Gumlee Short Stories

You gotta let go, just a little

"Hey, Val. When is this punk coming over again?" Marshall Lee asked his daughter when he walked into the spacious living room.The sixteen year old rolled her eyes and tossed her phone beside her on the couch.

"Seven," she stated. "And will you stop calling him a 'punk'? He's a really nice guy." Valerie crossed her arms over her chest, annoyed by her unapproving father.

"Mhm.." he grumbled, not trusting this boy with his precious daughter's heart.

"Hush, will you? Matthew is nice, I trust him. And you should too," Bubba placed a hand on his husbands shoulder when he entered the room, a frilly apron on. He had already met the boy and liked him right off the bat. Marshall Lee just grumbled in response and left to ascended the spiral stairs. Bubba shook his head and sat next to the teenager he called his own.

"Don't listen to him, hun. He's just being bitter."

Valerie sat up properly on the large couch. "I don't get why he's always like this! It's like he doesn't trust me or something... it's so annoying!" She ranted.

"Oh stop it," Bubba consoled, running his fingers through her dark hair in a comforting matter. "It's not that he doesn't trust you, it's that he doesn't trust everyone else. You're his only daughter, he's scared of you getting hurt."

Valerie frowned. "By what! You guys already made me take karate and self-defense classes! And carry two bottles of pepper spray wherever I go. I'm pretty sure I'm not gonna get hurt by anyone. If anything, I'll hurt them." She huffed in annoyance.

"Yes yes, I know. But I meant getting hurt by cute boys with bad intentions." Valerie rolled her eyes again.

"Matt's not like that. He hasn't even kissed me yet. And it's been two months!" She said, kind of bitter about it, but nonetheless proving her point.

"Like I said, I trust him," Bubba said in response, being on her side on this.

"Yeah, but Dad doesn't." She frowned. Bubba rubbed her back.

"He's overprotective, you know that. But he'll come around soon. This dinner will be good for him. He'll like him once he sees what a good kid he is."

Valerie scoffed. "Yeah, right." Bubba sighed.

"Alright well, I'll go talk to him. See if I can change his mind a little," he tried to comfort her a little, even though he knew very well himself that his stubborn husband wouldn't change his mind about their daughter's boyfriend.

"Good luck with that," she said sarcastically. "He won't come to."

"Maybe not. Maybe he'll never trust a boy you like. Maybe he'll never trust the world that's always after pretty girls like you. Maybe he still won't trust your husband of ten years down the road. But he's entitled that right," Bubba stated, laying the hard truth of fathers on her. He pulled her in and she rested her head on his shoulder. "He's not going to like every boy you bring home, and that's just the way it is. You're his little girl, he doesn't want to give you away to some other guy. And he doesn't want you getting your heartbroken either. I mean, neither do I, but sometimes you gotta take that risk..." He remembered the words his aunt Pepper had told him when he began dating Marshall Lee. He was scared of trusting the young man with his heart, considering Marshall was just a desperate broken-hearted boy all alone with a baby at the time, but Pepper told him to take the risk, and thankfully it had paid off.

"At least you try to be understanding about it. Dad doesn't even try," she pouted, playing with the strings on her jeans.

"I don't know what to tell you about that, Val. You're growing up. And he's not ready for it." Valerie just sighed. Bubba checked his watch. "It's 5:30, you better start getting ready. And I need to get started on dinner!" He gave her a fatherly pat to the knee and sat up. Valerie went to leave to her room, a frown still on her face. All she wanted was for her father to be happy for her.