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“That’s right, Dad,” I jump in. “And the feeling is mutual. I’m in love with Finlay…And I’ve decided not to come home tomorrow.”
There is another tense moment.
Mom simply sits with her mouth open.
“Well,” she says, after a long pause. “He’s a very handsome man, too.”
I’ve never loved my mother as much as I do in this moment.
I know her enough to know that while she isn’t convinced about what is going on, her first instinct is to be supportive.
She knows I’m an adult now and ready to make my own decisions about my life. As much as mom might be here to advise, she will do so supportively, not try to control my decisions.
On the other hand, dad has a thunderous look on his face.
“Is this some kind of joke?” he explodes. “You thought you’d prank your old dad into having a heart attack with some random Scots guy?”
“Not at all,” I say quickly. I had a feeling the conversation might go somewhat like this, though I hadn’t really thought of any way to stop it. “It’s the truth. I know it seems fast, but we really do feel this way.”
“Fast?” Dad splutters. “You’ve been there six days, Alana! Fast doesn’t even begin to cover it! How could you possibly know anything about each other?”
“Well, we’ve spent a lot of time together,” I tell him.
I look at Finlay, trying to give him a cue. We talked about this eventuality right before the call. We have a response to this that just might calm my parents.
“It seems fast to us,” Finlay says, calm and sensible. “The depth of feelings we have for one another took us both by surprise too. We agree that there are many things we still have to learn about one another, but we’d like the chance to learn those things and see where this goes.”
“You’re going to just up-end your whole life for this?” Dad asked me.
I have to bite back a smile that I don’t think would impress dad very much. We thought of this, too. “My life right now is at the perfect point to explore this,” I tell him. “I don’t have a job waiting for me back home, and my studies are finished. Dad, if I do this now, my life won’t be ruined. Even if it turns out that we aren’t meant to be together, after all, all I have to do is fly home. I’m not taking a huge risk.”
“In fact, if anything, I’m the one taking the risk,” Finlay says. He sounds a little hesitant about introducing the point, but I insisted beforehand that he use it. It’s a good one and will convince my parents his intentions are good.
“I’m actually, well, I suppose you would say fairly wealthy. As the owner of the estate, I’m also in a pretty public position here in the community. If this goes badly, then it will reflect badly on me, and I’m also trusting Alana not to relieve me of my fortune. She could quite easily because, to be honest with you, there are not many things I wouldn’t strive to give her if she asked.”
“You’re old enough to be her father,” Dad says, brushing his comments off and offering his next complaint.
This, to me, is a good sign. It means he doesn’t have anything to argue against Finlay’s points.
We are knocking down his objections, one by one.
“You’re as old as me!”
“Not quite as old as you, Dad.” I know my dad’s date of birth and while Finlay might be forty my dad is almost fifteen years older than him. “But I don’t care. It doesn’t make a difference to me. Finlay doesn’t feel like an older man when we’re together. He’s mature, responsible, and experienced in the world. He can take care of me.”
Dad’s face colors.
“It’s still my job to take care of you.”
He sounds forlorn now, not angry. That’s a good start in the right direction.
“No, it isn’t, Rod,” Mom says quietly. “Not now, she’s an adult. We can still do our best to help, and we always will – but she’s old enough to take care of herself. And to make her own decisions.”
Dad looks at mom with an expression of shock. I can read my dad easily. He thought my mom would be on his side, but now it sounds like she isn’t.
“As Alana said,” Finlay goes on. “If things between us happen to not work out, then all she has to do is come home to you. I will even buy her the plane ticket if so. But I don’t think that’s going to happen. And I think I have a way to prove to you that my intentions are serious.”
I blink and look at him.
