That's My Girl

“Mommy!” I was awoken by the sound of my beautiful angel. “Get up! Get up!”

“Ok! I’m up.” I sat up in my bed with Chloe in my lap, grinning. “Let’s go make breakfast.”

Today was Chloe’s first day of kindergarten and she was ecstatic. I can’t believe it’s been 5 years already. It seems like just yesterday she was born and her father left her. She ate and changed and got her backpack ready and we were ready to go.

“Remember what I told you?”

She rolled her eyes. “Yes mommy. Don’t talk to strangers.”

“Good girl. Now let’s go.”

I grabbed my keys and opened the door and that’s when I saw him. His back was to me and he was opening the apartment across from mine. He must have heard a sound and started to turn around.

“Shit, shit, shit.” I scrambled back into the apartment and almost ran over Chloe but he was faster.

“Liz?” He said, with his foot in the door while I was trying to close the door.

“Chloe, listen to me. Go to your room and stay. Can you do that for me?” She nodded and ran to her room.

I slowly opened door and saw the face that I was so desperately trying to forget.

“Liz, it’s really you!”

“Tyler.”

“How are you? I haven’t seen you in so long.”

“I’m fine. I have to go so..” I say, trying to make him leave so Chloe won’t be late for school.

“We should get together sometime and catch up.”

“Do you really want to do that? Cause, honestly, I don’t.” His face falls but continues to stand there.

“Mommy? Can we go now?” I hear from behind me and I freeze. I turn around being careful to make sure Tyler can’t see her.

“Chlo, didn’t I tell you to wait in your room?”

“Yeah, but I don’t want to miss my first day of school!” She jumped up and down.

“Wait.” Tyler said. “Mom?”

I close my eyes and take a deep breath. I pick up Chloe and walk out of the apartment, ignoring Tyler.

“Liz! Come back! We need to talk!”

The elevator doors close and the tears start to rush out. I wipe them but there’s no stopping it.

“Mommy sad?” Chloe looks at me sadly and wipes away my tears. I laugh and am grateful for my little girl. She was always mature for her age and always made me feel better.

The rest of the car ride is silent except for Chloe’s humming to ‘The Wheels On the Bus’ and we arrived at school in no time.

“Ok Chloe, mommy will see you after school ok? Be good.” I say to her and hug her. She waves goodbye and joins her class.

When I go back to my car, Tyler is standing, arms crossed and leaning on my car, looking angry.

“We need to talk.” He says when I reach my car. I ignore him and keep walking. He grabs my arm and pulls me back. I shrug his hand off and look at him, furious.

“What do you want? Yes, she’s yours but that doesn’t change anything because she’s my daughter, not yours.” I scream at him, angrily and walk away.

“Wait.” His face softens. “She’s mine? And you never told me?”

“It’s better that way.” I get in the car and start the car but then he gets in the passenger seat. “Get out.”

“Please, Liz. Can we just talk about this?”

“What is there to talk about?”

“Ok. Why are you in Dallas?”

Tyler and I go way back. We grew up in Brampton and we were the high school sweethearts and I really thought he cared for me even when the other girls threw themselves at him. I even went to university in Boston because he was drafted and he asked me to go with him. I thought it was the next step in our relationship but he ended up cheating. More than once. On road trips. There was screaming and yelling and a few broken lamps but maybe I wasn’t mad at him because but because I was pregnant. It was that morning before we broke up when I found out. I felt that he ruined my life. I was 17 then and I’m 21. A lot has changed since then. After we broke up, I ended up going to Dallas, an attempt to get as far away as possible from him and for some much needed sun but it seems that it’s all catching up on me. Maybe it was karma, or fate, but whatever it is, I’ve learned my lesson and he won’t be coming near Chloe any time soon.

“To get away from you but I see that it didn’t work.”

“But that gives you the right to not tell me that we have a daughter?”

“What would you have done? We were young, you weren’t ready to be a dad, Tyler.” I say, not meeting his hard stare.

“Well I’m ready to be a dad now.” He said, almost instantly.

I finally look up at him. He’s got a confident look on his face. I roll my eyes. “Even if you were ready, which I don’t think you are, I wouldn’t let you near her.”

“Come on, Liz. I promise I’m ready to make up for lost time.” He pleaded.

“Well I’m not ready. I can’t even hear your name without my heart ripping. You damaged me and you won’t be able to fix it. Chloe and I are happy the way we are now. Without you.” I can feel the tears coming. “Now get out.”

This time he listens and gets out. I start to drive home and I don’t even try to stop the tears.
~

“Well I’m not ready. I can’t even hear your name without my heart ripping. You damaged me and you won’t be able to fix it. Chloe and I are happy the way we are now. Without you.”

Her voice still rang in my ears. This morning was already spiraling out of control. I had just gotten back from Jamie’s because I slept over at his house last night and the last thing I expected was to see Liz. I mean yeah, we both grew up in Brampton so people talked about her but no one ever mentioned something about a kid! And the moment I saw her, I knew. She looked a lot more like me, than Liz. But something she said made me think. She wasn’t ready. Did I do that much damage to her? That was when it hit me. She’s my daughter and I have to make it right.

It was 2:50PM and I was waiting for the school bell to ring signaling the end of the day. I was determined to make sure that Chloe remembered me and that I was a father-figure. The bell rang and I could see Liz out of the corner of my eye, getting out of the car. Shoot. I stood right by the door and willed for Chloe to hurry up. Just then, she skips out, looking excited and pick her up.

She gasps and has a terrified look on her face. I jog to my car and set her in the car seat that I bought today.

“You’re the man who made mommy cry this morning.” She said, calmly.

“Hi, Chloe. I’m Tyler. Do you want to get some ice cream?” I ask.

She crosses her arms and puts on her ‘mean face’ which isn’t very scary and looks more cute but she looks like she’s studying me. Geez, how can this be a 4-year old?

Finally, she says, “Fine. But you have to buy my favourite.” I smile and start to drive. The last thing I see before I leave is the terrified look on Liz's face.

***

Chloe sits on a chair, licking her Rocky Road cone and she reminds me of a lost puppy.

“Who are you, Tyler? How do you know my momma?” She asks.

“Well your mom and I grew up together and we were best friends.” I answer, not giving too much away.

“Why was she crying? Huh? I no like when people make momma cry.” She says, continuing to lick her ice cream.

“Sometimes people do things they don’t mean to do and it hurts others.” I say, vaguely. I mean she was so young.

“So you did something to hurt my mom?”

“Yeah, something like that. Now how about you tell me about you?” I say trying to change the subject. She seemed to like that idea because she light up and went off.

“My name is Chloe Spalding. I 4 years old. I like to figure skate but momma never lets me. I only like to eat Rocky Road ice cream. I hate eating my vegetables.” I laugh at the last one.

“How about we get you home?” I suggest after she finishes her ice cream. She nods and hops off the chair.

***

I knock on her door and the door almost instantly opens to Liz with her makeup smeared, a phone in hand and looking like she’s out of breath.

“Oh my god, Chloe.” Chloe runs to her and she picks her up. “You scared me, Chlo. Don’t ever do that again. Go get changed for dance ok?” She makes sure she’s out of sight before turning to me.

“And you. What the hell were you thinking? You just kidnapped my child!” She starts to pace.

“Well I knew you weren’t going to let me see her so I took matters into my own hands.” I say nonchalantly and sit on her couch.

“You’re such an inconsiderate bastard. I was about to call the police before you showed up. I told you we were fine on our own.”

I roll my eyes. I stand up and walk over to her and take her wrists and push her up against a wall. “She’s my daughter too, so whether you like it or not, I’m going to be a part in her life.”

She’s looking away but I don’t let go until she finally looks at me and when she does, its not what I was expecting. Her eyes, one of the many things I loved about her, were always so mesmerizing. She opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted by the door opening.

“Liz! I’m her- oh.” A man, about the same age as us walks in, looking rather surprised. I let go of her and she walks to him and hugs him. “Oh, Liz. Is Chloe ok?”

She just nods. He kisses her on the forehead. I clear my throat. “Uh, I’m Tyler.” Stupid.

“Mark.” We shake hands.

“We better go.” says Liz just as Chloe walks out of her room. Her eyes light up at the sight.

“Mark!” She runs up to him and he picks her up and walks out the door with her stuff. “Let’s go.”

Liz is about to leave when I grab her arm. “Is he your boyfriend?” I ask, out of impulse.

And that’s when I see it. I don’t know how I missed it before. Her left hand had quite the impressive diamond on it.

“I don’t see how that’s any of your business.” And she walks out the door leaving me standing there, alone.

Notes

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