pensive look. âSure you are. Thatâs what you do. You analyze things.â He crossed the room and paused in front of the family photo on the mantel. âBenitaâs just the opposite. She goes where the wind blows her. Carlos too.â
Gee, I wonder where they get that.
âIâm afraid itâs going to blow them out to sea if theyâre not careful,â I said after thinking it through. âThatâs no way to live. Everyone needs a firm foundation. You know?â
My father turned away from the photo and shrugged. âOh, I donât know, Tia. At least your brothers and sister are getting to have some adventures. I canât fault them for that. Iâve had a few of those myself.â
Yeah, and look where theyâve landed youâliving in a cheap hotel room away from your family.
Hmm. Maybe I should keep my thoughts to myself.
Or not.
âWhich is better?â I asked him after pausing to think it through. âTo live an adventure or to be sure of where youâre going?â
He laughed. âI know where Iâm going, Tia-mia. Same place I always goâback to your mamaâs arms. Donât ever doubt it. That woman thinks I hung the moon.â He took a couple of steps toward the door, then turned back with a wink. âShe canât make it without me.â
I fought the temptation to slug him. Did it really seem that easy to him? Mess upâdeliberatelyâthen come crawling back, knowing my motherâs big heart would accommodate him? Suddenly I wished I had the courage to tell my mother to send him packing once and for all. She had every logical reason to do so. Even the Bible would back me up on this one.
And yet . . . as my father stood here, a smile as broad as the Pacific on his face, I could see how he managed to charm people.
He walked to the door. Resting his hand on the doorknob, he turned back to face me. âHoney, about your sister . . .â
âWhat about her?â
âI know you said things arenât settled yet, but she really needs a job. It would ease your motherâs mind if youââ
âI know, I know.â
âYouâre well connected, Tia-mia. You know people. Big people. Important people. So, itâs only right . . .â
I waved my hand, unable to take anymore. âOur producer has already agreed to meet with her tomorrow. Donât worry. Itâs as good as done.â A sinking feeling took hold as I spoke those words. Having Benita at the studio every day would make me a nervous wreck, but I would do itâfor my family. Besides, we had less than two months left in the season. Surely I could endure that much time with Benita.
He gave me an approving nod. âI never worry where youâre concerned. Of all my children, youâre the only one I never fret over.â He gave me a look that could almost be described as endearing. âYouâre the one to make us all proud. The real winner in the bunch.â
His flattery caught me off guard. Still, I could sense manipulation when I saw it. His words were meant to provoke me to action, as always. Tia, the worker bee. Tia, the rescuer. Tia, the only one in the family capable of carrying the loadâfinancially and emotionallyâfor everyone else.
Nope. Nothing had changed. Except now the words were covered with more dust. I felt like sneezing just thinking about it.
Dadâs hand gripped the door, and he turned on the charm once more. Flashing a convincing smile, he offered up a few parting words. âThink like a winner, honey. Stick with your family. Donât abandon us now, not after all weâve been through together.â
Funny. As I closed the door behind him, I realized I could have said the very same thing to him.
On Tuesday morning I arose feeling completely wiped out after a late night of taping and retaping Sheetrock in my entryway. Turned out it was harder than it