We were always worrying about what our girlfriends would think of us. We knew our mothers would be concerned and stress protection, but we avoided thinking about our fathers’ reactions. Was it simply out of embarrassment, or were we truly ashamed? For so many girls I knew, having their fathers’ respect was of primary importance, even more important than having their mothers respect them.
“Sounds like quite a house,” my father said. “But you’re not really telling me much about him. Troy?”
“Yes. His sister’s real name is Jocasta. His mother was into Greek mythology or something.”
“No kidding? That’s . . . different.”
“He’s very bright, a four-point-oh student. He’s very interested in international politics.”
“Better-looking than me?”
“Oh, it’s neck-and-neck,” I said, and he laughed.
Then he turned serious, and I knew what was coming. “Have you said anything, confide—”
Here we go, I thought. There was no skimming the truth here.
“He overheard me talking to you one night and checked me out on his own.”
“Oh?”
“But he wasn’t discouraged, and he’s not the type to spread stories. Actually, he’s a bit of a loner, a very serious person.”
My father nodded. He didn’t have to say it. I could hear him thinking it: If he knows your story and is still interested in you, he’s either quite the young man or quite strange.
“Hopefully, I’ll meet him next time I come up here. Maybe I’ll take you two to lunch or something.”
“Maybe. Tell me about Mother,” I said, hoping to change the topic. “
I’ve called often. When she gets on the phone, she gives me monosyllabic answers to everything, and she still doesn’t ask me much about Littlefield.”
“I stop by periodically. Irene tells me she’s doing better. She looks better. She is caring for herself more and has more energy.”
“Good.”
He looked at me with that expression that said, There is a little more to it.
“What’s wrong, Daddy?”
“To tell you the truth, Kaylee, it’s a little eerie.”
“Why?”
“She seems to be preparing for Haylee’s imminent return. You’ll find she’s done some work on her room.”
“Haylee’s?”
“Yes. She’s changed the decor, the bedding. There are new curtains, and yesterday she had a new rug installed.”
“Different from mine?”
He nodded.
We were both silent.
“That’s good, Daddy,” I said, after considering what it meant.
He smiled. “I think so, too, and so does Dr. Jaffe. For whatever reasons, she’s letting go of her obsession with the two of you. Actually,” he said, turning to me, “I think she’s accepted some of the responsibility. It only took nearly eighteen years.”