Daddy

But he seldom thought of her now. He was obsessed with Megan, and their lovemaking, and her body. And on a blazing Sunday afternoon, they were walking around naked in his apartment, when the phone rang. He couldn't imagine who it was. Probably Daphne, checking up on him, although she seldom called him now. She didn't want to disturb him.

The crackle of long-distance wires met his ears when he picked it up, and then the phone went dead, and it rang again, and an overseas operator told him there was a collect call from San Remo. He could hardly hear anything, and he smiled, as Megan paraded before him. And for a moment, he felt sad, thinking of the adjustments they'd have to make. The children were due home the following weekend.

“Hello?” He could hear a sound in the distance. It sounded like crying, but he knew it was only static.

“Hello?” he shouted and then suddenly he heard Mel crying and saying over and over, “Daddy …”

“Melissa? Melissa! Talk to me!” The line faded on them, and then she came back, with an echo, but a little clearer. “What is it? What happened?”

“… an accident …” Oh God … no … Sam … not Sam … please … and not even Sarah …

“Baby, I can't hear you! Talk louder!” His eyes filled with tears as he waited, and Megan watched. He had totally forgotten her, in his desperation to understand his daughter.

“… an accident … killed … Mommy …” Oh Jesus. It was Sarah….

He stood up as though that would improve the connection and shouted into the phone as loud as he could. In Italy, it was midnight. “What happened to your mother?”

“… a car … driving … we're in San Remo … Jean-Pierre …”

“Melissa, is your mother hurt?” And Megan saw in his face then that he still loved her, but after twenty years, she didn't blame him. And she stood paralyzed with fear too. It reminded her of the call she'd gotten almost ten years before … from her mother … Darling … oh darling … it's Priscilla …

“Mom's all right. …” The tears spilled down his cheeks as he heard the words.

“Sam? What about Sam?”

“… Sam broke his arm … Daddy, it was so awful …” And then she began crying again, anci he could understand nothing. But if Sam was alive … he was alive, wasn't he? … and Sarah … and Melissa was on the phone … “A car hit us … full on … the driver was killed … and two kids … and Jean-Pierre … Jean-Pierre was killed instantly … oh Daddy … it was so awful …” Oh Jesus … poor man … but at least the children were alive. His children anyway, if not the others. It was a terrible, selfish way to look at it, but he was deeply grateful.

“Baby, are you all right? … are you hurt?”

“… I'm fine …”

“Where's Mom?”

“At the hospital … told me to call you … we have to go back to France for the funeral … We'll be home on Friday.”

“But you're all right? You're sure? Was Mommy hurt?”

“… black eye … all cut up … but she's okay. …” It was like playing telegraph, but they were alive, even if bruised and broken. And they had seen their mother's lover die, and another man, and two children. He shuddered at the thought of it.

“Do you want me to come over?”

“… don't think so … we're going to be staying … with Jean-Pierre's parents … going back tonight … Mom says you have the number.”

“I have it. I'll call you. And, baby …”he began to cry as he held the phone in a trembling hand, “… I love you … tell Sam I love him too … and tell Mommy I'm sorry.”

Mel was crying again, and eventually the connection got so bad, they had to hang up. Ollie looked badly shaken as he hung up the phone and stared up at Megan. He had totally forgotten her as he talked to his daughter.

“Are they all right?” She was standing naked, and lovely, before him, as she handed him a glass of brandy.

“I think so. We had a terrible connection. There's been an accident … several people were killed, from what I could understand. My wife's friend was killed instantly. He was driving. In San Remo.”

“Jesus. How awful.” She sat down next to him, and took a sip of the brandy he hadn't touched. “Were the kids hurt?”

“Sam broke his arm. I think Melissa's all right. Sarah got cut up, but I think they're all right. It must have been grim.” And then, still shaken, he looked at Megan. “When she started talking, I thought … I thought Sam … or maybe even Sarah … It's a terrible thing to say with other people getting killed, but I'm glad it wasn't.”