Chapter 13: Dad's Advice
Meg sat straight up in her bed her eyes wide but seeing nothing but pitch blackness. Breathing heavily she wiped the accumulating beads of sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand. She slowly eased herself back down laying her head on her soft pillow and burying her body back under the safety of her covers. By now her eyes were adjusting to the darkness and she could make out a few objects in her room. A sudden obnoxiously startling noise came from the floor causing Meg to jump. Rolling to the edge of the bed she saw a lump on the floor which again made the noise. Meg half-smiled still too shocked to smile all the way.
"Rox," whispered Meg as she leaned down to shake the mass on the floor. "Rox!"
"Wha...What?" Roxanne rolled over rubbing her eyes sleepily.
"You're snoring again." Now Meg smiled larger all fear gone.
"You woke me up to tell me that?" huffed Roxanne rolling back over and punching her pillow to shape it better for her head.
"I had that dream again...with Jimmy," Meg said enticing Roxanne to stay awake.
"So...go back to sleep!" Roxanne obviously irritated stayed in her spot not seeming one bit interested in Meg's repeating dream.
Meg ignoring her drowsy friend went on, "Except this time he didn't kiss my head. He...he kissed me on the lips. It was unlike any other kiss I've ever had. It was like he didn't want to let me go, like he wanted to stay with me like that forever. He turned to leave and I flung my arms around him tightly begging him not to go. Why would I do that?"
Meg was answered by a thunderously extensive snore. Ignoring it she went on. "Then he cupped my face in his hands and said, 'Promise to write? I'll be back before you know it.' Leaning down he kissed me one more time. I can still feel the feeling I had in my stomach when he kissed me that second time – sadness but excitement at the same time. I realized I was crying when he wiped away the tears from my cheeks with his thumbs. Then he smiled that incredible smile that always makes me melt, turned and disappeared. I'm left standing alone with nothing but the breeze blowing through my hair."
Another snore from the sleeping heap on the floor that was Roxanne tore Meg away from her dream again. Rolling onto her back and letting out a heavy sigh, Meg spoke out into the darkness, "What does it mean?"
Having all morning to think about her dream Meg realized what needed to be done.
"Are you sure you don't want me to go with you? I can be more persuasive than you..."
"No thanks, Rox. I got to do this on my own," Meg assured her friend.
While they dressed for the day Roxanne asked about what Meg had wanted during the night. Meg explained everything to her friend who had fallen asleep during the entire first description. Meg had made her mind up and decided to give her ultimatum. Now standing outside of the Vinyl Crocodile, a wave of fear swept over her.
Why am I doing this again? a weak Meg thought. No, she encouraged herself, don't chicken out. You have to do this. Sticking her chin in the air and a look of confidence spread across her face, Meg opened the door and walked in.
"Meg, sit up straight while you're at the table," said a stern Jack Pryor.
"Sorry, Dad, I didn't realize." Meg sat up straight picking up her fork and playing at the peas and carrots on her plate.
Surprised and taken back by his daughter's lack of protest, Jack gazed with concern towards Meg then turned to face his wife Helen across the table. She widened her eyes and scrunched up her lips answering that she didn't know what was going on. Before either of them could speak, Meg asked to be excused from the table.
Dumbfounded Jack replied, "You're excused."
"Thank you," answered a monotone Meg, no expression on her face. With that she stood and climbed the stairs to her room.
"You don't know of anything, Helen?" asked a disturbed Jack.
Shaking her head no, Helen replied to her husband, "I'll talk to her," picking up her plate to clear the table.
Rising from his own seat, Jack answered, "No, I'll do it."
A bit of a baffled look on her face, Helen went on clearing the table and instructed Patty and Will to do the same.
"Why do I have to clear the table? Meg doesn't have to," Patty crossing her arms across her chest complained disappointingly.
"Meg is talking with your father. Now I don't want to hear anymore out of you. Help your brother bring the rest of the dishes to the kitchen." With that Helen turned into the next room with her hands full of a stack of dishes.
After changing out of his work suit and tie and into his NAVY sweatshirt and a pair of jeans, Jack lightly knocked on his eldest daughter's bedroom door.
"Come in."
Jack gently opened the door popping his head inside the crack. "Get your clothes changed and meet me in the garage," he directed Meg boomingly. Watching his daughter obediently walk to her dresser and pull out a pair of old jeans, Jack closed the door quizzically. Scratching his head he made his way down the stairs. On his way down, Helen was making her way up.
"I thought you were going to talk to her."
"I am. She's coming to the garage."
"What do you want to talk about?"
Both turned their gaze from each other to the top of the stairs where Meg stood.
"Come to the garage, we'll discuss it there," Jack told her. Meg followed her father down the stairs, out of the house, and into the garage.
Tools, metal and wood scraps, and oil caked rags lay littered everywhere. Jack began sorting through the scraps separating them into two different piles. Never looking up from his work, Jack ordered Meg to gather up the rags. "Here, you can put them in this bucket," Jack said handing her a rusty pail. With no protest, Meg did as she was told. Extremely confused by Meg's melancholy attitude, he could hold it in no longer. "What's going on Meg?"
Meg immediately stopped her busy work. She slowly raised her head and turned to face her father. For some reason she couldn't explain, she spilled her guts. Everything that had happened with her the last few days, including the events of the day – the dream of Jimmy early in the morning and when she went to see Luke, all ran out of her.
"I broke up with Luke for good," Meg ended.
"Is that good or bad?" Jack asked trying to figure out Meg's feelings on it all.
"Well I can't be with someone who tries to control who my friends are...right?"
Jack nodded his head going back to his sorting.
"Is that all you have to say?" Meg demanded of her father with her hands on her hips and face contorted angrily as she looked at his back.
Jack smiled to himself. Well she's back, he thought. He turned to face his daughter seeing the look on her face and the way she stood. Yup, she's back. "You want to know my opinion?"
Meg moved her hands from her hips and crossed her arms shifting her weight from her right leg to the left. Uh-oh, here it comes, she thought.
"That Luke guy showed how immature he is, telling you what to do when he doesn't even have a right to. That's up to your mother and me right now." Before Meg could talk back on that comment he hurriedly went on. "As for this Jimmy fellow, I know what he's feeling. I know what it's like being away from home, fighting a war, and spending all your time with young men. You get lonesome for female company. Sometimes a letter from home helps. Especially if that letter happens to be from a girl you care about." Jack studied his daughter's reaction as she bowed her head in thought.
"Write him Meg," Jack said turning back around to continue his scrap sorting.
At this Meg's head popped up and she was snapped from her train of thought. "Write him?" she asked not believing her ears.
"I'm not saying that you two become more than friends or anything like that. I'm just saying," he half-way turned to see Meg out of the corner of his eye, "to write him. It may help him keep going."
Meg could hardly believe what she did next. She ran to her dad's side, hugged him, reached up to kiss his cheek, and then ran off to her room, possibly to find some paper and a pencil.
Meg sat straight up in her bed her eyes wide but seeing nothing but pitch blackness. Breathing heavily she wiped the accumulating beads of sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand. She slowly eased herself back down laying her head on her soft pillow and burying her body back under the safety of her covers. By now her eyes were adjusting to the darkness and she could make out a few objects in her room. A sudden obnoxiously startling noise came from the floor causing Meg to jump. Rolling to the edge of the bed she saw a lump on the floor which again made the noise. Meg half-smiled still too shocked to smile all the way.
"Rox," whispered Meg as she leaned down to shake the mass on the floor. "Rox!"
"Wha...What?" Roxanne rolled over rubbing her eyes sleepily.
"You're snoring again." Now Meg smiled larger all fear gone.
"You woke me up to tell me that?" huffed Roxanne rolling back over and punching her pillow to shape it better for her head.
"I had that dream again...with Jimmy," Meg said enticing Roxanne to stay awake.
"So...go back to sleep!" Roxanne obviously irritated stayed in her spot not seeming one bit interested in Meg's repeating dream.
Meg ignoring her drowsy friend went on, "Except this time he didn't kiss my head. He...he kissed me on the lips. It was unlike any other kiss I've ever had. It was like he didn't want to let me go, like he wanted to stay with me like that forever. He turned to leave and I flung my arms around him tightly begging him not to go. Why would I do that?"
Meg was answered by a thunderously extensive snore. Ignoring it she went on. "Then he cupped my face in his hands and said, 'Promise to write? I'll be back before you know it.' Leaning down he kissed me one more time. I can still feel the feeling I had in my stomach when he kissed me that second time – sadness but excitement at the same time. I realized I was crying when he wiped away the tears from my cheeks with his thumbs. Then he smiled that incredible smile that always makes me melt, turned and disappeared. I'm left standing alone with nothing but the breeze blowing through my hair."
Another snore from the sleeping heap on the floor that was Roxanne tore Meg away from her dream again. Rolling onto her back and letting out a heavy sigh, Meg spoke out into the darkness, "What does it mean?"
Having all morning to think about her dream Meg realized what needed to be done.
"Are you sure you don't want me to go with you? I can be more persuasive than you..."
"No thanks, Rox. I got to do this on my own," Meg assured her friend.
While they dressed for the day Roxanne asked about what Meg had wanted during the night. Meg explained everything to her friend who had fallen asleep during the entire first description. Meg had made her mind up and decided to give her ultimatum. Now standing outside of the Vinyl Crocodile, a wave of fear swept over her.
Why am I doing this again? a weak Meg thought. No, she encouraged herself, don't chicken out. You have to do this. Sticking her chin in the air and a look of confidence spread across her face, Meg opened the door and walked in.
"Meg, sit up straight while you're at the table," said a stern Jack Pryor.
"Sorry, Dad, I didn't realize." Meg sat up straight picking up her fork and playing at the peas and carrots on her plate.
Surprised and taken back by his daughter's lack of protest, Jack gazed with concern towards Meg then turned to face his wife Helen across the table. She widened her eyes and scrunched up her lips answering that she didn't know what was going on. Before either of them could speak, Meg asked to be excused from the table.
Dumbfounded Jack replied, "You're excused."
"Thank you," answered a monotone Meg, no expression on her face. With that she stood and climbed the stairs to her room.
"You don't know of anything, Helen?" asked a disturbed Jack.
Shaking her head no, Helen replied to her husband, "I'll talk to her," picking up her plate to clear the table.
Rising from his own seat, Jack answered, "No, I'll do it."
A bit of a baffled look on her face, Helen went on clearing the table and instructed Patty and Will to do the same.
"Why do I have to clear the table? Meg doesn't have to," Patty crossing her arms across her chest complained disappointingly.
"Meg is talking with your father. Now I don't want to hear anymore out of you. Help your brother bring the rest of the dishes to the kitchen." With that Helen turned into the next room with her hands full of a stack of dishes.
After changing out of his work suit and tie and into his NAVY sweatshirt and a pair of jeans, Jack lightly knocked on his eldest daughter's bedroom door.
"Come in."
Jack gently opened the door popping his head inside the crack. "Get your clothes changed and meet me in the garage," he directed Meg boomingly. Watching his daughter obediently walk to her dresser and pull out a pair of old jeans, Jack closed the door quizzically. Scratching his head he made his way down the stairs. On his way down, Helen was making her way up.
"I thought you were going to talk to her."
"I am. She's coming to the garage."
"What do you want to talk about?"
Both turned their gaze from each other to the top of the stairs where Meg stood.
"Come to the garage, we'll discuss it there," Jack told her. Meg followed her father down the stairs, out of the house, and into the garage.
Tools, metal and wood scraps, and oil caked rags lay littered everywhere. Jack began sorting through the scraps separating them into two different piles. Never looking up from his work, Jack ordered Meg to gather up the rags. "Here, you can put them in this bucket," Jack said handing her a rusty pail. With no protest, Meg did as she was told. Extremely confused by Meg's melancholy attitude, he could hold it in no longer. "What's going on Meg?"
Meg immediately stopped her busy work. She slowly raised her head and turned to face her father. For some reason she couldn't explain, she spilled her guts. Everything that had happened with her the last few days, including the events of the day – the dream of Jimmy early in the morning and when she went to see Luke, all ran out of her.
"I broke up with Luke for good," Meg ended.
"Is that good or bad?" Jack asked trying to figure out Meg's feelings on it all.
"Well I can't be with someone who tries to control who my friends are...right?"
Jack nodded his head going back to his sorting.
"Is that all you have to say?" Meg demanded of her father with her hands on her hips and face contorted angrily as she looked at his back.
Jack smiled to himself. Well she's back, he thought. He turned to face his daughter seeing the look on her face and the way she stood. Yup, she's back. "You want to know my opinion?"
Meg moved her hands from her hips and crossed her arms shifting her weight from her right leg to the left. Uh-oh, here it comes, she thought.
"That Luke guy showed how immature he is, telling you what to do when he doesn't even have a right to. That's up to your mother and me right now." Before Meg could talk back on that comment he hurriedly went on. "As for this Jimmy fellow, I know what he's feeling. I know what it's like being away from home, fighting a war, and spending all your time with young men. You get lonesome for female company. Sometimes a letter from home helps. Especially if that letter happens to be from a girl you care about." Jack studied his daughter's reaction as she bowed her head in thought.
"Write him Meg," Jack said turning back around to continue his scrap sorting.
At this Meg's head popped up and she was snapped from her train of thought. "Write him?" she asked not believing her ears.
"I'm not saying that you two become more than friends or anything like that. I'm just saying," he half-way turned to see Meg out of the corner of his eye, "to write him. It may help him keep going."
Meg could hardly believe what she did next. She ran to her dad's side, hugged him, reached up to kiss his cheek, and then ran off to her room, possibly to find some paper and a pencil.