Chapter 9
1234 Words
Nothing had ever made me as nervous as this exact moment. Not my first day at the university, not my first day at the firm, nothing. But something did calm me down, the feeling of Marcel’s hand on mine.
”Why are you the one being nervous? Shouldn’t it be the other way around?” He said and gave me a smile, god could he be more perfect?
”I don’t know.” I said, it still felt weird that someone could read me like he could.
”Wait? Am I the first guy that you take to meet your dad?” He looked at me with a smirk, like he figured it all out.
”No, well yes. Maybe, sort of.” He gave me a questioning look, asking me to explain. ”The last guy I dated in Sweden before I moved away and all, our parents were friends so it wasn’t exactly a ’meet the parents’ thing.” I bowed my head down and he just laughed. ”Stop that!”
”What? I’m sorry, you are just so cute.” He kissed me and for a second I forgot that I was mad at him for laughing at me.
”Oh, shut up!” I hit his chest playfully before opening the door to my father’s house. ”Hey dad?” I yelled out and walked inside to find him.
”Out here!” We heard his voice from the backyard and with every step through the house the smell of BBQ filled the air more and more. I look over at Marcel, amazed at how calm he is, I take his hand in mine.
”Hi dad.” I say once the hot Californian air hit me like a wall.
”Hey.” He said looking up from behind the grill and once he saw Marcel he closed the lid and walked around it towards us.
”Dad, this is Marcel.” I introduced my boyfriend. Boyfriend.. that sounded weird, we had just talked about the fact that neither of us wanted to see other people and landed on our new status. Boyfriend and girlfriend. Not that it was foriegn to me, but I didn’t think I would be feeling this way for anyone in a long time.
”It’s good to get a face to the name.” My father said and took Marcel’s hand in his, shaking it with a firm grip making me smirk at him. It was dad being dad, protective.
”It’s good to finally meet you sir.”
”Oh please, call me Fred.”
”Okay, Fred.” I couldn’t help but smile at the two men in my life.
”So my daughter tells me that you’re with the district attorney.” He didn’t say it as a question, more that he wanted it confirmed.
”Yes, it’s a good step in the line to one day take over after Wales and maybe become a judge one day.” Marcel’s words took me a little by surprise, I knew he had bigger hopes
”Oh, a man of the law. Hopefully Kendra here won’t make that harder to achieve.”
”She is really good at her job that’s for sure. The case we’re both on right now was easy until she came into the picture and threw in some hoops for us to jump through.”
”Hey! I’m just keeping you honest and from convicting an innocent woman.”
”So you say, but the evidence..”
”Okay, I’m pretty sure this isn’t a good dinner conversation and might get someone in trouble.”
”Sorry dad, habits.” All of us laughed a little at this. Me and Marcel never really talked about the case with each other except when there was a sit down between the two sides and with the trial coming up within a week, we weren’t allowed to talk about it.
”So tell me about your family Marcel. What do your parents do?” My father asked and I just realized that I never told him that family wasn’t just a sore subject for us but for Marcel as well.
”Oh.. uhm.. actually they both died when I was nineteen so.” I knew that they had died when he was young but we never talked about how it had happened, I just assumed it had a magical reason.
”I’m so sorry, I didn’t know.” Dad said and I placed my hand on Marcel’s knee to comfort him.
”It’s okay, it made me stronger in a way.” Marcel said and in a way I understood. Losing my mother it messed me up and I’m still mad at her at times but I missing her changed me.
”May I ask what happened to them?” He was careful when he asked.
”Yeah, there was a drunk driver. He had three previous DUI but still he got to keep his license and keys. That’s why I took that road I did, I guess.” You could pretty much see the emotions in his eyes when he talked about his parents' accident. Or whenever he talked about his parents.
”Makes a lot of sense. Trying to right the wrongs in the world.” My dad nodded as he spoke.
”Yeah, everything to make the world a better place.” Marcel said back and I couldn’t help but take advantage of the situation.
”Oh how poetic.” I teased him, I just couldn’t help myself.
”Oh shut it.” He didn’t even think twice before he kissed me. It was short and sweet but still a bit weird with my dad sitting right there and yet natural. From that moment forward the night became light and easy, like it the three of us together was normal.
***Maya***
It felt weird walking up this street to Fred’s house. I still didn’t get why Kendra couldn’t take this box to her father’s house but grandma insisted so here I was. I didn’t even know what was in the box but it was heavy that’s for sure. When I was just a few houses down, I saw someone I recognized. Kendra. She was with a guy, guessing that it was Marcel. Heard about, never met. Until now that was.
”Hey Kendra.” I said from down the road.
”Oh, Maya. What are you doing here?” She asked and turned towards me, waiting for me to get to her.
”Grandma made me drop by Fred with this box, no idea what’s in but. Yeah.” I explained but I didn’t care about the box. I just wanted to officially meet the guy.
”Weird. Anyway, we were just heading out.” Kendra said and pointed to the car.
”I see that. You must be Marcel.” I said and turned to the guy who was standing a bit to the side.
”Oh, I’m sorry. Yeah this is Marcel, my boyfriend. Marcel, this is Maya. My cousin.” Kendra introduced us.
”Nice to me you Maya.” He reached out his hand for me to shake.
”You too Marcel.” When I took his hand a cold and weird feeling washed over me. I couldn’t place it but whatever it was, it wasn’t good. Put on a smile and take it! I thought to myself, not wanting my weird feeling show.
”Are we still on for tomorrow?” Kendra’s voice shook me back to reality.
”Tomorrow? Oh, yeah right. After lunch?” I could hear how spaced I must have sounded but the look Marcel was giving me and the lingering feeling from the handshake had an effect on me.
”Perfect, see you then.” She said and walked over to the car.
”It was good meeting you Maya.” Marcel said and waved when he opened the car door.
”It was nice to get a face with the name.” I faked a smile and watched as they got in the car and drove off.
Something about Marcel was off. I couldn’t place it but it was just.. not right.
- Writer
