Professor Garrett Spencer hung up the phone and sighed. Leaning back into the worn leather confines of his chair, he rubbed his brow with his index finger as he tried very hard not to frown. If it weren't enough that he had to look forward to a new year with a new group of sassy students, his ex wife whom he had not seen in years since she lived out of state had just called to advise him that his nearly adult daughter, Jane, had decided to attend HIS university to make use of his discounted tuition plan. And since neither he nor his ex-wife were wealthy by any standards, she was to bunk down with him in his spare bedroom that no one had used since his mother's last visit nearly two years ago.
It all seemed rather stressful to Garrett. He was a man set in his ways and the abrupt disorder of his daughter whom he hadn't seen since she was in the single digits made him extremely tired. He hoped she would not be all that hard to put up with and he certainly was not in the position to refuse her a room. Terry, the ex Mrs. Spencer, had provided a home for her all these years so it seemed about time Garrett did his share. It still was giving him a rotten headache.
The semester didn't start for a few more weeks so it would give him some time to get things settled. He would have to make sure he had plenty of linens and food in the house. What did college students eat and drink? As far as he could tell from what he had observed on campus, only pizza and beer. But then he had never been what you might call on expert on the behavior of the post adolescent human. He was educated and he was a good teacher but he would teach monkeys if it paid the bills.
Still rather annoyed about the entire situation, he moved across the room to pour himself a brandy which he carried with him back to his favorite chair. He picked up the phone again, this time dialing the number of his closest friend and fellow professor at the University, David Porter.
"David, it's Garrett. " He said unconvincingly into the receiver.
"Ah, Garrett. What's up?" David asked him between inhales of his cigarette.
"I've just heard from the ex. Our daughter has enrolled in our university and will be bunking down with me during the school year." Garrett tried not to sigh as he said this but it was impossible not to.
"You have a daughter?" David asked with an incredulous spin on his voice.
"You know I do. I am certain I've mentioned her. Her name is Jane."
"Ah, perhaps. I don't remember to be sure but it will certainly be interesting for you to reacquaint yourself with her?" He asked hopefully.
"At my age? What would I have in common with a nearly grown woman? Please!" He was exasperated. "I am dreading this, David. Promise you will help me get her settled and entertained."
"Of course. I'm here for you, pal." David laughed and then Garrett remembered David's penchant for younger women.
"She's hands off, of course." Garrett reminded his friend.
"Of course," David laughed as he hung up the phone.
The conversation did not in any way settle the uneasiness rising in Garrett's stomach. He got up and headed for the bathroom where he took two Tums just for the heck of it. Grumbling under his breath, he headed into the spare bedroom and stripped the bed, taking the linens to the laundry room where he tossed what he could fit into the washer and turned it on. At least feeling he was accomplishing something, he went back into the room and tried, with his masculine eye, to spot anything that might be missing that a teenage girl would need.
Thankfully the room had its own bath. He realized he would need to get a television for it as well and made a mental note to look for one at the department store in the morning. He considered a computer as well but for all he knew she had her own so it seemed rather a waste of money until she arrived. He did go online himself to request a service call from the local phone company to put a new line in for her. The polite internet response was they would be out in two weeks which suited him fine.
Glaring then at the computer screen as if it were his enemy, he suddenly snapped it off and moved to the kitchen, pouring himself a whisky on the rocks which he sipped scowling at the ice. He was not a happy man to begin with but this sudden change in his ordered life was really annoying him to no end. Ah well, there was nothing to be done about it now as he certainly could not afford a dorm room for her let alone an apartment so he would have to put up with her until further arrangements could be made. With that in mind, he headed into the quiet retreat of his bedroom where the whisky was set upon his nightstand as he stripped and crawled into bed, dreading the sunrise.
*****
The weeks flew by until the day arrived when the Professor was expecting the arrival of his daughter. He could feel the sweat forming under the collar of his shirt but there was nothing to be done about it. She was driving in, her mother and stepfather having purchased her some late model sedan that was supposedly impossibly safe as a parting gift. It was a rather long distance from home, at least for Jane, and the Professor considered their generosity not to be too much. He had done his best for her, making sure her own phone line was installed as well as having her own 27" flat screen television complete with digital cable piped in. A desk had been purchased at the local furniture store and the bed had been remade with freshly washed linens. The private bath attached to her room had been furnished with pastel fluffy cotton towels and the scented soaps his ex Terry had advised him Jane preferred. Now there was nothing to do but wait which he did with an impatient grimace upon his face.
Just as he was beginning to worry, he spotted headlights pulling into his gravel driveway and he moved to the door, opening it expectantly. The car that had been described to him was there being turned off, lights and all. The driver's side door opened and in the gathering twilight he was almost certain an angel exited the car. She was by far the most exquisite woman he had ever seen. He blinked twice to confirm he wasn't imagining things before he moved forward and offered his hand. "Jane? I'm glad you made it. I'm Professor Spencer, your father."
She looked up at him and smiled. She was a good 6" shorter than him and her eyes were the green of a mountain trail, glimmering with the brightness of her smile. Her hair was full and long, just past her shoulders, and the color of summer wheat. She took his hand in both of hers as she spoke in a voice as melodic as a song. "Do you mind if I call you Professor then? I consider Jake to be my dad," Jake being her stepfather, the spouse of his ex-wife.
"Um, yes, that would be fine." He didn't know how he would respond to being called father after all since he had very little experience acting as one. "Can I get your bags?" He asked, his mouth suddenly as dry as a desert.
