“We are mad at you,” my dad said. “But we will deal with you later.”
This was ridiculous, I wasn’t a kid anymore. They couldn’t just ground me. Could they? This whole situation was so bizarre. “It was my fault. I fell in love with my professor and he told me to stay away from him. I didn’t listen. You two met and fell in love in college. This isn’t any different than that. You were my age when you met. You should understand better than anyone.”
“Those we’re completely different circumstances,” my dad said.
“Were they that different? Yes, you were the same age, but you were both as young as me. You have to at least accept the fact that I’m in love with him. And he resigned for me. So that we could be together.”
“Did he get divorced for you too? Was he cheating on his wife with…”
“It wasn’t like that,” James said. “I would never cheat on someone.”
“You have a very strange sense of morals, James,” my dad said.
I could tell that James was trying to remain calm, but that statement clearly angered him. I could see it brewing behind his eyes. I continued to ignore my phone buzzing in my pocket.
“I would never do anything to hurt Penny,” James said, as calmly as he could.
“You already have. What’s going to happen when other professors find out? And students? Can’t she be expelled for this?” my dad asked.
“We talked to the dean this morning when I resigned. Penny got two strikes on her record, but other than that, nothing. The news is circulating fast and I assume most of the college already knows. That’s why we’re here. We wanted to tell you before you found out from someone else. Despite my loose morals, I respected you both enough to want to tell you the truth in person.”
My dad didn’t seem at all consoled by James’ speech. “And what now? You just quit your job. You’re divorced. You probably have alimony to pay. And you’re dating a college student. What kind of future could you possibly have? You’re just going to drag her down with you.”
James eyebrows lowered slightly. “I’m starting a tech company.”
“A tech company?” my dad laughed. “And where are you going to get the startup money for such a venture? I was wrong about you. You’re not an adult. You’re just as immature as any college student.”
“Dad!” My father was a nice person. I had never heard him make snap judgments about anyone in my life. What was he doing?
“He’s probably here to ask us for money,” my Dad huffed.
More anger was brewing behind James’ eyes. “I have the necessary funds to start the company,” he said calmly.
The house phone started ringing. When no one answered, it automatically switched onto the voicemail recorder.
“Hi, I’m trying to reach Penny Taylor or the parents of Penny Taylor. This is Ellen Fitzgerald with…”
I immediately stood up. Shit! Why now?
James grabbed my arm. “Penny, don’t. It could be the media.”
“It’s not.” Before I could walk over to the phone, my dad picked it up.
Crap!
“Hello, Ellen. This is Penny’s father speaking.”
“Who is it?” James whispered to me.
“She works for the First State scholarship committee.” There was only one reason for her to be calling. I was going to lose my scholarship. My dad was already upset. This was going to make it so much worse.
“Allegations?” my father said. “There are no allegations…” he went silent and looked over at James and me. “The Delaware Post? I don’t even know what you’re referring to.”
Silence.
“Penny has successfully maintained the 3. 5 average.”
Silence.
“I don’t see how this is a behavioral issue. Her professor clearly…”
Silence.
“Ellen, I really don’t see why…”
Silence
“How dare you insult my daughter?!”
Silence.
“You’ll be hearing from my lawyer.” My dad slammed down the phone. His face was visibly red.
“Peter?” my mom said. “Peter, take a deep breath.”
“Get out of my house!” my dad yelled at James.
James quickly stood up. “Mr. Taylor, I don’t know what you just heard on the phone, but…”
“There’s an article in the Delaware Post about this mess? Why didn’t you two start with that?!”
I had never heard my dad yell like that. “Dad, what did Mrs. Fitzgerald say?” I wasn’t sure why I even asked. It was pretty clear.
“She said you lost your scholarship because you’re sleeping with your professor.” He pointed at James. “Didn’t you think about that, Penny? Did either of you think of any of the consequences?!”
“I can get a job, Dad. I can pay the difference. I’ll figure it out. Please just calm down.”
“You know how we feel about you working during school. It’s out of the question. You need to focus on your grades. Something that you’ve clearly put on the back burner recently.”
I swallowed hard. It felt like he had slapped me.
“Mr. Taylor, the scholarship isn’t an issue,” James said. “I can pay the difference. I’d like to pay the difference.”
“So you’re going to start a thriving tech company and pay for my daughter’s education? Do you have the necessary funds for all that? What, do you have a wealthy family to fall back on? Are you just some rich, entitled kid that never grew up? That goes around screwing students because you think there are never any consequences? Well, we don’t want your money. We don’t want anything from you. Haven’t you done enough?! Get the hell out of my house!”
“Dad!” I stood up beside James. How could he say that to him? He knew nothing about James.
I could see that James’ couldn’t keep his cool anymore. Mentioning his wealthy family was the last straw, even though my father didn’t actually know he had a wealthy family. He had unintentionally hit a nerve. Something seemed to just snap.
“Mr. Taylor, you don’t know anything about me. And it does not appear that you want to. Yes, I was your daughter’s professor. Yes, I got divorced yesterday. Yes, I am not ready to get married today or tomorrow. But I have every intention of marrying your daughter. And I will provide for her. I want to provide for her. You don’t have anything to worry about. Her future is secure. That is all you need to know.”
I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do. This couldn’t be the end of the conversation. James couldn’t just walk out right now. My dad was fuming.
“How could it possibly be secure?” my dad pressed. “You just ruined her education. And you ruined your own career. This is a scandal. No one’s ever going to want to hire you or her.”
“I don’t need anyone to hire me. I told you, I’m starting my own company.”
“You have no tech background. You’re a communications professor.”