by Writing Shark
Your daughter celebrates her birthday
Everyone is there. Elise opens the door to her best friend, hugs her and leads her into the living room where everyone is already waiting for the birthday girl.
It’s a nice party and Alice is doing well. She is surrounded by nice people, gets attention and has a great time. She drinks some alcohol (her father allowed her), enjoys herself, makes jokes, dances and laughs. She chitchats with each of her guests, exchanges a few kind words, tells stories from the past and cares for each of her guests with her heart and soul. Alice is doing well because she is surrounded by friends, but also because her father has shown her a way out of her dilemma.
She can’t imagine that you intentionally showed her that she could accept loving you, but the alternative would be too strange, right? Alice does what you want her to do, has a good time, shows no one the depravity of her mind and does everything she can to tell you in the evening what a well-behaved, obedient and intelligent daughter you have. Alice has a good time, no doubts, and knows what to do, though not how. She is a Winters, her father is by her side and she can rely on him. Even if she is in love with her father, he will not let her down.
And then Connor comes along.
He has been avoiding her all day, only congratulating her briefly, clapping along when she opened the presents, and otherwise just watching her from the shadows.
But he was drinking, which he doesn’t usually do. Otherwise, Alice was actually glad that her best friend didn’t make her decision even harder to choose her father, and she was very afraid of talking to him, even though he deserved to know that he will not be going to be her boyfriend.
No one has cared about Alice as much as Connor, no one is as interested in her as much as him, no one makes her as happy as he does makes her laugh and brings out the best in her. No one. Except her own father.
It’s unfair, Alice knows that. It’s wrong and reprehensible. But James has allowed her, somehow, and Alice is too in love to worry about anything but him. She’s happy, and surely that should be the goal of any of her friends, just as Alice is concerned with the happiness of others. She is a good girl.
But still she has a bad feeling when Connor can’t take it anymore, moves out of his corner in the room and heads towards her, beer bottle in hand and a desperate look in his eyes.
“Hey Connor,” she greets him cheerfully. She’s surrounded by other people and Elise is laughing not far away with some friends.
“Hey Alice,” the boy grumbles, unable to look her in the eye. “Sorry I didn’t congratulate you already.” This is all very embarrassing to Alice, so it’s good when Connor asks if he can talk to her alone for a minute.
“Sure, buddy,” she says, but Connor doesn’t get the subtle hint. She’s always been too nice to him but your daughter doesn’t understand that.
The grass under their feet is soft and smells good while the evening air moves through the garden behind the house. Elise watches them from a safe distance and Alice feels secure enough to gently explain the new situation to Connor now. But he is quicker and begins to speak frantically and hastily.
“What happened behind the gym, that shouldn’t have happened Alice.” His words are stretched and compressed by the alcohol and come a little slurred from his mouth that reeks of alcohol. Until now she had never noticed it but her father just behaves much more sophisticated, just sounder than boys who are her age and Alice Winters even feels proud to have a more exquisite taste than Valerie or even Elise. Still, it hasn’t bothered her before but it does now and Alice takes a step away from Connor but he immediately shortens the distance again. Alice allows it, not worrying about it. “That’s not you Alice.” Still, she is a little angry with Connor. Of course he doesn’t know what happened in her life since last week, Alice decides he won’t find out today either, but still a friend shouldn’t behave like that.
“I wanted to, though,” she says a little defiantly. “And you could have given it to me.”
“But you’re not a slut Alice” Connor bursts out, forgetting to be embarrassed about it. “You’re nothing like Valerie!”
“That’s right Connor. Thanks.” And Alice means it. Connor only means well and it’s not his fault he can’t compare to James. He just can’t. “But I’m a girl and I have needs.” She takes a deep breath. “And back then, that’s what I wanted. I wanted you… then.”
She sees his face soften, his old feelings for her coming back up. And Alice can understand him. She has feelings for him too, always has, and for a brief moment she sees clearly, can Connor get through to her. For a moment she understands that it was her father who took her away from him, away from Connor, towards him. For a moment, Alice understands that Connor only means well for her and that her father is, at least partly, responsible for the feelings she has for him. She doesn’t know if it was planned, but when Connor looks at her with wide eyes, when Alice sees all his dreams, hopes and desires come true, when Alice confirms that she desires him, she understands that she never really gave Connor a chance. And she is sorry for that.
But all this is of no use and Alice will not take back her decision. The brief, once-in-a-lifetime window closes forever as Alice sees Connor thinking about his happiness, about the luxury of being able to provide for her and what that could do in his life. His thoughts are about him, like it is normal for a tame boy. Her father would never think of her that way, Alice was always his favorite, she can admit that to herself now, and she also sees that it was always her destiny to fall in love with her father. She sees that it was him… but she doesn’t care. She loves her father and that is only right, her destiny.
No, Connor, and every other boy, never had a chance. She is destined for James, for her own father. And Alice wants it. She is happy with it. She looks at Connor. And he finally understands.
Writing Shark 