Henrik barely made it through day from hell. In addition to one bullshit thing after another he'd dealt with at the office, he and current girlfriend Colleen had one doozy of an argument after not only letting her daughter Emma go out with friends on a school night following cheerleading practice, but also lending her his Mercedes.
He liked Emma and enjoyed seeing her happy; of the few boyfriends her mother had over the years, Henrik was Emma's favorite. She dubbed him "Uncle Hank" and wished he was younger so she'd take him herself.
The girl hadn't seen her father for at least a decade and Henrik constantly reminded Colleen she couldn't keep a tight grip on Emma forever.
"What are you trying to do, prepare her for the convent? For fuck's sake, Colleen, she's eighteen and a responsible girl; it isn't like she'd drinking or experimenting with drugs. She's an honor student and cheerleader."
"She isn't your child, Hank," she reminded him. "Emma needs to follow the rules of this house long as she lives here. Besides, we don't exactly know what she's doing when she's out."
"She's in her last year of high school," he replied. "Let her enjoy this time of her life. It only happens once."
"God, you damn Swedes are difficult!"
"You weren't saying that in bed last night."
"Yeah, well forget about a repeat performance tonight." She stomped upstairs, ending their dispute. "I'm going to change and head to Rita's for bridge. You better pray Emma comes home in one piece and before curfew if you don't want he couch to be your permanent sleeping spot."
Henrik grunted in response; he hadn't been in the mood for sex anyway, already exhausted from his long and turbulent day. He turned on the TV and flipped through several channels, settling on a sports program before dozing on the sofa.
He woke with a start almost two hours later and glanced at a nearby clock. Bolting from the couch, Henrik sprinted upstairs, stripped naked, and jumped into the shower to wash away any remaining tiredness before Emma was due home.
He let the water run over him for a while and began to washing himself. He had no idea how long he'd been in the shower while lost in thought before he turned off the water and stepped out just as the bathroom door opened.
Emma gasped, "Oh my God!" and quickly retreated.
Henrik wrapped a towel around himself, worried she might be embarrassed. He dried off, went into his and Colleen's bedroom to change into shorts and T-shirt before heading downstairs.
"Sorry, Emmy," he apologized when he spotted her in the living room. "I didn't mean to embarrass you."
Her face was still red. "Don't worry, Uncle Hank. I was stunned for a minute at seeing my mom's boyfriend naked."
"We'll keep that a secret between us," he replied with a reassuring smile. "I presume you brought back my car in one piece?"
She nodded. "Including a full tank of gas. Are you done in the bathroom?"
"Sure, sweetheart; it's all yours."
He heard the water upstairs as Emma showered for several minutes before returning downstairs in shorty pajamas leaving little to the imagination and plopped beside him on the sofa. "Anything decent on TV?"
"Not really," Henrik replied and flicked through several channels.
She shrugged and stared at the carpet with an empty look on her face.
"Everything okay, kiddo?" he asked.
Emma sighed. "Another stupid fight with Jason. He rarely bothers with me anymore since he got lettered in basketball."
Henrik put an arm around her. "Must be the day for arguing. I had a battle of my own with your mother before she left for her bridge game."
"At least you don't insult each other, and from what I sometimes hear from my room, the make up sex you guys always have seems worth the fights. Jason also said earlier tonight I'm getting fat and called me a whore for talking to Trent. He's my lab partner for God's sake!"
