Calling the Shots: Chapter Twenty One

Bold is English

"Son of a bitch," Doug curses aloud after slamming the car door shut. Reminiscing about the past put him in a sour mood. He knew without a doubt Kagetora was no friend, took him for an idiot–it was a mistake to underestimate him.

He's irritated, both at Kagetora and at himself. The man pried in their private affairs and defended Allison's obsessed crush on Kiyoshi. That knowledge sits like acid in Doug's stomach. It stirs his blood as he grips the steering wheel.

There's a light tapping on his right. Doug turns to see his daughter, without Kagetora, then proceeds to lower the window. "Get in the car," he orders through clenched teeth.

Allison forces herself to inhale slowly.

He is wrong. He is wrong. He is wrong. She chants without end inside her mind as she refuses to move.

"Get in," he demands once more.

"No," Allison snaps. "Not before you take the time to listen."

His fingers twitch on the steering wheel. "We've talked enough already."

"You did a lot of the talking."

"Get in the damn car before I drive off."

"I dare you." She glares at him. When he doesn't say anything, she continues, "I want to have a normal conversation with you. So unless you plan on listening to what I have to say, I won't get in."

A tension-filled silence ensues. Allison hates getting into a staring contest with him, because he's relentless. His angry eyes would be on her, dissecting her, unnerving her. But this time is different.

He just stares, and his breath is positively caught. She looks and behaves so like her own mother in that moment it's almost eerie.

Leah was a firecracker all wrapped up in a demure little bow.

One minute she plucked at her shirt in a nervous manner—she had tucked it into a skirt. The next she stared him down and twisted his gut so tightly with her words that it left him struggling to breathe.

For a long moment, he says nothing. There's only the purr of his engine and the gleam of his eyes from within the interior of his car. And then: "Start talking."

Allison lifts her chin before she loses her resolve, fakes a confidence that doesn't exist. "I'm going to end things with Teppei. Aida will call me and it'll be over soon. After everything that happened I just want it over with."

Doug's eyes grow wide. That was the last thing he expected. He feels a flash of triumph so great, he covers his face with his hand to hide the strength of his emotional reaction. She doesn't need to know how pleased he is to hear that.

"I'm sorry you have to deal with me. Sometimes I think I'm not normal, that I'm long overdue for a psychotherapist to straighten me out. Then at other times I feel like you're a nutcase and I'm the sane one. You make me feel self-destructive."

Her words sting, and Doug's chest tightens.

"Teppei makes me feel good about myself. It's that simple. Even if he… knocked me up," Allison throws his words back at him, "He would be a better father than you because he wants to be. I'm sure he would screw up a lot of things, but he wouldn't ever leave."

There is clear annoyance evident on Doug's face.

Allison pulls her shoulders back, and her confidence reflects in her voice. "He's more mature than you are. He's already grown up."

Doug stares at her for a moment, his brow furrowed. So he's a selfish prick. Then why not rebel and stay committed to Kiyoshi?

"Teppei barely made it through today's game because of me." Allison says before she can swallow the words back down. "I don't want to lay any emotional baggage at his feet and expect him to fix me. I want him to be free from that."

Doug clenches his jaw and Allison can tell he wants to say something, but he bites his tongue.

She can't stop her words now; they keep coming, like a flood. "He can think I'm a bad person all he wants but I still won't put that on him. What you did to me…" She shakes her head. "What you did to mom, no one should ever have to go through that. No one should have to live with the shit you pulled but mom and me. No one else needs to know."

Allison steels herself as her father, anger evident in his eyes, turns to face her. "You can't possibly blame—"

"Teppei deserves better than me," she raises her voice. "He deserves someone who can be open with him about everything, because I can't. I can't—

"Enough—"

"I can't do that to him. They are my secrets, and I don't want him to be tainted by that horrible shit. It's my cross to bear and suffer with. No one else's—"

He holds his hand up, signaling for her to stop. "You made your point. Now get. In."

A cold wind whips Allison's hair around her face. There's a long and ringing silence as she struggles with her emotions.

Doug looks annoyed by how long she stands there as snow starts to fall. He cranks the heater up and pulls slowly away from the curb once she's buckled in. Conversation is as good as dead, so they ride home in silence.

—-—-—-—-—-

Allison retreats into her room and cocoons herself under the covers. The isolation calms her down, helps her to realize that the breakup won't be the end of the world. After a while, though, she feels her eyes sting and well up.

Her father revealed his true colors. He never wanted her around. It hurts like it shouldn't hurt, because she was hoping deep down Doug didn't feel this way about her.

Allison is the daughter who is a constant reminder of his past life, of the life he was trying to forget. The daughter he was so eager to cast aside.

She should have known. He's a self-motivated asshole with self interests that always come first, after all. But when he said all that, it knocked the wind right out of her sails.

This is her right now. Windless. Limp sails. Knocked on her backside.

Because, hell. She can't argue with him. The man has a point.

He built a perfect life—he's well respected, works in court, has a beautiful home, fancy car—all that was perfect. Until it fell the fuck apart the moment she arrived at his doorstep.

Thinking about it, things must have fell apart way before that. When Leah was expecting her. Allison knows her mother would have been better off without her. She makes a mess of everyone she meets. Her actions had led to Hanamiya breaking Shige's wrist. Her actions had led to Mariko—a lot of people really—to hate her, with good reason.

It would have been better if I'd never been born at all. Everyone will thrive without me in their life. I'm too selfish to be a good person.

A memory bursts across her vision. A grassy berm. Cloud watching. The close proximity of Kiyoshi's body to hers. The smell of him, warm, earthy, male, and she recalls his words: "I'm grateful your parents had you. I love you, Allison."

Recalling the look of tender emotion on his face is what does her in, makes the tears spill over. The memory is vivid, so vivid it makes her heart hurt and her stomach churn. She covers her face with her hands and sobs, soft sobs of utter misery.

—-—-—-—-—-

An alarm rings throughout Kiyoshi's room. The sound dulls and then dies, not even registering on the teenager buried under a heap of futon blankets. Again, the electronic noise pierces the early morning silence.

He groans, nearly rolling off his bed. His hand fumbles clumsily for the alarm clock, slamming on the snooze button several times before realizing the damn thing isn't even plugged in.

He peels his eyes open searching desperately for the obnoxious noise before zeroing in on his crummy old cell phone. It's situated in his bag, next to his desk.

Kiyoshi stares across the room debating whether it's important enough to get out of bed this early as the third ring blares through the room.

Shoving the covers off, he painstakingly stumbles out of bed and stubs his toe on something. Kiyoshi bites back a yelp as pain shoots through him. Finally reaching for the bag, he pulls out the contraption and wrinkles his brow at the caller ID.

It's an unknown caller, and that's unusual. He doesn't pass his phone number to just anyone. Probably a wrong call or a telemarketer.

Choosing to ignore it, Kiyoshi checks for anything else. Still no missed calls from Allison. No messages.

After dealing with the food fiasco and Alex Garcia's sudden appearance yesterday, he's desperate for a moment of peace.

Kiyoshi's play hadn't been bad enough, but not as good as it needed to be, either. As hard as he tried, he hadn't regained his focus. Allison was his last thought at night and his first on waking. Plus, countless times inbetween.

He needs her.

Misses her.

Wants to be around her.

Wanted so badly to approach her after the game. The knowledge that he couldn't with Doug around sliced through his heart like a blade through fresh ice.

Dialing her number, Kiyoshi hopes for the best. The call rolls to voicemall, and he hangs up, leaving an uneasy feeling in his stomach. He decides to send Allison a quick message before heading into the bathroom for his morning routine.

Kiyoshi can smell the aroma of grilled fish and eggs wafting from the kitchen as he descends the stairs.

"Good morning," Grandmother greets Kiyoshi, smiling up at him. She doesn't realize it herself, but she sucks up all the energy in a room. She absorbs it, and then sends it back out in a happier bounce.

Kiyoshi goes straight to her and bends down to give her a kiss on the cheek. Twenty minutes later, he's done eating, then proceeds to wash the dishes.

His phone rings—unknown caller again—and he quickly hangs up. Grandmother gives him the side-eye but keeps quiet.

Hardly a minute passed with Kiyoshi at the doorstep when his phone starts ringing again. He sighs and rolls his eyes before ignoring the call once more.

"So when people bother to call, you don't answer?"

Doug is standing across the street from him. He looks so damn confident in his perfectly tailored suit and beige trench-coat.

Kiyoshi's initial reaction is shock. His second is caution at Doug's presence. An ominous silence ensues.

Doug carefully tucks his cell phone back into his pocket.

"What are you doing here?" Kiyoshi's voice is quiet, barely above a whisper, but it sounds like a shout in the silence.

"I assure you, this won't take long. There's something I need to talk over with you."

Kiyoshi shoves his hands in his pockets and frowns as he tries to make sense of Doug's surprise visit. His breath hits the cold air in a puff of white as he speaks, "I really don't have the time." He then takes off down the sidewalk, having no real idea where he's going. All he knows is that he needs to get away.

"That's unfortunate," Doug shares. "I might as well visit your grandparents while I'm here. I'm sure they have plenty of time to spare."

Doug's words halt Kiyoshi dead in his tracks, anger slicing through him. It took a while for him to feel safe in his grandparents' home. Kiyoshi won't allow the comfort of their love and the memories created there to be sullied by Doug's presence.

He's a con man and a blackmailer, a sneaky lawyer with connections. To him, love is something you use to manipulate the weak.

Kiyoshi runs his fingers through his hair and states, "An hour is all I can spare. How's that sound?" His brown eyes bore into Doug's.

Doug smirks. "Maybe I should introduce myself to the people that raised you so well," he says.

Kiyoshi doesn't respond. He understands this is payback for the time Doug found him sleeping on his couch.

"I was being sarcastic," Doug tells him when the silence gets awkward.

Kiyoshi pinches his lips, as if holding back all the thoughts running through his head. With a little nod, he gets in the car, buckles up, then mentally prepares himself for the shit-storm that he knows is going to happen.

—-—-—-—-—-

The restaurant Doug had chosen was exactly what Kiyoshi expected from him. He had no patience for what he saw as frills and excesses, so any fancy restaurant that played on mystery or romance was out. Yet, despite his pragmatism, he also can't handle a bare-bones cafe that's loud with questionable cleaning and food standards.

So, he managed to find a fine-dining place next to a hotel that prides itself on minimalism. The decor is stark, with lots of clean lines, but the food and reputation is outstanding.

A waiter comes by to offer them their drinks. Doug hands over the menu. "This is a dinner menu. Please bring us the lunch menu."

"Lunchtime is over, sir," the waiter says politely. "We've switched menus."

Doug meets him squarely in the eye. "Are you trying to tell me two thirty is dinner time?"

"No…" The waiter glances helplessly around at the empty restaurant, save for two businessmen drinking at the bar. "Not really."

"Well, in that case, I see no reason I should have to pay dinner prices. Bring me the lunch menu."

"But lunch ended at two."

"Then bring me a manager."

The waiter leaves and returns quickly—with a lunch menu. Kiyoshi tries not to sink in his seat.

"Now then," says Doug, supremely proud of himself. "Let's order something, shall we?"

Kiyoshi's stomach lurches as he wonders why he's there. Even without that anxiety, he's not really hungry but makes a good faith effort and orders sushi.

"That's a small plate," Doug notes.

It's also the cheapest. Even on the lunch menu, this place is overpriced. Kiyoshi doesn't want to go overboard when Doug is the one paying. "I'm not that hungry."

Doug shakes his head in disapproval. "You're an athlete. Focus on getting the right amount of nutrition for God's sake. Stop being so damn considerate and order a proper meal."

Kiyoshi gives him a stiff smile, swallowing the urge to tell him he had a proper breakfast. In the end, Kiyoshi orders teriyaki salmon with rice, even though he really won't be able to eat it all.

Once the waiter leaves with their orders, Doug takes out a manila envelope and places it aside for later use. "No point in wasting time. Let's cut to the chase."

"Please." Kiyoshi covers his anxiety with sarcasm. "Let's."

"Allison wants to dump you."

Stunned, Kiyoshi waits a beat so Doug can laugh at his gullibility, point a finger and then say, "Gotcha!" But of course he doesn't. He's not the joking type.

"What?" Kiyoshi can hardly keep the shock out of his voice.

"Don't look so concerned; I hardly believe Allison will go through with it. Which is why I need you to… push her away." Doug places a blue rectangular booklet on the table beside his coffee. "I'm willing…" He opens the booklet, picks a pen and scribbles on one of the pages. "...to compensate you for that to happen."

Kiyoshi struggles to wrap his mind around what's going on here.

"I've done a background check on you," Doug continues, casually tapping the manila envelope. "You've never been arrested. Your father died in a traffic accident when you were five. Your mother abandoned you a year later, leaving you in the care of your grandparents. They're both retired, living off a small pension which pays for school. You get decent grades. You're skilled at basketball. I suppose your mediocre performance yesterday adds up to the knee injury you sustained in your freshman year. Why you don't have surgery now I don't really know—or care."

It's almost like he's reading from the book of Kiyoshi's life. For a man who hardly spends time with Allison he knows a lot—too much even. How dare he dig up dirt on him. Before Kiyoshi can say anything, Doug tears out a leaflet from the booklet.

"What I care about is making sure my daughter stays out of trouble." Waving the sheet of paper at Kiyoshi, he says, "Here."

Kiyoshi makes no move to take it. He doesn't even have to read the fine print on the paper to know what it is. "We had a deal. You really have the wrong idea about me."

"No." Doug shakes his head. "I'm sure I have a pretty good idea about you. You're the type of guy who doesn't practice safe sex. The type that dumps his girlfriend who's saddled with a child, leaving her to foot the bill."

"I don't want your money." Kiyoshi is amazed he sounds so calm when his whole nervous system is racing towards anger. His hands clench into fists under the table. There are no lows to Doug's insults. Just when he thought he'd hit him with his best shot, he'd hand him something even worse. A check!

The food arrives just then, giving Kiyoshi time to think.

They had been playing a dangerous game together, forgetting to use protection. It's definitely something both Kiyoshi and Allison should watch out for. A pregnancy—a baby—would blow everything up. Neither of their lives are equipped for that.

But even if that happened, it's their baby. Kiyoshi will be involved for the rest of Allison's life. No way his kid is going to lie in bed at night wondering why their dad isn't around. He's been that kid. It sucks.

"Maybe you even mean that—right now. But you're a smart boy. Use your head." Doug taps the paper. "Cash this and you can cover the hospital expenses for your surgery. Spoil your grandparents. Maybe even study at university if you want. I'm sure you'll find someone else soon enough to replace Allison."

Doug sounds so reasonable. Like he actually believes the proposal he's making is something normal fathers do. Kiyoshi has sudden clarity as he stares Doug down. Though it's firmly hidden behind an expressionless face there is some love in this man. In his own warped way, Doug is trying to protect his daughter.

All the anger drains out of Kiyoshi. Some part of him shakes its head with pity for the man while the other part wants to yell at Doug and tell him that he loves Allison just as much as Doug does. But he knows that the older man won't care. So he simply repeats, "I don't want your money."

Doug folds up the check then sets it on the table. "Let my daughter go, Kiyoshi."

He summons the waiter to ask for the check, pays, then leaves Kiyoshi to think on it.

He picks up the check and unfolds it. His eyes nearly fall out of their sockets when he sees the number scribbled there.

It's for five hundred thousand dollars.