Jon never thought of himself as a 'helicopter parent'. He could vividly remember his own freshman year in college when his parents showed up and automatically took charge of his life during parents' weekend. He had just become accustomed to being independent, with no curfew and few other restrictions, and really resented them re-organizing his messy room and telling his roommate and new friends 'amusing' anecdotes from his childhood.
So, when Megan invited him to visit her during her college's parents' weekend he hesitated. He was still learning to negotiate their new relationship. She was his only daughter, and since his wife died, over a year ago now, he was her only parent. It's not easy being a single dad of a teen-age daughter, but they had managed the situation fairly well up to this point. That said, he was secretly glad when she went away to college. He had been feeling guilty for inadvertently letting her know how empty he felt, moping around, unable to generate enthusiasm for anything, including her accomplishments. He hoped she could get out from under his cloud and enjoy life again.
The drive upstate was delightful. It was a beautiful fall day. The sun brought out brilliant reds and golds against a blue sky. His motel was within easy walking distance from campus, and very pleasant. Megan seemed very pleased to see her dad. She joined him for breakfast at his motel. He tried not to be too inquisitive about her new life. That was easy: she seemed more concerned about him than he was about her.
They chatted about her classes and her experiences on the volleyball team. She liked most of her instructors and was enjoying her classes, especially her French Lit class. She seemed quite at home and had made several new friends. She was eager for her dad to meet them, so he suggested they invite a few of them for dinner at a local restaurant so he could get to know them better.
They all met at six at the restaurant. Megan introduced her dad around, calling him her 'best friend and only dad'. The girls were quite nice and seemed to enjoy Megan. Jon and the girls got along famously. They were an attractive group of young women as all eighteen- and nineteen-year-old girls always are. They made him feel young again.
One of the girls, Veronica, particularly caught his attention. Actually, she would catch the attention of any male under a hundred. She was tall, nearly 5'10, with an incredible figure and a gorgeous face. She had long dark hair that draped over one shoulder and delightfully accentuated her very ample bosom. The effect was much enhanced by the low neckline of her blouse, which revealed the smooth swell of her breasts and her shadowy cleavage. She had a slim waist and wide rounded hips which tapered into long, beautifully shaped legs, fetchingly displayed thigh high by her short skirt.
Jon had a very difficult time keeping his eyes off Veronica while at the same time trying to maintain a light conversation with Megan and the other girls. It didn't help that every time his eyes darted to her he found her looking directly at him with a sort of speculative look in her dark eyes. When she caught him looking at her breasts her lush red lips seemed to form a knowing smile.
At one point Jon caught a rather significant look from Megan. She looked from him to Veronica and back again and seemed a little puzzled, as if she couldn't make up her mind about something. He did his best to ignore her look and made it a point thereafter to keep his eyes off Veronica as much as possible without being obvious, and to engage with all of the other girls equally. Later, though, he noticed Megan looking at him rather thoughtfully and then smiling to herself as if she'd come to a decision.
After dinner they all walked back to campus. In the lobby of their dorm Jon said goodnight to the other girls. Megan said that she had something she needed to attend to but would be back shortly. She went upstairs with her friends. Jon waited in the lobby. After perhaps fifteen minutes she came back. She and her dad lingered for a while, making small talk.
"Dad," she said, "I'm so glad you came. I've been worried about you."
"Wait.
You've
been worried about
me
? It's supposed to be the other way around."
"No, I've been worried that you've been lonely since Mom died. And now you don't even have me around. I know you, you bottle up your emotions. You need a healthy outlet."
Was this his child talking? When had she become so perceptive?
"Megan, it's sweet of you to worry about me. But I'm okay. You don't need to take care of me."
She smiled, a strange, knowing smile, as if she had a secret she wanted to share but couldn't.
"Okay, Dad. If you say so."
She glanced at her watch a few times. Abruptly she seemed eager for him to leave. They kissed goodnight, and he walked back to the motel.