Chapter 1 - THE SILENT STRIKE
The phone continued to vibrate in my palm,
like a trapped insect trying to escape,
as I stood in the parking lot with Lily.
I looked down at the caller ID,
"Dad,"
and felt a cold,
sharp resolve settle in my chest.
I answered the call,
but I didn’t say a word,
waiting to hear what he could possibly want after abandoning his granddaughter.
"Emily,"
his voice crackled through the speaker,
sounding annoyed and hurried,
"I’m glad you picked up.
Look,
your sister needs a favor.
Miranda’s car is making a strange noise,
and she thinks the transmission is going.
I need you to transfer three thousand dollars to her account,
right away,
so she can get it fixed.
She has to get the kids to soccer practice,
you know how it is."
I listened to him breathe,
feeling the absolute lack of remorse in his tone,
the total disregard for the child I was currently holding.
"Dad,"
I said,
my voice as level as a horizon line,
"did you forget something today?"
There was a brief silence,
a moment of hesitation,
before he cleared his throat.
"If you’re talking about the school pickup,
don’t be dramatic.
There really wasn’t enough room in the car,
Emily.
Lily is a tough girl,
she’s a soldier’s daughter,
isn't she?
A little rain never hurt anyone,
but Miranda’s kids were already buckled in.
It’s a tight squeeze with the car seats,
and we just didn't want to deal with the fuss."
I felt the heat of fury rise,
but I kept my voice icy,
controlled by years of military discipline.
"You left a six-year-old girl,
alone,
in a thunderstorm,
at a gate where anyone could have taken her.
You left her because you didn't want to 'deal with the fuss'?"
"Now,
don't take that tone with me,"
he snapped,
reverting to the authority he thought he still held over me.
"We’ve done plenty for you over the years.
Now,
about the money for Miranda.
She’s waiting at the mechanic."
"There will be no money,"
I said,
each word a heavy stone.
"What?
Emily,
don't be ridiculous.
You have plenty of it,
and family helps family."
"You’re right,"
I replied,
staring at the rainy horizon,
"family does help family.
But today,
you proved that Lily isn't part of your family.
And if she isn't family,
then neither am I.
I am done,
Dad.
The mortgage,
the insurance,
the 'loans' to Miranda,
it all stops.
Now."
"You can't do that!"
he shouted,
his voice rising in a panic.
"We have bills!
The house payment is due on the first!"
"Then I suggest you find a way to pay it,"
I said,
"just like Lily found a way to survive in the rain.
Goodbye,
Arthur."
I ended the call,
and for the first time in years,
May you like
the weight on my shoulders felt lighter,
even as the storm continued to rage around us.
