All I've Never Wanted(48)

Probably suggested it so he could get mom away before I choose to spill the beans, I thought with a sneer, even though I wasn’t sure if I would be. Spilling the beans, that is.

God, that is just so…so underhanded!

He was turning more and more into a stranger every day.

“Well, Dad? Don’t you have something to say?” I asked pointedly, interrupting my mom mid-ramble.

His head jerked up guiltily. “What do you mean?” he asked, visibly gulping.

I gave him a big, fake smile. “Well, mom’s obviously sooo excited about this trip. Aren’t you?”

“Oh. Yeah. Of course.” He laughed, a look of relief on his face. “Uh…you’ll be all right here with your grandmother for two weeks, won’t you?”

“Me?” My grandmother looked at him sharply. “What you mean?”


“Well…uh, since Shelly and I will be on the trip, it’ll only be you and Maya in the house for a bit,” my dad replied, obviously baffled.

My grandmother scowled. “What you think I am? Babysitter? Maya my granddaughter but I no live here! I have life back home.” She sniffed. “There’s annual mah-jongg tournament next week. I leave Friday. No way I let that Rose beat me again!” Her scowl deepened. “Rose, what stupid name that is,” she muttered. “More like Loser Weed.”

“You’re leaving this Friday? But we leave Sunday!” My dad turned to face my mom. “You didn’t tell me that.”

“Oh, right.” My mom looked embarrassed. “I was just so excited it slipped my mind…”

I didn’t see what the big deal was. “So I’ll just stay here by myself. I’m seventeen, I can handle it.”

This was actually not a bad development. I needed the two weeks to figure out what I was going to do about the whole my-dad-is-cheating thing.

“What? No good!” my grandmother shrieked, waving a spatula frantically in the air. When did she get that out, anyway? “You girl! You cannot stay in house all by yourself for two weeks! Very, very dangerous!”

“Grandma, it’s Valesca,” I explained patiently. “The most dangerous things here are those birds that come out of nowhere and poop on you.”

But my grandmother wasn’t having it. “No.” She pointed the spatula at me. “You dating Parker now! I no want you and him in house by yourself when you having sex.”

My dad spewed his tea all over the table.

“Kids these days, they get up to kinky stuff when parents no around,” my grandmother continued. “I want grandchildren, but I no like kinky!”

“Parker? Who’s Parker? And why would you be getting kinky with him?” my dad sputtered.

“Parker’s her boyfriend, dear,” my mom informed him serenely.

Yeah, and you’d know that, if you weren’t so busy getting “kinky” with some slut yourself, I thought nastily, a bit appalled by my meanness. He deserved it though!

“I’m not going to be getting…’kinky’ with him!” I protested. “I can handle two weeks by myself! There’s no other option!”

“No!” My grandma stared at my parents. “Why you no postpone your trip till later?”

“Mom, I trust Maya. I’m sure she’ll be fine,” my mom assured her.

“No! Absolutely not! She can’t have the house to herself when she has a boyfriend,” my dad said vehemently. “We can just…hire someone to look after her.”

Like a babysitter?

My jaw dropped as fury rose up in me. “Are you kidding me?” I yelled, startling everyone in the kitchen. “I’m seventeen! I don’t need a babysitter for two weeks!” I clenched my fists. “God, you’re such a hypocrite!”

Unable to take it anymore, I stormed up the stairs to my room and slammed the door, leaving my stunned family in the kitchen.

* * *

Later that night, I was on my computer, half-heartedly Facebook stalking people I didn’t even care about in an attempt to forget how shitty my life was when someone knocked on the door.

“I’m sleeping,” I called out crankily, clicking on a random photo album.

My face screwed up in disgust. Eeew! PDA overload! I shuddered and quickly exited the page. Some people seriously needed to keep their personal lives…personal.

“Maya, can I come in please?”

I stiffened. “I'm busy."

“Please. I just need to talk to you for five minutes.”

I gripped my computer mouse so tight I was surprised it didn’t break. Finally, I pushed back my chair, stormed over to the door, and yanked it open.

“Make it quick,” I snapped, crossing my arms over my chest.

My dad stepped inside, closing the door behind him. He looked nervous. “Look, I think we should talk about…” He cleared his throat. “About what happened yesterday.”

“You think?” My voice was sarcastic.

“Watch your tone, young lady,” he automatically said.

I rolled my eyes. Like he had the authority to tell me to do anything anymore.

“Ok, I just wanted to say…” My father took a deep breath. “I was on a date with someone else.”

Even though I already knew, I couldn’t help but flinch when he finally admitted it.