Chapter 2

The next morning, my daughter's homeroom teacher called me ten times before I finally showed up at the school.

She told me my daughter had been calling herself a little princess.

Not only did she refuse to do her homework, she'd been ordering her classmates around like they were her servants.

She wanted me to take my daughter to a doctor and have her mind checked.

Face burning, I apologized to the teacher and promised I'd sit my daughter down and set her straight at home.

But my daughter suddenly shook off my hand and huffed out:

"This old man isn't my father."

"My daddy is a noble emperor!"

"My emperor daddy says I was born high and precious, so I don't have to grind away at schoolwork like some commoner!"

Every kid in the room craned their necks, whispering, watching me squirm.

The teacher turned to Rose, embarrassed.

"Toni's mom, raising a child isn't just her father's job."

"When a child disrespects her father, the mother needs to step in too."

I looked up at her, holding on to a thin sliver of hope.

But Rose only smiled and gave our daughter's head a careless little pat.

"Respect is something you earn for yourself. It isn't handed to you."

"Even your own daughter doesn't like you. You really should take a hard look at yourself."

I stood in the doorway, saying nothing.

All at once it just felt pointless.

Only two weeks ago Rose had held on to me and said she wouldn't know how to live without me.

My daughter used to trail after me like a little shadow, unable to fall asleep unless she was squeezed up against me.

She'd burrow into my arms and tell me I was the greatest dad in the whole world.

But ever since we bought that tablet, everything had changed.

They'd gotten a taste of some lavish ancient life, and suddenly they couldn't stand the sight of me.

Becoming a good husband and a good father had taken more than ten years of blood and sweat.

Turning into a worthless old man they nickel-and-dimed had taken only two weeks.

It was pouring when we left the school.

Rose held an umbrella and chattered eagerly with our daughter about what gift to bring back for their ancient daddy.

I dragged my casted leg along, struggling to move through the rain.

Coming down the steps, I tripped and went down hard into a puddle.

My broken shin screamed with pain.

I thrashed in the puddle for a moment and could only barely prop up half of my body.

Left with no choice, I called after them in a hoarse voice:

"Rose, give me a hand."

My daughter heard me and looked back, then let out an impatient sigh.

"Old men are such a pain."

"Can't you embarrass me a little less?"

The words turned bitter in my mouth.

"Antonia, I'm your father!"

She stamped her foot and pointed at me, screaming:

"You just made me with Mom, that's all! My emperor daddy is the one who really loves me!"

"My emperor daddy is always dignified and proper, and his clothes are always clean!"

"Do you know you deliver food all day and you always reek of stale sweat? I don't want you for my father!"

With that, she ran to the car without a backward glance.

Rose stood five steps away, holding her umbrella, looking at me.

Her brow was tight, her voice edged with reproach.

"Clint, you should set a good example for Toni. Stop expecting other people to do everything for you."

"There's an important banquet over there today. Toni and I can't be late."

"Quit making a scene. Get yourself home."

By the time the car vanished into the curtain of rain, a passing sanitation worker helped me up.

My whole body was soaked through with muddy water, my bones aching to the marrow.

I huddled under an eave. My phone had gone dead, the screen black from the water, and I couldn't flag down a car for hours.

The rain came down harder and harder, and the blur in front of my eyes, I couldn't tell anymore what was rain and what was tears.