Mama finally finished her drink and let me go, at Dwayne’s behest, and I went home. Dad was up waiting for me, so I sat with him for a little while. He asked about dinner and how Mama was, and I told him about how she was convinced I had a girlfriend, and now she was high-key hinting at me needing to date so she can have grandchildren sooner rather than later. He got a really good laugh on that one. I guess it was too much to hope he would be on my side.
“I will never pester you like that,” he said, “but you should know…Em always gets what she wants.”
His smile faltered a little. Was he thinking about her and Dwayne?
“She can hope all she wants! I’m not feeling that right now.”
He patted my knee in a patronizing manner.
My phone pinged again.
Dad snickered, “Which girlfriend is that?”
I cut my eyes at him.
“I should stop indulging you guys and let your imaginations run wild.”
“You know I’m just messing with you,” he said. “You don’t have to tell me anything.”
I knew that, but… I was very close to my parents, and I kinda enjoyed sharing things with them. But I’d never share that though. Couldn’t have them feeling entitled, heh.
“If you must know, this is my friend I met in Mt. Komorebi.“
His eyes flicked wide open.
“Oh! I didn’t know you kept in touch.”
“Yeah. We talk just about every day.”
“Wow… That’s really cool, Luca. She doesn’t live in Mt. Komorebi, does she?”
“Nah, she’s in Oasis Springs.”
“Luca! Why don’t you hang out with her? Oasis Springs is even closer now.”
Yes, I thought about seeing her before. Of course I thought about it! I wasn’t a techno geek with only online friends. I enjoyed face-to-face interactions. But… I guess it was a generational thing he didn’t understand. We were fine texting each other. It’s almost like our friendship was in the phone, and taking it out would be weird. But… Lately, the urge to see her had been really strong. Maybe I just needed a sign to let me know it was okay to make that move.
“That’s not a bad idea, Dad.”
“Good. And just so we’re clear, I’m not suggesting this, hoping you two will hook up. I mean, if you do, great. But she sounds like a good friend, and friends need to spend time together. Some things you will only learn face to face.”
He was right, as always. Deep down, I knew the real reason we never hung out was because of my fears and concerns about relationships. I… Okay… Confession time. Sophia, like my other friends, was very attractive. And we clicked. Like…a little too well. We had a lot in common but enough differences to keep things interesting. I knew that if we ever took our friendship out of the phone, I’d probably never let her leave my sight, and that scared me. To be completely honest, despite my concerns, I didn’t want to be single forever. I wanted to know what it was like to be in love and everything that came with it. But the fear was just too strong, and I put myself on a short leash.
As I told that old geezer earlier that morning, I was a quarter of the way through my young adult life. Maybe it was time I lay aside fear and embraced the confidence I exhibited in every other area of life. Monte Vista wasn’t built in a day, they said. I wanted my life to look a certain way, but I would never get there hiding behind my parents’ issues. I needed to get to know my friends more intimately and find the one I could not live without.
OMG mt komorebi?? oasis springs. luca. sir. do i need to schedule the meeting for you? and thank your watcher for allowing you to live in a world with such beautiful women to choose from.
Yeees! Mt. Komorebi cutie has been in play this whole time! Hmmm…let me add a link in case folks forgot lol. And he BETTER be thankful I look out for him!!