Unexpected

30. Helen

At ten in the morning I arrive in Vancouver, having left at dawn.

When I get home Mom and Dad welcome me with joy — I haven't seen them for a long time. We talk about this and that while we have a slightly more abundant breakfast than usual.

When a moment of silence falls it occurs to me to ask Dad why they asked me to come so suddenly.

He and my mother look at each other for a moment, he hesitates and then replies, "We wanted to talk to you about something, in person."

Only for this? I do not believe it.

I close my eyes and take a deep breath. If they got me here it must be important. "Okay."

Dad intertwines his fingers and takes one last look at Mom, who she nods, before starting to speak. "Honey, you never talk to us about guys, have you met anyone in these months?" he asks me.

Oh god, I already know the discussion is going to be very awkward.

I roll my eyes and giggle. "Dad, why are you asking me? Did you make me come here for this?" I say, already annoyed.

He shakes her head. "No, Ellie. The matter is much more serious than that." How long he hadn't called me Ellie... Cole always did.

I sigh, I have to resign myself, and I'm curious to know what they want. "Well, I know new ones all the time, but they're just friends or nothing serious."

Dad and Mom exchange a look. I feel like I'm still in high school, it's absurd... "Are you sure?"

I nod with conviction. For a moment I thought about Harry, but then I remembered that there is nothing serious between us.

"So why did you meet the mother of a certain Davis?" Dad asks me, in an accusing tone.

How the hell does he know?

"Dad, what does that mean? He's just a guy who plays guitar with me and Jade, who do you think—"

"I know his mother. She phoned me the other night, told me you were with her. Is it true?" he looks me intently in the eyes.

If there's one problem I have with my dad, it's that I can't lie to him. I sigh, resigned. "Yes... so what?"

"Do you go out with her son?" This is the question I didn't want to hear.

I take too long to answer and from this daddy senses that my "no" is a lie.

"Helen, you have to be honest with us. If I'm talking to you about it, it's for your own good." Usual parents' phrase.

I am frustrated and bothered by this discussion. "Sometimes, stop." That's the truth more or less. "It was just fun, there was nothing between us." To say this my heart hurts, because even if there is nothing serious, something has happened. I know it and he knows it.

"His mother was in love with the looks you gave each other and she was happy because her son Harry introduced her to a girl for the first time... to have gotten to the point of calling me she must have noticed something obvious."

Oh my God... "Why would she have called you to tell you this? How long did you not hear from her?"

Dad glances at Mom. "Years, honey. She must've found my number easily since I'm one of the best lawyers around here." He reaches out and takes my hands. "This is to make you understand that this is not normal. There are serious problems in that family. His father was... violent and possessive to the point of having almost—"

"I know," I interrupt him in a trembling voice.

He frowns. "You know? How do you know?"

I feel the tears rising to my eyes. "Harry told me." At the very thought of him remembering those terrible moments and of him bursting into tears in my arms... And here I start sobbing and crying bitterly.

Mom immediately gets up from her chair and hugs me. "Come here..." she strokes my back.

"You see? That's why you have to stay away from him," Dad says. "Harry could be exactly like his father, and you are trusting him, Helen."

What? Has he gone out of his mind?

I detach myself from Mom and get up. "Dad, you don't know what you're saying, you don't even know him!" I burst out.

"Why, you do, right?"

"Certainly better than you!" I take a breath to calm down for a moment.

"I've known him since that story happened. I'm her mother's lawyer, Helen! I remember when she didn't want to say anything while Kate was in shock!"

It is insane... "He was a child of only 10 years old, what did you want him to do? Tell that horror in front of lawyers? Please Dad. You don't realize what you're saying..." I start to go up the stairs and go to my room.

As I go up I hear my father say, "Stay away from him. You're naive, Ellie, and you'll know."

* * *

I close the door of my room hard behind me and immediately throw myself on the bed.

It's crazy how everything seems to turn against me.

But that's right. I need to stay away from him. My best friend would freak out if she found out what little we've done. And my family? I couldn't tolerate my parents taking it out on me for someone like Harry. It just wouldn't be worth it.

I don't know what my father knows, but it is obvious that in order to have gotten to the point of talking to me about it and starting a discussion, he sensed that there is something serious.

But the point is that there isn't, because it can't be. I know it's just a pastime for him, he's always done that with girls. We have fun.

It's just weird. Before I met him I could have found a different guy at every party, but now I can't. I don't see anyone approaching and hitting on me, which is unusual.

This scares me. I'm afraid that the reason is him, that my eyes can only cross the blue of his.