Chapter 2 - THE FIRST NIGHT WITHOUT DADDY
Daniel reached Columbus shortly after midnight.
His new apartment was on the seventh floor of a modern building overlooking the Scioto River.
Two bedrooms.
Floor-to-ceiling windows.
A gym downstairs.
No toys on the floor.
No laundry baskets.
No children arguing over colors.
He placed his suitcase beside the bed.
Then stood in the silence.
For the first time in years, nobody needed him.
He should have felt relieved.
Instead, he felt strangely restless.
He checked his phone.
Three missed calls from Joanna.
One voicemail.
He played it.
Lucy's voice filled the room.
“Daddy, Mommy says you're working far away. Can you call me? I wanted to tell you something about school.”
A pause.
Then a small whisper.
“I love you.”
Daniel sat on the bed.
For a moment, he considered calling.
Then he looked at the time.
12:43 a.m.
They're asleep, he told himself.
I'll call tomorrow.
But tomorrow came.
And Daniel had meetings.
Then dinner with his new regional director.
Then drinks with colleagues.
By the time he returned to his apartment, it was nearly eleven.
He sent Joanna a message.
Busy day. Tell the kids I love them.
Joanna replied an hour later.
They need to hear it from you.
Daniel stared at the screen.
Then placed his phone facedown.
He told himself she was making things difficult.
He told himself she was angry.
He told himself the children would understand when they were older.
And every excuse made it easier not to call.
Back in Pittsburgh, Lucy slept with one of Daniel's old sweatshirts beneath her pillow.
Owen stopped asking when his father would return.
Joanna learned to fix the printer.
She learned to unclog the kitchen sink.
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She learned to check the oil in the car.
And she learned that a house could feel unbearably quiet even when two children were still living inside it.
