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“Let’s just admit the day at the restaurant was very chaotic,” Pa-Donovan starts in his usual “let’s keep things orderly” tone. “Today’s also been emotional. We need to remember how we’re the most normal people on the homestead. All this drama isn’t like us. We should settle down and discuss things like rational adults.”
“Ike’s had an emotional breakdown,” Edith announces. “He isn’t well. We should tie him to a bed until he’s back under control.”
“Tie me to a bed?” I ask and nudge her. “I’m not possessed.”
“We have no clue what’s wrong with you.”
“There’s nothing crazy about being in love with a beautiful woman.”
Edith rolls her eyes and spits out, “She’s one of those Trinity people.”
“Are we going to do the same stupid shit Poppy and Emmett did when West fell in love with a Toomey?”
“Yes,” Edith says, nodding wildly. “We’re winners in this town. Why are you all falling in love with losers?”
“So, you admit I’m in love. Does that mean I don’t need to be tied down to a bed?”
“No. You’re mentally ill. Tying you down will allow you to let the crazy work its way out of your system.”
“Okay, so your sister has gone off the deep end,” Ma-Journey admits. “But that doesn’t mean you didn’t do the same thing when you saw that girl.”
Standing near the lake’s edge, I stretch and think about how relaxed my body feels after a night with my woman.
“Oana is the girl from the woods,” I explain, trying to sound sane despite how goofy inside I am over finding my dream girl. “She’s the one I’ve been searching for over the last year. How can I not do everything to keep her?”
“At the restaurant, I heard those Trinity people say she was already married,” Pa-Donovan replies. “What’s her side of that story?”
“Her parents picked a gross fucker to marry her. You know how those people don’t do romance. It’s all assigned husbands and forced breeding. Nothing about dream girls or magic. They were also only engaged, never married. Oana doesn’t even like him.”
Smiling full of pride, Pa says, “You want to help her.”
“Yes,” I admit and then shrug. “But I also want to keep my dream girl.”
“Why her?” Edith mutters and shoves me.
My mother steps between us and frowns. “Yeah, why her? She’ll always be weird around us. I can’t imagine what she thinks of Tuesday.”
Amused now, Edith snorts. “Your dream girl is going to run away once she hears about Tuesday’s waxed cooch.”
“No, Oana is a wild child trapped in a fundie’s life. She wants to be free.”
“So, you have a savior complex,” Ma-Journey says.
When I sigh loudly, Pa-Donovan wraps an arm around his wife’s shoulders.
“Why don’t we just enjoy dinner with Oana and get to know her?”
“I can’t trust her,” Ma-Journey insists, refusing to bow to her man’s logic. “Those Trinity people have filled her head with insane crap. I don’t want it in my house.”
Grunting, I’m ready to start making threats. However, I spot my dad’s eyes begging me to be patient, so I change tactics.
“Ma, I think you refuse to get to know Oana because you’re bound to like her. You realize she took a big chance by running away from her family. Deep down, you understand how she’s tough like the women in our family.”
Ma-Journey refuses to back down, “She’s pressuring you.”
“No.”
“Well, then, you’re pressuring her,” Edith throws in since she also refuses to back down and, so far, ganging up on me hasn’t worked.
