I decline the invitation to attend the graduation ceremony at Douglass College. Walking in a cap and gown to receive the diploma isn't appealing. The registrar's office will mail the certificate to Dad's house.
Once I had written my final exam, I left the dorm, returned the car to Uncle Joe, and thanked him for loaning me the vehicle. It made travelling between Trenton and New Brunswick easier during the school year.
Uncle Joe drives me to the airport. He kisses my forehead and tells me not to be a stranger. I giggle and exit the car. Uncle Joe helps me load my luggage onto the cart to make it easier for me to maneuver through the airport terminal. I'm happy to be returning home.
As usual, Dad's happy to see me when he picks me up from the airport. I enter his embrace and let the scent of his cologne overwhelm me. After releasing me, he helps load my luggage into the trunk of his car.
"Are you ready for basic training?" Dad asks.
"Of course," I reply. "I've been ready for years."
Dad knows I'm teasing. "Santos, Sherman and Brown enlisted," Dad tells me when I buckle the seatbelt.
"Really? Dad, I don't want to be in their training group," I warn.
Chuckling, Dad replies, "That's what I told the Sergeant assigning the troops. You're in the group with the other women and the skinny men."
"Fun."
Dad and I catch up on everything since our last visit. He's glad I concentrated on my education after the fiasco with Dickie. I'm surprisingly happy my relationship with Dickie ended. It took a few weeks for me to realize my boyfriend never treated me well. His parents don't like Cindy. They think Cindy is the blond version of Joyce Barnhardt. Dickie isn't my problem.
Rick and I email whenever we get a chance. I confess it's infrequent. Both of us got too busy with school to maintain communication. "Have you met him?" Dad asks.
I roll my eyes and head to face Dad. "I literally bumped into him after catching Dickie with Cindy. He's attractive, but I don't know anything about him. Even his emails lack personal information. You know I'm too nosy to let him get away with scant details about his life."
Dad's lip twitches before he bursts out laughing. "You're one to talk, Pumpkin. I don't think you shared any details with the boys from boot camp."
"My life's an open book," I argue.
"Only in the Burg. In Georgia, you have it locked up tight," Dad laughs.
"I was having too much fun keeping Santos guessing why I was in boot camp. He only knew what I told Uncle Ted when I got called out for smirking," I shrug. "Santos didn't know I asked you to put me in boot camp the rest of the time to save myself from going crazy. I admit to being frustrated with you initially, but competing with Santos made it fun."
"What did you say? Ted never told me," Dad asks.
"Uncle Ted told us to run through the drills again. I snickered while trying my hardest to resist smarting off. He asked, 'Is something amusing, solder?' I said, 'No, Sir.' Uncle Ted demanded, 'Why are you here, soldier?' I answered, 'Mom is a bitch, and Dad dragged me here, Sir.' That snarky response earned me twenty push-ups," I explain.
Dad laughs and says he's proud of me. "And how was the quality of those push-ups?"
"Intentionally sloppy," I laugh. Dad laughs harder. "I'm surprised he didn't order me to do more than ten after that display."
"He was going easy on you," Dad explains. "Ted's impressed by your improvement. He can't wait to lead your group."
"Seriously? Why? Did he lose a bet?" I joke. Dad shakes his head. He parks in the driveway and turns off the car.
"It's to keep an eye on you."
"Dad, I can handle myself, and I'm not exploding or setting things on fire. I have a firm handle on those abilities," I whine.
Dad ends the conversation when I open my door. He slides from the car and swiftly gets to the trunk before I arrive. I keep my observations to myself. Daddy is keeping secrets. It makes me wonder about the day he described my abilities as similar to those of the unmentionables. Is Daddy an unmentionable? Is Uncle Ted one? It seems only bad things happen to me when Dad and Uncle Ted are unavailable. I tuck that information away for later.
When do I meet other unmentionables? My powers intensified when I turned nineteen. I'm nearly twenty, and they are more potent than ever. Concealing them is more manageable when my emotions aren't running hot.
I don't recall meeting anyone like me or similar in any way. Dad is evasive whenever I ask about meeting other unmentionables. He says I'll know when I meet them. I highly doubt it. Dad helps carry my luggage upstairs to my bedroom. It will take me an hour to sort and put everything away. I have to wash the clothes in the suitcase he left in the living room. Knowing Dad, he'll dump everything, except my bra bags, into the washer.
"I'm ordering pizza for dinner. Do you want the usual toppings?" Dad asks.
"Sure," I reply.
The pizza arrives when the washer stops. I quickly move everything to the dryer and place my bra bags in the washing machine to clean on a gentle cycle. I'll have to replace them eventually.
I wash my hands and meet Dad in the dining room. He insists on eating at the table to keep the living room from collecting garbage. It's his house. I must follow his rules. Dad has the table set with paper plates.
"You went all out," I tease.
"I'm too exhausted to wash dishes," Dad confesses.
"Are you training the Rangers again?" I ask. Dad nods. He grabs a few slices, dropping them on his plate while I divide the Caesar salad in half. Dad tugs his salad closer to his plate. I roll my eyes. "You ordered the salad with twice the bacon and dressing. Doesn't that defeat the purpose?"
"I'll work it off tomorrow," Dad replies. He eats half of the pizza and motions for me to take the remaining slice. I smile and accept the offer. Dad shakes his head when I eat the slice in less than a minute.
We clear the garbage and settle on the couch to watch a movie. Dad starts the video and I laugh when Ghostbusters plays. He understands it's my favourite movie to watch when I'm feeling angsty. Heck, I watch Ghostbusters for all reasons. It's the one I watch to uplift my mood, to celebrate or to fill the void.
"When do you report for training?" Dad asks. I roll my eyes before turning to look at him. He knows when I start training.
"Dad," I whine.
"I know it's in two days," he laughs. "You're reciting the lines in the movie again."
"Sorry, Daddy. I can't help it," I confess. I rest my head on Dad's shoulder and remain quiet as we watch the movie. He drops his arm around my shoulder to offer comfort. I love spending time with him.
Before I realize it, I open my eyes and glance around the room. I'm in my bed. Dad must have carried me to bed when I fell asleep during the movie. He's fit for his age.
I'm smiling when I take a shower and get dressed. Dad's cooking bacon and eggs in the kitchen, leaving me to complete my morning routine. I love that he knows what I want for breakfast.
After breakfast, Dad and I wash the linens, and I pack my duffle for the Army. I mostly grab comfortable panties, sports bras, pants and shirts. The Army will provide my fatigues and other necessary clothes for my training and deployments.
Dad hollers up the stairs after talking on the phone. "Your sister just had a baby," he announces.
"I didn't know she was pregnant," I confess while reading the email from Lester Santos. He enlisted with Bobby, Tank and his cousin. Lester wanted to visit since he was in town. I reply, inviting him and the others for dinner.
"Neither did I. Valerie and Steve wanted us to know. They name their daughter Angie Helen." I roll my eyes. Why would Valerie name her daughter after Joe Morelli's mom and our mom? Dad quickly corrects my assumption, "Angie is Lorraine's mother's name. It's actually Angelica. Valerie plans to call her Angie."
"Then why didn't you say Valerie named her daughter Angelica Helen?" I argue. Mrs. Morelli's name is Angelina. She prefers the name Angie. It makes sense since her oldest son, Anthony, married a woman named Angelina. Thinking about the Morelli's brought Joe to mind. "Hey, Dad, did Joe Morelli serve in the Navy?"
"He sure did. Joe's hotheadedness got him booted from the SEALs training program," Dad replies, shaking his head. "The special operatives programs are designed to test a person's emotional, psychological and physical strength. Failing any component means immediate discharge from the program."
Tilting my head to the left, I ask, "What made him lose his temper?" I know Joseph Morelli has a temper. He displayed a hint of that beast in the garage when I laughed at his limp dick.
"Do you remember Calvin from boot camp?" Dad asks.
"The tall boy with blond hair and grey eyes?" I ask, trying to recall the boy who joined boot camp during my summer before college.
"That's the one. Joe said something about you. Calvin jumped to your defence and told the others you kicked Joe's ass. Morelli didn't like the others, knowing a girl had dropped him to his knees." Dad laughs.
"Is that when Joe lost his temper?" I wonder. Dad's laughing too hard to answer. "Dad, what are you finding so funny?"
He takes a few deep breaths to stop himself from laughing. "Morelli keeps talking about taking your virginity when he returns to Trenton. Do you remember Vince Carrera?" Dad waits for me to nod. Vince is Lenny Stankovic's best friend. "He told Morelli that the ship had already sailed. You lost your virginity the weekend before starting college."
"Mary Lou told Lenny?" I yell. I'm not happy my friend told someone.
"Vince didn't hear it from Lenny or Mary Lou. He was Jed's friend and heard it from the man himself. Don't worry, Steph. Vince isn't a gossiper. He only mentioned it when Morelli kept going on about taking your virginity," Dad replies.
"I can't believe I'm discussing losing my virginity with Dad," I mumble.
"Stephanie, I knew when it happened. You had a different look about you the following morning. I'm glad you took precautions and got the testing done. Are you being safe?" Dad asks. I feel my face getting hot from embarrassment.
"Oh boy. Dad, I don't want to have this discussion with you. Dickie and I always used protection, and I'm on contraceptives. My last pack is on the placebo week, and I'm asking the medic in the infirmary to give me the birth control shot. It's supposed to last for three months," I explain.
"That's smart. You never know what you'll encounter. Protecting yourself from pregnancy is the first step. Knowing self-defence is the second. I've seen the video. You're capable of protecting yourself from unwanted advances."
Dad and I cook pasta with meat sauce for dinner. He chuckles when I have to stir the pasta to unstick them. "I'm not a chef, Dad. Stop laughing," I whine, making Dad laugh harder.
"Pumpkin, watch the meat sauce while I fix the pasta," Dad says, gently pushing me to stand in front of the other burner with the saucepan. He turns the knob to a lower temperature for the meat. "It was time to turn down the burner."
I don't believe him for a second. Dad manages to unstick the pasta and leans against the counter. "I'll set the table," I offer when Dad removes the spatula from my hand.
He raises a brow when I put five place settings on the table. I shrugged and continued by adding glasses and napkins. "Expecting company?" Dad teases.
"Dad, you know I invited Lester, Bobby, Tank and Lester's cousin for dinner. Lester's cousin declined because he didn't know me. Are you upset?" I chew my bottom lip.
"Not at all," Dad replies. "You warned me ahead of time. I'm surprised you maintained contact with the men."
Lester, Bobby, Tank and I had a pact to enlist in the same year. If one of us didn't enrol, neither did the rest. The men went to college to increase their chances of moving up the ranks in the Army. When I decided the military wasn't my life, I had my degree to fall back on.
The doorbell rang when Dad and I set the platters of food on the table. I wipe my hands on my pants and answer the door. Lester, Bobby and Tank are crowded on the front porch, smiling. I open the door wide and invite them inside.
"Do you report for duty tomorrow?" I ask, leading the men to the dining room after locking the door.
"Yes, ma'am," Lester cheekily replies. Bobby smacks the back of Lester's head. "Ouch. What the heck, Bobby?"
"You know she prefers to be called Steph," Bobby reminds Lester.
"Hello, sir. We weren't expecting you to be here. Steph said we were having dinner with her father," Lester says. I bite back a laugh. Dad chuckles.
"I used Plummeri for boot camp because my dad is General Frank Plum," I explain.
"What name did you use to enlist?" Tank asks.
"Plummeri," I reply. "It's to protect me from Dad's enemies."
"And to keep people from finding you," Dad adds.
"That too," I say, pointing my fork at him. I use the fork to grab a piece of garlic bread. Dad shakes his head and mumbles something about being uncivilized. "So, why didn't your cousin come?"
"Rick never met you before, and he felt uncomfortable joining us for dinner," Lester explains. The name made my spidey senses tingle. Dad doesn't miss my reaction. He smiles and asks the boys about their families. Meanwhile, I file Dad's awareness into my mental folder to describe his unmentionable abilities. Dad can't hide it from me forever. I know I'm right.
The men help me with clearing the table and washing dishes. After I fill the sink, Tank lifts and moves me to the side. "You talk, we clean," Tank orders. I giggle and finally share the story of my past leading to boot camp.
Lester confesses, "Wow. I never expected any of that. Wait. Are you that Stephanie?" His eyes grow wide in wonder.
"What Stephanie?" I demand.
"The one Rick bumped into at the frat house," Lester replies. "Rick sent food to her. The student monitoring the front desk at the Douglass campus residence said the curly brunette's name was Stephanie."
"McDonald's takeout?" I ask.
"Yes. Two cheeseburgers, extra large fries, cola and two apple pies," Lester replies.
Oh boy.
I listen to Tank's deep voice. It's mesmerizing, and Lester catches me dreamily listening to Tank's story."What?" I hiss.
Bumping my shoulder, Lester whispers, "You seem enthralled with the big guy."
"I can't help it. His voice is sexy," I quietly reply. Lester waggles his eyebrows. Uh oh. That's Lester's telltale sign that he's about to say something ridiculous.
Lester gazes and flutters his eyes at Tank. He says in his best falsetto voice, "I could talk to you for hours and not get tired of your voice or your laugh. I could never get tired of seeing you smile. I really could never get tired of you at all."
"Santos, stop being an ass," Tank bellows. Everyone laughs at Tank's reaction. I could almost see a slight pink tint on his cheeks.
"Lester, that has to be the cheesiest line of all. Where the heck did you read that?" I laugh.
"I saw it on one of those romantic inspiration calendars at Abuela's hair salon. It was my turn to accompany Abuela to her appointment," Lester replies.
"Someone needs to burn that calendar," Tank snaps.
"I'm sorry for upsetting you, Tank. Besides, Bobby is more my type." We laugh until I cry. I know Lester and Bobby prefer women.
A/N: The part in bold is from a romantic meme another author posted in one of the JE FF pages on Facebook.