David was on edge. That was, generally, the point of riding a dirtbike if he was to be honest. Having the engine right underneath his crotch, guzzling fuel as he drove down roads, offroad, and occasionally onto freeways in the dead of night. What he wouldn't give for a real bike. Like a Yamaha GTS 1K. Sure it wasn't a Harley like the bikers drove, but he never wanted an old man bike. No, he needed something sleek and stylish, like it belonged at top speed all the time.
But the roar of his engine wasn't why his knuckles grew white at the steering. No, what had him at the edge of his seat while turning into the mall parking lot was the conversation with his girlfriend the night before. She needed to see him, tears at the edge of her voice. Did her dad call her a slut again? The dog grit his teeth underneath his helmet, he'd make that old vole apologize through blood dripping gums for insulting his girl if that wouldn't make things worse.
Parking his bike, he sighed as he took his helmet off. ``Just two more years,'' He told himself and himself alone to the empty backlot. Two more until they were old enough to go off on their own and be people.
Joyce was easy to find. His cute vole had her blonde headfur hanging over half her face while rocking a denim jacket and black skirt. She didn't notice his approach, seemingly too focused on the ice cream in front of her. ``Ain't it a bit early to be eating...'' He peered over her shoulder, seeing a small cup filled with what looked like perfect spheres, ``What's that?''
``Dippin dots,'' Joyce said, scooping up another spoonful of the tiny balls, ``They advertise themselves as the future of ice cream or something.''
``Why's future stuff always look stupid?'' David asked, sitting across from her and unzipping his leather jacket, ``I mean, you remember all those retro scifi movies? Like, who wants to wear a jumpsuit wherever they go? Or have those...I don't know, curves on the back of their cars?''
She didn't answer. He blinked, she always added something. David brushed it off and leaned in, ``So, what's the flavor of this futuristic ice cream?''
``Banana split.'' Joyce held up a spoon filled with chocolate, pink, and yellow little balls, ``Frankly I'd rather have an actual split. But I wanted to experiment.''
David nodded ``Oh...ok.'' Nerves pulled at his skull. He watched around the mall, noting that while it wasn't packed, there were plenty of people. A thought occurred, one that chilled his soul. Was this the talk? Was she about to break up with him? What did he do? How could he fix it? Thoughts swirled in his mind, breaking away the neutral grin he tried so desperately to keep.
She looked at him, eyes unreadable. Then she smiled, ``So, I made up my mind about the future.''
He resisted the urge to gulp, ``Oh? What do you have in mind?''
``Well...I'm thinking that I'll try to get into law school.''
He blinked, ``Law?'' David asked with a raised brow. She nodded. ``Um...ok, but how? It's gonna be expensive and we won't have that much cash.''
``I figured we'd save up for a bit while working, and you can support me through school. We can survive on ramen for a few years.''
He blinked, and she was gone. The memory stung, more than the ice cream headache driving into the canine's skull. David closed his eyes and sighed, how could he have been so stupid back then? It was obvious she wanted to talk about the pregnancy, but he was too childish to...no, she should have told him. He was young but he caused it to happen, his youth card should have been revoked at that moment.
And now here he was, his healthy years behind him and sitting in a food court, not unlike the one where he talked with Joyce, waiting for his estranged daughter to arrive. He dug into the ice cream, a small cup of banana split flavored Dippin Dots he got from the stand.
Some ice cream of the future.
He saw the green headfur first. It was the easiest thing to notice, followed by half her head sheared clean while the other hung down. He never understood that style, but David supposed that was the point of it. Or there was no point, punk got confusing after a while. The dog signaled her over with a wave, biting back down on the fear of familiarity she brought with each step closer.
So much like her mother. Sure, Joyce's leather jacket was more street racer, cause it was his. But everything else just reminded him of the woman he used to love. He still loved her, in some way, that's why it hurt.
Pulling the seat out, her eyes shifted as she sat down and said, ``Hi. Haven't seen anyone actually eat from the Dots stand that isn't a child.''
He chuckled, ``What about children at heart?''
She didn't answer. Indigo eyes darting back and forth. She was nervous, something they already shared as he struggled to find any word worth opening his mouth for. But no, instead the maw only made way for spoonful after spoonful of red, yellow, and white ice cream dots.
It couldn't go on like this. He screamed internally, begging to make the first move but holding back for fear of the wrong way to start it all. ``Well, at least you can say you've seen me naked,'' Amy said, forcing a chuckle, ``You know, cause of the...'' She curled up, biting her lip at the memory, ``Dungeon...''
``Well, in reality, I didn't see you naked,'' He answered, ``Though I doubt most fathers, birth fathers anyway, can say they saw their child in a gimp suit.'' What was he saying? His mental image slapped him, chastising the comments despite the vole's choice of topic. David shook his head, ``S-Sorry. I'm not usually this bad with small talk.''
``It's a weird situation, that's for sure.'' His daughter leaned into her plastic chair, ``I mean, it's not every day you meet your father who didn't show up for all of your life.''
It stung, but he nodded anyway. ``Thank you for coming. You're a good person for doing so.''
Amelia's head hung forward, ``Almost didn't want to. But good people convinced me otherwise.''
``Was it Joyce?'' David asked, though he immediately regretted it. Prying just felt rude. Amelia shook her head, ``No, my girlfriend and our...other girlfriend.'' She looked at him, with worry in her eyes at the supposed shock of such a development. The canine couldn't understand why she'd care about his opinion for this, but he reasoned she never had to explain it much. ``Oh, so you're in a household type situation.'' He took another spoonful of dots, ``That's interesting.''
``I'm not here to be judged about it,'' Amelia argued, crossing her arms and curling up, ``I already know it's weird to sleep with someone twice my age. But Helga's a good woman, and Rebecca is sort of like an adopted friend or...she had a shit life and didn't have anyone to go back to. And we take care of each other. So it's not like-''
``Amelia.'' He raised his spoon like a stop sign, ``Amelia, I'm not judging you. It'd be incredibly hypocritical given my own living situation. I am Lorraine's husband, remember?''
She paused, her face going red as gears turned in her head. ``So...you're into BDSM?''
His conscience told him not to talk further on it. What sort of father and daughter talked about kinks and alternative lifestyles? But the more David thought on it, the more opportunity for connection he saw. ``A bit. Lorraine is into it a bit more. I'll admit, I enjoy partaking in the events with my housemates. And my own medical expertise lets me tell people when they're going too far before they realize it.'' The stories he could tell, from boys forgetting how gag reflexes work, to girls not realizing how much they need to stretch out, and the occasional asphyxiation play. ``Some of them are pornstars so you'd think they'd know this. But we have a few playmates that do other things.''
``A few?'' Amelia asked, ``How many playmates do you and your wife have?''
He thought about it, ``Well, living with us we have about four. Jenny, Malcolm, Annie, and Alex. Jenny and Malcolm are pornstars, Malcolm is in some pretty hardcore gay porn, but he's bi with a interest in girls more than guys. Annie and Alex act as housekeepers, and we pay them for their service.'' Amelia's concerning gaze had him reiterate, ``We pay them well, Amelia. They're just a bit too into the idea sometimes. Half the time I need to remind them that they can't effectively clean the house with duster gags.''
She chuckled at the thought and he smiled back. To most people, his lifestyle was too disturbing, and in a way, he preferred it that way. But being able to talk with someone else about it was...nice in a manner of speaking. ``So...'' the vole patted her legs, fighting the anxiety in her voice as she swallowed, ``I know you never knew to look for me but...well what happened after? Like, what'd you do when my mom disappeared.''
``That...there's not much to tell,'' David said, closing his eyes and letting the memories flood through him. ``I finished highschool, went to college, then to med school, all under my family's interests.''
``The same family that gave my mother the ultimatum?'' She asked. He nodded, and she questioned him, ``Why?'' David shrugged, ``I could say I had a revenge plan from the very start, but that only started piling up when I was close to finishing med school. In truth, I just felt hopeless. My parents just cost me the love of my life at the time, which granted, was mere puppy love in the grand scheme of things, and I felt like I couldn't do anything to get out of their clutches. Then I realized I was just afraid of losing their money, but at one point I just figured it was either my individuality or their money. So I cut ties with them using my middle finger like a knife, graduated, and wandered around Cali aimlessly as a medical professional. Not the smartest career choice, but I made connections that way.''
``You just gave up?'' He heard the judgment in her voice and fought to suppress his own anger at it. So many comebacks formed in his head, but David nodded wordlessly. ``You could have just left your parents earlier. Gone your own way. Why didn't you?''
``Because it was easier not to,'' David regret seeped out with his voice. ``I'm not proud of just being the apple of my parent's eye. But I used their resources to build myself up until I didn't need them anymore. And believe me, they had more plans. They still tried to get me to come along with it until I married Lorraine.'' The memory of their empty seats at his wedding made him grin. It hurt, being denied by his parents, but the bear trap was gone. ``I imagined they expected me to get into politics after being a doctor.''
``How would they manage that?''
``Micromanaging if I had to guess.'' David shrugged, ``But yeah, that's what happened. Your birth father is a spoiled rich kid that threw it all away after finding another woman. And no, I doubt you're in my parent's will either. I know for sure I'm not.''
``I doubt they'd put me in it.''
The revelation killed their conversation, forcing the two to sit in uncomfortable silence. Amelia stood up, sending alarms off in his mind. It couldn't end like this, not now. ``C-Can we meet again?'' He asked, getting up with her, ``Like, look I know this has been awkward enough, and you don't owe me anything. Hell, I owe you a lot.''
``You don't,'' She answered, ``The explanation was enough.'' Like he'd been stabbed, David braced the table. ``Please, I...I know I don't deserve any more but I want to spend more time with you.'' The golden retriever raised his finger, ``One day. Just one day where we can maybe pretend like we aren't strangers? I know it's a lot to ask but...'' No, it was too much to ask. She'd already given him this meeting, and yet his greed demanded more. Could he even be satisfied with one day of pretending? Acting as if they were really father and daughter? David shook his head, that bridge sailed long ago.
``When do you leave?''
His eyes lit up but he stared at her, blood draining from his face. She asked again. ``S-Sunday,'' David gulped, ``It's a late flight so-''
``I'll think on it and text you tonight,'' Amelia said, walking off with her hands in her pockets. David sat back down, waiting until she was out of sight for the tears to flow.
***
Helga wasn't sure why she decided to cruise around after dropping Amethyst off. She figured it would have been pointless to wait at the parking lot during their talk, they could be going at it for hours. But not even one passed by before she texted the pig to pick her up. And now, with building frustration, she watched the street light stay red for what had to have been a minute. A long, agonizing, minute.
``So how come you're so adamant about Amethyst meeting her dad?'' Rebecca asked from the backseat. Helga blinked, keeping her gaze on the unwavering stoplight. ``Eh.'' She shrugged, ``Intuition tells me he's a decent guy.''
``Your intuition?'' The pitbull hunched forward between the two front seats, ``We haven't even met the guy.'' The pig nodded and pushed the girl back, ``Yeah, we haven't.''
``So how can you tell he's a good guy?''
``I didn't say good,'' Helga corrected as the light turned green, ``I said decent.''
``Ok, point still stands.''
``Your question, not your point.'' She knew she was stalling for an appropriate answer. The pig had an idea, but she wasn't sure how to word it without it coming off as...just off. ``I never told you about my parents, did I?'' The pittie shook her head, so Helga continued, ``Yeah well, there isn't much to tell about them. I was a latchkey kid; I would come home to an empty house or be left alone often `cause both my parents were working. And even when they were around, they didn't care. Now, looking back, that could all have just been exhaustion. But looking through it as a kid you get the feeling that they'd be better off without you. So I acted out, was kind of a bitch in highschool, but they never really cared. Only time I got some real reaction out of them was when I came out of the closet.''
``I take it they didn't take it well?''
She nodded, ``Today people got it easier. It still sucks, but being disowned for being gay feels like a minority now. But then again, I was never good at demographics.'' Not that it made her any less bitter. The pig was happy at how far things had gotten nowadays, how many rights people like her have now, even though she never intended to use them. It did nothing to soften the blow of her folks? twisted expressions when she came out. The accusations, the finger pointing, and the crying as if they were betrayed. ``I moved in with my girlfriend that very same day, with only a backpack full of hastily packed clothes. Spent a few years in that town but never heard from them,'' She said, turning into the mall parking lot. ``Still haven't, but it's much harder to find me now.''
As soon as they parked, Rebecca unbuckled and reached for Helga's hand. ``I'm sorry, M...Helga.'' She smiled and petted the pitbull's hand, ``It's ok. I found a new family eventually.''
``I'm not sure who has the worst family; My dad made me his personal cage fighter and tried to sell me off, but at least he didn't care about who I was attracted to.''
``Terrible people come in all shapes and sizes.''
``So why do you think Amethyst's dad isn't one? You said intuition, but there's gotta be another reason, right?''
Helga nodded, looking out the window to `The Crossroads' mall entrance. ``If I had to explain it, it's `cause he's trying to meet up with her. Yeah, it could be a scam or something terrible, but what if...'' Her fingers tightened against the wheel, ``What if he just wants to see his daughter? I don't want Amy regretting denying this, that's all.''
The passenger side opened and the vole of their conversation hunkered down into the cushion. She crossed her arms, laying her back against the seat as the rodent scowled to the road. ``You alright?'' Helga asked, preferring to light the firecracker than let it stew and implode later.
Amethyst nodded. ``What happened?'' Rebecca asked, far too quickly for Helga to stop her. The hog figured the details could be saved for later. Taking a deep breath, the vole exhaled and spoke up. ``Nothing.''
Rebecca perked her ears in the rearview reflection ``Nothing?''
``Nothing. Can we go?'' Helga nodded and turned the ignition. Silence filled the void between the three women as they rolled down the streets. Rebecca opened her mouth to ask more, but a swift shake from the hog's head kept her quiet.
``He's too nice,'' Amethyst finally said. ``I expected an asshole. Someone who doesn't deserve a second chance. Someone I can be angry at and walk away with both birds flipped high and mighty.'' The vole balled her fists tight around her seatbelt, ``I just...I want to be angry at him. I thought he abandoned me, but he didn't know I existed, and I didn't even have the courage to ask what he'd have done if he did know. I have so many questions I can ask him now, why didn't I?!''
With her eyes on the road, Helga pulled one hand off the wheel and pet the vole's headfur, ``It's ok. Hindsight is 20/20.'' At the next red light, she pulled her in for a hug, nuzzling against the vole as Amethyst stifled her cries. ``I'm just so mad but I can't push it at him. It's just-''
``It's ok,'' Helga reassured her, letting go as the light turned green. ``You went to see him, that's something a badass would do. And I should know, I am one.'' Amethyst's look had the pig reevaluate her dialogue momentarily. Then she smirked, giggled, and punched the driver in the arm. ``You can't pull off cringe.''
``No one can pull off cringe,'' Rebecca said, ``That's why it's cringe, right? So are you gonna see him again?'' Helga repressed her sigh and made a mental note to talk to the pitbull in private about when to ask questions. Amethyst rested back in her seat and looked at the side mirror. ``I have his number and he's not leaving until Sunday. He wants to have a day where we can maybe pretend to not be strangers together. A real father-daughter day.''
Rebecca spoke up again, ``So...how would that work? Watching movies on the TV?'' Helga would have commented, but she realized that of the three of them, the pitbull was the only one who had a long enough relationship with her father to imagine what such a day would be like. And it wasn't even a good relationship.
Amethyst shook her head, ``No. I'm thinking we'll do something touristy. Or just do Michigan adventure. It's a lot better than going to Hell.''
``Isn't that a little intense?'' The pittie asked, ears drooping, ``I mean, you said it yourself, he's not really worth getting angry at.'' At the next red light, the two in the front blinked, looked at Rebecca, then to each other, smiling when their mental gears clicked and laughing. ``Did I miss something?'' the canine asked.
``Rebecca, Hell is a town in Michigan,'' Helga explained, ``And the butt of every hell joke here.'' She forgot that the girl hadn't been in the state for even a year.
``Wait...what?!''
Amethyst nodded, ``And it freezes over often.''
