Chapter 5 – Bea
When I get into my car the next morning, I call my parents’ house phone.
“Hello?” It’s my father who answers.
“Hi, Daddy.”
“What’s up?”
“Are you and mom free for dinner tonight?”
“Hey, babe! Do we have plans tonight?” he yells after her. “She says no.”
“Okay, great. Can we plan to meet up at The Pub?”
“Sure thing. But what’s the occasion?”
“There’s somebody that I want you to meet. Well, see again. Don’t freak out, but it is a man.”
“Freak out? Who? Me?”
I laugh. “There may be a few rumors about you waiting for my dates with that old dusty gun of yours.”
“Nah. That must have been someone else. That doesn’t sound like me.”
“Maybe not now. But you used to be a helicopter parent.”
“Well, I was just worried about you and your blood sugar. I had to have a talk with any young man who was going to take you out to make sure they were responsible enough to get you to a hospital if need be.”
“I know, daddy.”
“Wait, so you seemed to imply that we already know this fella. Who is he?”
“You’ll see.”
“Well, that isn’t mysterious at all.”
“You’ll find out tonight. Six o’clock at The Pub. Got it?”
“Yes, dear.”
“Okay, see you then. I love you.”
“Love you too.”
After hanging up, I take a deep breath in and out. At least that part was over.
“No way! Mr. and Mrs. Carter are finally going to be introduced to Marco as your boyfriend?” Micky exclaims after I tell her about the plan.
“Yeah. I’m nervous.”
“Nah. It’ll be fine. You’re going to be showing up with an attractive, successful man. Sure, he might be older than you, but at least he’s just one person. If I wanted my parents to meet my partners, they’d have a whole line of people.”
That did make me feel a little better.
“But in all seriousness, I’m glad you’re finally ripping that Band-Aid off. They deserve to know. And I know they worry about you, but they’ll be fine with this. Trust me.”
“I hope you’re right.”
***
“Come on, Beatrice! You aren’t even going to give me one hint!” my mom says after she comes into the store later that day for some more paperwork.
“He’s handsome, and he treats her well,” Micky answers for me.
I look over at her and smile. Both of those things are accurate.
“Oh, well, that’s good to hear. Now, if only I had a name of this eligible bachelor . . . I thought I knew about all of them in this area.” She grasps her chin and looks up as if she’s sorting through the rolodex in her mind. “Ah! Is it James Butler?”
“. . . the guy who has taxidermized animals all over his house? I think not.”
“Hmm. Mel Johnson?”
“Another hard no.” He was divorced, but I’d seen pictures from his wedding, and he was wearing camouflage from head to toe.
“Well!” Mom puts her hands on her hips. “I can’t think of many others that are within your age group.”
I know then that I have to expose some truth, at least. “That’s probably because he isn’t.”
“Oh, no. Don’t tell me you’re robbing the cradle. That is so not a good look, Bea. Plus, your still so young and attractive. An eighteen-year-old won’t know what to do with you.”
The fact that her worst-case situation was me dating a younger man may bode well for me. “Ew! Gross. No, he’s older.”
“. . . how much older?”
“He’s thirty-six.”
“Oh! That isn’t so bad.”
I breathe a sigh of relief.
“Does he have a successful career?”
“He does.”
“That’s good.”
At that point, I might as well just tell her. “It’s Marco.”
“Marco? Like the devastatingly gorgeous Italian lawyer?”
I laugh. “Yes, that’s the one.”
“Wow.” She sits down on a nearby chair.
“What?”
“I’m just so . . . proud of you. Is that a weird thing to say?”
“Right? I feel the same way,” Micky chimes in. “I didn’t think she had it in her.”
“So, is this thing—like serious?”
I feel my cheeks burn a little. “Well, he’s told me he loves me.”
“Oh!” she yells. “That’s just wonderful. But why the hesitancy to tell us? I’m sure your dad will react similarly to me.”
“I don’t know. We’re keeping it for now from his daughters, and I figured it was the right move to keep it from you for the same amount of time.”
She nods. “He doesn’t want to risk you breaking their little hearts. They love you so much already, just as their friend. Geez. I really should’ve suspected something was going on between the two of you. Your car was in his drive almost every time I’ve passed his house these past few weeks.”
“Yeah . . . Well, there it is.”
She gets up and grabs my hands. “I think it’s great. I really do.”
“Thanks, Ma.”
“It just kind of hurts my feelings that you thought Daddy and I would react poorly.”
I shrug. “I just didn’t know. You’ve always been so worried about me. With the diabetes and everything—”
“Sure, but you’re a fully functioning adult now. We trust you to take care of yourself and choose the right people to include in your life.”
Her words bring tears to my eyes. I’ve waited my whole life to hear them.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Now, come give me a hug.”
She embraces me, and Micky joins in too.
“Okay! Now I have to get going. I gotta pick out what I’m going to wear to have dinner with Marco.” She does a little jig with her shoulders.
“You know that I’m the one dating him, right?”
“Of course. But that doesn’t mean that I can’t also look stunning for him. I’m going to bring out my good pearls!”
“You’re crazy.” I chuckle while shaking my head.
“So, tell me—how is the sex?” she whispers behind her hand.
“Mother! I am not telling you that!”
“Oh, you don’t even have to. I bet it’s great. It has to be—with a body like that?”
“Okay, seriously . . . I’m going to barf. Please leave. I’ll see you tonight.”
I finally manage to push her out the back door.
“Ugh!” I go back into the main showroom and wipe my hands together. “What a handful.”
“But at least she’s happy for you!”
“Yeah.” My hands find the crook of my hips. “But I could do without the talk about my sex life.”
“Well, she’s only had one partner for what—thirty years?”
“Okay, not you too. That’s my father you’re talking about.”
“Sex is natural, Bea. It’s just a part of life.”
“That doesn’t mean I need to think about my parents doing it. And I don’t need them knowing about me in that regard.”
“You’re such a prude sometimes.”
That may be so . . . but at least I’ve already gotten my mother’s stamp of approval.
Would my father’s reaction be the same? My mom apparently thought so, but only time would truly tell.