Troubles of youth
Tim and Julia had just entered Paul Bunyan's when they heard a woman laugh out loud from the outdoor tables. Both teenagers recognized the voice but drew different conclusions.
"That sounds like the caretaker lady at MU." Tim said.
Julia had stopped dead in her tracks.
"Julia? Is something the matter?" Tim asked when he noticed the look on her face.
"Um...yeah. Kinda." She had gone a bit pale and looked very nervous.
"What? Do you want us to leave?"
"No, no. I just don't know what to do."
Tim was getting seriously confused and concerned now.
"Please, tell me?"
"That's my mom over there."
"The caretaker is your mom? That's cool." He noticed the look on Julia's face. "Right? It is cool?"
Julia glanced at her boyfriend, then to her mother who hadn't noticed her. The big guy opposite to her apparently had told some kind of joke which cracked Julia's mom up. She knew about the restraining order but Julia just could not walk away.
"Tim? Will you do something for me?"
"Sure! Anything!"
"I'm...I'm going over to say hi to mom. Could you keep an eye out for cops and warn us if anyone should show up?"
"Cops? But...what? "
"Please?"
It wasn't the puppy dog pout her sister had mastered to get Tim's parents to let her get away with stuff. That was just an act. The pleading look on Julia's face was genuine and almost desperate. Tim held out about as long as a snowflake in a blast furnace.
"OK. I'll be right here."
"Thanks. I'll explain later, I promise."
She gave him a quick kiss and, looking this way and that, walked over to the table where her mother sat.
Electronique's first reaction was immediate and instinctive. After the initial surprise she got up and hugged her daughter.
"Sweetie!"
It was only after a few moments of hugging that Electronique realized what situation she was in.
"Uh...Julia, honey." She let go of her daughter. "I can't be this close to you."
"I know mom. But don't worry, I've got it all under control."
"What do you mean?"
"My boyfriend is keeping an eye out for cops so I can get away in a hurry if one should show up."
Electronique sighed.
"Julia, that's against the law. I'm violating my parole by not sticking to my restraining order."
"But it's a stupid order! You would never hurt me!"
"I know, honey but the court doesn't agree and besides I might be in trouble already."
Electronique nodded to Hego who sat quietly and wasn't sure how to react to the situation.
"Julia, this is..."
"Yeah, I know. He's that guy that locks you up all the time." Julia frowned slightly. "I didn't recognize him at first."
"Now, now, Julia! Don't be like that. He's just doing his job."
Julia wasn't satisfied with her mother's comment.
"You're going to tell on mom, aren't you?" She said accusingly.
"Well, I suppose I should..." Hego began. "But I won't."
He almost laughed when he saw Electronique's surprised face.
"Hm. You'd better not. Or else..." Julia's eyes narrowed and she did her best to look intimidating, with limited success.
"Julia, behave yourself!"
Hearing the notoriously destructive supervillainess Electronique tell her daughter to behave was a bit too much for Hego who had to look away to hide the huge grin plastered all over his face.
"Yes, mom."
"Look, we can't talk for long, sweetie. Let me take a look at you."
Electronique took a step back and looked over her daughter from top to bottom.
"Are you sure you're eating properly? You look like you've lost weight."
"Mo-om!"
"Yes, yes. I know, you're a big girl now." She ruffled Julia's hair and smiled. "But if I catch you smoking or drinking you will be in trouble, young lady."
Julia laughed along with her mother.
"I just wish that stupid parole didn't make you stay away. You could come visit me at school or I could stay with you some weekends."
"So you could be closer to your boyfriend in Middleton, hmm?"
"Uh...maybe? How'd you know he lives there?"
"I'm your mother. I'm supposed to know stuff like that." Electronique pretended to brush Julia's question off, before she had to go into details. She didn't know how much Julia had told him or the other way around. She decided to play it her way, just to be on the safe side.
"But things are the way they are right now, Julia. Just be patient for another fifteen months and we can be together again, dear. And that restraining order isn't part of the parole, by the way."
Hego turned around again to keep an eye on Electronique. A cold, bitter edge had crept into her voice.
"It isn't?"
"Ask your dad. That's all I have to say."
Before Julia could pressure her mother for more information on the topic, she was interrupted by a warning whistle from Tim who had staid in the background.
"I got to go, mom!" Julia looked around nervously.
"Take care, honey! I love you."
"I love you too, mom!"
Julia hugged her mother again and they said some more hurried good byes before she and Tim discretely evaded the approaching police officer.
"All right, Hego. What's so funny?" Electronique said after Julia and Tim had scurried off.
"You. It's just fun to see you like this."
"Like what?"
"You know, all mother-like. I almost forget you're supposed to be a villainess."
"Pff... look who's talking. Mister 'I-won't-tell'. That is almost like a crime you know. Are you thinking about switching teams, big boy?"
"Hardly. One black and green sheep in the family is enough. I'm just sentimental."
"Anyway, I'll have to have a talk with that boyfriend of hers next week."
"I don't think you have to worry about him. I think he's one of Kim Possible's brothers. He's bound to be a good kid."
"Oh, is he now?"
Hego realized he'd said something that probably didn't put Julia's boyfriend in the best light as far as Electronique was concerned.
"Look, don't worry so much. Julia seems like a nice and smart kid. If you don't trust me, then at least trust her."
Electronique threw up her hands in frustration.
"You win, Hego. This time..."
She grinned playfully to show that he shouldn't take her menacing tone too seriously.
"Check please." She called to the waiter. "How'd you feel about a walk in the park?"
"Sounds great to me."
This time it didn't seem awkward for them to walk hand in hand.
If Hego and Electronique didn't feel awkward things were different for Tim and Julia.
They had gone to Slushy Burger for their meal, which they ate in silence. Tim tried to start up a conversation a few times without much success.
Julia in turn was trying to figure out a way to tell Tim that her mother was a super villain, a criminal and maybe even an enemy of Tim's famous sister.
"What if he doesn't want to be my boyfriend any more? What if he tells on what I did and mom goes to prison again? Mom will hate me!"
"Julia? Hello?"
Her worried thoughts were interrupted by Tim waving his hand in front of her face.
"Earth to Julia?"
"Yes, sorry..."
"Is it something I said? Did I do something wrong?"
"No, no! It's not you. I just don't want to ruin our date by saying something that...y'know. Something that you don't like."
"Like what? Please, tell me." Tim pleaded. "I promise I won't say anything stupid."
Julia wrestled with her insecurities for a while before she decided to
"All right, but not here. Let's go somewhere else where there are less people."
"Anything for you, Julia."
For the first time in a while she smiled and that made Tim smile too.
"I might just hold you to that promise."
Tim felt he should do something to comfort her. On impulse he put his arm around her shoulder. The gesture was rewarded by Julia snuggling closer to him as they walked.
Privacy was found on a nearby playground.
"So...wanna tell me now?" Tim asked cautiously.
"It's about my mom. She's on parole, you know that right?"
"Yeah, I heard about that when she started working at MU."
"So, do you know what she did?"
"Uh, no not really. I mean it's not like it's my business. All I know is that she's kinda too smart to be a caretaker."
"Hah! You can say that again. No, my mother is a...a super villain."
She glanced at Tim to read his reaction.
"Oh. OK. And...?"
"Well, don't you think that's weird?"
"Nah. Not really. I mean my sister fights villains all the time and you know that Drakken guy?"
"Yeah?"
"His girlfriend is actually the older sister of that guy your mom was having dinner with."
"But did you know your sister has been fighting my mother?"
"No."
Tim suddenly grew a bit paler.
"You...you're not thinking about breaking up with me because of that, are you, Julia?"
"No! Why do you say that?"
"I just thought...when you said that Kim and your mother..."
"But I was afraid you would break up with me!"
The two teenagers laughed with relief when their fears proved unfounded.
The rest of their day turned out pretty much perfect for Tim and Julia. The train ride to Middleton was equally pleasant with plenty of kissing, cuddling and sweet words.
Julia had said a reluctant goodbye to Tim as he got off the commuter train in Middleton.
On the ride to Lowerton she thought about what her mother had said: 'Ask your dad'.
She knew her mother could overreact sometimes and she wasn't exactly good at accepting blame. But as far as Julia knew, her mother had never lied to her. Withheld stuff, sure, but that wasn't the same as lying.
"Dad will have to explain. It's only fair that I hear his side of the story too."
A little while later she walked in the door.
"I'm home!" She called.
"Hello, Julia. Did you and Tim have a nice day?" It was her father's new wife and Julia's stepmother, Doreen.
"Yeah, we had a great time. He paid for dinner and I bought him a lab coat."
"That's so sweet."
Julia liked Doreen a lot. They had had their share of clashes, of course, but nothing serious. Even though she was very different from Julia's mother, Doreen was a sweet and lovable person. Just perfect for Julia's father.
"Is dad home?"
"Yes dear. He's in the living room. Could you make sure he hasn't fallen asleep in front of the TV? It's bad for his back."
"Sure."
Carl was watching the news when his daughter came in.
"Hey, pumpkin. How was your day?"
"It was great." Julia hugged him and sat down beside him on the couch.
While she told him about her day with Tim, Julia tried to figure out a way to ask her dad about the restraining order.
In the end she couldn't come up with something subtle.
"Dad?"
"Yes?"
"That restraining order mom got...was it you?"
"Uh...Yes. I asked for it when I heard your mother was on parole."
"But why? She would never hurt me!" Julia's voice accused him and Carl hated himself for hurting the person that mattered the most to him.
"Sweetheart, you know your mommy is a criminal. And not just a normal one but a super villainess. I just wanted to be sure you were safe. I'm so afraid for you whenever I hear Veronica is out of prison. I keep thinking 'What if something goes wrong' and I tried to do what was right."
Julia leaned against Carl's shoulder. She was quiet for a long time.
"Are you mad at me, Julia?" Carl asked softly.
"No. I think I understand now. I'm just a bit sad that you didn't ask me first."
"I'm sorry. Forgive me?" He hugged Julia close.
"Yeah."
They sat quiet for a while as the news reels rolled, forgotten, on the TV.
"I think I'll go to bed now. I'm tired."
"You do that, honey. You've had a long day."
"Good night, dad."
"Good night, pumpkin. See you tomorrow."
When she had gone to bed and turned out the lights Julia thought back on what she had seen in her father's eyes when he had talked about her mother.
It was fear.
"He wasn't afraid for me. He was afraid for himself. My dad is afraid of my mom."
It struck her how little she really knew about what had happened when her parents had divorced all those years ago.
And how little she knew about what her mother was capable of.
