“The Catalyst” Series
Chapter 37: Dinner with the Potential In-Laws
Well, the day I was to finally meet Chalise's father
arrived. I'd been anxious about it for a while, but now it was upon us. I
figured I was pretty safe, as it wasn't likely he'd try anything in a crowded
restaurant, but I didn't expect it to be a fun-filled evening either.
Cate seemed to have finally revived the girls from their
shock over hearing Cate's bad news about my future health. I don't know what
she told them, but they seemed to get it together so I wasn't so worried about
them anymore. In school I was friendly and showed interest in everyone,
suddenly focused more on the people in the school than on the various fights or
conflicts that were ongoing and certainly more than in the simplistic
schoolwork. Suddenly those things just didn't seem to be as important anymore.
If I only had a limited time, I was going to focus on the living, on the people
in my life. The negatives and the things you put up with because you have to,
just didn't interest me anymore. Everyone was pleased to have me so actively
engaged when I was usually half occupied contemplating how everyone was
relating. The girls all flirted, Alex flirted – with both the girls and me – and
we all had fun. That didn't stop the many glares I continued to attract,
though.
Luckily not much happened in school to distract me during
the day. After dropping Kitty and Chalise off, I came back, did my work, then
ran out early enough to see Adrian once more. I guess everyone saw just how
distracted I was, so no one confronted me with anything so I hardly even
noticed the event.
Finally we were sitting at the bar waiting for Rodger to
arrive. I'd selected
l'Oignon Pleurer
to meet because the waiters knew me, and would give us a little leeway in case
any unpleasant situations occurred. I made sure that Chalise and her mother met
me early just to check their nerves and to review everything before the family
officially met again. While I had planned to have Kitty here for this, the last
minute suggestion to have us all drive to St. Louis this weekend might have put
that in doubt. I hadn't heard whether she was showing up, so I was a little
doubtful. No doubt Kitty was trying to convince her father an overnight trip
with me wasn't a terrible idea, and hearing she was also meeting with her
girlfriend's father as well might have pushed Fredrick over the edge. Not being
able to offer a united front was likely to significantly change the message I
wanted to convey. I wasn't sure whether I'd even broach the subject of our
little threesome if she couldn't be here. You can hardly argue how mature and
balanced the relationship is when one of you doesn't even bother to show up.
Chalise was noticeably nervous, knowing her father's temper,
his dislike of me, and his apparent disregard of her, all contributed to her
bad feelings about tonight. Caroline was a little better, but was still highly
doubtful. When we arranged this I also hadn't specified who should attend, so I
didn't know whether there would be one person who severely disliked me or
several, but I figured Rodger would be cutting his own throat if he brought his
sons with him while he was trying to entice his wife and daughter to return to
him. You can hardly talk honestly to a spouse when other children are present,
but then you never know what goes through a person's head. Anything could
happen and nothing was likely to surprise me tonight.
Both women looked beautiful. Chalise had selected the
perfect outfit for tonight. She had on a dress that looked wonderful but still
didn't reveal too much. She also wore a really attractive silver necklace that
really caught my attention. It was a tiny figurine, so small you hardly noticed
it, but it was of a naked woman riding on the face of the man in the moon. If
you knew to look for it, it was kind of racy, but if you didn't pay attention
to it, it was likely to escape your notice. I reminded myself to compliment her
on it when we had some privacy.
Caroline was already on her second glass of wine, which
again made me, a non-drinker, nervous. I mentioned this to her, and stressed
that she wanted to remain calm and collected. She told me that I was right, but
said it in such a way I wondered whether it would make any difference in her
behavior tonight. Chalise and I were having regular drinks; a soda for her,
just plain water for me.
"You know, Alex, there's a lot riding on this meeting, and
much of it involves you," Caroline told me. "While Rodger isn't very fond of
you, we insisted that if he was going to get us back he'd have to learn to deal
with you. You've become a very big part of our lives. From your involvement in
Chalise's life, to what you've done with Darrell, to helping us when we needed
a place to stay, we owe you a lot. So don't get upset if we come on a little
strong concerning you. We want him to get over his anger at you. It's the only
way we'll be able to get beyond this impasse. I'm not about to go back to
Rodger if I have to leave my daughter behind, and she's not about to leave you
to go back to a home that she's not even a part of."
I told her I understood the sentiment, but that I was hoping
to smooth things over. I knew that Rodger was angry at me, and that I thought
that would provide a substantial roadblock between them. But she only stressed
that if he couldn't accept my presence in their lives, then they wouldn't be
returning to his life.
I spotted Rodger entering the restaurant and waved to him
while getting the women organized. He took a bit to respond, so the women and I
met him in the entryway. Luckily he was alone, and the look he gave me wasn't
very welcoming, but he gave his wife a hesitant hug and a brief kiss, and he
asked Chalise how she was getting along. I didn't know if she meant to convey a
message or just wanted to piss him off, but she immediately sidled up to me and
put her arm around me. I welcomed him and held offered him my hand in greeting,
but he simply looked at it then at me. I was preparing to simply retract my
proffered hand when Caroline sharply rebuked her husband with a harshly whispered
"Rodger!", and he finally reached out and took my hand. He then tried to grind
my hand into dust. I had pretty much expected such a response, so at least I
wasn't caught unprepared, but he was a large man while I was a, well, basically
just a skinny kid. I tried to give as good as I got but didn't succeed very
well, but I at least managed to avoid grimacing or revealing just how much he
was hurting me. After another quick reprimand from Caroline he reluctantly let
go of my hand.
While trying to rub some feeling back into my poor hand I
walked us all up to the maître d' and announced that we were ready, when I
heard someone calling from behind us. When I turned I saw Darrell, smiling as
he hugged his surprised mother, kissed his sister's cheek and shook his
father's hand. I was surprised to see him here and couldn't help myself when I
wondered who he was here to support, and who he was here to fight. However I
quickly shook that thought off. He was here to try to support his family.
That's all.
"Thought I'd surprise you. Dad didn't bother to mention this
little dinner, but I didn't want an oversight like that to keep us all from
getting together. Hey, Alex," he called as he not only shook my hand, but threw
an arm over my shoulder and gave me a quick man hug. "Did Dad try to crush your
hand? That's an old trick of his. Should of warned you but, I... wasn't quite
invited," he laughed.
Once I'd revised my estimate of the party size I led everyone
into the dining room, escorting Chalise. I briefly considered Darrell's appearance and wondered at his motivations, but I simply concluded that he, like the
rest of my lunchtime crowd, was now a part of my movement, and that he wasn't
likely to make anything worse by being here.
When we got to the table I pulled out Chalise's chair for
her, and Rodger just kind of growled at me and simply plopped down in his seat.
Caroline glared at his lack of similar appreciative gesture, but it was lost
on him. When I finished pushing Chalise into the table I immediately moved over
and offered the same service to Caroline. She smiled graciously, mentioned how
it was nice that some people hadn't forgotten the act of civility and
thanked me.
As I was seating myself I was distracted by some motion, as
I usually make it a habit to sit facing the dinner room, a simple matter of
maintaining a bit of control since I was often subjected to unusual
interruptions, and glanced up just in time to catch Kitty rushing up to me. To
say I was surprised is an understatement. She threw her arms around me and gave
me a happy kiss on the lips.
"Sorry I'm so late, guys, but I had a bit of trouble
getting out of the house tonight. So, where's my seat? Alex, you wouldn't leave
a poor girl without her seat, would you?" I quickly overcame my stupor and offered
her mine, managing to snag one from another table. When I returned with it
Kitty was still standing, but was beside Chalise, holding her hand and chatting
gaily. I wondered whether she'd bestowed the same kind of kiss on her. It
would've been fun to watch Rodgers's response to that. As it was he was glaring
at her just as he had at me a short while ago.
Despite the many distractions this evening, my attention was
caught by her unusual new jewelry as well. She wore a small silver
figurine too, although hers was of a naked man standing between two naked
women. The piece was tiny but exquisite and very detailed, and I wondered where
both girls had managed to find such unique fashion accessories. Their other
jewelry and makeup was quite attractive, but those two items just grabbed my
attention, mainly because they left little doubt where we all stood as a
threesome. However I had to quickly focus on more important topics.
As I held the chair for Kitty, Rodger started up.
"Excuse me, Miss, but I believe this is a private matter
between..."
"Oh, I know," she said, as she again gave me a quick peck
before sitting down. "That's why I'm so embarrassed at being so late. I know Alex and Chalise would have been disappointed if I couldn't be here. So, I take it you're Mr. Jones, Chalise and Darrell's dad, right?" she asked, leading to me quickly making
introductions all around.
"This is my girlfriend, Kitty Washerstein," I told Rodger
without any embellishment. His eyebrows shot up. "Part of what we wanted to
explain to you this evening is that Chalise and I have a unique three way
relationship with Kitty."
Rodger started to sit up, obviously preparing to say
something when Caroline headed him off at the pass.
"Good evening, Kitty," Darrell told her. "It's good to see you again, and I just wanted to thank you again for
putting up with the trouble I caused you at school. I guess it was a holdover
of my previous behaviors, although that's really no excuse." I knew they'd
worked everything out earlier, so I figured this was mostly staged for Rodger's
benefit.
"Oh, don't worry, it was nothing. Things are always awkward when a
flickering relationship dies out. I'm just glad that we're still friends and
there are no hard feelings between any of us. Oh, and Mrs. Jones, I just love
what you've done with your hair." I could immediately tell from the way his
eyes reacted that Rodger hadn't even noticed anything different about her,
despite her being gone for so long, and Caroline positively beamed at the
remark.
"Why thank you, Kitty, it's so very nice to see you again. I
always hear so much about you from my daughter, but we really never see nearly
enough of you," she gushed. "It seems since you're at the other end of Alex's daily trip you never get a chance to stop by." Rodger's head was starting to flip back
and forth trying to figure out everyone's relationship.
"Anyway, Mr. Jones," I told him, "I just wanted to tell you
that, despite being unusual, the relationship I'm in with Kitty and Chalise is
serious and I care deeply for them both, so I have no plans on hurting your
daughter. We are all committed to each other, though you know how fickle odd
numbered relationships are. We hope we'll be able to last a little while, but
only time will tell," I explained, hoping to give him a glimmer of hope to hold
on to.
Though we'd manage to catch him with a series of surprises,
Rodger was starting to recover and he clearly had a few things to say. But now he was looking at Kitty instead of me.
"You and my daughter are... are...?" he sputtered.
"Oh, we fool around but not like you're thinking," Kitty
responded. "We're mainly focused on Alex. He's the one that brought us
together. Well, that's not quite correct," she commented, bringing her finger
to her chin to consider for a second. "It was actually Darrell that got Alex to get us together. He was the one who instigated this whole affair," she finished
sweetly. Rodger's head swiveled in Darrell's direction, but Darrell seemed to be ready for him with a few more surprises.
"It's true," Darrell quite happily responded, clearly
surprising his father. "I'd just finished threatening Alex, telling him to
leave Kitty alone in that boorish way I was so used to behaving in, when Alex
calmly told me that he'd date whomever he wanted, then asked me about my
sister. I told him all about her and he was ever so nice. Not only did he ask
her out, but he also asked Kitty to give me a second chance. Well, we dated for
a bit, but it was soon apparent that I didn't stand much of a chance. She's
just so damn taken with the little scamp. That's why we broke up, though I'm
certainly glad to see she doesn't bear me any ill will over it. Alex was quite upset I'd broken things off so abruptly," he rambled on, inventing his own
version of events for his father. He seemed to be relishing playing this new
role of social sophisticate.
"Anyway, yes, your daughter and I share Alex's love, and that sometimes involves a little playing around of our own. We haven't taken
it much farther than that yet, but you never know how these things will turn
out," Kitty brought the conversation back, twisting the knife a little deeper
in Rodger's gut. He sat wordlessly for a few moments, clearly thinking of his
response, though I suspect he was more confused by Caroline and Darrell's attitude than he was by Kitty's statements.
I knew this was a lot for Rodger to take all at once. We
invited him here so he could demonstrate that he wasn't going to strangle me, and
then I toss this little grenade to him, acting like it wasn't anything unusual.
Then both Caroline and Darrell play along, keeping him off balance and reeling.
I thought it was a bit unfair and actually felt sorry for him. After all, my
own father has recently been shocked by Cate and my relationship, and he'd had
plenty of prior warning. Rodger had had almost none. What I'd done was bad
enough, but this was all a bit too much. They were dumping on him faster than
he could respond, and he didn't have time to deal with it. I couldn't see this
ending well at all.
"And I for one would like to welcome you into our family," Caroline happily proclaimed, not giving her husband any time to deal with what was happening.
"I haven't said that yet and I apologize, but I sincerely feel that way. I know
these early romances rarely last very long, given the changes young people go
through in high school and college, but you'll always have a special little
place in our hearts. Assuming you don't break my dear daughter's heart, of
course," she laughed gaily at her little jest.
"So, Alex," Darrell asked, changing the topic once again, "that
dinner you threw for all of us from school yesterday was really nice. You'll
have to invite me over again sometime. Your girls are all delightful, and it's
not often we get an offer to a genuine Vietnamese dinner prepared by a New
Orleans Cajun cook."
"Sure, Darrell," I offered, again in friendly greeting. "I'm
sure the whole family would be glad to have you over. And just in case your
father's not a fan of various ethnic dishes, you and your mother are always
invited over any time," I told him, making it clear that his wife and daughter
had their own life without him.
"You knew about Chalise and..." Rodger asked his wife,
clearly several minutes behind the conversation. But I think he was actually
more shocked that Caroline would condone such behavior so cavalierly.
"Rodger, there's a lot you miss out on when you ignore your
family," Caroline patiently explained to him, as if he was a wayward child. "Chalise
has been quite grown up for some time now, something you seem to have
overlooked, just like you've overlooked her for most of her life. We both have
been getting along quite well without you. I think she's perfectly capable of
handling this relationship, even if it isn't your standard romance. In fact, I
think she'll handle it quite well even if it doesn't turn out perfectly. She's
grown a lot recently, and I think you have Alex to thank for that. He's helped
her mature and expanded her views of the world."
"That's true, I..." Chalise tried to reply before her father
cut her off.
"My daughter's a lesbian whore?" Rodger asked his wife, as
if the thought had suddenly just popped up out of nowhere. I started to take
offense and began rising from my seat when Kitty held her hand against my
chest, hoping to keep me in place.
"Not yet, Alex," she warned me before turning to address
Rodger. "No, that's not true in either regard," she calmly explained to him.
"She's clearly not a lesbian, but it's just rude to be in bed with two
other people without showing a little reciprocal attention. Besides, your
daughter is a very cute, intelligent and personable young woman, which you'd
appreciate if you ever spent any time with her.
"As for the other derogatory word you chose to describe her,
nothing could be farther from the truth. Unlike her other siblings, she hasn't
engaged in reckless, meaningless sexual encounters with a string of
questionable characters. No offense, Darrell," she calmly offered Chalise's
brother.
"No offense taken, I know the truth when I hear it," he
responded politely.
"She's involved with a young man and her best friend. I've
never seen her fooling around with anyone else, nor flirting recklessly or
behaving poorly. However you might want to examine your own behavior. You've
raised each of your sons to treat women as mere objects to be taken advantage
of, and ignored whenever it doesn't suit them. You treat your own wife and
daughter as you'd treat a common whore, without much care or consideration
whatsoever. About the only thing you extend to them is a roof over their heads
and some food to eat, but little else. Alex seems to be unique in that he
offers many people a new vision of the world, not just us. There's a growing
crowd that want to be around him and enjoy his view of life, his philosophy,
and his perception of us as unique human beings. You'd do well to try to
emulate him, Mr. Jones. Now I think it's time we allowed this poor waiter,
whose been patiently waiting, to serve us. Chalise, will you be having your
usual?" she concluded.
It was true, when I'd phoned in my reservation I'd been sure
to ask for a table with the same waiter, making sure to mention him by name.
I'd left him a very nice tip, not just on Tuesday night, but each time I'd
come. He knew enough to anticipate we'd take some time to get around to
ordering tonight and had politely left us alone, seeing us all in spirited and
engaged discussion. Given the go ahead he now swooped in on us, smiling
brightly, explaining all the daily specials, complimenting the ladies, and
being just a little deferential to me, making sure I was the first served,
standing beside my chair, and always turning to address me whenever I'd say
anything. I hoped it was because he recognized the situation I was in and was
willing to help in whatever small way he could.
We all quickly ordered. I made a few recommendations while Caroline stated she'd been dying to try a little specialty of the house that Chalise had
described from a previous date we'd been on. Everyone was very quick about
their business except for poor Rodger, who was still looking shell shocked. But
at least we'd moved onto a safe topic. I was hoping this would give him a
chance to consider what he was saying so he wouldn't insult his family any more
than he had. Luckily Chalise and Caroline hadn't reacted to his comment from
before, and I thought that said as much about their character as anything else
that had been said.
Caroline asked me to please order something Rodger would
appreciate, as he seemed to be incapable of deciding at the moment, so I
quickly ordered something relatively simple they produced in a fairly unique
way (I'd asked beforehand). I figured he was a steak and potato kind of guy, so
I made sure it included some pomme frites.
"I'm not fond of French food," he complained. "It's almost
as pretentious as that awful Jap raw fish shit." I was glad I hadn't taken him
to the restaurant that Cate and I had enjoyed.
"You've changed since you've been away," Rodger remarked to
Caroline after the good waiter hurried off, having he'd taken a moment to gather
himself. He seemed disappointed with what he was seeing, as if she'd betrayed
his trust that she'd always remain just the way she had been before.
"No doubt, Rodger," she commented simply. "A lot has been
happening since you chased us out of the house. We've discovered there's a wide
world full of considerate, refined men who care about others more than
themselves. There are people who help out because they're genuinely concerned
for others, and people who are working to improve not only themselves, but their
own corner of the world, no matter their genetic makeup." I wasn't sure if that
was a dig at Rodger for his own racially limiting leanings, or an allusion to what
she may have picked up about me.
"I've hardly been able to do anything for the world, Mrs. Jones," I protested, trying to play down her jibe at her husband. I didn't want to
make things worse than they already were. "I've just helped a few random
individuals at a time."
"And it's that approach that makes such a big difference,"
she answered. "You help a few at a time, constantly adding more and more to the
mix without undue concern and regardless of the inherent risks involved. And
each of those individuals thus touched then goes out and touches a few more
lives, hopefully generating a similar fascination with the wider world in turn.
Pretty soon you're not exactly changing the world, but you're at least leaving
your own unique mark on it."
"Believe me, it's not without undue concern," I told
her, again trying to play down this elegant praise of me at Rodger's expense,
since I didn't think it overly honest or at all helpful to the current
situation. "Each move I make takes a lot of concern and consideration. I
feel like I'm always walking a minefield, each step taking me just a little
closer to losing a leg or an eye, yet each risk I face brings me an
appreciation of those around me. Both friend and foe offer me an opportunity to
help myself as well as them."
"Listen, you little shit, everyone here at this table
might think you're the greatest thing since buttered toast, but you've made a
mockery of my family and everything I've worked to accomplish. You insult
Chalise's honor and make a fool of her, you busted my son's knee, effectively
ending his college career and any potential he had of achieving anything
in life. Heck, he's not very likely to even finish college now. You manage to
wrap my wife and son around your little finger, making them think they can join
your lily while world when we both know they'll never fully belong. Why the
hell should I think you're anything but a bleeding heart liberal bastard trying
to win some brownie points by showing my family what a wonderful guy you
are? You're just a little snot nosed bastard who's been handed the world on a
silver platter, and feels entitled to crippling anyone he feels like?" Rodger
began to rant, finally waking up from his near stupor of late.
However, as much as I felt that everyone had been ganging up
on Rodger, his little speech already had my back up. I couldn't believe he was
so blind to what had been happening to him. "Well, Mr. Jones, while I
appreciate you finally participating in the discussion, perhaps your son could
finish college if he'd apply himself, and found a reasonable school and
actually worked towards a useful goal not set out for him by his father? And
let's not forget just how he got his knee injured, shall we? He broke into my
house and attacked me in front of a house full of witnesses, including your
daughter, and attempted to kill me while shouting racial and sexual slurs. Darrell is just starting to..."
"You're certainly got the gift of gab, don't you?" Rodger
said, interrupting me. "You think you can talk dog shit into gems. My sons and
I all worked hard to get to where we are today, through dedication and skill.
You're just playing at living a fantasy using my daughter and a gullible
friend, using my misguided wife as a dupe. You're going to eventually see where
this kind of attitude gets you. You can only glide through life for so long,
and then it's going to come down hard on you. You think you're too privileged
to be touched by reality, but you've got another thing coming. I'd guess you've
got a very short time until you have to face reality, and you'll be just as
surprised as Brandon was when you sucker punched him, then set him up with
those white policemen. Then we'll see just what everyone thinks about you. You
won't sound so refined when you're lying in the gutter where you belong. Stay
the fuck away from my daughter and my family you little fuck. You've got them
so confused they don't know which way is up, and I know they're going to be as
hurt as you're likely to be soon."
Well, I'd expected things might get out of hand quickly, but
I'd been lucky up till now. However, I'd had a chance to say what I had to say.
I knew he wouldn't be receptive to what I had to say, but at least I'd laid it
out. Despite his rant, I knew Rodger was just speaking out of shock at what had
passed before him tonight. I was willing to just take it and let it roll over
me. I knew we'd dumped a lot on him tonight, and that he'd have to work through
it at his own pace. He might never accept any of it, but at least he'd have a
chance to. However I wasn't the only one calling the shots tonight.
"Alex is right," Chalise hissed at her father, "he never
asked to be attacked. He defended himself and now you're offering him veiled
threats in front of witnesses? I certainly hope you think he'll get into
trouble on his own, but if you do anything to him you'll have each of us to
deal with. We'll all know it was you, and if necessary I'm sure no one at this
table would have the slightest concern in taking matters into our own
hands. You see daddy, you've taught me more than merely disregard of loved ones.
You've also taught me how to be a thoughtless, angry individual who'll stop at
nothing to get what she wants. If that means punishing my own father then you
should certainly expect that and appreciate it for the unique gift you've given
me."
"I'll agree with that," Darrell ventured as well. "If you so
much as cause a single thing to happen to Alex I'll demonstrate just how much
of a mindless brute I can be. Alex has helped each of us out, despite being
attacked for no reason by Brandon, yet you seem to take delight in blaming him
for all of your problems. He hasn't done anything to you besides
tying to help everyone around him, including you, Brandon and each of us.
"I hope you realize that we won't be putting up with your
bullheaded ways anymore. A perfect stranger has demonstrated to each of us how
a real man treats others, something you never learned yourself. If you continue
on this senseless path, you're going to effectively end both your marriage and
any hopes of having much of a relationship with your family. My bags are already
packed. I'm officially moving out tonight and forget about contacting me. If
you ever want to make amends, please speak to Alex about forgiveness.
Now if you wouldn't mind, I and my family would like to enjoy a nice
dinner that our dear friend has offered us. You're no longer welcomed here."
Rodger looked like he was about to blow a gasket. It looked
like no one had ever stood up to him before, and he definitely didn't like it.
He looked at each of his family, then turned and glared at me, letting me know
he held me personally responsible for his troubles, once again demonstrating he
was so busy trying to avoid any responsibility for his actions that he couldn't
see what was happening around him.
"This isn't over," he insisted. "You'll all see what a
mindless little fag this kid is, how none of his fancy words mean a hill of
beans in the real world. Then you'll all beg me to take you back in. You'll
see. You don't insult me, hurt my son, make fools of my family and throw it all
in my face without thinking it will get back to you, do you?
"Yeah, I'll leave alright. I don't need this pretentious
food to know how to take care of my family. I've given you all the best years
of my life and this is how you repay me. You'll all learn." At
this stage he threw his napkin onto the floor and stood up abruptly, knocking
his chair over in the process.
"You haven't heard the last from me, you little sack of
shit. You stay away from my daughter and my wife, or you'll be sorry."
"Sorry, but you used to have a wife, and a family.
Unless you can get your head out of your ass, you'll just have alimony and
child support to consider, as you spend your days taking care of your crippled
son who was never taught how to get by on his own without taking handouts for
knocking people down." Caroline yelled out to his rapidly retreating form. I
don't know whether he was listening or even cared, but at least she got her own
parting shot off.
All the restaurant's patrons were staring at us, so I
quietly got up and righted the chair and picked up the various items cast about
in the confusion. When our waiter hurried up I casually stated that we were a
bit distracted, and asked him if he could provide drinks for whoever wanted it
and to please hold the dinners for a short bit, until we'd all managed to calm ourselves
again, as we certainly didn't want to ruin a beautifully crafted meal because
of a minor argument. He nodded and hurried back to the kitchen after checking
renewed drink orders from the only two drinkers at our table. As I sat down
again I looked at everyone.
"Well, that could have gone better," I suggested.
"Alex, he..." Chalise began but I quieted her before she
could get started.
"He was simply reacting to an overwhelming amount of
information being dumped on him in a hurry. He, like everyone, needs time to
make a major change in his life. Such things take time. You're expecting him to
accept what you've each been able to slowly adjust to. That's hardly fair."
"Hardly fair, he just threatened you. He virtually said he
was goi..." Darrell began protesting.
"I heard what he claimed. I expect most of it was just
bluster, especially since he's probably just now realizing he has a whole
restaurant full of witnesses to his foolishness, plus the fact that the police
are already watching him closely due to his past actions and comments. Still,
he has every right to be upset. His carefully constructed world is falling
apart around him. It's a lot to adjust to just because some little snot walked
into his family's life.
"Now, I don't mean to bring down all your righteous anger,
but I'd still like to enjoy this meal and appreciate all that you're willing to
share with me, including associated threats of violence. Of course I'd never
want you to follow through, but the thoughts are appreciated." I held my glass
of seltzer up to them all. "Here's to an eventually accepting and understanding
father." They all hesitantly raised their own glasses.
"Here's to a terrific father and his wonderful son, and we
all love Frank dearly," Chalise announced as she clicked her glass against
mine, the others all quickly joined into this new, slightly modified cheer. And
we, after a slight delay, all enjoyed yet another marvelous dinner.
However, I considered what Darrell and Chalise had
threatened to do themselves. Personally, I knew if anything happened to me
they'd be unlikely to get the chance to do anything to their father, as I was
sure my girls would personally take action on their own. But still, I didn't
like them making threats, especially since it put them in the same situation he
now found himself in.
"Oh, wait, now that we're short one guest," Kitty said, "I
know just who to give the seat to." With that she jumped up and ran out.
I had wondered how Kitty had gotten to the dinner that
night. Turns out her mother had brought her, and she'd been sitting alone in
the bar, so Kitty brought her over so that Rodger's dinner wouldn't go to
waste. I wanted to know how Fredrick reacted to their coming to see me, and
Martha explained that he'd been concerned, but that she'd explained to him that
he still needed time alone to adjust to all the ideas that had been thrown at
him, and he should treat himself to a special supper just so he could enjoy
himself and appreciate some alone time for some serious thinking. Just not this
restaurant, because he'd only see another father handle the same situation much
worse than he had. I appreciated that last bit, as it reflected my tendency to
give these guys credit for their feelings and how they were processing them,
however crudely that might be.
All in all, for such a bad start, it turned out to be a very
nice dinner, as each of my dinner dates had been in the past. I guess the
combination of a wonderful restaurant, terrific food and delightful companions
makes all the difference. We finally broke up after a while, so that Darrell could get back to get his stuff. He'd already planned on moving out tonight,
anticipating a scene not unlike what we'd just encountered, so I guess I hadn't
really done too much wrong. I left the poor attentive waiter another very nice
tip for putting up with my difficult patronage yet again.
As we were leaving the restaurant I told Kitty and Chalise
how much I appreciated their new necklaces.
"Actually, Alex, that brings up an issue we've been meaning
to talk to you about," Kitty hesitantly responded. I paused and looked at her a
little askew. Whenever someone told me something like that, recently, it was
always concerning something surprising.
"We both got them from Kimberly. You remember her, the
bipolar girl that made a pass at you in the hospital?"
"Yes, I remember her very well. I also remember how you two
came down on her like a load of bricks. I'm surprised you are now buying her
jewelry."
"Oh, she's actually quite nice and has been quite
apologetic," Kitty explained. "After that incident at the hospital, she
immediately apologized and offered to show us her studio and maybe give us
something for her oversight. Neither Chalise nor I were quite ready for that
just yet, but when you went to St. Louis I found myself with some spare time so
I went and visited her.
"She's got a wonderful studio and does some tremendous work.
After I visited her I talked Chalise into stopping by as well. Anyway, the long
and the short of it is, she really wants to do a painting of you. Well,
not just of you, she wants it to include all three of us. We figured we'd leave
it in your hands whether you want to or not, but we want you to at least come
with us to see her studio. She'd also appreciate a little follow up treatment,
since what you did helped her so much. She hasn't been quite as high in her
manic phase, but she's about to enter her depressive phase soon. So plan on
stopping by on Sunday after we get back from St. Louis," I was informed.
"Aye, Aye, Sir," I told her in my best Sponge Bob Square
Pants' voice. I personally had no problems with Kimberly, but I knew she had
really set off the girls' jealousy where nothing else I'd done so far had. Thus
I'd approach this with a bit of trepidation. Still, with the news of my own
mortality that Cate had delivered, the idea of preserving a tiny bit of me,
something that would be left after I was gone, made me feel a bit better.
"Personally, it sounds interesting. I'll look forward to
it," I told them.
After dinner I got Detective McCallister's phone number from
Gail and gave her a call, just to give her an update on how my dinner with
Chalise's father went. She appreciated getting the call and was concerned about
the potential threat, despite my insistence that it was all just bluff and that
it wasn't at all unexpected. She told me that she dealt with these sorts of
circumstances frequently, and she had to consider all the possible
implications, but that there really wasn't much she could do anyway, especially
after I asked her not to interfere or speak to him.
I just hoped my faith in Rodger's ability to see things
reasonably was justified.