Bob stared at the porch, not quite comprehending what he was seeing. His daughter, his ONLY daughter, Danielle in a little tank top and short shorts with her arm around a black man.
Marion put her hand to cover her mouth and Bobbie couldn't tell if she was in horror or smiling beneath. She tried to gauge her sister's reaction, but then heard Bob curse under his breath and instantly KNEW his.
"Mother fucker...you've got to be kidding me...that's Scott??"
Danielle tilted her head in the cute way she did when she wanted something -- it always melted her father's heart.
"Hi Daddy...." She said in a singsong way to get his attention...
"Hi Mom.... guys, I'd like you to meet Scott." she addressed them both.
For his part, Scott said nothing -- both he and Danni had been gearing up for this moment and dreaded it. He had a slight smile on his face but knew better than to say too much until they understood the emotion. Scott's spidey senses were tingling -- he could feel the heat and the tension even from across fifty yards away.
Danni decided to force the issue and grabbed Scott by the hand and pulled him across the dirt path toward her parents. As she closed the distance between Scott and her and her parents, Scott saw Bob tense up, his face red and his chest puffed up. His eyes were wide, and he seemed unable to speak.
Marion for her part hugged her daughter and extended her hand to shake Scott's.
As they touched, Scott's empath skills went active...he sensed a woman who was caring, giving, weary, loving and then something else that he didn't recognize immediately -- could it be lust? He tried to get his brain to understand the last emotion he picked up from Marion and then it hit him -- her daughter was in love with a black man, perhaps the apple didn't fall far from the tree...Marion was attracted as well?
He was studying her face, trying to work through it when he heard a cough. He turned his head and looked down at Bob, who had his hand out to shake Scott's. Scott took the gesture of friendship and grabbed Bob's hand and pumped it with a nervous energy.
"It's so good to meet you both," he said, staring into Bob's eyes. "Danni has told me so much about you!"
From Bob, he picked up hate, possessiveness, ignorance, a similar nervous energy and possibly fear? Scott was used to prejudice and the way some people looked at Danni and him together and was used to it.
But Bob was a whole different animal -- This wasn't just some guy from down the block or a stranger that they encountered on the street. This was Danni's father -- her blood...He knew the stakes were high. He felt he had to make a good impression.
Bobbie broke the stare-off by grabbing Bob by the arm and telling him that the kids would bring their stuff in from the car and why didn't they come in for a drink? Bob seemed to be in somewhat of a daze and no one really knew if he was okay with this or ready to explode.
Danni and Scott moved to the back of the car and started bringing in the supplies and suitcases quietly. There would be time for them to talk -- to sort everything out -- for her parents to really get to know Scott. She gave one fleeting glance in her father's direction and then Bobbie whisked them away and into the house.
Danni heard her telling Bob and Marion about what a good week it had been weather-wise and how helpful the kids were. She introduced them to Rocky who they both hugged -- Rocky would turn out to be the intermediary between Scott and Danni's father and was a welcome distraction.
Scott grabbed Rocky and asked her to help bring the rest of the stuff in from the cars. Ethan was watching everything unfold from the sidelines -- amusement at the tension between Bob and Scott and Marion's reaction to meeting her daughter' s black boyfriend. Since he knew the backstory of the bachelor party, he wondered what Marion thought of Scott too.
Bobbie was talking fast and light and was trying to keep everyone on an even keel -- Ethan appreciated that about her. She knew it was important for everyone to get along and was so wrapped up in the dialog and discussion between his wife and her sister and brother-in-law that he almost forgot the most crucial event of Scott with Bobbie!
Danni had gone into the house first with suitcases and passed Bobbie coming out. Bob and Marion were inside with their daughter, so Bobbie felt it would be good to let them talk a little. She grabbed Scott by the arm before he could go inside and whispered to him to stay out for a few minutes. Ethan saw Scott nodding his head in understanding and then leaned down to reply. As he did, he put his arm on her waist -- not in a sexual way, but certainly in a FAMILIAR way.
The light bulb went off in Ethan's head that this young man, this young black man had been with his wife less than 24 hours ago...had been INSIDE her, had cum inside her....She had his cock in her mouth, she had kissed him...
Ethan looked at the two of them together...Christ...he was so much larger than her, so much darker. For the first time, it really hit him about the two of them together...her legs wrapped around him, him sucking her breasts -- he was so YOUNG! Ethan felt a little sick to his stomach -- this kid was his competition for his wife and was so much stronger, bigger in every way, younger...no wonder Bobbie took the opportunity to try him on for size!
Ethan's thoughts were interrupted by a noise within the house... It sounded at first like something was dropped and then realized that it was a loud discussion. Bob's voice boomed from inside and he heard Danni and Marion both pleading with him. He could pick up parts of the conversation --
"God damn it, Danni! You could have warned us!"
"A black guy? Really?? How long has this been going on? How serious is this?"
Ethan heard Marion tell Bob to lower his voice and to settle down. That just got him yelling louder.
Ethan heard Danni talking quietly to her father but couldn't make out what she was saying...He guessed that she was telling him that they've been together for over a year and were living together.
Bob's voice boomed -- "Jesus, Danni -- you're living with him? This just keeps getting better and better! Please tell me you're on birth control!"
Ethan looked over at Scott and Bobbie -- Bobbie had her hand on his upper arm and was talking quickly and reassuring Scott to leave them alone to work it out. Twice, Scott looked toward the house and started to make a move to go inside, but Bobbie pulled him back.
Ethan thought it was time to help...He walked over to them and told Bobbie to go make sure there was no blood being drawn inside -- that he would stay with Scott.
Bobbie nodded and leaned up to kiss Ethan and then turned to Scott and gave him a warning shot.
"Let them work this out -- if you go in there, it will make matters worse!"
Scott nodded dejectedly but agreed. He and Ethan took a walk down to the lake to let things calm down. When they got down to the dock, they took a seat on two of the Adirondack chairs. Ethan sighed and decided to speak first.
"Hell of a couple of days..." he said.
Scott laughed at the irony of his comment and agreed. The laugh broke the ice and the tension between them. He looked over at Ethan and studied his face, trying to figure out how to discuss what happened between Bobbie and him. He couldn't read his thoughts -- there was only so much an empath could glean from his abilities and this was too far out of his skills.
