Three months later…
June, 2012
Beca didn't know what she was supposed to do during summer break. Jesse and her friends were leaving to visit their families, while she was torn between staying at Barden, mixing music and eating junk food (as in her teenage years in Portland), or accepting her dad's invitation of going to Boston with he and Sheila for two weeks. She ended up picking the second option, mostly because her dad had been very insisting and she wasn't in the mood to fight with him, specially since they had been trying to rebuild their broken relationship for the past three months.
Beca had no problem with spending time with her dad, but she had always found her stepmother a little hard to swallow. She reluctantly tolerated her because she was her dad's wife, but in her opinion, Sheila was superficial and vain, and not the friendliest person in the world. Again, Beca knew she wasn't very sympathetic herself, but she couldn't help but distrust her stepmother. She tried to convince herself it was because they hadn't spent enough time together, but she thought it would be better to keep her distance from her.
Before leaving for Boston, she called Jesse in Minnesota.
"Hey, Becs! What's up?"
"Hey, just wanted to let you know I'm leaving tomorrow morning."
"Great. How are you feeling?"
"I don't know. A part of me is excited to spend time with my dad, but the other part is kind of scared of the whole thing being a total failure."
"Beca, don't be scared; it's gonna be awesome!"
"Hmm, I wish I had your confidence."
"Look, if things get too ugly or uncomfortable, you can talk about me."
"I won't discuss our relationship with the stepmonster, thank you very much."
"You guys need to bond, what better way to do it than talk-trashing about the son-in-law?"
"If I wanted to trash-talk about you, I would do it with Chloe or Fat Amy, not with Sheila and my dad. Besides," she added, "I haven't told him about us, yet."
"Why not?"
"I don't really know how to. I'm new in this whole 'Father-daughter' stuff."
"Well, I'm sure you'll find a way."
"I hope so."
Daydreamer
Sitting on the sea
Soaking up the sun
He is a real lover
And making up the past
Feeling up his girl
Like he's never felt a figure before
A jaw dropper
Looks good when he walks
Is the subject of their talk
He would be hard to chase
But good to catch
And he could change the world
With his hands behind his back
You can find him sittin' on your doorstep
Waiting for a surprise
And he will feel like he's been there for hours
And you can tell that he'll be there for life
Daydreamer
With eyes that make you melt
He lends his coat for shelter
Plus he's there for you
When he shouldn't be
But he stays all the same
Waits for you
Then sees you through
There's no way I
Could describe him
What I'll say is
Just what I'm hoping for…
"So, Beca…" Sheila said, not completely sure of how she should start the conversation, "how was your first year at Barden?"
The three of them were having breakfast at the hotel's restaurant. Beca had ordered blueberry pancakes and black coffee, while her stepmom and her dad were enjoying their ham and cheese omelettes.
"Good, I guess."
"Did you have a good time?"
"I can't complain," she said, and shrugged. Sheila moved in her seat, uncomfortable, and Dr. Mitchell gave Beca a severe look. "Although," she quickly added, "I gotta admit it was better than I expected."
"Did you make a lot of friends?" Her dad asked her.
"Just the ones I needed."
"Do you think you can tell us about them?"
Beca looked at her dad, and then at Sheila.
This is a good opportunity, she said to herself.
"Well, there's Fat Amy, a really funny Australian who is kind of eccentric; Chloe, the sweetest and most loyal girl I've ever met; Aubrey, a very tenacious control freak with a heart of gold; Cynthia-Rose, who has an amazing voice and is extremely talented; Stacie, there's more to her than it meets the eye…"
They talked about Beca's friends for almost an hour, in which she shared stories from rehearsals and competitions. She told them how she had befriended each of them, and she even talked about her awkward encounter with Chloe in the shower.
"What about your love life?" Sheila asked. Her question took Beca completely by surprise.
"My… love life?"
"Have you felt attracted to some guy in these months?"
Oh, dear.
"I don't know if we should talk about this right now."
"Come on, don't be shy! Your Father won't mind, right?"
Dr. Mitchell looked as if he had thought about asking the same question himself but had been too afraid to do so.
"No, I won't," he reassured her.
Beca remembered the words Jesse had told her the previous day. 'You guys need to bond, what better way to do it than talk-trashing about the son-in-law?'
"As a matter of fact, I have something to tell you, guys," she noticed the worried look on their faces. "Relax, I'm not pregnant or anything. Although, if I ever am, you'll be the first to know," she said, with her usual sarcasm. Her dad didn't find the joke funny, though. "Okay, bad joke, I get it," she took a deep breath. "I have a boyfriend."
Sheila and her dad looked at her with their eyes wide open. Clearly, the news had caught them off-guard.
"I'm sorry, a what?" Her dad asked, completely shocked.
"A boyfriend. You know, a romantic partner, a life companion, a beau—"
"Who is he? Where did you meet him?"
"His name's Jesse, I met him at the radio station. He's a freshman, too."
"How long have you been together?"
"Almost three months."
"How old is he? Where does he come from? WHAT DOES HE DO FOR A LIVING?"
"John, calm down," Sheila said, and patted him on the back.
"Why didn't you tell me before?"
"Because I was afraid of how you would react," Beca said, a little exasperated.
"You? A boyfriend?"
"Why is it so difficult to believe?" She said, slightly offended.
"Because you have never been the boyfriend kind of girl," her dad shook his head, still in shock. Sheila sighed, and shook her head as well.
"Ignore him. It will take him a while to fully process the news."
"I can see."
"Now, let's talk about this Jesse," Sheila encouraged her. "I wanna know everything about him."
Beca looked at her, with skepticism.
"You do?"
"Of course! Tell me, what is he like?"
Sheila's interest in Jesse seemed genuine, and her attitude made Beca feel comfortable enough to share some of her most personal thoughts with her.
"Well," she said, as she visualized Jesse's face, "he is not particularly handsome, but for me, he is a jaw dropper, with eyes that make you melt. Nice smile, looks good when he walks. Sometimes he behaves like an idiot, but it's because he's not afraid of being himself. He also has the attitude of someone who could change the world in a heartbeat. He is a daydreamer, you know? A true gentleman, polite and generous. He is the kind of guy who lends you his coat when it's cold outside. He sits on your doorstep and waits for you to get ready for your date. He's there for you even when he shouldn't be, and if you push him away he'll stay anyway. He is not easy to chase, but once you catch him, you can tell he'll be there for you for life."
"Wow. He seems to be quite a catch!"
"I can't complain," Beca said, with a smile.
She didn't mention what an excellent lover he was, though.
"Hold on," her dad said, now fully recovered from the news. "Is he, by any chance, the boy you kissed at Lincoln Center?"
"You saw that?"
"Everyone did," Beca blushed. "I thought he was your friend and you kissed him to celebrate your win, that's all."
"I don't know how you celebrate with your friends, dad, but I would never kiss a friend of mine like that."
"I have to be honest with you, I was not expecting this kind of news."
Her dad seemed more relaxed than he was before.
"Okay, let me just ask you something: are you happy?"
"I am, I really am. In fact, I don't think I've ever been this happy."
"Well, in that case, congratulations. That's what I meant when I said I wanted you to make memories in Barden. I'm so proud of you," he said, and caressed Beca's hand.
"Thanks, dad."
"I can't wait to meet him. When will you introduce us?"
"Whoa!" Beca exclaimed, alarmed. "Isn't it a little bit early for that? We've been dating for three months."
"So? What's wrong with a Father wanting to meet his daughter's boyfriend? It's the most natural thing in the world."
"I'll think about it," she simply said. "I'm not promising anything, okay?"
"Okay."
It turns out, going on a vacation with Sheila and her dad hadn't been so bad after all.