"So, I've got a date tomorrow night with Kitty Clifton."
The statement hung over the breakfast table for a second, before Angela squealed with delight.
"Oh, that's so wonderful, Max. I guess you really have been feeling more confident, huh?"
"Yeah," Max replied, blushing. "Our talks have been really helping me."
"Kitty Clifton? Isn't she the daughter of Mark Clifton?" Gus raised an eyebrow at his son, who looked back at him in confusion. Why was he acting like he didn't know about this? Max had told him the night before.
"Uh, who's he, Dad?" Angela noticed how Max seemed puzzled, and looked back and forth between the two men in her life.
"Only the richest guy in town," replied Gus. "He has fingers in just about every pot around. In fact, he's the main shareholder in my company."
"So what are you saying, Dad?"
"Just that you'd better treat his daughter right, or I'm sure to hear about it." Gus knew he was sounding repressive, but he couldn't help himself.
"But why are you telling me this now? You could have told meβ"
"Never mind that," Gus interrupted. "Just do the right thing by the girl, you understand?"
"Gee, thanks for the advice, Dad. You really know the right thing to say to make a guy relax when he's about to go on his first date," Max fumed, before storming out of the room to get his stuff for school.
Gus turned his attention back to the newspaper, pretending to be unconcerned. He didn't want his wife to know that he had encouraged his son to be free with her. He was enjoying letting his rougher side loose in bed.
"Gus?"
"Hmmm?"
"Did you know about this date?"
"Uh, I guess so, honey," Gus replied sheepishly. Angela frowned.
"Well, what the hell does that mean?" She was getting furious now. She thought he understood what she was trying to accomplish with Max, and now it seemed like he was deliberately undermining her. "That was kind of important information, wouldn't you say? Do you see what kind of damage you've done?"
"Now, wait a second, Angelaβ"
"No, you wait a second. You're going to have to help me out here. We've got a son in a delicate situation here, on the verge of maturing into a sexual adult. He's tenuous right now, and your pulling the rug out from under him is destroying all my work. What if he becomes some kind of a pervert because of this?"
'You mean, the kind of pervert who makes out with his mother,' thought Gus, but didn't say, because he could see how explosive Angela was becoming right now.
"All right, all right, I see what you mean," Gus conceded. "But what can we do? Don't kids have to figure this stuff out for themselves?"
"Not my kid," hissed his wife. She never looked so gorgeous as when she was angry, he thought. "I'm not going to stand by and watch our beautiful son have to deal with a painful rejection that we might have set him up for, do you understand?"
"Okay," Gus said, cautiously, "so now what?"
"You just back me up, you hear me? Whatever I say goes."
A sinking feeling pervaded Gus as he nodded. He hoped this wasn't the end of the extreme sexual gratification he had been enjoying the last couple of nights.
*****
Max' day at school had been one of desperately trying to avoid Kitty Clifton. If he ever caught sight of her, he had turned around immediately and found his way to the boys' bathroom. Had he really asked her to dress sluttily for their date? And now, it turned out, her father was like the most important guy in town. If things took a sour turn, it might spell disaster for his father's business interests.
He had never felt such relief as when the final bell sounded and he managed to slink out without being noticed by Kitty or any of her clique. As he trudged home, his thoughts revolved on what his father had said that morning. Perhaps it would be best if he just called off this ill-fated 'date' with Kitty. Or would that just be worse? Would she report back to her father that he was a wuss?
He was so pre-occupied he almost didn't notice the sheet of paper on the floor of the front hall. He picked it up absent-mindedly and looked at it.
Hi Honey β (the note read)
I'm going to be out all afternoon, but I have some errands for you to run. 1. Pick up flowers at Blooms 'n' Such 2. Pick up dry cleaning 3. Call Mike's and order an Italian sub the way your Dad likes it, and have them deliver at 6:30 PM
Car keys are on the hall table.
Love, Mom