“Sure thing, sweetie.” My dad kisses my forehead. “Welcome home,” he giggles, then heads off to the kitchen to bother Mom.
Dinner’s finally ready after what felt like an eternity of pacing my bedroom, racking my brain on whether or not I should call Candace. I settled with a ‘got here safe, miss you’ text and hoped that would suffice for now. Megan wasn’t wrong. I am tripping out a bit. The way her parents show up out of the blue freaks me out. What if they come over while I’m here and fill her head with some bullshit? She’ll have no backup. The girls are with their dad, and Court’s working most of the week. What if she cracks like a ceiling and everything comes tumbling down before the week is done?
“Can you pass the dinner rolls, please?” Mom passes around the food, while everyone else walks on eggshells, avoiding me.
“Dear, this roast looks divine.” My dad compliments, and it’s making me gag. This is straight out of a Leave It to Beaver episode.
“Okay. Can we cut the theatrics? Just ask. Your performance is giving me a headache. If you’re gonna grill me, just get it over with,” I say, stuffing my face with mashed potatoes.
“We’re just a little concerned, honey. A single mom? Who’s never been with a woman. That just seems overwhelming. Are you sure you’re ready for that?” my mom questions, kicking off the conversation.
“And isn’t she quite older than you?” Dad chirps, adding to the long list of things I need to remember to go over.
“Yes, she’s older. Doesn’t bother me. Yes, she’s got kids. They’re cool as shit, and not a dealbreaker. Technically, yes, this is the first time she’s been with a woman, but also not an issue. We’re working through all of it and going slow.” I’m trying my best to be reassuring, but my tone is coming out like a panicky teenager who just got caught smoking.
“You’re sure leaving a lot out, buddy.” Megan interrupts with a mouthful of steamed carrots.
The death glare I give her does nothing to calm me down or scare her into shutting up.
“There’s been some issues with her neighbors having opinions on my drop-ins.”
My dad frowns midway through his bite of roast. “Anything else?”
“Her parents have been a little overboard. They constantly pop in unannounced, claiming they’re concerned about their granddaughters, but really, they wanna spy on me. They barge in and destroy everything we’re working towards.” The words spill out of me like projectile vomit, and the grip I have on my butter knife is stronger than I intended. It’s not until I slam the handle into the table, describing my latest altercation, that I notice how heated I’ve gotten.
“Nat, let’s take a breather,” Mom calmly says, reaching for the butter knife. “We all know you can get a little…”
“Passionate,” Dad interrupts.
“Yes, passionate.” Mom nods. “But let’s just talk about this, there’s no judgment here. We’re just trying to helpand understand. We’re a family who works through problems together.”
Before it’s my turn, Megan hops back in, taking one last swing. “I hate to be the voice of reason because I know how much youlovebeing reasonable, but have you considered how much you’re asking her to change? She wasn’t like you. I bet the only experimenting she did in high school was to perm or not to perm. Now you come in and want her to change her entire way of thinking because you like her.”
“I more than like her, Megan, don’t dumb this down to fit your narrative.” My finger nails skim across the butter knife, distracting me from the anger that’s building.
“Dude, there’s no narrative, come on. Nothing inyourworld will change except a potential zip code and access to your sugar mama’s credit card. She’s got to come to terms with the fact that she likes a woman and not just any woman, a charming, level-headed lady like yourself.” She blows a kiss at me before returning to her plate.
Megan's words eat at me like flesh-eating bacteria. My support system is here in front of me, shoving delicious food down my throat, and allshe’sgot is a cranky younger sister who may or may not be my arch nemesis. Maybe she’s right, none of my neighbors give a shit what I’m doing, and my parents could walk in on me giving myself a Brazilian, and my mom would ask when it’s her turn.
“I'm so sorry, guys.” I shake my head, embarrassed at how quickly that escalated. “When I'm away from her, I don’t feel like myself. She knows how to mellow me in a way no one ever has.”
“You must feel strongly for her if you're willing to dig a knife into my grandmother's antique dining table.” Mom winks at me, trying to get this volcano to simmer.
“I do, and we’re supposed to be moving slowly, but I’m ready to move in with her tomorrow. Whatever she wants, I’m game.However long I have to wait, I will. I swear you guys, she’s it for me.”
“You have our full support always, honey. Please don’t make any irrational decisions, and remember to look at every angle and move forward with love and patience rather than bulldozing your way through a complicated situation.” she says, giving me a smile so warm it's reserved only for mothers.
“I can’t wait for you all to meet her. You’ll love her. Oh, and obviously her daughters. They’re amazing. So cool and smart. They have shit taste in music, but I’m rectifying that by introducing them to the greats. You’ll go crazy when they’re running around here asking you a million questions.” My heart is racing just thinking about the girls, but it slows when I see everyone’s faces.
They nod, but their eyes stay fixed on mine, absorbing everything I say. I pick around on my plate for a while before asking to be excused, knowing they’re going to dissect my life once I’ve left the table.
ChaptEr 29
Candace
Nat: Happy Thanksgiving Babe :)
Candace: Happy Thanksgiving. I hope you’re enjoying time with your family. I miss you.
