No. I didn’t want to change schools. Everything was going to be okay. “Mom, Dad, it’s going to be fine. I went to class this morning and it wasn’t even that bad.” I thought about Raymond Asher’s harsh comments. If Tyler hadn’t shown up to defend me, would everything have been fine? I shook away the thought. That was Comm. My other classes would be different.
“Unfortunately we both need to get to work. Are you sure we can’t get you to stay for dinner?” my mom asked.
“No, we need to get back.” I just wanted to be alone with James. This day couldn’t be over soon enough.
“Okay.” My mom looked over at my dad.
“Do you mind if we talk to Penny alone for a second?” my dad asked.
“Of course.” James stood up. “I’ll be outside.” He put his hand on my shoulder for a second and then walked out of the kitchen.
When the front door closed, my parents still didn’t say anything.
“Mom, Dad, thank you for understanding. I know that you’re probably disappointed in me. And I’m so sorry that…”
My dad held up his hand to stop me from talking.
I swallowed hard. I wished James was still sitting beside me.
“We just want you to happy, Penny,” my mom said.
“I am happy. I’ve never been this happy.”
My parents looked at each other again.
“Penny,” my dad said. “If he has in any way pressured you into…”
Oh my God. “No, Dad, it wasn’t like that at all. He didn’t pressure me. This situation is just as much my fault as it is his. If not more.”
“But if there’s anything that you aren’t ready for and he…”
“Dad. Please stop.” I didn’t want to have this conversation with my parents. “He’s always a complete gentleman.” I winced at my own choice of words. It was almost like I had just confessed that James was a gentle lover. Please let this conversation be over.
“I’m sorry. But when he mentioned sexual misconduct… I just wanted to make sure.” My dad seemed to be just as uncomfortable as me.
“When he mentioned it, he said it wasn’t true. And it’s not. We’re exclusive. He’s not dating anyone else. And everything we have done has been consensual.” Consensual. I kept choosing grosser and grosser words to describe everything.
“Okay.” My dad sighed. “Well, we’re glad you’re not pregnant.” He laughed uneasily.
I knew he was trying to break the tension. “Yeah, you guys are too young to be grandparents.”
My mom smiled at me. “I really wish we didn’t have to go back to work. I want to hear the whole story about how you two met.” She stood up and quickly cleared the dishes. “Maybe the next time you two visit we can hear a little more about the good moments and a little less about the messy ones.”
Messy moments? Gross! “That sounds great.”
The three of us went outside. James was sitting on the front porch step petting Teddy.
Whenever he did normal stuff it always looked funny to me. He was the sexiest man I had ever laid my eyes on. And my mind just instantly pictured him doing whatever he was doing in T. V. commercials. It was the sexiest ad for a pet commercial I had ever seen.
“I see you two are getting along now,” I said.
“Yeah, I think he actually likes me.” He turned around. When he saw my parents he quickly stood up.
“I’m really sorry that you two can’t stay. I hope you come visit us again soon. I promise that we’re not usually this hostile.” My mom leaned in and hugged him.
James looked a little less uncomfortable than he had when she had hugged him earlier. “Thank you for being so understanding.”
My mom laughed. “Were we? I feel like we weren’t. But I do understand. And I’m so glad that you make our daughter happy.”
My mom pulled away and gave me a quick hug. “Call me with those details.”
“I will.”
“James.” My dad stuck out his hand.
“Mr. Taylor.” They quickly shook hands.
“You can call me Peter.” My dad nodded at him and walked over to me. He immediately embraced me in a hug. “Don’t you ever think that you’ve disappointed us, Pen. We love you so much.” He kissed the top of my head and released me from his hug.
“Thanks, Dad.” His words made me tear up slightly. It was such a relief to hear him say that. My biggest fear in life always seemed to be disappointing my parents. That was why I never took risks and always followed the rules. It was strange how quickly my outlook could change. I still never wanted to disappoint my parents. But James seemed to have taken over all my worries. I was more concerned about him now and making him happy. I’d do anything for him. I hoped he knew that.
Wednesday
As soon as my mom and dad drove off, I sighed and turned my head toward James. “That went well, right?” We were sitting in James’ car. He hadn’t started it yet. He was just sitting there, staring out the windshield.
“In the end, yeah. Your dad… well, he surprised me.”
“I’m sorry about what he said. I’ve never seen him make snap judgments like that before. He’s usually really nice. He didn’t mean any of that. He was just upset.”
“At least he didn’t try to punch me in the face.” He smiled at me. “What did your parents say to you after I left?”
I wanted to lighten the mood. “They grounded me.”
“Wait, what?” James lowered his eyebrows.
“I’m just kidding. They can’t ground me, I’m an adult.” I was really glad that my parents hadn’t tried to ground me. I’m pretty sure I would have just let them. I felt like a kid around my parents. I probably always would.
“So if they didn’t ground you, what did they say?”
What is the best way to phrase this? “They just wanted to make sure you didn’t sexually harass me or anything.”
“Oh God.” He put his forehead down on the top of the steering wheel and stared laughing.
I started laughing too.