“So you don’t hate me?” she said.
“What?” he said. “Don’t be ridiculous. Of course not.”
“Then why are you acting like you don’t care?” said Lisa. “I know Mom is angry with you, but you can’t just give up on the family because you don’t want to deal with her. She’s not the only person involved, and neither are you. What about me and Veronica?”
“I don’t know what you want me to say,” he said.
“Just say you won’t abandon us,” said Lisa. “If you sign those papers—”
“Lisa, the divorce is between me and your mother,” he said, sitting down at his desk as if remaining on his feet required too much energy. “It doesn’t involve you or Veronica.”
“Yes, it does,” said Lisa. “Why aren’t you fighting for us?”
He didn’t reply.
“I can’t believe it,” said Lisa. Her appeal had fallen on deaf ears, and the unavoidable conclusion was so devastating that she could barely put it into words. “You’re afraid Mom will get you into trouble with the law if you don’t give her what she wants, and you would rather lose your own daughters than face the consequences. How can you be so selfish? All you care about is your stupid reputation!”
“Lisa, that’s enough,” he said.
“No, you have to listen to me,” said Lisa. “If you decide to walk out of my life, you’ll never have the option of walking back in. I won’t let you. I’ve given you so many chances. I’m tired. I can’t hold onto you anymore. I need you to hold onto me for a change. Do you have any idea how often I’ve cried because of you? I’m sick of feeling worthless because you don’t love me.”
“Lisa, I do love you,” he said.
“Then your love has no value,” said Lisa. “What good has it done for me? You can say you love me as many times as you want, but I know better than to believe you. If it’s really true, why don’t you prove it? Just talk to Mom and tell her you’re sorry. That’s all I want. If it doesn’t work out, I won’t hold it against you.”
“There’s no point,” he said. “She’s not going to change her opinion of me, and I’m not going to humiliate myself by begging her to reconsider. This conversation is over. There’s nothing else to say. I’ve got a lot on my mind, and you should be at home where it’s safe.”
Lisa’s eyes stung with tears. How could he be so heartless? She had rarely felt more vulnerable. The events of the last few hours had pulled her in so many different directions that she didn’t know how to cope, and the futility of what she was trying to do became more obvious to her with each passing moment.
“If you’re taking me back to the house, will you at least talk to her for a few minutes when we get there?” she said.
“Forget it,” he said, taking out his cell phone. “It’s not my responsibility to drive you around. She can come and get you herself, since she’s so set on doing things her own way without my help. In fact, I’m going to tell her exactly what I think about her outstanding parenting skills—or lack thereof.”
“Please don’t yell at her,” said Lisa. How had everything gone so wrong? She sat down on the chair in front of his desk and began to sob. As she listened to her father’s side of the conversation, she heard her parents trading insults again, and she felt more responsible than ever for their alienation.
Her father eventually took her by the arm and led her down to the lobby. He pushed her into a chair beside the fountain near the chapel. A storm had rolled in, and thunder rumbled in the distance while torrents of rain swirled down, pattering against the windows. Lisa’s father turned to go back to his office.
“Is Mom coming?” said Lisa through her tears.
“I don’t know,” he said. “She was angry when she found out you were in my office, and of course she blamed me, which is exactly why I’ve been avoiding her. Then, she started making excuses about having to take care of Stephen and Yvonne—something about not having a car seat for the baby. I don’t know. She’ll probably show up eventually. Just stay here and wait for her, if you think you can manage to do that without getting yourself into trouble.”
He walked away. Lisa buried her face in her hands and abandoned herself to grief. Her mother didn’t come. Lisa called her mother’s cell phone, but she didn’t answer.
Lisa realized her parents were using her as a weapon. They would probably let her sit there all night and accuse each other of neglecting her when morning came. She thought about going upstairs to look for Josh, but he had problems of his own, and she didn’t want to be a burden to him.
As the tears began to roll down her cheeks again, she heard footsteps coming toward her. Flabby arms coiled around her. She raised her head and recognized Molly’s face. Molly’s eyes were so sympathetic that Lisa felt herself coming to pieces again.
“Lisa, don’t cry,” said Molly. “What are you doing here?”
Lisa didn’t know what to say. She was glad to see Molly, but she knew she wouldn’t be able to satisfy Molly’s curiosity without mentioning the impending divorce, so she remained silent.
“You poor thing,” said Molly. “Where are your parents?”
“I don’t know,” said Lisa. It was all she could manage to say because of the lump in her throat. She wondered if she would ever be able to stop crying. Molly wiped the tears off Lisa’s cheeks.
“Why are you all dressed up?” she said.
“Josh took me to prom,” said Lisa.
“He didn’t break your heart, did he?” said Molly.
“No,” said Lisa. She knew Molly wouldn’t stop questioning her
