Gordon Black saw the identity of the caller on his car's console and bristled as he pulled up at the lights.
"Celia. Hello," he greeted his ex-wife, hoping her mood had improved since the last time they'd spoken.
"She's coming to live with you," Celia declared, foregoing pleasantries.
"I'm sorry, what?"
"Teagan. She's probably already at your house. Try and talk some sense into her would you. For God's sake, she doesn't listen to me."
"'Some sense,' about what?" Gordon furrowed his brow, glad the focus of her call wasn't about 'them;' their daughter Teagan however, a subject they could at least always agree upon.
"Just..." Celia began, Gordon hearing another person communicating with his ex in the background, her attention distracted. "Uh huh, yeah look, Gordon I have to deal with an issue here, 'she'll' no doubt fill you in when you get home. Give me a call would you, when you've discussed it with her. Oh, and tell her more packages arrived."
"'Packages.'" Gordon repeated. "What packages?" He attempted to question but Celia hung up from the call mid word. "No hello, no goodbye," he commented. "Well at least she's on form," he mused as he drove through the intersection, curious as to what in hell his ex-wife had even been talking about?
*
Teagan's hatchback was parked in his driveway, the rear door still open, boxes and clothing strewn about within. His daughter sat on the topmost step of those leading up to the porch, EarPods in her ears, large sunglasses blocking out the world.
"Surprised?" She grinned as her father headed up the stairs, his eyes staying well away from the tiny shorts she wore, her thighs suggestively spread, though innocent he supposed with no one else but he around to witness.
"Not exactly," Gordon smiled. "Your mother called me."
"Ugh," Teagan groaned, rising from the landing. "Surprised she had the time."
Gordon chuckled. "Yeah, it actually was a bit like that. You forget your keys?" He added as she leaned up to kiss his cheek as he opened the front door.
"You know what I'm like Daddy, I'd forget to put on clothes if someone wasn't there to point it out!" She laughed, following him inside and throwing her handbag upon the entryway cabinet. "Are you going to help me bring in my stuff?"
"Of course," Gordon agreed, placing his keys and briefcase on a kitchen bench. "But first tell me what all of this is about."
"Help me with all my stuff and you'll see," she fired back.
*
"What even is this?" Gordon carefully removed the circular light from the rear of his daughter's car followed by a tripod.
"It's my ring light," Teagan explained. "Don't break it. They cost a fortune. Though that one was given to me for nothing. Oh, remember to grab the camera next," she commanded as she carried her laptop back inside the house.
Multiple return trips and the loaded car was emptied of all it had contained, Gordon still none the wiser as to what was the catalyst for his daughter's presence or his ex-wife's cryptic phone call. As he reentered his kitchen, Teagan leaning over her laptop, he finally called for an explanation.
"Ok Honey, enough. What's going on? Your mom says I have to talk some sense into you. I'm happy to have you here but I need to know, what gives?"
Teagan looked over the spaghetti strap of her otherwise bare shoulder. "Come and look," she directed her father.
The laptop open on YouTube, Gordon studied the page his daughter had entered, a channel named 'It's Teag's,' displaying a glam shot of his daughter in the header.
"That's you!" Gordon exclaimed. "You have a channel?"
"Ah, yeah Dad," Teagan rolled her eyes. "Everyone has. But not everyone has this many subscribers!" Her finger pointed at the tally, approaching 500 thousand people following her.
"Is that good?" He asked.
"'Is that good!'" Teagan repeated. "Well it's not the best but it's enough for me to drop out of uni!"
And there was the issue, Gordon understood. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"Oh, please don't be as annoying as Mom about this," she focused back on the screen, possibly hoping he'd let it drop. Sadly mistaken.
"Oh, I will be! You're not dropping out of school young lady, not if I have anything to say about it," the moment he said the words realizing, he really didn't.
"Dad. Before you go all schizo about this, I made $4000 last month, just on advertising alone!"
About to continue his tirade, Gordon was stopped in his tracks. "You what?" To which his daughter just nodded, biting her lip, almost embarrassed. "That's more than I make!" Gordon added.
"What can I say?" She seemed to apologize.
"For doing what?" Gordon looked back at the screen for an explanation.