31. Sophia
31
SOPHIA
" B aba," I said, frowning. From the moment we walked through the door, Dad had done nothing but grill Jack.
Mom had made a lasagna, and while I fully expected Thomas and Andrew to be here, Maylin too, none of them had come. Our traditional Sunday evening family meal was just the four of us, a little too intimate, if you ask me. I would've preferred the distraction of my siblings to help keep a buffer between Jack, who seemed calm and collected, and my father, who was anything but.
The deep creases in his forehead betrayed his frustrations, but more so, it was the overly strict tone of his voice. Dad was roughly fifteen years older than Jack but spoke to him like he was only a rebellious teenager, not the experienced and wise doctor who was pushing forty.
"Sophia," Mom said cautiously. Her eyes warned me not to get involved, and she put another soft, buttery breadstick on my plate.
My shoulders slumped and I knew she was right. This was between the two men I loved more than anything in the world, and they had to work it out. Jack and I had a few long conversations over the past twenty-four hours. I knew without a doubt that if my father refused to give his blessing, Jack would care for me. He had no intention of letting me flounder. I'd still get the new internship at UC, but I'd be on my own for rent, food, and transportation—which Jack said he was happy to provide.
"I am saying a man of your age should have been more astute. You put my daughter's career at risk, threw down hurdles on her path to success, jeopardized her ability to care for and provide for herself, and now look. She'll miss at least two solid months of her second year due to maternity leave." Dad spoke with his hands, dropping garlicky crumbs of breadstick on the table and his plate.
I could see the veins in his forehead bulging as he spoke, and his eyes were wide and wild. He was so passionate about this, it was hard not to feel how much he loved me. But this wasn't a pissing match, and Jack was so respectful. I laid my hand on his thigh beneath the table and squeezed it as he started to respond.
"With all due respect, Dr. Chen, your daughter is the most powerful and capable woman I have ever met." I watched my mom blush and hang her head at Jack's compliment directed at me. She clearly loved Jack already. "I am positive that you raised your daughter with enough brains and ability to move mountains. She'd have pushed me aside to have my job in less than a year."
Dad harrumphed and scowled, then continued his lecture, but I could see him cracking. Jack pouring on the praise about Dad's ability to parent was helping my father see that Jack really did respect me and him.
"Now what will she do? She has a delayed start on her new internship. She will miss two months of work. And she will be a single mother. This is unacceptable. My daughter has been disrespected. Her honor has been shamed. She gave herself to you with trust and you?—"
" Qīn'ài de ," Mom said, and Dad stopped speaking. His nostrils flared and he glared at Jack, but he set his breadstick down on the table at Mom's gentle words. The term of endearment had always been her way of reining him in when he was upset with one of us children. Now, she used it to remind him that he was being hard on Jack, who might very well become one of his extended children one day.
When Dad had been quiet for a moment, Mom looked at Jack and nodded, her smile so polite you'd have thought she was the one feeling guilty for the entire event. Dad was upset. I understood that, but Jack didn't deserve the reaming he was getting. I was the one who let him do those things to me—those amazing, wonderful things that made me feel so incredible. We made the choice together and I wouldn’t let Dad pin it all on Jack.
"Baba, I love this man." I sighed. "One day, I hope you will see that even if we did things in the wrong order, in your opinion, that love is love, and we want you to see how our relationship is just as valid as yours and Mama's."
Jack reached under the table and took my hand in his and laced our fingers together, then lifted our clasped hands and rested them on the table. Dad seemed irritated and stared at our union but said nothing.
"Dr. Chen, you have no idea how deeply I respect your daughter, and even the fact that you're so upset right now. If this were my daughter, I'd be just as outraged. We both want what is best for Sophia now. I believe what's best for her is to continue working toward her full licensure and board certification. Not only is she a fantastic surgeon, but she also deserves to chase her dreams and have her career."
Jack looked at me with love in his eyes. "I don't want to trap her or make her feel like she has to depend on me, but I won't for a second let her fail. Anything she needs, I will provide. But I want to see her successful and independent too." I knew Jack's words weren't just to impress my father, but I knew how Dad felt. Jack was hitting the nail on the head.
"Hmm," Dad said grumpily.
"Baba," I moaned, and I tore my eyes off Jack to smile at my father’s grumpy expression.
"This is really what you want?" he grumbled, and his eyebrows peaked in the center.
"Yes, Baba. I love Jack." I smiled sweetly and watched as his expression softened.
Dad wiped his mouth with his napkin and kept the grumpy scowl on his face, but the way his shoulders slumped slightly told me we'd won the war. And none too soon. I was growing nauseous after the tomato sauce in the lasagna. I glanced at Mom, who now sat with her chin erect and a soft smile on her face.
"Dr. Jack Thornton, my daughter's heart is not to be toyed with." Dad was calm now as he spoke, and he sat back in his seat, folding his hands over his rotund belly. "She will finish her studies. She will take a well-paying job here in Denver close to her family. You will not control her decisions or sway her opinions. You will treat her with respect as the woman she is, not a pawn to play with."
Shame washed over me as Dad lectured Jack like he was a bad person for even looking at me, but Jack took it in stride. I supposed it was just what men had to go through to earn their future father-in-law's respect, but I hated it.
"Sophia is free to do as she pleases, and you will give her that respect and love her. It isn't an option. You will cherish her for the treasure she is, and you will provide for her when she has lack. Do I make myself clear?" Dad squared his shoulders again, and I burst with joy at Jack's response.
"Dr. Chen, it will be my greatest honor in this life, and any in my future, to provide any and everything Sophia needs or desires." Jack's honest response touched me, and my eyes welled up.
"I can't believe he is so old," Dad mumbled to Mom, and I chuckled, then pulled Jack's cheek down to plant a soft kiss there.
Then I stood and walked to the other end of the table where Dad sat. He looked up at me, but I dropped to my knees and wrapped my arms around him, resting my head on his stomach. "Thank you, Baba, for trusting my heart. I won’t let you down."
"Neither will I, sir." I heard Jack's voice but didn’t realize he'd followed me until Dad reached up and shook his hand.
"Hmm," he said, grumbling again. Mom laughed this time, then pushed her chair back and stood.
"Who would like ice cream?" she asked, and I leapt to my feet.
"I'll help," I told her, knowing it was finally safe to leave Jack alone with Dad.
We had a ways to go to convince my father to celebrate with us, but he was finally at least willing to give us a shot. This ice cream was well deserved and worth all the frustration of the entire night. Jack was right. If we just faced things head on, they were easier to deal with. Now we only had to tell Leah. I felt like that part was going to go very well.