The evening of my father's charity event

Johnny's father called him this morning to tell him that his mother finally has left town. He has stayed with me at my parents' house the whole week because his father found it too risky for him to go to the company. Penny kept us updated every day. He started to teach me some basic steps already. I had lessons in the living room when no one was at home, otherwise outside in the garden when mom or Lisa were at home, but never when dad was at home.

Dad has been avoiding me the whole week, it is actually frustrating and upsetting. Especially because I need to ask him a few things for the event, which I have been organizing as well. Today is the day, this event is quite important to dad, I know that, and I want to make sure everything is perfect and stays perfect. I also hope that Johnny will behave himself and be a perfect gentleman and that he listens to my teaching about networking. I know he has a tendency to stop listening, he is very hotheaded indeed, like he said himself, and often that is frustrating me a lot.

"Baby?"

I look up from my list and see Johnny standing there with his hands in his pockets.

"Is everything all right?"
"Yes, don't worry."
"What's on your mind?"
"I was thinking, is it possible for me and Pen to do a demonstration dance at the event, to raise money for the charity?"
"Have you asked Penny?"
"She came with the idea, and I think it might be a great opportunity also to promote the company, but I won't do anything without your permission, I know how uptight you get when it comes to these things."

Two weeks I work as his assistant now, of which the last week it feels more like a relationship than it is work really, but I know it is because he has been here the whole week and we have not been at the company, so we had to do less than usual. Besides that, we are constantly in each other's company. On one side I am glad he can go back to his own place and that we can start working at the company again, but on the other side, I am now so used to be with him all the time, that I am sure I will miss him when he is not here with me anymore.

I do not know what he thinks or feels, but I wish this will never stop. What surprises me most is that he never felt like going out and hooking up with someone, that actually made me think that his father has been overexaggerating things. But what about Penny? She also said that he was being a womanizer a lot lately. But yet, in what terms does she thinks that makes him a womanizer?

I need to stop thinking about these things and start making sure everything will be perfect. I take my schedule for this evening, I have a children's choir that comes to sing, I got a few artists that are coming to sing, these are Beyonce and N'Sync. I know they will always sing their newest singles. I know they are the biggest fundraisers on the event. It is not the first time I have them coming to sing at one of my father's events. I became acquaintant with them and they sometimes invite me to their release parties.

"Hmm."

He sits down next to me and looks at the schedule I am holding.

"Well, I can either put you between Beyonce and N'Sync, or I can put you at the end."

I point at the schedule. I look at him and see him thinking. I take my phone and write a text to Penny. I can see he has a hard time to decide.

'Put us in between, that way people will remember us best, I'm so happy I will see you both again!'

I smile as I read her answer. I show him the message and he smiles.

"I leave it up to you ladies."
"Consider yourself to be the surprise act."

He chuckles about that. My father came to the living room at that moment. He is looking at us and inhales deeply.

"Baby?"

We look up at him and Johnny stands up.

"I'm going to my room to pack my stuff. I see you in a bit."

I only nod and he walks away. I keep looking at dad and see him hesitating a little.

"Can we talk?"
"Of course, I'm wanting to talk to you too."

He sits down next to me and keeps looking at my face. I look at the schedule in my hands for a second. I lay it down on the table and turn to him as I look back at him.

"I'm sorry for avoiding you the whole week."
"Dad, I know you hate me."
"No, Baby, I can never hate you, no matter what you do or say."

I inhale deeply and look down. He sure does sound disappointed there.

"I've been thinking a lot about the last three years. We got disconnected from each other, I don't know what happened. I just know that the only times we connected was when you were organizing my events."

I look back up at him. I see a little smile forming on his face.

"I'm sorry if I ever disappointed you."
"You have, but it's me to blame for that."
"I never wanted to disappoint you. I just wanted you to accept me for who I am now, and for what I want in my life."

I see him thinking, I know he has been observing Johnny and me a lot. I was not blind, he might have been avoiding me, but I have seen him looking at us a lot of times when he was at home.

"And I can see that now."
"Really?"
"Yes, I was so afraid of my little girl growing up, so afraid of losing her when she would grow up, that I kept on seeing you as the little girl you were ten years ago. I couldn't let that go, it was terrifying, it still is terrifying."
"Dad, I love you."

He starts to cry. I quickly move and grab him into a hug. He hugs me back and closes his eyes.

"I love you too, pumpkin."
"I will never leave your life, in fact, I will always be your little girl, I just happen to grow up and want to control my own life."
"I've come to accept that now."
"Can you forgive me for not telling you about Justin?"

Johnny stands in the hallway, near the door, he is listening to us unseen. When he hears the name Justin he starts to frown. I never told him about my ex. I do not even find it important to talk about that as well.

"I thought he was a decent boy, Baby, but to take your innocence away, I don't know if I can forgive him."

I giggle a little about that, he watches my face.

"If any, dad, I initiated the sex."
"Why?"
"Because I was curious, I guess it's normal when you're fifteen."
"Was he respectable to you?"
"Yes, he was very sweet, the relationship didn't last because eventually it became his obsession."
"What do you mean?"
"He was a little over the top about our relationship. I think he thought himself in love with me, but I'm sure it was more because of what I have than about who I am. After we had sex the first time, he became a little obsessed about that. It was his first time too. I guess I've triggered something inside of him, I don't know. Anyway, those are the reasons why I broke up with him, it became too much."

I see him thinking and his expression changes a few times while he listens to me. At least he is listening to me now.

"Dad, I know you had ideals for my life, your own expectations for me, and I'm so sorry that I've disappointed you, but I hope that you can see that I want to make something of my life in this big world. I really want to make you proud. I'm just not that little girl anymore."
"I know, and I can see, you're so much like your mother and your grandmother, it's scary sometimes."

I giggle about that, and we hug again. Johnny starts to smile about that. He became really fond of my parents and my grandparents. We have been visiting my grandparents two more times after Monday. I let dad go and give him a kiss on his cheek.

"I'm sorry if I said anything wrong about Johnny."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I've been mistrusting him a lot before I actually got to know him."

I watch his face and see him starting to smile.

"He's a good kid, he has a good heart and I think, even if this is hard to admit, he's good to you, he treats you with respect and he listens to you."
"Thanks, dad, I'm happy to see you're starting to expect that I'm having a job and having a nice boss."

Johnny snorts softly and decides to step back inside the living room. He does feel surprisingly happy to know that dad seems to like him. I am surprised as well about that, but it is good to see dad trying to accept all of this. It is what I wanted from the beginning.

"I'm not disturbing you, am I?"

We look up at him and I smile. Dad sees my expression and starts to smile as well.

"No, it's okay, are you ready for this evening?"

Dad looks at Johnny who smiles at dad.

"I try to be, not sure what I can expect from it."
"Stay with my daughter and it will be fine."
"Oh, dad, Penny is coming too."

I see dad frowning a little at that, then he starts to smile and nods.

"Put an extra chair at your table for her, okay?"
"I will, I'll put her name on the list. Johnny and Penny will give a dance demonstration between the two singing acts."
"That's nice."
"Yes, I think so too, it will be good for the charity and for the company."
"I'm sure about that."

I watch him standing up as he smiles.

"If you don't mind, Baby, I'll be joining your mother in the garden."
"Okay, dad, don't forget the time."
"Don't worry, pumpkin, call me if you need anything."

I smile as I watch him walking away. Johnny came to sit next to me again. I take the papers and my pen. I write Penny's name on the guest list that I need to give to the guard at the door. I hope we will raise a lot of money for the charity today. Johnny is looking at me with a smile.

"You're amazing, Baby."

I look at him and see his smile. I can see a little change and start to wonder.

"I'm not."
"You are."
"I'm not."
"Yes, you are."

I start to giggle, and he chuckles about it. I watch his face and see that smile. I wonder what his age is. I know, weird that I have never asked him this before. I guess I was too busy to think about these things. Not that I care about his age anyway, but now I became curious.

"How old are you?"
"I'll be twenty-five next month."
"Hmm."
"What? You thought I was older?"
"No, younger."

I see his eyebrows going up, making me giggle about his expression.

"Stop teasing me, Baby."

I start to laugh about that, and he chuckles about my face. Of course I thought he was older than that, he sure acts older. But you know, dear reader, I do not really care, I find his maturity very attractive. Hmm, maybe I do fall for older guys. I always thought to fall for boys my own age, maybe a bit younger or older, my ex is only a year older. Johnny is seven years older, almost eight years, and I find it very attractive and sexy. I am weird, I know, do not tell me about it.

"You'll be having your birthday when we're at Kellerman's?"
"Yes, the eighteenth to be exact."
"Really?"

He watches me and then rolls his eyes.

"I know you're up to something, I can see it on your face."
"No, I'm totally innocent."
"I don't like surprises, Baby."
"Hmmm, okay."

I see him inhaling deeply as I smile at him.