The surprising caress caused me to accidentally swallow a bite the wrong way. I coughed and grabbed my glass of juice, my napkin in the other hand. Honestly, my father’s ensuing chuckleseemed a bit out of place for such a potentially hazardous moment.
“I’m sure we’ll have something for you to unwrap on your birthday. Don’t think I’ve forgotten.” He winked at me, reaching for his coffee.
I took a moment to compose myself and breathe properly again, then put forth my next request. “If everyone’s going home, I’d like to stay until school starts.”
“Why?” My father’s brow wrinkled, his expression confused. “I heard Chandler’s family’s returning early too. Why stay here?”
With no time to contemplate the various scenarios I could use to answer, I placed my fork beside my plate while Beau’s mesmerizing face occupied my thoughts. The time had come. Let the consequences fall as they may.
“Maybe Chandler can come visit me here, or not. But I have something I need to share with you. I’ve met someone special, who’s become important to me.”
Perhaps it was the seriousness of my tone or the way I relayed the information, but my father paused, placing his fork on the edge of the plate, watching me closely.
“I’ve noticed you’ve been preoccupied lately. Joy’s mentioned you’ve been using her car.” Curiosity set his brow as he reached for his coffee cup. “How did you two meet?”
“He’s from here. His name’s Beau, and I’m really into him.” The truth of my words left me suddenly vulnerable. “I like him so much. He’s different from anyone I’ve known. Intelligent, athletic, and very nice-looking. He captivates me. My world revolves around him. He’s all I think about. He took me fishing. I told him you’d be shocked he got me out there.” I kept my steady gaze on him as he nodded his understanding.
“You’ve lost weight. Eat before it gets cold.”
“Dad, I’m all mixed up. I came out here starving and now I can’t imagine putting another bite inside my mouth. He’s sospecial to me. My stomach’s in knots, but in a good way, I suppose. I know I’m not making any sense.”
“I understand, son. Everyone goes through first love madness...” He sympathized in a trivial sort of way, causing me to interrupt him.
“I truly love him, and he loves me. I have our future mapped out...” My dad gave a condescending bark of laughter as he began to finish his breakfast with purpose.
“What’s this Beau’s story? Did he see you on the news?” My father raised a critical eyebrow. “Weren’t you supposed to be encouraging the girls, not the guys?”
“We met organically,” I assured him. “We’ve been seeing each other in secret. We both need to be discreet. His father’s a football coach in his hometown in Mobile. He played football too but doesn’t any longer. It sounds like his dad wouldn’t accept him. Maybe he’s abusive, I don’t know. But he lives here now with his mom. His grandparents own a nearby B&B. He never believed in their fight. He’s reasonable.”
I glanced down at my plate, unable to hold my father’s increasingly disappointed stare.
“I have a request. Please don’t destroy them. I haven’t met his grandparents. You’re the first person I’ve told about our relationship. They’ve spent their whole lives here. They have nothing else.”
“Who are they?” he asked.
“His last name is Brooks. I believe his grandparents last name is the Vibrock—”
He interrupted me with a loud burst of laughter. It didn’t sound good. “You’re asking too much. That old woman deserves everything that’s coming for her. She spearheaded that group. She’s responsible for this community’s demise.” My father pushed his plate away. “I’ve had to leave my business and spend a month here. Do you realize the cost of bringing our entirefamily here to live on this property? You’re asking too much, Dahsam. These people here are different from who we are. We don’t belong with them, and they don’t fit with us.” Aggravation grew as he shook his head in frustration. “I know you think you’re in love, but it’s not what you believe.”
My hand extended in an effort to silence him. I refused to listen to a negative rant that belittled what Beau and I shared. I didn’t have blinders on to the obstacles in our way, but I was fully committed to doing everything possible to ensure Beau and I stayed together.
“Please.” My single word response was the counter I gave to his argument. “If I’ve in fact contributed to your win, I request my payment go to keeping Beau’s family from losing everything. They’re good, honest people who got caught up in trying to save their small business. You, above everyone, understand the passion that goes into keeping your business afloat. Please, for me.”
Crazy tension filled the space around us. Silence reigned.
“I’ll see what I can do,” my father finally bit out. “I’m not promising you anything, but I’ll look into it. I always believed Chandler would be your one. His family suits us better. Not some hillbilly from Sea Springs, Texas. Dasham, you test every boundary.”
There was nothing left to say. I mimicked him, crossing my arms over my chest. Mine was more to hold me together. I hadn’t anticipated him to go so low by bringing in class divisions.
His chair scraped against the tile when he abruptly stood, placing a hand on my shoulder. I resisted the urge to pull away from the touch. “Don’t worry. I’ll handle it. Today’s a day of celebration. How was your experience as a working-class man?”
I decided to believe him. Regardless of the pain he caused, he hadn’t let me down yet. Even then, it took a few seconds to clear my head. “How do people live off such a low wage?”
My dad gave a commiserating chuckle. “It’s a fair wage. Industry standard.”
“But aren’t you the creator of industry?” I set the napkin beside my plate, done with my meal.
“Now you’re catching on, son.”
