MEET THE PARENTS
A/N: This is another installment for my In The Band series. It isn't necessary to read the first few pieces, but you do need to read "Could It Be" to see what the characters have been up to. You can find the link on my profile if you can't find it elsewhere.
Susie had no idea what to expect. When her mother asked her, rather DEMANDED she bring Johnny over for dinner, Susie was so ill she ended up puking out the window of a moving car. She could tell by Johnny's expression that she had the reaction he wished he could have (but thankfully didn't because he was in the middle seat). She could tell by the look in his eyes that he wasn't going to let some silly dinner with Susie's family, a dinner that would also include Johnny's mother, keep him from her.
She hadn't told him yet how she'd been feeling. Their time apart during her days of intense studying made her feelings just as intense. She hadn't said the L-word to him, but she felt it. She knew she was in love with him, and she guessed he was in love with her if he was willing to go to dinner with both of their mothers present. She'd gladly wait and see how he felt. Right now she just needed to get through tonight.
Dr. Carmichael had the day off and spent it cooking in the kitchen. A roasting chicken was set up in the oven, filling the house with smells of roasting meat and herbs. Her side dishes began cooking mid-afternoon in preparation for the five-thirty dinner, which thankfully wouldn't include any of Susie's siblings.
Susie knew this wasn't a social dinner, as did Johnny. This was practically a catered business meeting, except they were the business and they'd be in the Carmichael dining room instead of a shiny board room. The outfits would still be the same. Johnny sent photos of both his outfits and his mother's to her throughout the day for her to judge. Susie already knew what she'd wear, the same pantsuit she'd worn to accept an award at City Hall for Outstanding Youth Service. She already forgot the real name of the award despite knowing the trophy she'd received was downstairs with her other awards. Those were common in her life, those gatherings to celebrate what was really her mother's work. This was something entirely different.
At five-fifteen, Johnny and his mother showed up. Her name was Maryanne and she'd driven a beat up Honda Accord. Susie guessed it was supposed to be some shade of blue, but it looked grey in the harsh spring sunshine. Johnny had brought two bouquets of flowers, one for Susie and one for Dr. Carmichael. They accepted them and placed them in vases in the kitchen.
"Maryanne, would you like a glass of wine?" Dr. Carmichael called as Susie showed them to their places at the table, which she'd set at five sharp.
"No thank you. I'm not very fond of drinking," Maryanne replied, and Susie practically deflated with relief.
All of this was a test. Dr. Carmichael would rather have the dinner before five-thirty, and she'd rather her guests not drink, even when offered. So far Maryanne was doing just fine on her part of the exam, but Susie knew Johnny's part would be far more intense, and probably far more problematic.
"Well my husband won't be joining us tonight, so let's eat up. Johnny, do you know how to carve a chicken?" Dr. Carmichael questioned, setting the golden brown bird across from him.
"I do actually. I took home ec my sophomore year," Johnny smiled. "I put up with a year of bullying from my friends, but I can fix my own clothes, sew my own curtains, tell you the difference between butter and margarine, and carve an item of poultry with precision," he said, accepting some knives from Dr. Carmichael. He waited until she'd served the side dishes-roasted potatoes, steamed green beans, boiled squash, and a wicker basket of rolls-before carving.
He turned to Dr. Carmichael first, "Madam, which piece would you like?"
"Side breast please," Dr. Carmichael requested.
Susie held her breath. This was a huge test for anyone. For starters, you had to know how to cut meat properly to begin with, then you had to know the various types of chicken parts in order to select the correct one. Even Susie wasn't sure what a side breast was, namely because she preferred dark thigh meat to any other part of the bird. When she heard her mother's tongue click, she knew that somehow he'd cut the correct one.
"Mom, would you like your usual leg-thigh quarter?" Johnny asked. His mother nodded and gladly accepted her portion. He turned to Susie for her request, and she told him she'd like the thigh. He seemed disappointed as if he wanted the other thigh, but he said nothing as he skillfully cut it away from the rest of the bird and slid it onto her plate.
"What section will you be picking?" Dr. Carmichael questioned. Johnny cut off the other side breast and held it up for inspection. Dr. Carmichael nodded with a grin, "Good choice."
Once the food was fully served, the group spent a few minutes eating in silence, but Susie knew it wasn't complete silence. The thoughts Maryanne and Dr. Carmichael seemed to be having filled the room with a roaring conversation. Johnny and Susie sat stoically in their seats just waiting for those loud inner thoughts to become actual spoken word.
It was Maryanne who spoke first, turning to Susie, "Johnny tells me you're doing very well in school. He heard a rumor that you received a hefty scholarship for the university of your choice."
"I did," Susie nodded. "I'll use it to pay for more of my tuition at Brown University, and I have another grant that will cover the rest. I just have to buy my own books and pay for my own room and board."
"So you'll be getting a job?" Dr. Carmichael questioned. Susie squinted at her mother, dropping her fork. Her mother had always offered to pay at least half, if not all of her living arrangements, once she got to college as a reward for getting through. Dr. Carmichael smiled at her daughter's reaction, "Yes, I've been doing some thinking. My guess is that you want to move in with this boy when you go to college, and I refuse to pay for an apartment where you'll be living a dangerous lifestyle with a boy you just met."
"Dangerous? What's dangerous about my son's behavior?" Maryanne asked defiantly.
"Their behavior, not just his, though the lust of a young man is a powerful drug for all involved," Dr. Carmichael said with conviction.
"We haven't even thought of going that far," Johnny said firmly, "and I'd like to think we could live together and not have that issue. I was thinking separate bedrooms so we won't disturb each other when we're studying. We may have other roommates as well, not just us. How is that so dangerous?"
"I'm a doctor, Johnny. Do you know how many babies I deliver to unwed mothers with no intention of keeping it? Or babies that will ruin the prospects of a girl barely old enough to take care of herself? I will not watch my daughter do that to herself, and I certainly won't condone it!" Dr. Carmichael exclaimed.
"We aren't having sex! You're so paranoid, but I am not those girls! You made sure of it, keeping me locked here studying all the time. I probably don't even need to study that hard, but you taught me that's the only way. I'm surprised we even found each other! If you had your way, I'd be a ninety-year-old virgin living alone in some stuffy university room!" Susie screamed, tossing her napkin from her lap, but she wasn't finished, "Don't pay for my apartment. Shun me and treat us like a pair of horny rabbits! I don't care what you do, but this is MY life and if I want to spend it with the boy I love, so be it!"
Susie wanted to run, but she stayed put, watching her mother chew a bite from her side breast. Maryanne sat in stunned silence as her son rocked in his seat, shocked by his girlfriend's outburst but glad to hear every word of it, especially those last few. She loved him, she really loved him, and she'd just handed it to her mother to let her know.
"You've proven yourself, but I am entitled to be as paranoid as I want with you. I groomed you for success, and I won't let you throw it aside for some teenaged fling. You're lucky I let you continue with the band, but after Angelica did what she did, I had no choice but to allow it just to spite that little brat," Dr. Carmichael spat, turning to Johnny, "You have also proven yourself to me. Your education level is obviously not the same as my daughter, but you care about her enough to try, and you are smart enough in other areas to make up for any other shortcomings.
"I know this wasn't the most pleasant experience, but I'd like to do this again when my family can be here, namely my husband. You'll have to show him how to properly carve that bird so we'll stop having so many problems," Dr. Carmichael smiled, turning back to Susie, "And I will keep my end of the bargain about your room and board, but only if you follow my rules. Two bedrooms. NO sharing rooms with boys and NO missing your birth control pills. I had a colleague write the prescription. You'll start them tonight before you go to bed. Understood?"
"Yes, of course!" Susie gasped, taking the packet. She blushed slightly when she remembered they weren't alone, but she knew to get over that embarrassment. If those were the parameters of them living together in the future, so be it. Her mother could've gone lower than that, but she hadn't, and somehow the dinner turned out to be a success.
~End
Theme 68: Dinner
A/N: Theme from my Infinite Theme List Challenge, which you can find on my profile. Let me know if you're interested so I can check out your responses.
So, this is another installment for my In The Band series, and it won't be my last. I like where this is going, so expect more one-shots in the future. How will living together go? What about summer? We'll just have to find out when the pieces come out. And as always, the links are near the bottom of my profile for easy access to each part. I will admit I haven't touched these pieces in a few weeks now, but I'm ready to start sequels. Expect a delay as I get my thoughts together.
Thanks for reading and I hope you guys enjoyed this.