Oh Daddy

"Oh Daddy,
You know you make me cry,
How can you love me,
I don't understand why.
Oh Daddy,
If I can make you see,
If there's been a fool around,
It's got to be me.
Oh Daddy,
You soothe me with your smile,
You're letting me know,
You're the best thing in my life.
Oh Daddy." Oh Daddy by Fleetwood Mac

"How'd the interview go?" Amber asked, as I followed the GPS instructions to Dino's gym. Dino sent me a text, telling me, not asking me, the time and address for our work out. Wednesday was her and Amber's common off day and I did promise I would go, so I took a break from packing to get a work out in.

I had my interview with Dr. Tran the Tuesday following my interview with Adil-er, Dr. Fahri. I had no fucking idea how it went. Dr. Tran was hard to read. He was brief and very stern. He started the interview with an introduction of himself, the clinic and how we worked with the surgical center. He laid out what the role of physical therapist entailed, pay, and benefits before asking if I was interested in the position.

I told him I was, channeling my dad's strong, all business attitude. I didn't want to show how rattled I was by Dr. Tran's cold demeanor. He nodded and asked if I had any questions for him. He told me the basics about himself, like his job description and how long he has been with the company, but nothing really personal. In an attempt to get him talking, I asked him what he enjoyed most about his position.

He replied seeing his team being successful with clients. I followed up asking what his team did to be successful. He answered work hard. After that plain response, I thanked him for his time and left.

"I think it went ok. He told me he would be in touch." I shrugged. After my interview, I called and declined the job at the assistant living facility. Even with Dr. Tran's less than warm treatment, I still would rather be at the clinic. If I didn't get the job, I wanted something I would enjoy. I would rather wait for the right job than be miserable at the one I had.

We finally pulled up to an older building in South Dallas. It was called little Mexico because of the high population of Hispanic families. We grabbed our work out bags and headed inside. When we walked inside, I was shocked by a boxing ring. I gave Amber a look. What the fuck? She was just as confused as me.

"Hey girls!" Dino gave us a huge smile when she finally appeared. She was wearing purple boxing gloves "Let's go, we're gonna be late."

"For what?" Amber inquired as we followed Dino through the lobby, down a hallway to a separate room. There was a class waiting with multiple punching bags throughout the room. Dino greeted the instructor with a hug as Amber and I set up together. The instructor was an older guy with graying hair and sweat pants and a loose t-shirt. He welcomed everyone in the class in a raspy voice. I figure it couldn't be that bad; I was so wrong.

He was a tough old man, barking out instructions, correcting forms, pushing us to go strike harder, better, faster, stronger! I would have sang Daft Punk's song if I was gasping for breath by the end of our boxing theme workout.

Afterwards, I could barely muster the strength to bring a bottle to my mouth; My arms ached that bad. Amber and I chugged water while Dino walked over with the instructor.

"This is my dad Diego." Dino said, proudly grinning as the sweat made her hair stick to her face.

Amber's smile was more of a grimace. "Great class. I'm Amber."

Dino chuckled at her flat compliment. I didn't even attempt to smile. I removed my boxing gloves and stuck out my hand to shake Diego's.

"I'm Lily and I would say nice to meet you, but that was the hardest work out of my life." I complained.

"Thank you. That's what I'm going for: tough!" Diego said, his eyes sparkling deviously.

"Well, you accomplished it." I smiled, sincerely.

"Are you nurses like my daughter?" He asked.

"I'm am. She a physical therapist." Amber answered.

Diego looked at Dino. "Médica de Rehabilitación."

"Oh... I see you're not wearing a wedding band. Single?" He asked me. I looked at his wedding band, than Dino, confused.

"Papi, stop. You sound like a dirty old man. He's desperate to hook my brother up with a good woman." Dino answered.

"No, not married but I have a boyfriend. Moving in with him this weekend if I regain strength to finishing packing." I smiled.

"Did you tell your friend about your brother's moving company?" Diego asked Dino.

"No, I just found out. Do y'all need movers?" She asked me.

"We do, I'm not sure if my boyfriend hired them yet." I admitted.

"Let me get you my brother's card. They'll hook you up." Dino told me. "We're gone. I'll see you Sunday." She said, giving her dad a hug.

Diego waved at Amber and me. "Come back anytime. Bring your friends!"

We waved goodbye and went to the locker room to freshen up and change. We went to Olive Garden for lunch. We all ordered the endless soup, salad and breadsticks special. As we ate, I asked Dino about her family. Her parents have been married since they were 17 and 18 and she has 2 brothers. She came from the perfect little family and her dad adored her. No wonder she had such high standards for guys.

"What are the girls up to this summer? I know Robbie is still in daycare." I asked Amber after I ordered another salad, dressing on the side. I resisted the breadsticks and stuck to one bowl of soup.

"They're going to the same summer camp that EJ is doing. It's offered through the recreation center in Carrollton. They picked the classes they want: cooking and dancing. Even though we don't live in the city of Carrollton, it's cheaper than daycare." Amber explained.

"Does Will still want to move to Carrollton?" Dino asked. I looked up, surprised. That was news to me.

Amber rolled her eyes. "Yes." She looked at me."Ethan always taking about what a great the community and school district it is but we jut got a routine and settled. Why disrupt that so he can be close to his buddy? I swear, he's like infatuated with Ethan."

I smiled. "I get it. He has that allure: Like he's perfect and all knowing and can do no wrong. It wears off eventually."

"You sound like you speak from experience." Dino smiled at me.

"You have no idea." I replied, before telling her our history. As I did, I caved and grabbed a breadstick. It least I wasn't dipping it in Alfredo sauce...



When we left,  I decided to tag along with Amber as she picked up the kids and went to finish her Father's day shopping. She already ordered him the Apple watch, she needed groceries to make Will brunch since he didn't want to go out and a card from the kids. As we searched, I decided to get Ethan a card along with my dad. I was going to do a shout out on Facebook to him and the other good fathers I knew, but speaking about our history made me remember my miscarriage. I didn't tell Dino about it, but it did make me think about how Ethan would handle the first Father's Day after he found out.

On Mother's day, I didn't even think about it until Rocky informed me Ethan wanted to send me a card. I wouldn't have wanted one, but my first mother's day I was a mess. I knew a card would have helped me my out. I felt completely alone. Obviously, Ethan still thought about the miscarriage to consider getting me a card on Mother's day. I figured a few kind words in a form of a card would be a nice gesture.

The kids picked out a sweet card for Will. I found a fitting card for my dad. It read:

Any man can be a father, but it takes a special person to be a dad. 

I couldn't find anything good enough for Ethan. After I dropped Amber and her kids home, I went to a Hallmark store, but still didn't find anything. I picked up a blank card and envelope instead.

I went to my apartment and worked on my own, homemade card for Ethan. The words poured from me. I re-read it, reorganized, and reread it again before I wrote it on the blank card:

It's kinda funny to think the whole reason I came into EJ's and your life was based off the lie you were a deadbeat dad. I used to think to myself before we met that you should feel blessed to have such an amazing kid in your life... and, that you were a major asshole! Has enough time passed for it to be funny? If not, sorry. I'm not laughing :-D

My first Mother's Day after my miscarriage, I was filled with a bunch questions: What if I never left? What if our baby survived? What if I told you what happened? One thing I never questioned was what kind of father you would be. 

From the moment I met you, you've shown me what a dedicated father you are. I was a fool for believing otherwise. Proof is in the incredible son you're raising; he's blessed to have you as a dad. I hope you two have a wonderful day together. Happy Father's Day Ethan! 

Love, Lily.

Afterwards, I worked on just signing my dad's card. It was so hard; I didn't want to sign anything too simple or fake. I was still struggling when Trevor called. He asked me if I had anything else to bring over. I told him I finished packing the kitchen stuff, but I was taking a break because I had to finish my dad's Father's day card.

"I don't know what to say." I moaned.

"Happy Father's day? I love you?" Trevor laughed.

"That's so generic." I pouted.

"What do you wanna say?"

"Thank you for not disowning me, even though I'm a failure as a daughter."

"You are not a failure." Trevor told me.

 "I know I'm not, but as you know, my dad has high expectations set for me." I said.

"Even if you fall short of his expectations, it doesn't mean he's going to cut you off. He loves you regardless."

I got off the phone with him, inspired.

Dad,

Thanks for choosing to be my dad. I know we don't always see eye to eye but I know you love me regardless. I appreciate it more than I can ever say. I love you Dad. Happy Father's Day.

Love, Lily

After slipping in a IOU a gift note, I sealed it, put stamps on both cards, and walked to my apartment's mail boxes to put them in the outgoing mail slot.

By the time I got back to my apartment from walking with Justine, Trevor was there, loading his car with the boxes from the kitchen.

"Hey baby. Why don't we just leave them for the movers?" I asked, watching him struggle to fit the box in his back seat.

"They charge by the hour. Besides, if everything is at my place, you'll have to start sleeping over again." He said with a grin, shoving the car door shut.

"No. This is our last week of freedom. I'm sleeping in my own bed for the last few nights." I shook my head.

"Fine!" He said, closing the door to his car before giving me a kiss.

"About the movers, one of Amber co-workers brothers' run a moving company. She gave me their card." I informed him.

"No harm in getting a quote." Trevor shrugged. We went inside in called them. After a series of questions, including listing everything we needed moved, what floors we lived on and our addresses, Junior was able to give us a set price. Trevor booked it and set up the date and time.


On Thursday, I was cleaning up my patio storage when I got a call from Dr. Tran. I got the job! The following week I would start a week of training, called onboarding. It would be Monday-Friday 9am-3pm. I called Trevor immediately and told him the great news. I then sent out a text to my friends, letting them know as well.

That evening, Trevor took me out to a dinner celebration at Cantina Laredo. We toasted my new job with margaritas and dined on guacamole, fajitas for him and enchiladas for me and churros for dessert. Everything was delicious and I ate myself into a stupor.

After I got everything packed up and organized by Friday afternoon, I joined Sammy and Jordan at the hair salon. Sammy was getting a blow out for her birthday weekend, and I needed a trim and a dye before going back to work. I decided to dye my hair closer to it's original chestnut brown, with honey highlights. Jordan went for a complete change and dyed her hair blonde: an all over, golden blonde. I thought she looked beautiful as a brunette, but the blonde was a striking contrast against her sun tanned skin and green eyes. We wished Sammy a happy birthday and planned to get together next weekend to celebrate my new job, her birthday, Jordan's new look, and life in general!

On Saturday, the move went smoothly. I had everything organized in my apartment as far as what was going to storage so it could be packed first. Junior and Dominick, Dino's brothers, were professional and quick. With the help of one other person, they had everything in the moving van in under 2 hours. It took longer at Trevor's apartment because he lived on the 2nd floor and we had to unload everything before we could load his things that were going to storage.

Trevor went with them to the storage unit while I started to move the boxes to their respective rooms. Afterwards, I started unpacking in the kitchen first.

I heard the front door open as I finished putting the cooking utensils away. Trevor came in with the huge mirror Rocky bought me.

"That's supposed to be in storage!" I told him, eyeing the mirror with disdain.

"We need one in our room, remember? The one you bought me broke." He said, sliding it in the room.

"You mean the one you broke?" I called after him.

"Same thing." He replied back.

"What wall?" I shouted at him.

"Not sure. How bout the ceiling?" He said, returning to the living room.

"Perv." I smiled.

"We'll figure it out." He said, joining me in the kitchen. "Take a break and eat with me."

"I'm almost done. One last box." I said.

Trevor helped me finish the last box of appliances. His counters had plenty of space. I just had to figure out where I wanted everything.

"What's this?" He asked. I turned and looked at him.

"A waffle maker." I told him.

"Why don't you make the ones in the toaster?" He asked.

"I do. That's for homemade ones."

"How many homemade waffles have you made?"

"Shut up Trevor. It was on sale when I bought it!" I exclaimed while he laughed.

After dinner, we got to work unpacking the bedroom. Our bed- formally my bed-was unmade in the middle of the room. It was a queen size, so it took up more space than his full size bed. Add that to the dresser and nightstands I brought and the entertainment center he had, his-our- room looked much smaller. We got to work rearranging everything and found a wall adjacent to the bed for the mirror. I had to say, it made the room look bigger. Although, I wasn't sure how I felt about waking up to a mirror every morning.

I was making the bed while Trevor put our clothing in the dresser drawers when he asked, "Was this on sale too?"

I blushed furiously as he held up my vibrator. "Put that back!"

He looked over it, curiously. "What's this little one for? Why does it have two controls? One twist and one vibrates? Ohhh!" He said with a huge grin as he turned it on and figured it out.

"Hahaha, put it up!" I said, marching over to take it from him. I shut it off.

"Aww, c'mon. I wanna watch you use it."

"No. The whole point of it is to use it when you're not available." I said, placing it deep in the dresser drawer.

"Have you used it this past week?" He asked.

"Shut up Trevor!!!"


After the bedroom, we stopped for the night. We both were exhausted and passed out in each other's arm. It sounds super cheesy, but it felt different knowing it was our bed, our apartment now.

Late Sunday morning, I untangled myself from his embrace and started on breakfast. I finished the first batch of homemade waffles when I heard Trevor's phone ringing. Trevor's voice carried into the kitchen but I couldn't make out what he was saying. A few moments later, he joined me in the kitchen.

"Morning Roomy." I grinned at him.

Trevor chuckled and hugged me from behind. "Good morning darling." He said, kissing me on the neck.

I moaned. "How'd you sleep?"

"Next to you, so it was perfect."

"Good answer. That earned you a waffle."

We ate breakfast at his dining room table. Mine was way too big and was in storage now.

After we ate, Trevor started organizing the bathroom and I called my dad. I wanted to make sure he got my card and tell him I got a job and moved in with Trevor. I waited until after I got a job to tell him because I didn't want him thinking that's why I moved in with Trevor. Besides, he wouldn't lecture me on Father's Day, right?

"Happy Father's day." I greeted him.

"Thank you Lily and thank you for your card."

"You got it? Great! I was afraid it might not make it."

"I received it on Friday. I decided what I want for my IOU." He told me.

"Already? What?" I asked, with a smile.

"For you to come visit for 4th of July. Don't worry about the ticket, I will take care of it."

"Dad, that's one of the things I wanted to tell you. I have a new job. I start on Monday."

I filled him in on the new position at the clinic. "I'm not sure what my schedule will be, but I'll be on probation so a trip probably won't happen anytime soon." I finished.

"How long is your probation?"

"I'm not sure. I have training next week."

"As soon as you get some time, I would like you and Trevor both to come." He said.

"Really?"

"Yes. Is he available?"

"Umm, I'm not sure how much vacation time he has."

"No, available to talk." My dad clarified.

"What makes you think I'm with Trevor?" I asked.

"You two live together right?" He said.

Damn Cam.

"Yeah Dad, we do. Another reason I was calling..."

"May I speak to him?" He asked.

I put my hand over the speaker and went into the bathroom. "My dad wants to talk to you." I said, softly.

"Why?" He asked looking up from under the sink where he put my beauty supplies next to the cleaning stuff.

Yeah, that wasn't going to work.

"I don't know!" I exclaimed. "He knows we live together. Be cool!"

I handed him the phone and Trevor sat up and straightened out his shirt like my dad could see him.

"Morning sir. Happy Father's day." He said, friendly. That was the most he said in the entire 5 minute conversation. A lot of "uh huh, yes sir, no sir".  Then, he smiled. He even laughed as he agreed with something he said.

"I will sir. Enjoy the rest of your day." Trevor said, before handing the phone to me.

My dad reminded me to call as soon as I knew about my vacation time. After I said bye, I turned to Trevor.

"What did he say?"

"Nothing."

"He said something." I pestered him.

"He did, but in confidence."

"He probably thinks you're gonna tell me anyway. Just tell." I persuaded him.

"Maybe, but I'll know the truth.You want your dad to trust me right?" He winked at me.

I pouted. That's just like my dad. Every time I think I got him figured out, he changes it up on me. That was ok; I'd probably never figure him out, but I loved him regardless.

"I guess I'll be using Twist this week since we won't be having sex." I threatened him.

Trevor busted out laughing. "It has a name?!?"

I scurried away from him, blushing but a smile on my face.