Daddy Issues

11 - A gift

'So do you know how you're going to tell your mom that you dropped out yet?'

'No.'

'Have you given any thought to what you're going to do next?'

'Mel, I've only been back for three days,' I whine.

Sure, she's right. I should be thinking about what I do want to do now that I dropped out. But until now, my entire life has pretty much been planned out. Mom decided I was going to be a doctor, so I was going to be a doctor.

Since I had no plan on how to spend the day again when I woke up this morning, I decided to visit Mel at the book store that she works at and hang out there. It's a slow day, so I hover around her while she does inventory and helps out the occasional customer.

'I know it's hard,' Mel says, sounding compassionate. 'I just feel like your mom would take the news a lot better if you could tell her what you plan on doing next.'

'Maybe,' I sigh, flipping through a random book on the counter. 'But I've got no idea. All I know is that I don't want to be a doctor.'

'Come on, there's got to be something. Like, think about what you like to do. And what you're good at.'

'I like screwing hot guys, drinking a lot and watching dumb tv shows and I'm good at derailing family dinners within a couple of minutes. You got any career perspectives on that?'

'Emma,' Mel says, a little exasperatedly. 'Don't be like that. You got into med school and you weren't even failing! You could do anything, you're good at lots of things.'

'Like what?'

'Like, I don't know... You don't take any shit from anybody. You can fix anything. You're always coming up with good ideas whenever I've got a problem.'

I'm about to tell her that still sounds pretty vague when the little bell by the door rings and I turn around to see what kind of customer is walking in. I take a short look, then turn back to Mel. Then I almost snap my neck to look at the customer again, earning a questionable look from Mel.

'What?' she asks me confused.

'Oh my God, that's Dan,' I whisper to her.

It was actually pretty fun to watch the movie with him yesterday. He was already halfway through it by the time I came home, but I remembered enough of it to catch up easily. I watched them years ago and though the severed limps here and there traumatized me a little bit, I liked them. We didn't talk much while we watched the movie, but the vibe was... easy.

'Dan? What, your mom's boyfriend? That guy comes in here all the time!'

'Yeah, that's him,' I say, watching him browse through the stacks. He hasn't spotted me, leaning against the counter. He seems to be scanning the titles of the books on the display too intently.

'Your mom's a lucky woman,' Mel says, watching him too. 'He's a handsome guy.'

'Yeah,' I say absent-mindedly. I wonder what he's doing here. Isn't he supposed to be at work?

'I'm gonna scare him,' I tell Mel. She shakes her head a little exasperatedly, but smiles while she watches me sneak behind the big bookcases so I can pop up behind him. To my pleasure, he really doesn't see me coming, so I sneak up to him and grab his shoulders.

'Boo!'

He startles so much, he drops the book he just picked up, making me snort.

'Careful with the books, Emma!' Mel calls out from the counter.

'Jesus Christ,' Dan says, turning around to look at me. A mixture of annoyance and amusement in his face.

'Caught you,' I say. 'Why are you skipping work?'