I nearly spit my drink out when my daughter Brittany finished her sentence.
"Come again?" I asked her as I took another drink of my water.
"Daddy, I really need you to look after Andre for the next few days. He's still recovering from having his wisdom teeth pulled yesterday and he'll be out of commission for the next few days. I really hate asking you on short notice but you live a lot closer than momma and his family is on the other side of the country." My daughter repeated, folding her arms.
I sat on my recliner, thinking about her request. I really, really didn't want to be alone with Andre for the next few days. I had my reasons.
"Brittany, doesn't he have friends that can look out for him? Hell, he has fraternity brothers here." I said, taking another sip of my drink.
"Daddy, do I need to remind you that you are one of his fraternity brothers? I don't know why it's an issue for Andre to stay here for a few days while I'm traveling for work. You used to like Andre so much before we got married. Now, you avoid anything having to do with him." Brittany said, making me feel bad.
"Brittany, that's not true." I argued.
"It is. But I don't need to argue with you to know that. I just need you to look after him for a few days, dad." My daughter begged me.
I sat in my chair, contemplating her request. I hate to admit it, but Brittany was right - I made it a point to avoid interacting with Andre. I had my reasons and they were valid. If only she knew.
"Brittany, where in this house is he going to stay?" I said, returning my attention to my television.
"Daddy, he can stay in the extra bedroom that you turned into your office. You never removed the bed from it..." she said, allowing her voice to trail off.
"Brittany, my office is MY office - I do work in there!" I replied, instantly against the suggestion.
"Daddy, you never use that damn office. I bet you haven't entered it in a few weeks." Brittany refuted, sitting down on the couch.
"Whatever, it's my office and what if I need to access it, and your damn husband is in it?" I scoffed.
"Then you'll go into it, grab whatever you need and leave. If not your office, he can stay in Devante's old room. I honestly don't know why you're being so difficult about this...Andre and you really need to talk this shit out...because he was against me asking you for this favor too" Brittany said, seeming exasperated.
"What do you mean?" I asked her.
"I mean...you make him nervous as fuck, Daddy. You aren't the easiest person to connect with, and y'all initially got along so well...I genuinely thought you and my husband would be friendly. He doesn't come over here anymore unless I force him too and he gets all weird when I mention you. I always thought it was dope that I was marrying a Sigma man because I knew you'd get along with him but I was clearly wrong." Brittany said, rolling her eyes.
"Fuck." I thought to myself as I thought about everything. I know why Andre gets nervous around me. For the same reasons he's been nervous around me for the past 3 years.
I shuddered as I thought about the reason there was a weird tension between us. Like me, Andre probably can't shake that night before he married my daughter. The two of us crossed a line that we shouldn't have even approached.
Since that night, I've wanted to tell him to just forget about what happened. Instead of obsessing over a mistake, he needed to enjoy being my daughter's husband. He needed to live his own life and just accept what happened...Andre wasn't the type to just forget though. Since the wedding, he's never allowed us to be alone together.
--
The night before his rehearsal dinner, his lazy best man had thrown together a last-minute bachelor party...I'd agreed to go - Andre had insisted, my son Devante was also one of the groomsmen and he also had begged me to join them. I'd told them that it wasn't conventual for the father of the bride-to-be to attend a bachelor's party, but I gave in since everyone that would be present were frat (my son included). I found myself in the dingy strip club downtown where they were all drinking and being entertained by the dancers.
By the end of the night, Andre and his six groomsmen were drunk and I found myself serving as the designated driver, responsible for getting everyone back to their hotels, and Andre and Devante back to my house (where they were staying until the wedding). I got the first four men back to their hotel and I quickly got Andre, Devante and myself back to my house.
Devante was sobering up, so he didn't need any assistance getting into the house and his old room (which was located in the basement). Andre however was fucked up, so I had to help him into the house and into the guest room (my current office). This is where things went left.