Father Figures

The following chapter is written in 3rd Person POV, following Cassie.

“Oh, babe! Thanks for dropping by on short notice.” Sylvie greets Cassie.

“Hey, mom. You really surprised me with that curveball to the plan.” Cassie replies, as the two hug in greeting.

“I’m sorry about that, babe.” Sylvie answers, as they break away from their hug, and Sylvie steps aside to let Cassie into the brownstone house they’ve been renting for her the past couple of days. “I just thought this would be a lot easier for everyone, so I didn’t consult you guys about it.” Sylvie adds.

“You mean it would be easier for you?” Cassie retorts, as Sylvie leads her to the living room.

“Oh, babe! It’s only been a couple of days and I’m bored out of my mind! We didn’t think this plan through!” Sylvie complains like a child. Cassie rolls her eyes, and is ready to retort, but a voice comes from the living room that cuts her off before she could even say it.

“Yes~. I would have to agree. Whatever this plan was, you definitely did not think it through.” the voice from the living room says, urging Cassie to walk past her mother to confirm who spoke.

“You could’ve just said you wanted to talk to me in person. You didn’t have to make my mother go through that charade of a phone call.” Cassie aggressively replies to Mr. Hoffman, who is fully reclined on a La-Z-Boy in the middle of the living room, eyes closed, wearing his full suit, and his hands together over his stomach.

“Oh that wasn’t a sha-rad, Cassandra. I suggested your mother continue her vacation with her paramour, and she accepted. She didn’t lie to you.” Mr. Hoffman informs Cassie, not even looking towards her, and continues to have his eyes closed.

“Please tell me you didn’t make a deal with him again, Mom.” Cassie asks Sylvie, unable to hide her disappointment, dreading that that’s exactly what happened.

“Babe, it’s a good deal!” Sylvie steps in front of Cassie to face her, getting between Cassie and Mr. Hoffman. “He continues to support us, and you get to stay here! It’s like nothing happened!” Sylvie explains with excitement.

“What’s the catch?” Cassie asks, still doubtful of the one-eighty Mr. Hoffman did with regards to his plan to separate her and Jay, despite all the traits they bought to address it.

“No catch, babe. Avi told me he understands why I would choose your happiness over his. He’s actually happy I chose to support you and your happiness over his wishes. He understands the importance of family, and he’s glad that I do too.” Sylvie explains to Cassie. “Isn’t that great, babe?” Sylvie then asks, smiling from ear to ear excitedly, hoping that Cassie would be just as enthused about this turn of events as she is.

Cassie’s still hesitant to take everything at face value, but she’s also considering the fact that maybe the magic has done its job and made Mr. Hoffman just completely drop whatever plans he had at sabotaging her relationship with Jay. She wants to hope beyond hope that’s the truth, and this is all over with, and she can accept Jay’s advice and slowly consider him less of a stranger; but she can’t be that naive and that hopeful. She knows in her gut there are still pieces that need to be explained by Mr. Hoffman.

“Then why bring me here just to tell me this? Why ask for me to come alone? You could have told me this over the phone, and Mom could have just picked me up from the bar before going to the airport.” Cassie asks Mr. Hoffman, who still doesn’t do anything to truly acknowledge her.

“Are you implying I turned an email into a meeting?” Mr. Hoffman asks back jokingly, smirking in his recliner, still with his eyes closed. “That joke would have killed in a board meeting.” Mr. Hoffman continues to be humorous.

“Babe, he’s here to make amends. We both admit we were rash when we first found out about you possibly sharing a man with your half-sister. We thought it was disturbing! When he called me to take you away from here… away from Jay, I agreed to do it because I agreed with him that we didn’t want something like that for both of you.” Sylvie answers for Mr. Hoffman.

“That being said, after discussing it with me tonight, we both realized it’s not that big of a deal if you and your half-sister date the same man. As long as you’re both happy.” Sylvie continues. Cassie can’t help but smile in gratitude towards her mother. She knows that her recent supportiveness is genuine, since she did so before Jay bought the trait that magically makes her more inclined to do so. On the other hand, she’s still doubtful that’s what’s happening with Mr. Hoffman.

“Is that true?” Cassie asks Mr. Hoffman, who seems to understand the question was for him, despite him still keeping his eyes closed.

“Every word, my dear.” Mr. Hoffman answers her.

“So you’re not going to mess with my relationship with Jay anymore?” Cassie asks, remembering Mr. Hoffman’s negative score towards Jay, and why the app recommended he buy the ‘No More Enemies’ trait just to get that to at least apathy.

“He won’t, babe. He promised me that too.” Sylvie answers immediately.

“I want to hear him say it.” Cassie quickly demands, getting tired of her mom answering for him all the time.

“I won’t interfere with your relationship with your boyfriend, Cassandra; and I will no longer attempt to separate the two of you. I can promise you that.” Mr. Hoffman speaks. His brow is furrowed when having to promise such a thing, but he still has his eyes closed when he speaks.

“Just like that? You’ll leave my relationship alone? After wanting to take me away from him so he can date Becca instead?” Cassie continues her line of questioning, unable to hold back her emotions for this particular set of questions.

“I won’t say I will leave you alone, Cassandra. That’s why I wanted to meet with you in person. The whole point of this talk is for us to come to terms with our relationship as father and daughter.” Mr. Hoffman tells her.

“First of all, you may be my biological father, but you are not my dad. You’ll never replace the man I consider my dad.” Cassie says, almost venomously, wanting to inflict pain with her words; but Mr. Hoffman remains unfazed in his reclined state.

“I for one do not see the distinction, but if you want to exercise pedantry then I won’t argue.” Mr. Hoffman dismissively replies. “But you said ‘first of all’, so I assume there’s more?” Mr. Hoffman adds smugly, riling up Cassie even more.

“You have some nerve to say we need to come to terms with our relationship! You’ve known about me for nineteen years! Nineteen! You had my entire life’s worth of chances to be a parent. So excuse me if you think I’m being pedantic, but you are nineteen years too late to tell me any of this!” Cassie shouts at him. Mr. Hoffman just trills his lips as if Cassie’s point is trivial at best.

“How you perceive my help in raising you in those nineteen years does not—” Mr. Hoffman begins to say, but Cassie just pops off again when she hears his first few words.

“Help!? You helped raise me!?” Cassie shouts in pure anger, forcing Sylvie to try and calm her down. “I don’t even know who the fuck you are!” Cassie shouts at him, Sylvie holding her back from getting any closer to Mr. Hoffman, who finally budges from the La-Z-Boy, and stands up. He gestures Sylvie aside, who does so when she sees he’s calm.

“I am your father. Whether you accept it or not, THAT… is who the fuck I am.” Mr. Hoffman says matter-of-factly. “I provided for everything you have your entire life. Even when I no longer needed to, I did so. The moment you became an adult, I could have stopped; but I kept doing so because that is what a father does for his children. He provides.” Mr. Hoffman calmly argues.

“Whether I liked it or not, I accepted that responsibility. A responsibility even your mother didn’t even want. So let me emphasize something you fail to understand, young lady — Without me, you wouldn’t even be here.” Mr. Hoffman returns all the venom Cassie threw his way… and Cassie can’t help but tear up again.

Sylvie reprimands Mr. Hoffman for his blunt delivery, before getting between them again and hugging Cassie; only to make excuses for him like ‘he didn’t mean it, or you just aggravated him and that’s why he said those things’.

There may be tears falling down her cheeks, but Cassie isn’t sobbing like earlier though. She wipes away the tears that she hates broke through. She doesn’t hate that she teared up because she’s showing weakness. She just doesn’t want the man in front of her to misinterpret why she’s teary-eyed.

Cassie’s tears are all from feeling disappointed in herself. Disappointed that she ever hoped to meet this man. Disappointed that she prematurely took that sigh of relief. Disappointed that she ever considered taking Jay’s advice to hear him out and possibly consider him less of a stranger.

On the other hand, she’s able to steel her resolve and wipe away her tears because Mr. Hoffman made something clear — he’s no longer a stranger to Cassie. Cassie knows who he is at his core… and she wants nothing to do with him.

“That may all be true,” Cassie starts to say, as she wipes the last few unwanted tears from her eyes. “But if that’s what you think all a parent does, then I’m glad I never grew up with you.” Cassie retorts. “Why Becca wants to earn your respect, I have no clue. From where I’m standing, it’s the other way around.” Cassie adds.

To Cassie and Sylvie’s surprise, Mr. Hoffman lets out a boisterous belly laugh that irks Cassie even more. Mr. Hoffman’s laughter goes on for more than a couple of minutes, making Cassie look at him with even more disgust, while Sylvie just looks worried.

“I’m sorry,” Mr. Hoffman finally says, before wiping a non-existent tear from his eye. “I thought you were joking.” He then adds. “Do you want to know why Rebecca wants to earn my respect?” Mr. Hoffman asks teasingly, and Cassie can’t hide she’s unamused by his antics. “It’s because she knows her place.” Mr. Hoffman answers his own question.

“At least, that’s what I thought.” Mr. Hoffman then adds, sounding disappointed in Becca. Cassie picks up on this and decides to throw a barb at Mr. Hoffman’s way.

“It’s good to know that even your actual children disappoint you. You really seem like someone who deserves it.” Cassie tells him. Mr. Hoffman just sighs and rubs his forehead.

“This conversation is no longer productive.” Mr. Hoffman observes, frustration clear in his voice. “If you are adamant that you want nothing to do with me, then I will not grovel.” Mr. Hoffman declares.

“Avi, she doesn’t mean that.” Sylvie chimes in, but Cassie quickly undermines her with a, “Oh, yes I do.”

“You need not worry Sylvia, I won’t renege our agreement. I am a man of my word.” Mr. Hoffman assures her.

“Cassandra,” Mr. Hoffman then turns to Cassie. “ I really do want to start being more hands-on with our relationship now that we know each other. I apologize if you took my words the wrong way. I was merely pointing out that I am not some negligent parent who threw you to the wolves. I may have been distant, but I ensured that you grew up comfortably. That’s all I really meant.” Mr. Hoffman tells Cassie calmly. “Any aggression on my part, well, I don’t take aggression against me lightly… let’s put it that way.” Mr. Hoffman continues.

“You can keep your non-apology.” Cassie tells him dismissively.

“Understood.” Mr. Hoffman tells her. “I’ll go back to the La-Z-Boy then. I’ll let you and your mother say your goodbyes before Frank takes her to the airport once he gets back.” Mr. Hoffman tells Cassie, before turning around and sitting back down on the La-Z-Boy.

“Seems to me like you’re the only unnecessary person here. How about you leave?” Cassie asks him.

“I can’t, my dear.” Mr. Hoffman replies, before pulling the lever to fully recline the La-Z-Boy once more. “Ah~. I honestly love these. I can only use them in the theater room because my wife thinks they’re gauche. ‘It ruins the interior design’ blah blah blah.” Mr. Hoffman tangents, as he returns to his old position, closing his eyes; treating everything that transpired between them as if they were inconsequential. “The sacrifices you make for your family.” Mr. Hoffman adds with a chuckle.

In Cassie’s mind, nothing of consequence probably did happen for him. He just returned everything to the status quo. She doesn’t believe for a second he wanted to start a relationship with her, and did all of that just so he can say he was the one who wanted it, and that he wasn’t the one who refused. All the more reason why Cassie wants him gone already.

“Why can’t you leave?” Cassie asks him.

“Apart from ours, I scheduled another meeting here, darling.”