The Father's Approval

Part 3: The Approval

"You need to give Buckaroo a chance," Rosemarie stated harshly and forcefully, "You've barely said anything to him and you're treating him horribly."

"I just want a good man for my daughter," John said, "Is that so wrong?"

"Are you kidding me? He is everything we have ever wanted in a man for Peggy! Why can't you open up your eyes and see that?"

He was silent for a moment. "I don't wanna lose her like we lost her sister."

When Peggy was born, she was born a twin. Due to complications, John and Rosemarie had been told that the second baby didn't make it and had been stillborn. After the devastating news, the couple had decided to protect their surviving child any way they possibly could without seeming overbearing. They'd never told their daughter about her sister, and didn't plan to until they passed and there would be a letter for her in their will; they couldn't bare the idea of having to explain something like that to their sweet daughter, and they knew it would break her heart, and they didn't want to see her so broken. As their daughter aged, along with their vow to their daughter, they had ideas of the traits the man their daughter would eventually marry would have, at least what they wanted him to have. But now that the man had been found, John wasn't sure if he was ready to let his daughter go.

"We're not going to lose Peggy," Rosemarie said, "And if they ever get married, which I can see happening in the future, we'd be gaining a wonderful son in law, not losing a daughter. Did you see how they would look at each other during dinner? That's how you look at me, John. Just think about that, and remember, they leave tomorrow morning after breakfast… and one more thing: try to remember how it felt when you were trying to gain my father's approval when we were dating. Maybe then you could understand what those two are trying to do." She kissed her husband's cheek, then made her way up the staircase to their bedroom.

While the elder married couple talked, the younger couple did the same in Peggy's bedroom. Since there was no real guest bedroom, and the two could both fit in her old bed, they'd established they could share the bed. They'd done the same thing in hotels whenever visiting America during their breaks from Merton College, so it wasn't a big deal to them to share a bed. Mrs. Simpson had no trouble with the idea, but made sure to tell them her one and only rule, which was: "No funny business." Her rule made the two young people share an embarrassed look: her daughter's cheeks turning pink, and her boyfriend's ears to turn red as he rubbed the back of his neck out of his embarrassment. Their reactions made the woman laugh a bit, saying, "I know what it's like to be young and in love, so don't deny it and I won't tell anyone. Deal?"

"You're not upset about today turned out, are you?" Buckaroo asked his girlfriend hopefully.

Peggy shrugged a bit and sat down on her window seat. "I feel like I should be asking you that," she sighed, "I mean, I hate the way my father's treating you, but at the same time, I love seeing you so determined to gain his approval."

He sat down next to her at the window seat; she leaned her head against his shoulder and he wrapped his arm protectively around her shoulders. "You know, if it makes you feel better, Professor Hikita still likes you from a few months ago when you first met him. And I firmly believe that my parents would love you if they were still here."

"That actually does make me feel a bit better, thank you. And to follow what my mother said at dinner…"

"Yeah?"

"Your parents would definitely be proud of you for all you've done and plan to do," Peggy said with a smile, "Just like I am." He smiled back at her, taking her words to heart. Not long after, the two decided to go to bed. While sleep didn't come too easy for either of the two, they both eventually fell asleep comfortably in each other's arms, and would stay that way until morning.

The next morning, the first to wake up in the house was Peggy. When she saw Buckaroo still asleep next to her, she couldn't help but smile; it was a rare thing to see him so peaceful and relaxed like he was when he was asleep that every time she saw him asleep, she cherished it. She tried to get out of the bed without waking him up, but frowned when she saw that he had woken him up. The two then got ready for the day, then went downstairs to the kitchen to cook breakfast for themselves and for her parents.

The elder couple both gave surprised looks when they reached the dining room and saw that the two young people had made and served breakfast for all four of them. The four all ate breakfast together, the only person silent: John Simpson. While Rosemarie, Buckaroo and Peggy all talked while they ate, he sat there eating and watching the three in silence. He didn't look mad, and he didn't look happy, but he rather looked… neutral. In all honesty, it made the three a bit nervous, but they tried to hide it and ignore it as best as they could.

Once breakfast was over, the young couple prepared to leave the house and go look at the property that they'd been told would be the perfect future site for the planned research institute. As they did this, the elder couple cleaned up after the meal in silence. The whole house had this silence, and the tension was so thick that a person would be unable to cut through it even with a chainsaw. The women in the house wished the last twenty-four hours had been more enjoyable for all four in the house and less tension filled, but sadly, this was not the case.

"It was so nice to finally meet you two," Buckaroo said in a respectful tone as they all walked to the front door.

"It was so wonderful to meet you, too, Buckaroo," Rosemarie smiled.

John grunted irritably as he mumbled, "Wonderful, my eye." While he said this, he had hidden intentions that only he knew about after thinking about what his wife had said, that would be a test; at this point, he hoped that Buckaroo would pass.

Buckaroo's face contorted into annoyance. That's it, he thought, I've had enough of this. "Ok, Mr. Simpson, before Peggy and I go, there's something I have to say to you before it drives me completely out of my mind."

"Fine, go ahead." It's working, he thought.

"Mr. Simpson, what do you have against me? Ever since I first walked through this door yesterday, I have bent over backwards trying to impress you, and it's quite clear that it's done nothing. It's obvious that you dislike me. I have tried to be respectful toward you and that didn't work. I tell you how I treat your daughter with respect and you accuse me of using her for her mind for the institute I plan on opening in the near future, which she has agreed to help with, then you threaten me without giving me a chance to say anything and irrationally. Now I know you don't like me, and I believe it's quite clear to your wife and daughter that you don't like me, and I don't know why. But I do know this: I love your daughter, and I would do anything for her. And because I love her, I am willing to go to the ends of the earth just to earn your respect and approval, and I will not stop trying until the day I do. And all of that? It wouldn't be for my sake of mind, it'd be for your daughter and her wish that you would approve of our relationship, and how she wants your approval even more so than I do."

John kept a straight face. "Are you finished?"

"Yes, sir, I am."

"Good, cause there's something I want to say to you, Banzai." Peggy and her mother exchanged nervous looks, then she did the same with her boyfriend before the three looked cautiously and worriedly at the man of the house. John cleared his throat before saying: "You got it."

The three gave confused looks at his words. "Excuse me?" Buckaroo asked in a confused tone.

"You said that you would go to the ends of the earth to try and gain my respect and approval. And after that little lecture, I say that you've earned it… any man that is willing to stand up to me for my little girl and her wish for my approval of her relationship, deserves my approval."

The three all smiled at his words, and he smiled as well. Peggy jumped to hug her father, then hugged her boyfriend, both of whom hugged her back. Rosemarie also hugged her husband before whispering, "I knew you'd come around," with a smile.

When the elder man held out his hand, Buckaroo accepted it and the two shook hands in a mutual agreement. "Thank you, sir," he said with a smile.

John smiled a bit as well. "Call me John, Buckaroo," he said with a smile, and the younger man nodded.