Hades Ain't Got Nothing on Us

Ch. 12 - Ben & Emily

"Congratulations, high school senior!"

It was the first day of summer vacation, and Sephy eagerly foisted a gift bag into Rob's chest.

"Thanks," he replied hesitantly.

"Aren't you happy? Oh, I forgot. You like school."

"It's not that."

For a month prior to Anna's party, he'd been worrying about what to get Anna. Luckily, his gift was a homerun, but Rob was burnt out on gift drama nonetheless. He wasn't even thinking about end of the school year presents.

"What is it then?" Sephy asked.

"I didn't get you anything," he admitted sheepishly.

"It's your milestone, silly, not mine. Open it!"

Rob extricated a bottle of sunscreen from the yellow bag.

"SPF 50," he read.

"It was the highest level they had in stock, and from what I understand, the higher the better. Allison and I agreed, we have to get you outside this summer."

"You two are conspiring against my inner homebody?"

"There's nothing like hikes in the park, afternoons at the beach, and funnel cake at the pier. I've been waiting for summer in L.A. since we got here. All this songwriting and reading, being cooped inside the house for hours on end; it's not healthy for a human being."

"Whatever you want," he agreed.

"As thrilling as a bottle of smelly, greasy lotion is, there's more to the gift. Dig deeper."

Reaching again into what seemed like a small enough bag, Rob found two rectangular sheets of card stock lined against the sides. They were receipts for two airline tickets from Gaborone, Botswana.

"I thought now that school was over, your parents could visit."

"This is so generous. I can't accept."

"Three months is a long time to go without seeing your parents, especially for Allison. You take incredible care of her, but I remember how much I missed my mom after my life changed. I was about the same age then as she is now. I haven't sent them the tickets, only because I don't know when would be good for you guys."

"How about next week? It sounds like we have a park, a beach, and a pier to hit first."

As the door to Rob's townhouse creaked open, Sephy quickly wiped her hands across her face and down her hair. Checking her appearance was something she had to remind herself to do, and she had almost forgotten to do so in this most important of moments, when she would be making her first impression on Rob's parents.

The door revealed an attractive middle-aged woman, thin and shortly over five feet tall. She had fine, straight blonde hair and wore a white shirt and khaki pants.

"Hello there."

Her voice was pleasant and her embrace warm, like a mother on a fifties sitcom.

A ruggedly handsome man with brown hair and a light beard appeared behind her, along with Rob and Allison.

"Mom, Dad, this is Sephy Ferrous. Sephy, Ben and Emily Manthorne."

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, and to thank you in person for flying us to see Rob and Alli."

"It's nothing, Mrs. Manthorne."

"Call me Emily. We'll be sure to repay you as soon as possible for your kindness."