nothing. Dad grabbed me and nearly threw me through the window. The only reason he didn’t is because he knocked over a bottle of wine and saving the booze was more important.”

“You little bit-”

“I tried to come back several times. I was the one who rang when I left my mams house so that the child support could stop. I lived with gran and rang you weekly to come over, you were always busy.”

“We weren’t on Christmas.” Ryan chimed in.

“No, on Christmas like now, you were always drunk and you’d start on me and gran. If you can’t be bothered to be my dad the other days in the year, why would I want a dad on Christmas. I’m not a puppy.”

“You never liked me.” More fake tears from the stepmother. Shelley sighed in frustration and looked at her.

“You were my best friend. You are the best thing that ever happened to my dad. We had matching outfits. Does that sound like two people who don’t get on? I helped chose your engagement ring, I sided with you when dad thought the professional photo’s you had done were topless. The girl’s shopping trips we took or the days out we had when it was dad’s weekend but he had to work. I loved you. You started to dislike me and I still don’t know what happened. All I know is that when I walked out I was a CHILD.”

Shelley stood up. She could feel her eyes shining but she refused to cry.

“Where are you going? Leaving again?” Ryan said

“Are you going to stop me this time?”

“No. get out. Just leave.”

Shelley fought back the tears.

“You know what, Ryan. You were my hero. It was me and you against the world. When you and mam were still together and we clashed all the time I ran to you. We had the allotment, We played video games together. We never ever had a fight until you met her. She might be the best thing to have happened to you, but she’s the worst thing that happened to me. Goodbye Ryan.”

Shelley didn’t get halfway down the garden path before she was blinded by tears. She had known that drinking in Ryan’s house was a bad idea but she had done it anyway. Now she had paid the price. She got around the corner and let the tears fall until she felt like she had no more left. Then she got out her phone. There was only one person she wanted to see. One person she knew would save her. The best thing about divorce is if you lose one dad, if you were as lucky as she, was you gained another.

“Dad, can you pick me up please.”