Guess what? Life happened.

Chapter 12

Ken was just perfect. There was no other way to describe him, he was perfect. How could have I ever thought someone so gentle was a jerk?  During the three weeks we’ve been together, the three amazingly wonderful weeks, he has shown me a whole different side of him. A side that only those close to him would know he possessed.

He was so gentlemanlike when I brought him to meet my father for the first time. Actually, he was an adorable bundle of nerves the entire ride to my house.

“Are you sure about this?” He asked passing his fingers in his hair for the hundredth time.

I patted him on the arm to calm him down, “Trust me it’ll be alright. My dad is real easygoing so relax. He’s not going to kill you.” I probably should not have let him drive in his state, I thought, glancing at the speed meter I saw he was actually doing 70 in a 30mph zone. “But you might. Can you ease on the gas, buddy?” I said nervously.

The car gradually slowed down, “Sorry, I’m really nervous about meeting your dad.”

“No shit, Sherlock.”

“Sarcasm is really not helping right now, Craig.” His knuckles were turning white from lack of blood flow as he clutched the steering wheel tighter and tighter.

“Sorry but you’re really blowing this out of proportion. It’s just my dad not the queen of England.

“We’re here,” he said so low that I think he did not mean for me to hear it.

I’ve been talking to my dad nonstop about him for the past week so it wasn’t like he had some unrealistic goals about how he wanted his future son in law need to behave. He was still reluctant about me dating but he kept his mouth shut. He wasn’t like him to not speak his mind about something, after all that’s why he became a lawyer. He wanted to be able to speak for himself and others but he hasn’t been doing a lot of that lately. I knew he was slacking at work and he’s been losing weight at a worrisome rate. At first it was just the disease but the more I spent time with him, it seemed like something else was eating at him. He acted so guilty.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure he’ll love you” I reassured Ken one last time before we got out of the car. “Ready?” I asked him before slipping the key in the doorknob.

“Hell no” He wiped away the sweats that was forming on his forehead, just under his baseball cap, with his hands then wiped them on his pale blue jeans.

“Daddy, I’m home” I shouted even though I could see him sitting on the couch watching a baseball game. That will give them something to talk about.

He rose from the couch and walked towards us wearing his happiest smile in days.

“Hi, pumpkin” he dropped a kiss on my forehead. Holding me to him, he drew a hand out for Ken to shake, “You must be the famous Ken.”

“Yes, that’s me. Nice to finally meet you, sir.” Ken let out breathlessly as he shook my dad’s hand.

“Do you like baseball, Ken?”

“I like all sports, sir.”

“You can’t exactly like all of them when you don’t really know all of them, can you Ken?”

I watched Ken’s skin turned a vivid red under my dad’s teasing tone, “No, Sir.”

“Drop the sir. You can all me, Jimmy.”

“Yes, Sir. I mean, yes Jimmy.” Ken spluttered.

“Ok, let’s just go watch TV before you explode inside the house.”