No one would blame him. No one would even know, but he would know. Okay, he said quietly, more to himself than to her. Okay. He pulled out his own phone and dialed a number he knew by heart.
Angela, the woman who watched Ella after school, picked up on the second ring. Angela, I need a huge favor. Can you take Ella to her performance tonight? Something came up at work and I can't I can't make it. The silence on the other end lasted only a second, but it felt like an eternity.
Of course, Harry, but she's going to be disappointed. I know. His voice cracked on the words. Just tell her I love her. Tell her I'll watch the video a hundred times.
Tell her I'm sorry. He ended the call and turned back to Carara, who was now leaning heavily against a table. Come on, he said, taking her arm to steady her. I'm going to take you somewhere safe. She didn't resist as he guided her toward the door, her heels clicking unevenly on the marble floor.
Where are we going? She mumbled. Harry didn't answer. The truth was he only had one option. Her phone was dead.
She didn't know her own address, and he couldn't leave her alone in a hotel room in this condition. He was going to take her to the only place he could keep an eye on her until she sobered up, his home. The drive took 20 minutes, and Cara drifted in and out of consciousness in the passenger seat. Halfway there, she suddenly grabbed his arm. "Stop the car," she gasped.
I'm going to be sick. Harry pulled over to the side of the road just in time. Carara stumbled out and vomited onto the grass, her body heaving while she gripped the car door for support. Harry found a bottle of water in the back seat and handed it to her when she was done. "Thank you," she whispered, her voice raw.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. " He helped her back into the car and kept driving. When he pulled into his driveway, the house was dark. Angela must have already left with Ella. The realization hit him like a physical blow somewhere across town.
His daughter was about to perform the biggest moment of her 8-year-old life, and she would look into the audience and not find her father's face. He had done the right thing. He kept telling himself that as he helped Carara out of the car, as he guided her up the front steps, as he unlocked the door to his modest two-bedroom house, the right thing. But sitting in the darkness of his living room, listening to a stranger's breathing from the couch while his daughter performed without him, Harry couldn't help but wonder if the right thing was going to cost him everything. Harry didn't sleep that night.
After settling Carara on the couch, he found a clean blanket in the hallway closet and draped it over her. Her silk dress was wrinkled and stained from the evening's ordeal. So, he left one of his old t-shirts and a pair of sweatpants folded on the coffee table along with a glass of water and two aspirin. He noticed her phone on the floor where it had fallen from her purse. The screen was cracked, but the phone itself seemed functional, just dead.
He plugged it into a charger near the couch so she would have it when she woke up. Then he sat down at the kitchen table and wrote a note on a piece of paper torn from Ella's homework notebook. Miss Carter, you're at my house. You had too much to drink at the company party and couldn't get home safely. I'm sleeping in my daughter's room.
If you need anything, knock on the door at the end of the hall. Harry. He placed the note next to the water glass, positioning it where she would see it the moment she opened her eyes. Then he turned off the lights and retreated to the hallway, leaving the bathroom light on so she wouldn't be disoriented if she woke up in the middle of the night. At 9:30, his phone buzzed.
A text from Angela. She did amazing standing ovation. But she kept looking for you. I recorded the whole thing. Sending it now.
Harry stared at those words until his vision blurred. A video file came through a moment later, but he couldn't bring himself to watch it. Not yet. He typed back a simple thank you, then set the phone face down on the kitchen counter. The sound of a car pulling into the driveway came at 10:45.
Harry was at the front door before Angela could even knock, stepping outside and pulling it closed behind him so the noise wouldn't wake Cara. Angela was a retired school teacher in her 60s who had been watching Ella since she was 3 years old. She looked at Harry now with an expression that wasn't quite judgment but wasn't quite understanding either. She fell asleep in the car, Angela said quietly, gesturing to where Ella was slumped in the back seat. Wore herself out with all that performing.
Thank you for doing this. I know it was last minute. Angela studied his face for a long moment. "Everything okay, Harry? " "Work emergency," he said. The lie tasting bitter on his tongue.
It couldn't wait. She didn't press further, just nodded and helped him transfer Ella from the car to his arms. His daughter stirred slightly, her small hands finding their familiar grip around his neck, her face burrowing into his shoulder. Daddy," she murmured, still half asleep. "I'm here, baby.
Let's get you to bed. " He carried her inside, moving quietly past the living room where Carara's silhouette was visible on the couch, but Ella's eyes fluttered open at exactly the wrong moment, and she lifted her head to look around. "Daddy, who's that lady? " Harry's heart stuttered. "She's someone from my work, sweetheart. She got sick and needed a place to rest for the night. Ella squinted at the couch, then looked back at her father with the unfiltered curiosity of an 8-year-old.
Is she going to be okay? She'll be fine by morning. Now, let's get you to bed. He carried her to her room, helped her change into pajamas, and tucked her in with the stuffed elephant she'd had since she was a baby. When he leaned down to kiss her forehead, Ella grabbed his hand.
You missed my song, Daddy. The words were simple. Matter of fact, delivered without accusation. That somehow made them worse. I know, baby.
I'm so sorry. But Angela recorded it and I'm going to watch it first thing tomorrow morning. I promise. Ella was quiet for a moment. Okay, she finally said, and the easy forgiveness in her voice nearly broke him.