Tangled Desire: My Daddy, My Professor

Tessa

I paced around the living room, raking my fingers through my hair in frustration at the shocking announcement my mother dropped. I didn't know whether I should shout at the top of my lungs or leave the house completely. I stopped my movement and spared the woman sitting in front of me, hands resting on her lap, a glance. "You're kidding, right, Mom?" I asked.

When she lifted her head to look at me, the expression I saw on her face said it all, but I didn't want to believe it. To believe that my mother was getting married again—or should I say she had gotten married again. "I'm serious, Tessa."

A chuckle escaped me and I nodded. "Right." I closed my eyes and opened them again. "And you think you made the right choice by not discussing it with your daughter first?" I said in a low voice, my eyes not wavering from hers.

She rose to her feet, her tall frame intimidating mine. My mother had the body of a model. Slim, tall, and beautiful. She had natural skin that sometimes people mistook for plastic surgery. Often when she goes out with Dad, people think he is her father. I mean, it's not like my father was an ugly man. He just got married to my mother when she was in the prime of her youth. "Listen, Tessa."

I was brought back to reality by Mom's voice. She held me by the shoulders. "Carter is a nice man. He'll take very good care of you. Trust me."

I shook my head and pulled her hand away, stepping back a little. "Exactly my point, Mom. You didn't trust me enough to inform me first before making such a big decision." I raked my hands through my hair, biting my lip in frustration.

I took a step forward. "How do you expect me to accept a total stranger as my father? Someone I barely know. I don't think I can allow myself to do that," I said matter-of-factly.

"I'm not ready to have a father, let alone move into his house. I'm not a small child. I'm 19 for Christ's sake!" I added.

Disappointment flickered in her eyes, mixed with sadness. "I know, Tessa. But it's been a year already. We can't keep living like this. Loans, bills, house rent. Everything is piling up. My business isn't doing well for me to take care of everything. And your dad left us with nothing." She casted her head down and lifted it again. I saw tears of pain in her eyes.

"I might not be in the position I want to be now, but Carter is a nice man. He has helped me a lot."

"What about my school, then?" I asked.

"All that will be taken care of. Carter is a professor at the college there. He's in the process of arranging your transfer. You don't have to worry about that." I rubbed my fingers over my temple. I wouldn't deny the fact that my Mom tries a lot for the family. She works as a sales manager in a big boutique in Newark, where we live. I know I don't bring much to the table. My part-time job at the fast-food restaurant doesn't pay much.

I heaved a sharp breath. "So, that's it. We're moving out of this place forever. Leaving everything behind."

"Sometimes holding on to something will bring nothing but pain. Yes, I know we have all our memories here. But they'll be engraved in our hearts. We have to move on and start a better life, Tessa." She reached for my hand and took it in hers.