You have one new voicemail.
“That has to be the most singular moment of weakness I’ve ever displayed. If this doesn’t work out in my favor then I deserve all future ass kickings I may receive.”
Alicia stared at her phone. She knew who it was from and while part of her wanted to hear the message another part of her was telling her she needed to move on. It was obvious which part of her was the stronger willed when she pressed the “listen to new messages” button.
“Al, is that you?”
“Yeah, Pops, just a minute!”
She pressed the phone to her ear, wincing in anticipation of the voice that was about to ring in it.
“Hello, Alicia. You said that you wanted me to leave you alone so I’ll keep this brief. I know you’re probably making that face right now- that ‘I’m annoyed with you, Sir, so you better be quick or I’ll kick you in the sweets’ face.”
Alicia’s expression quickly changed. She knew she shouldn’t be surprised at his trenchant observation of her without actually seeing her, but she was still taken aback that he could read her so well without being present.
“Look, I just wanted you to know that you were right.”
The voicemail definitely had her attention now.
“You were right about me, and you were right about how I felt about you. I can’t call you mine and then pick and choose what I want to keep. Because the things I like and the things that drive me crazy… They’re all intrinsically you. From the absurd way you drive to your amusing anecdotes about everyday situations. Your obsessive need to drain a bottle of wine to the last drop, to that same obsessive behavior in getting to the bottom of a story.”
“Alicia?”
Her father’s calls were ignored, attention solely focused on the voice playing in her ear.
“The way your eyes light up when you’re tipsy, the way they light up when you’re excited… How you insist on wearing your hair in that frumpy ponytail, how your shoulders shake when you laugh… The way you make me feel when you look at me, the way your breath catches when I’m inside you. Alicia, I should have said all this when you asked me to. And maybe I should wait to say it in person… But you can’t take back a recording, and I want you to have a permanent recollection of how I feel.”
She bit her thumb nail nervously, waiting for the next words but not completely believing they would come.
“You are mine because I love you, because I love ALL of you. The parts of you that drive me crazy, the parts of you that make me mad with lust… I love you. And I want you completely, not just the pieces that I like the best. Even knowing that I might have to take risks with you… Because I know you’re taking risks with me.”
The recording ended there, and as Alicia hit the save button she stared at her phone wondering if the same message would play if she hit 1 to listen again. Still, she knew she’d rather hear a repeat performance in person.
“Hey Al, want to come with me to pick up Ellie?”
“Sorry, Pops. I have to go.”
“You just got here!”
“Yeah, but love changes things. Tell El I said hi!”
She was out of the door before he could reply, leaving him to stare in frustration and confusion.
“Did she just say… Love?”
