I little suspension of disbelief here if you please. Ever thought about what your family would say if you came home one day and told them that you were marring a 6ft, white, furred covered, mask clad, alien from Mars whose only visible mean of support was the fire red motorcycle he rode. Well Charley is about to find out. As always I don't own any of the characters from the BM series and use them for entertainment purposes only. Gates, along with Dorothy and Charles Davidson are products of my imagination.
Meeting the ParentsBy
Morning
2001
Charley sat alone in her bedroom fiddling with the small gold stud that was recently put in her ear. The night before, Vinnie had filled the score board with a hundred candles while the theme from "Beauty and the Beast" played softly in the background. With the shyness of a small child, he knelt on one knee took her hand and asked her to be his life long mate, his wife. How she managed to answer yes through the flood of tears was little short of a miracle. But, yes it was and now they were going to be married. With the war all but over on Mars and Limburger along with most of the major Plutarkian bosses dead, he had told her of their plans to go return to their home world. She would be a lot more accepted by his people than he could ever be by hers, so Charlene Davidson would be leaving the earth, probably for a very long time, if not forever.
Her family would have to be told; there was no getting around it. But how do you tell your parents that the person you are going to spend the rest of your life with was an alien, from another planet, whom just happened to resemble a large humanoid mouse. In her eyes he was the handsomest, most perfect man ever created, but that's definitely not how they would see him, especially her mother.
Dorothy Davidson, had never liked people that were, as she put it different, whether from across the street or a million miles away. Charley managed to think like she did, because of her father's influence to always appreciated the beauty in diversity. From the time she'd chosen Gates, the only African American in her kindergarten class as her best friend, to the moment she decided to love this alien person more than the air she breathed, Charley knew she would have her fathers support, but it would be, as it always was, a battled between she and her mother.
So now it was time to face the very unpleasant music. She would tell them today, right now. Get it over with short and sweet, well maybe not so sweet. She got out of bed walked over to the phone picked it up and hit the button that connected her to her parent's home. As it rang she could feel her stomach begin to tighten; her hands were shaken so badly she could hardly hold on to the receiver.
"Hello Davidson residence, may I help you?" a very formal toned woman's voice came across the line.
"Hello Mother…it's me Charlene."
"Well, if it isn't our long lost, what's that term again, grease monkey? It's good to know you haven't fallen of the edge of the world? How are you Charlene?"
"I'm fine Mother and I know I haven't called in awhile, business has picked up and I have been very busy. I need to talk to you and Daddy about some thing kind of important. Is he there?"
"Yes, he is watching one of those dreadful basket ball games. Do you want me to get him?"
"Yes Mother, would you please and then put the speaker on. I want you both to hear this at the same time."
"This does sound important just hold on I will get him," After a brief silent moment Mrs. Davidson, returned. " Go ahead Charlene we are both here, what is the important news"
"Hi Sugarpop, I'm here. Tell Daddy the big news"
Charley took a very deep breath and attempted to tell them as calmly as possible, "Mother, Daddy remember I told you I was seeing some one, well thing have gotten very serious?"
"Charlene Rebecca Justine Davidson you are not trying to tell us that you would, for the slightest moment, actually consider marring that biker person, the one with no job?" Her mother interrupted.
"Here it comes, I knew it, here it comes," Charley thought.
"I'm going to die. I am simply going to die. Charlene you cannot be serious. My daughter marring a ….a….transient," Mrs. Davidson's overly dramatic voice bewailed.
"Mother, please. Yes, we are getting married and I didn't say he had no job. I said I couldn't tell you what he did, its confidential government work."
"I will not have it, no daughter of mind is marring some no account…. "
"I am a grown woman and he is not a no-account anything. He's the person I love. The person I am going to spend my life with. The only reason I was calling is because I thought you would want to meet your future son-in-law but whether you accept him or not WE ARE GETTING MARRIED!"
"Okay darlin', okay take it easy. When do you want us to meet this prince charming of yours?" Charley could hear her father trying to be the voice of reason and at least give Vinnie a chance.
"Well, if you can come down this week end it will be fine," she answered calming her voice down.
"You mean you want us to come there to that neighborhood. Charlene really, you are asking quite a bit." Charley could hear the disdain in her mother's voice.
"Mother, there is nothing wrong with my neighborhood. It's here or no where, besides there is something I need to talk to you about before you meet him."
"Alright Charlene, alright we will be down this Friday afternoon." Her mother reluctantly gave in.
"Thank you both. We will be expecting you, goodbye." Charley put the phone down shaking her head and wondering if she should have simply left a note and disappeared with no one knowing her where abouts, then come back ten years later and surprise them with ten grandchildren. She sighed knowing she would never actually do such a thing, but one could dream.
The week went too quicky and Friday afternoon had arrived. Charley had been fussing and primping making sure her place was as attractive as she could make it. The apartment above the garage was already very attractively decorated but Charley knew it would never be good enough for her mother's very particular taste.
"Hey Dollface? I'm here!" Vinnie's voice came bellowing from down in the garage. She was so busy she hadn't heard his bike pull up.
"I'm up here, Vinnie." Charley did a last minute check and looked at herself in the mirror. She stood there staring for a second wondering about all that was taking place in her life. Her hand nervously smoothing down the skirt of the white cotton sundress she wore. She was really trying to do everything that would put her mother in the best mood possible and seeing her in a dress would certainly help.
Vinnie's face came up in the mirror's reflection with an appreciative smile not having the pleasure of seeing Charley in such feminine attired very often. His arms tucked snuggly around her waist as he kissed her behind the ear. "Having second thoughts, Babe?" he teased.
"About you, no. About them meeting you, oh yeah." She smiled as she leaned back against him for that extra feeling of security he always gave her. Gazing at their reflection and admiring what a perfect couple they made.
"What's the matter ashamed of me?" Vinnie said in a voice that made Charley turn to face him. She looked to see if he was joking or if he could have possibly thought she might be and saw a little doubt.
"You are the best thing that has come into my life in I don't know how long. You may give me a nervous breakdown; with some of the crazy things you do, but ashamed? No, Love, never have been and never will be." Charley ran her hand down the side of his face that dawn the silver mask.
Vinnie pulled her close to him but before he could finish the intended kiss Charley jumped hearing the sound of her parent's car pulling up into the garage.
"It's them! I should have known they'd be on time! You stay here until I can explain about you. In fact wait in the bath room," Charley darted off and then turned around running back to Vinnie giving him a quick kiss. "That's for the extra courage I'm going to need." He just shook his head and smiled heading off to the bathroom.
Charley breathed heavily as she descended the stair down into the garage. Her parents were just getting out of their silver Mercedes Benz. Her father a tall well-built middle-aged man in his prime held out his arms.
"Hey Sugar, you aren't too old to give your old Dad a big hug, are you?"
Charley ran to her father smiling as he picked her up into a loving bear hug, "Hi Daddy I've missed you."
"Now Charles put the girl down that's no way for a young lady to behave?" Her mother fussed straightening out her very expensive gray linen suit. "Alright Charlene where is this young man of yours."
"Hello Mother, It's nice seeing you too," Charley sarcastically quipped. "He's in the rest room upstairs. He'll be out shortly, but before he does we really need to talk about something kind of hard to explain."
"What is it now Charlene? I mean the fact that he rides one of those two wheeled death traps, has no visible means of support, isn't enough," her mother condemned.
Look mother, don't start with me, or you can get back in that car and leave!" Charley scowled.
Okay you two, that's enough," Charles Davidson sighed, use to being the referee in their constant battles. "Why don't we go up and sit down and we can talk.
"You're right Daddy? I'm sorry Mother please come on up."
Charley lead the way up the steep stairs and before her mother could say anything in the way of complaining her father gave his wife a certain look and she remained silent.
They took a seat on the couch and Charley sat in her favorite over stuffed chair. " Okay, Daddy remember when I was little and we talked about whether there were other kinds of life out there."
"Oh no don't tell me that he's one of those nutty young men that thinks there is aliens around every corner?"
"No Mother, he's not!"
"Okay Dorothy, give the girl a chance to say what she has to. Go ahead, baby, tell us what this has to do with your young man," her father encouraged.
Thanks Daddy. Well, you see about 5 years ago Vinnie and his friends came into my garage and at the time they had just… well they had ….you know there isn't any way to prepare you for this. You'll just have to see for yourself."
Charley took a breath walked over to the bathroom where Vinnie had retreated and told him to come out. As the tall white alien walked into the room her parents' faces didn't have any expression at all.
"Mother, Daddy this is Vinnie?" Charley nervously took hold of Vinnie's hand as her parent still continued to stare at him.
"You have a strange sense of humor young man. Why would you think that costume would be amusing?" Her mother said in a cold voice.
"Excuse me ma'am, but I'm not wearing any costume. This is how the people in my world look." Vinnie said as politely as he could.
"Charlene a joke, is a joke, but you can tell him this is not at all funny." Her father said as he stood up walking closer to the tall fur covered Martian.
He's telling the truth Daddy. This is what he looks like, he and his friends are from the planet Mars." Charley said trying to sound as convincing as she could.
Her Father got directly up in Vinnie's face and touched his arm feeling right down to the warm flesh beneath it. "Good Heaven! He's not wearing any costume. He is an alien!!!!!!"
A blood-curdling scream was heard from Charlie's mother just before she pasted out and hit the floor.
To be continued…..
