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From: Lazlo Zalezac <lzalezac@yahoo.com>
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Subject: {ASSM} A Different Sort Of Lifestyle 34 (MF, rom)
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Date: Wed, 24 Jan 2007 06:10:02 -0500
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Lazlo Zalezac
http://www.asstr-mirror.org/files/Authors/Lazlo_Zalezac
http://www.asstr-mirror.org/files/Authors/Lazlo_Zalezac
 
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<1st attachment, "Life01-34.txt" begin>

A Different Sort Of Lifestyle
Chapter 34: Last Minute Plans
By
Lazlo Zalezac
Copyright (C) Lazlo Zalezac, 2006

To say that Greg was confused by his daughter would be an 
understatement. It seemed that every time he saw Cathy, she was 
giving him a hug or asking if he needed something. When she had 
run into the house, he turned to his wife and asked, "What's up 
with Cathy?"

"What do you mean?" Sharon asked.

"Every time I see her, she gives me a hug," Greg answered.

"You might not remember, but you said some very nice things to 
her the night you came home drunk," Sharon answered.

"That evening is a little fuzzy," Greg admitted wondering what he 
could have said that had such a profound effect on his daughter. 

"You told her that you love her," Sharon said. 

"Oh. She should know that," Greg said recalling the words of Jack 
that women needed to hear the words. He sighed and said, "I guess 
I should tell her that more often."

"She needs to hear that from you. This is a very tough time in a 
girl's life. She's on the threshold of being an adult. The body is 
still developing, the emotions swing from one extreme to another, 
and her life is transitioning from childhood to adulthood," Sharon 
said.

Greg looked down at his drink and nodded his head while thinking 
about it. Cathy came out of the house with the tray of snacks. 
Before she was too close, he leaned over to Sharon and asked, "Do 
you think it would be a good idea if I took her out for desert 
tonight?"

Smiling, Sharon said, "I think that would be a perfect idea."

Cathy bounced over and said, "Here are some snacks for you, 
Daddy."

"Thanks, Cathy," Greg said with a nod of his head and a smile. He 
accepted the plate filled with cheese squares and sliced apples. He 
took one of the cheese squares and popped it into his mouth. After 
chewing for a moment, he swallowed. Looking over at Cathy, he 
said, "How about you and I going out for desert tonight? We can 
call it a father-daughter night."

"Really?" Cathy asked surprised at the invitation. She couldn't 
remember ever doing anything like that since the father-daughter 
nights when she was a Brownie. 

"Yes," Greg answered. He wondered where they could go for 
desert, but decided that he'd have a chance to ask Sharon before 
they actually left.

"I'd love to do that," Cathy said jumping up and giving her father 
another hug. 

Looking at her husband and daughter, Sharon couldn't have been 
happier. Things had changed so much since the night she had gone 
over to the Green's for dinner. She had regained a loving 
relationship with her husband. They had established a relationship 
with the kids. It almost seemed too good to be true. Pleased, she 
said, "Let me go in the house and prepare dinner."

"Okay," Greg said knowing that the next night it was his turn to 
cook something on the grill.

"Do you need some help?" Cathy asked brightly.

"I can always use a little help," Sharon said rising from her chair. 
Cathy followed her into the house leaving Greg seated by the pool 
with a small plate and a glass of wine. 

Watching the women enter the house, Greg thought about the 
changes in Cathy. He didn't ever remember her being that 
expressive of her feelings. There had been a time when she was a 
happy little girl playing with her Barbie Dolls. Then one day, she 
had turned thirteen and turned from a happy little girl to a sullen 
and withdrawn teenager. 

He smiled and took a sip of his glass of wine. For four years his 
marriage had been spiraling into the dumpster. In fewer than four 
months it had bounced back with a vengeance. In some ways it 
was a lot better than it ever had been. His sex life hadn't ever been 
better. Maybe it was his age, but he was fully satisfied with his sex 
life. Sharon was getting more experimental in her approach to sex. 

For one of the first times in his life, he was pulling ahead of his 
debts. It hadn't even impacted their lifestyle. It was more from 
saying no to new expenditures than cutting back on existing 
expenses. There were times when he was tempted to keep up with 
the neighbors, but they were becoming few and far between. His 
priorities had changed and his family had reacted to that.

He looked at the plate of treats and grabbed a slice of apple. As he 
ate it, he compared it to the stale popcorn that had been his typical 
late afternoon fare. It was a much healthier choice. The recent 
months had been filled with so many changes and all of them for 
the positive. 

Harry came out and sat down in the chair next to him. With a grin, 
he said, "Ted has a date tomorrow night."

"Ted has a date? Who is she?" 

"A girl we met last night at the Karate Center," Harry answered. 

Wondering why Harry was bringing it up, he said, "That's nice. I 
hope he has a good time."

"Lisa and I are going with them to the bowling alley," Harry said.

"Oh, it's a double date. Don't put any pressure on the young 
couple by being too lovey-dovey," Greg cautioned.

"Don't worry about that. Ted discovered that her father is the new 
Chief of Police. I imagine that he's scared to death of touching 
her," Harry said with a laugh. Poor Ted had nearly been hysterical 
when he had discovered what her father did for a living. He had 
kept saying that her father would throw him in jail if he even 
kissed Amy. 

"Ted's a nice kid," Greg said. Of course, he understood exactly 
how the girl's father would feel if Ted did anything with the girl. 
He was tempted to suggest to Daryl that he take the girl's father to 
a particular bar. 

"So do you know how to bowl?" Harry asked.

Greg laughed and said, "I've never bowled in my life. I can't help 
you out there."

"Ted is not going to be happy about that," Harry said. 

"There's a diner next to the bowling alley. Why don't you go there 
and have some milkshakes?" Greg suggested.

Harry compared the planning that had gone into his first date with 
Lisa and this date. At the time, he had been concerned that all of 
the suggestions that his parents had made were a little too intrusive 
into his life. Now, he appreciated every suggestion they had made. 
He nodded his head and said, "Ted might like that."

"Of course, that won't be a long date. You'd need something more 
to do than that," Greg said thinking about the matter. He asked, 
"How much is already arranged?"

"Well, her father arrived while we were discussing getting together 
and we hadn't made too many plans. We were kind of stuck with 
bowling," Harry answered.

"So I take it that no one really wants to go bowling, but you feel 
pressured into that because you told the girl's father that is what 
you would be doing," Greg said. He wondered how he would react 
if Cathy's boyfriend had started changing date plans at the last 
minute.

"That's right."

"Go get the newspaper. Maybe we can find some way to salvage 
this date," Greg said.

Harry ran off and returned after a few minutes with the newspaper. 
He handed his father the local section. Greg opened the paper and 
glanced over at the local events section hoping something would 
catch his eye. He chuckled and said, "Tomorrow afternoon there is 
a community meeting to introduce the Police Chief to the town."

Harry laughed and said, "That's a good suggestion for tomorrow's 
date. I'm sure that Ted can't wait to get to know her father better. 
I've been around Mr. McCullum for months and he still scares me 
to death."

"There's a church social," Greg said with a grin.

"I'm sure her father will appreciate that, but I'm not too sure that 
Ted would be too happy," Harry said and laughed at the idea of 
that being a good first date.

One item caught his eye and he read it a little closer. After 
humming to himself, he said, "The fire department is having a fund 
raiser. They've set up carnival rides, games, and food stands."

"Where?" Harry asked thinking that would be a good first date.

"Behind the firehouse near the park," Greg said. Looking over at 
Harry, he said, "That would be a good place to go."

"Let me call Ted," Harry said. He rose and went into the house 
without waiting for an answer from his father.

---

To say that Ted was nervous about this date would be an 
understatement. He felt like the canary who was invited to dinner 
with a cat. He had gone through his closet trying to pick out just 
the right shirt to wear with his pants. About the time when he 
thought he was going to lose it, his father knocked on the door. 
Opening it, he said, "Hi Dad."

Seeing his son without a shirt on, Daryl said, "Still getting 
dressed?"

"Yes. I don't know what shirt to wear," Ted answered.

Daryl went to the closet and picked out a shirt. After checking it 
for obvious problems, he said, "Wear this one. If she has a problem 
with this shirt, then you've done something wrong."

"Thanks," Ted said accepting the shirt from his father.

"So you are going bowling?" 

Ted shrugged his shoulders and said, "I haven't talked to Amy yet, 
but Harry suggested that we go to the fire department fund raiser. 
I'll have to ask her father about that."

"He's the new chief of police. I imagine that he will be attending 
the fund raiser," Daryl said.

"I'm not sure that is a good thing," Ted said. He looked down at 
his shirt and realized that he had misaligned his shirt buttons. 

Grinning at the obvious nervousness of his son, he said, "Take it 
easy. Just be nice and attentive to her needs. Don't overwhelm her 
with too much attention, though."

Frowning at the contradictory advice, Ted said, "Thanks, I think."

Daryl laughed and said, "You know what I mean. Pay attention to 
her. If she says that she'd like to go on a particular ride, take her. 
Just don't fall all over yourself by fawning over her."

The one thing that was terrifying him was what to do at the end of 
the date. He didn't know what to do. Looking over at his father, he 
asked, "What about at the end of the date?"

"You're worried about the first kiss?"

"Yes."

"Don't worry about it," Daryl said. 

Ted waited for some advice, but his father didn't seem too 
forthcoming. Unable to wait, he asked, "So what am I supposed to 
do?"

"If the date goes poorly, you'll know. Don't try to kiss her in that 
case. If it goes very well, you'll know. Go ahead and kiss her 
goodnight with passion. If the date is so-so, then take her hand and 
give her a simple peck on the check. She'll let you know if she was 
expecting more than that." 

Ted looked at his father and shook his head. That advice didn't 
help at all. He had visions of his attempt to kiss her goodnight 
ending with her screaming rape and her father pounding him to a 
pulp before hauling him off to jail. He finished buttoning his shirt 
and took a moment to look in the mirror. Turning to his father, he 
said, "I guess I'm ready to go."

---

Ted was the first to arrive at the bowling alley. He paced while 
waiting for Harry and Lisa to get there, hoping they would get 
there before Amy. Seeing how nervous his son was, Daryl decided 
to wait until his son's friends showed up. It was fortunate since a 
police car pulled up to the curb a few minutes early. 

Amy, nervous about having her first date, was hoping that her 
father didn't scare this boy off. There were times when being the 
daughter of a policeman was really hard. Without waiting for her 
father, she got out of the car and approached Ted. 

Ted stared at the vision of loveliness that was headed his way. She 
was wearing a red dress that came to over her knees. He was 
smitten. Although he thought that term was old fashioned, that is 
exactly how he felt - smitten. His feet had a mind of their own and 
he walked towards her. If he'd had to think about walking, he 
would have tripped over his own feet.

Watching Ted as he stared at her, she had to work hard to suppress 
a giggle. The expression on his face suggested that there was only 
one thing in the world worth looking at and that was her. She 
smiled and said, "Hello, Ted."

"Hello, Amy," Ted replied finding that he was getting lost in her 
eyes. 

A nudge from behind was all that brought Ted out of his trance. He 
glanced at his father and said, "Uh, Dad, this is Amy. Amy, this is 
my father."

Daryl looked at Amy and then over at her father who had just 
joined them. He said, "Nice to meet you, Amy. I'm Daryl."

"It's nice to meet you, sir," Amy said. 

Looking over at her father, Daryl extended a hand and said, "Hello. 
I'm Daryl Brown, Ted's father."

"I'm Victor Harmon."

"I suppose I should welcome you to our little piece of suburban 
heaven," Daryl said. He was impressed with the physical size of 
the guy and wondered how Ted was going to find the nerve to deal 
with him.

"Yes, we just moved in," Victor said. He looked over at his 
daughter thinking that she was dressed too nicely. He'd have been 
happier if she'd worn jeans for this date rather than the dress. 

While the fathers talked, Ted asked Amy, "Do you know how to 
bowl?"

"Not really," she answered. She'd been dreading looking like a 
fool.

"There's a fire department fundraiser starting tonight. They are 
having carnival rides, games, and food. I thought that we could go 
there instead of bowling if that is alright with you," Ted said. 

Amy knew all about the fire department fundraiser. She had seen 
them setting it up the previous day. Smiling, she said, "That would 
be fun."

"Let me ask your father if it would be alright with him," Ted said 
glancing over to her father. 

Without giving it a thought, he extended his hand for her to take. 
She slipped her hand into his. Amy was surprised that Ted actually 
took her hand in front of her father. This date was starting good 
and getting better. As a couple, they approached her father. 

Ted waited for an appropriate pause in the conversation between 
the two men before he said, "Mr. Harmon, I'd like to ask a favor."

"What?" 

"It turns out that none of us know how to bowl. There's a fire 
department fund raiser over at the fire station. Would it be all right 
with you if we went there instead of staying here?" Ted asked 
hoping that he didn't sound like he was begging.

Victor looked at Ted and smiled at the bad news that he was about 
to deliver. He answered, "I know all about the fund raiser. I'm 
going to be there the whole evening."

Without batting an eye at the potentially bad news, Ted said, "So it 
would be all right with you if we go there."

"Yes, it would be all right with me," Victor answered. Wondering 
how Ted would react, he said, "I'll even drive you there."

Amy was pleased that Ted didn't react negatively to her father's 
suggestions. Although she smiled at her father, she had come to the 
decision that she was going to have a long talk with her mother. 
Her mother would know how to handle her father. 

Daryl said, "Great. Ted, give me a call when you are ready to come 
home."

"All right, Dad," Ted said.

It wasn't long before it was just Ted, Amy, and her father waiting 
for Harry and Lisa. A very uneasy silence descended over them. 
Glancing at his watch, Victor asked, "Where's your friend and his 
girlfriend?"

"They should be here any minute now," Ted said. He looked over 
at the parking lot and spotted Harry and Lisa making their way 
over to them. He said, "Here they come."

When the couple arrived, Harry asked, "Did you ask about the 
carnival?"

"Yes, we can go there," Ted answered.

Lisa said, "Great. I don't really enjoy bowling all that much."

Harry leaned over and looked at the police car. The words, Police 
Chief, were in huge letters along the rear panel. He started 
chuckling at the awkward position that Ted was in by dating Amy 
and shook his head. Curious, Lisa asked, "What's so funny?"

"I was just thinking what your father would have said to me when I 
first picked you up for our first date if he was the Chief of Police," 
Harry said.

Wondering what the girl's father had said, Victor asked, "What 
would he have said?"

"He'd have invited me to the pistol range to change targets while 
the other officers practiced firing their guns," Harry answered. 

Lisa started laughing at the image of her father saying that. She 
said, "He would have said that. I'm sure that he'll suggest that to 
Mr. Harmon anyway if you give Daddy any problems."

Ted stared at Harry wide-eyed. Amy could see her father saying 
exactly the same thing. Victor chuckled and put a hand on Ted's 
shoulder. Grinning down at the boy, he said, "That's a real good 
idea."

Ted's wide-eyes turned from Harry to Amy's father. Amy shook a 
finger at her father and said, "Don't you dare. I'm going to have a 
long talk with mother tonight."

Still chuckling at the thought, Victor said, "Let's head over to the 
fair grounds."

Harry looked at Ted and Amy for a second before he said, "We'll 
follow you over there."

"Great."

"Just don't give me a speeding ticket," Harry quipped. 

Lisa tapped him on the shoulder and said, "Don't talk like that. 
You're going to give him the wrong impression of us."

Once they were in the car, Victor glanced over at Ted and Amy 
who were seated in the backseat. Rather than say that Harry was a 
smart ass, he said, "That friend of yours seems rather confident of 
himself."

Ted's brow wrinkled as he thought about it. Shaking his head, he 
said, "Harry's growing into his responsibilities. I think he's 
becoming comfortable with them."

"His responsibilities?" Victor asked wondering what kinds of 
responsibilities a teenage kid had.

"Yes. He's driving now and recognizes that a car is not only a 
convenience, but an awesome responsibility," Ted answered 
assuming that Victor would understand what he was saying.

"What do you know of responsibility?" 

"I know that our actions have consequences," Ted answered. He 
looked over at Amy and saw that she was watching him with an 
unusual expression on her face. He didn't know how to read it.

Amy couldn't believe that Ted was holding his own against her 
father. It was strange, but he hadn't challenged her father in any 
manner. Victor started the car and pulled away from the curb. As 
he drove, he asked, "So what are your plans for the future?"

"I'm not sure yet. I've been reading about a lot of possible careers, 
but none of them has grabbed me. I'm leaning in the direction of 
public health," Ted answered.

"HAZMAT?" Victor asked shocked by the suggestion.

"No. I've thought about epidemiology," Ted said. He had just 
finished reading the book, Hot Zone, and had been impressed by it. 
<1st attachment end>


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