The Gamble

When I approached him, he didn’t look at me. He was deep in the study of Cotton’s pictures.

“Dad,” I snapped.

“Are these Cottons?” he asked, still not looking at me.

“Dad!” I snapped louder.

“That one was at the V&A, I remember the frame. Unusual frame, perfect for that picture.”

“Dad!” I shouted and his head turned to me, his eyes did a sweep of my body in my nightie then they moved over my shoulder.

I looked over my shoulder too, to see Max there, now wearing jeans and still pulling down a t-shirt but his feet were bare.

Again my father didn’t greet me, didn’t address me at all.

Instead he said to Max, “May I have a word with my daughter in private?”

Max didn’t answer or I didn’t give him the chance to mainly because I stomped to the door.

“No, you may not,” I announced, opening the door and standing in the cool air that rushed in looking at my father. “But you can leave.”

“Nina,” Dad said.

“Go,” I said back.

Dad walked toward me and stopped. “We need to talk.”

“We have nothing to talk about.”

“Niles telephoned.”

“Yes, I guessed that.”

“Therefore, we need to talk.”

“No, we do not,” I reiterated.

Dad gave up on me and looked back to Max. “Really, would you mind?”

Max’s eyes were on me but when my father addressed him he looked at Dad, planted his feet, crossed his arms on his chest and said, “Yeah, I’d mind.”

If I wasn’t so incensed, I would have rushed across the floor and kissed Max hard. Unfortunately, I was incensed.

“Dad, go,” I demanded.

“Nina, listen to me,” Dad said instead of leaving. “You’re throwing your life away.”

I shook my head and said, “No, no I’m not. I was but evidence is suggesting that I’m not anymore.”

Dad looked to Max then glanced quickly around the living room then back to me, his eyes settling on my bruised cheekbone and his brows came up before he asked with only partially veiled derision, “Honestly?”

“Go,” I repeated.

“This isn’t you,” my father told me.

“You don’t know me,” I told him the truth.

“Niles is a good man, works hard. He’s from a good family.”

“He’s got money, that’s what you’re saying.”

“I’m saying he’s a good man and I’m reminding you about the fact that you haven’t chosen many of those in your past, in fact, none at all.”

My hand itched to slap him which was surprising seeing as, outside of shoving Damon, I’d never acted out my anger physically on another human being but I managed to hold myself in check.

“Go.”

“You’re repeating a pattern, Nina, as your father –”

But at his words and their implication, I was again seeing red and I shrieked, “How… bloody… dare you!”

Dad leaned slightly toward me and returned, “I’m being honest for your own good.”

“You’re talking about Max, a man you don’t even bloody know.”

“Yes, but I know you.”

“No you don’t!” I shouted.

“Think about this, Nina. Your life, what you’d be throwing away.”

“Go,” I snapped.

“This is,” his hand, palm up, gestured around, “unseemly. May I remind you, you’re engaged.”

“I’m not, I broke up with Niles.”

“You were engaged to him less than a week ago and you’re standing in your nightwear, a bruise on your cheek with a strange man in attendance.”

It was my turn to lean into him and I did, sneering and liberally lacing my words with grave emphasis. “Firstly, Max isn’t a ‘strange man in attendance’ considering this is his house. Secondly, are you serious? You are lecturing me about what’s seemly?”

“Nina –”

“Sorry, but wasn’t it you who was f**king around on Mom when she was pregnant with me?”

“Nina, for God’s sake, that’s hardly the point here.”

“Yes? So, it’s okay for you to sleep with another woman when your wife is pregnant then leave her and your child all alone weeks after I was born?”

“You grew up with your mother, hearing her side of things.”

I slammed the door and crossed my arms on my chest, putting out a foot and inviting, “Well, I expect this will be interesting. Do share, Dad, how is it okay that you cheat on Mom when she’s pregnant, leave us both when I’m a newborn and we never hear one word from you for seven years? Tell me, how is that okay?”

“Nina –”

“And, also,” I cut in, “enlighten me about how that’s okay and me breaking up with Niles and living my life, which is none of you bloody business I might add, something you can’t declare ignorance of since I told you to your face at Charlie’s funeral I never wanted to lay eyes on you again in my life, tell me, how this is not okay?”

“I’m glad you brought up Charlie,” Dad said.

“Yes, pray tell, Dad, why are you glad I brought up Charlie?”

“Think, Nina.” He did that sweeping gesture with his hand taking in specifically Max, and then his eyes locked on me, his voice filled with obvious derision now. “Think about what Charlie would say about this.”

I didn’t think, my mind was blank, my fury so immense, I took two, long strides to him and slapped him with all my might across his smoothly shaven cheek.

His head whipped to the side but suddenly I found my wrists imprisoned, pulled down and crossed in front of me, my back was pressed to Max and Max was pulling us both away.

“Out,” Max growled.

“You dare,” I whispered to my father over Max’s growl.

“Get out,” Max repeated.

“Nina –” my father began, his hand to his cheek, his face filled with shock.

“If Claire wasn’t such a good woman, I’d wonder if Charlie was switched at birth and Charlie would have wondered too,” I declared.

I watched my father’s eyes narrow. “He was my son.”

“You forgot that when his legs were blown off!” I shouted.

“Get out,” Max ordered. “Now, before I put you out.”

Dad ignored Max and glared at me. “Charlie would –”