CHAPTER 25

Marletta started with the person she should have called in the first place: Dr. Sheila Maxwell, the executive director of LOFTY Dreams. Dr. Maxwell didn't seem surprised that she was calling with some concerns.

"I don't understand why you selected Elizabeth Bennet for this program," she said. "I don't think she deserves to be there."

"I didn't select Liz; the board of directors did. They're a very distinguished panel that carefully reviews all the applications and subjects finalists to a rigorous interview process. I'm very confident that their selections are sound."

"Don't you think they might make a mistake on occasion?"

"Mrs. Darcy, it's rather unusual for a parent to call me about some other student and not their own child, and it's a little inappropriate. So if you actually have a concern about Will, why don't we discuss that."

"OK, I will. I understand that Will got involved with Liz at the retreat, and that she beat up another girl out of jealousy. I'm very disappointed that you allowed this to go on, and even more so that I had to hear about it from another parent and not from you."

Dr. Maxwell was quiet for several seconds. "Because the girls broke program rules and Will didn't, I made the decision that I needed to talk to the girls' parents, but didn't need to bring you into this. That may have been a mistake on my part, for which I sincerely apologize."

"So it's true, then! You let that girl seduce my son and beat up another student, and then allowed her to stay in the program after all that? How could you allow this?"

"I don't think you realize what actually happened."

"Oh, well, then enlighten me!" Marletta snapped.

"First of all, I met with both girls after the fight, and it was the other girl, not Liz, who started it. Second, if you'd seen Liz afterward, you'd know she was on the losing end of the fight."

"Then she got what she deserved after what she did to Will!"

"Excuse me, but what did she do to Will?"

"My son," Marletta said, her voice shaking, "has not been the same since he returned from that retreat. His head is all messed up because of this girl, and I blame you! I thought these types of relationships between the kids weren't allowed!"

"We can forbid certain types of behavior, but we certainly can't stop young people from being interested in one another."

"I don't approve of her for my son!"

"Then that's a discussion you should be having with Will, and not with me."

"He won't listen to me! He was happy before, and he talked to me, and now he won't! He's changed, I tell you!"

"Mrs. Darcy," Dr. Maxwell said slowly, "Will and I had a conversation after the fight, in which we talked about the fact that he wasn't innocent in the situation. He did a lot of flirting with both girls, which led to some expectations and hurt feelings that led to the fight. What you may be seeing is him starting to face his responsibility in the matter. Which is a good thing. It's painful, but it means he's growing up."

Marletta felt like Dr. Maxwell was deliberately thwarting her at every turn, so she pulled out all the stops. "Look, my son has a bright future. I do NOT want Liz getting pregnant and holding him back!"

"Um, Mrs. Darcy…" Dr. Maxwell seemed to be momentarily at a loss for words. "That is a valid concern. It's always a concern when you're discussing young people and dating, and that's why you need to talk to them about being responsible and making good choices. But that would be true no matter who the girl is. It's a very different issue from whether or not Will should be seeing Liz at all. And again, it's a conversation you should be having with Will, and not with me."

Now Marletta didn't know what to say. This woman seemed to be taking her fears so lightly.

Dr. Maxwell spoke gently. "Mrs. Darcy, I know it's not always easy for parents to talk to their children about dating relationships, especially when they're the opposite gender. Will mentioned having a godfather he's close to. You might want to enlist his support."

Marcus! Why hadn't she thought of that? That was Marletta's second phone call.

She told Marcus what happened, and when she described Will's behavior with Liz at the picnic, she was stunned when he said, "Good for him!"

"What do you mean, 'good for him'?"

"Will talked to me about this girl a few weeks ago. It seems he had said some boneheaded things to her at the retreat and it really hurt her feelings. He was trying to figure out how to make it right. I gave him some suggestions. He must have taken them, because it sounds like it's working out."

"Marcus! I do not want Will seeing this girl!"

"Why not? She must be intelligent and ambitious; otherwise, she wouldn't be in that program with him. Sounds like a good match for Will."

"For one thing, she's from Longbourn City!"

Marcus laughed. "Marletta, I hate to break this to you, but so are you. What if Billy's parents had looked at you that way?"

"That's different! Billy and I were adults! Will is just a kid! He's too young to know better!"

"He's not talking about running off and getting married, is he?"

Marletta winced at the reminder of her hasty wedding with Billy. "Of course not!"

"Then what's the problem?" Marcus asked. "What is he too young for? He's certainly not too young to have a girlfriend."

"Marcus, you don't understand," Marletta said, with some desperation in her voice. "You haven't seen how moody Will's been the past two months."

"He's in love for the first time. You remember what it was like when you were that age, and how intense everything is."

No, I don't, Marletta thought. I was never that age.

"Hey, Marletta, a piece of advice? Will is eighteen. It's time for you to let go."

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Bummer! No one wants to help Marletta on her quest to break up Will and Liz. Instead, they seem to think she's a little crazy. What do you think?