It's Complicated

Chapter 17

Jimmy and I texted our siblings, and we all agreed to meet at the car at four. We were there first. It was nearly thirty minutes later before Larry and Maria showed up, holding hands. Jimmy and I looked at each other as we got into the front seat. The ride home was quiet. The rustle of bags came from the back seat, but that was the only sound.

We got out when we reached our house, and I waited until we were inside to say anything. "So, you and Maria now, is it? You got over Angie quick."

He turned to me, frowning. "Well, yeah. She was a cheater."

"I thought you told me once that she was 'the one'," I said, making air quotes.

"Nope. If she were, she wouldn't have done what she did. Anyway, Maria and I are just seeing where things take us. We're not serious yet." He turned and began going up the stairs.

I followed. "How do you know if they're serious?"

He stopped with a sigh. "You just do, Daisy. Now go start on dinner. I've got things to do."

I sighed and did as he said. At some point, Aunt Millie came home. She sat at the kitchen table while I cooked, something she didn't usually do. I waited for her to speak, knowing it was inevitable.

About the time dinner was nearly ready, she said, "Sit down for a minute." I turned off the burners and sat in my chair. She studied me for a moment. "I know," she began, "that it's hard for girls to talk to their fathers about some things. It was hard for me when I was young and living at home. When I moved out, there were a lot of things that he didn't know about me because I never told him. He only knew because Mom told him. Your mom isn't around much, but I want to make sure you know I am. If you ever need to talk to someone about anything, I'm here."

"Thanks. I need to finish dinner." I began to stand, but she motioned for me to sit.

"Not yet. I want to ask you about last night."

I sighed and sat. "Dad doesn't believe me, does he? I told him. Mario didn't tell me about it until last night when we were going. He would have been okay if it was a no. If I'd known before, I would have said something."

"That's not the only thing that's upsetting your father. I understand, Daisy, I do. You can't tell someone about something you don't know about. But what's upsetting David is that he hadn't met the young man before and also that you went to Denver, unsupervised, with this young man." She held up her hand, cutting off my reply. "I've met him, and I remember his family from when he was younger, but not David. He's the one that counts – not me." She lowered her hand. "I also don't think it was right to go to Denver with him."

"Nothing happened, though."

She gazed at the stove. "I remember being in high school, too. There was this boy, Alan, who asked me to travel to California with him. It was straight-forward enough. We'd grown up together, known each other for as long as we could remember. We were just friends. It was going to be for a week to meet up with some family over there." She turned to me. "We ended up married six months later. So, Daisy, just being friends doesn't mean nothing will happen."

I sighed. I really did not want to talk about this with her, or with anyone at that moment. "Aunt Millie, I understand what you're getting at, and I know things happen, but nothing did. Mario and I agreed we're just friends. I will go on my first date with George in two weeks, and I'm not going to mess things up with him." I stood and went back to making dinner, which was just barely warm by this point.

"I'm just trying to explain your father's point of view," she said.

"I know," I answered, biting off the words. When the food was ready ten minutes later, she was still at the table and Dad was just getting home. I was just glad talk about what could have happened had been dropped.