Dad greeted me with a big hug when I got home. It wasn’t unusual for us to embrace, but something was up. It wasn’t like I’d been gone all day. I saw him before I left and told him where I was going. He ushered me to the couch and asked about my evening, looking way more eager than normal. Did Mama tip him off? She must have mentioned Simflix and Chill and got him all excited. That woman. If that was a congratulatory hug, I definitely needed to clear things up. I told him about Karmine and all her shenanigans. He got a good laugh out of her precociousness.
“She kind of reminds me of your sister.”
“Hmm…I guess.”
Speaking of my sister, I missed her. I hadn’t called her yet because I wanted to give her the room to settle in her new environment and get a good routine going. Plus, I knew our parents were probably blowing up her phone every day. She was on a wild adventure, just like me. It was time we spoke.
It was Dad’s turn to be distracted by his phone. He’d been texting away to someone for quite some time, and I wanted to respect his privacy, especially given what he was going through. But maaaan was I curious. We’d been talking about my life over the past few days, and it was time to get the heat off me.
“Dad…do you have a girlfriend?”
His head whipped toward me, looking mortified; It was low-key adorable.
“N-no. Uhh…no. This is just, uhhh…It’s an app. I-no-I just uhhh…”
I couldn’t contain my laughter and let it out. Just a little bit.
“Dad, chill. There’s nothing to be ashamed of. I’m really glad you’re getting back out there.”
He smiled uncomfortably, avoiding eye contact. I didn’t have his experiences, but I understood the anxiety.
I nudged him with my elbow.
“Look at us: two guys nervously entering the dating pool.”
He smiled normally, at last.
“I guess you’re right. Never thought about it like that. But I’m just making friends.”
“So am I. You don’t have to explain yourself to me.”
He nodded.
“Speaking of…”
His expression softened.
“I was thinking about our conversation from last night. You have a lot of good looking friends you hang with…a lot. And you’re young and unattached… Things might happen, even if you say you’re not looking for a relationship right now. I want you to be prepared…and safe. So, I got you something. It’s in your room. If you want, we can talk about it later. But if not…have fun out there. Just…be respectful.”
He pat me on the back and went to his room, leaving me in a world wind, wondering what in Watcher’s named he left for me. I wasted zero time going to my room to search for this mysterious gift, analyzing his words the whole way. What could he possibly give me that would help me and my friends have fun? And be safe? What did he think we did? We weren’t criminals. First, I looked at my desk, but there was nothing out of the ordinary. There were no packages in my room either, so it must have been something small. I looked on the shelves on my bed and nightstands. Nothing. Finally, I went to the dresser, and there it was.
I stood there, staring at it, speechless and a little uncomfortable, like getting the woohoo talk all over again. The purple box sat there, taunting me, laughing at my insecurity, as if it knew I was gonna come running back to it one day in desperate need of its…services. But just as I was getting flustered and wondering why Dad picked now to give it to me, I thought back to what Mama said earlier. Woohoo and relationships were a part of life. I didn’t have to fear them. It was natural to be nervous about something new. I wanted to do it one day. Hell, earlier today I said I wouldn’t be able to say no to Chi Chi. If Simflix and Chill was on the menu, I would have been unprepared, so I picked up the box and put it in my inventory, not because I felt pressured, but because that box was an essential part of my life now, like toothpaste and body wash, and I should have had it already.
Sophia came online, so I chatted with her. I found an appropriate place in the conversation to ask her if she’d ever want to meet and hang out again. With all the stuff I had in my head that night, I hope I asked in the right spirit. I mean, true, I was gonna ask anyway. And she wouldn’t know anything about all these crazy thoughts and conflictions. I wanted to have fun like Dad said, but I also wanted to treat the situation with respect. I didn’t want to be the guy who slept with the girl just because he could. Someone always got hurt, and I refused to be held responsible for anyone else’s pain. I had enough of my own.
