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I walk into lunch.I had texted ahead that I’d be a few minutes late, so they’re waiting for me at the table when I walk in.
As soon as I see them, the dam breaks again. Aunt Cass mutters, “Shit,” under her breath.
She looks at me. “The storm arrive?” I nod.
Mom is clearly struggling with whether to be pissed for being in the dark, or compassionate that her daughter is in tears. In the end, she moves over next to me and wraps her arms around me. She lets me cry for just a few minutes before she wipes my tears and tells me it’s time to talk. I know she’s right.
I tell her the whole story, from the rooftop to the year of medical school, to the end of our relationship, to the rekindling of it, through to the events of this morning. I leave nothing out.
Her head is in her hands. “Jesus, Harley. I can’t believe you of all people slept with your professor.”
I’m on the verge of tears again. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means you’re too damn smart to make mistakes like this. You’ve always been so level-headed. You’ve never had an irresponsible moment in your entire life. I don’t know how you got so out of control?”
The tears start to stream down my cheeks. Her blatant disappointment in me is my biggest fear coming to life. “I didn’t know he was my professor when I slept with him. I was a mess at the time. Dad had just died, and you wouldn’t even get out of bed.”
I wipe my tears and straighten my back. “For once in my life, I did something out of character, and a little reckless. I’m not perfect, Mom. But I won’t say it was a mistake. It wasn’t a mistake.”
She shakes her head in anger. “You’re wrong. It was a huge mistake. Maybe the biggest of your life. It could cost you everything.”
I’m getting mad. I take a minute to collect myself before responding to her. I refuse to look at Brody as a mistake. “Mom, I met the love of my life that night. I acknowledge that the circumstances are horrific, but I won’t say it was a mistake, no matter the outcome. I never once slept with him during the time I knew he was my professor. And let me assure you, it was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.”
“Why wouldn’t you have just immediately transferred out of his class? That’s the part I don’t get.”
“I had some issues with the other professor. There’s no need to get into it.”
“Did you sleep with him too?” I gasp.
Aunt Cass grabs Mom’s arm. “Dare, that’s enough. That wasn’t fair. This is Harley we’re talking about here. You owe her an apology.”
Mom looks back at me and drops her head. “I’m sorry. She’s right. I’m just in shock. This is so unlike you. Why didn’t you talk to me? Why am I just hearing about this now? Maybe I could have helped you.”
I go to speak but Aunt Cass interrupts. “Dare, you weren’t in a good place for a very long time. You know you weren’t. I don’t blame her for not talking to you then. She talked to me about it. We discussed her ending all communications with him, and she did. She was completely broken-hearted over it, but she did it. Cut her some slack here.”
Mom thinks for a moment. “He was the adult in this situation. He was the professor. He should have known better.”
“Mom, I’m an adult too. He respected my wishes every time I asked for space. He moved to the other side of the world to give me the space I asked for.”
“But he just had to come back, didn’t he?”
“Because he was miserable, and so was I. I know you had your own shit going on, but didn’t you notice how unhappy I was all those years?” She slowly nods her head.
“Haven’t you noticed how happy I’ve been for the past five months?” She nods again.
“It’s him. It’s all him. I love him. You, of all people, should understand that love sometimes comes at unexpected times, from unexpected places.”
“Christ, Harley.” She looks down and massages her temples. Eventually she looks up at me again. “Tell us about the Board hearing. We need to figure out a plan. I won’t let this ruin everything you’ve worked for.”
I tell them what I know. That it’ll be a three-member panel, with a simple majority vote. They’ll decide if my relationship with Brody impacted my grade in his class, therefore nullifying my Medical Board Certification. As far as I know, only Brody and I will testify. They tell me that they want to meet with Brody too so they can discuss our testimony.
CHAPTERSEVENTEEN
THE PRESENT
HARLEY
