I headed downtown a little early, parking next to a sushi bar on Lexington Avenue, figuring I could walk up to Max & Rosie's for a sandwich or maybe to Salsa's for something with plantains. I was dressed casually, as I usually did when going downtown, with the exception of my collar, which I wore faithfully, in spite of my recent revelations with Nina.
As I passed the gates outside the courtyard near Vincent's Ear, where I was to meet her, I looked through to see my father, or at least the man I once thought was my father, standing away from the tables which were crowded with the usual assortment of Goths, punks and chess geeks. I pushed the gate open and headed towards him, anger pulsating through my veins.
"Your neighbor thought you might be here," he said, reaching out a hand for me to shake. I slapped it away. "What the fuck are you doing here?" I asked loudly enough to draw some attention from the nearby tables. "Your mother was worried about you when you didn't show up on Sunday. She asked me to speak to you."
I was sweating now, in spite of the crisp fall breeze, and I dropped my backpack to the ground, ready to fight if the opportunity presented itself. "My mother!" I shouted. "My mother? Who the fuck are you kidding, old man? You're not my father, and that bitch -" I spat "- is certainly not my mother!"
Everyone was staring now. He turned and walked back toward the street, and I followed. "Yes, Stephen, you were adopted," he said quietly. "That doesn't mean we loved you or love you any less than if you were our biological child."
