Chapter 6

I was introduced to Beth’s mom (Edith) and dad (Frank) the following weekend. It was pretty awkward, in a way. Then again, the first meeting with the future ‘outlaws’ was always that way. Frank was doing his best to be polite. Edith was a real gem in comparison. So much of Beth came from her mother, and she looked like a little Edith. Talk about getting a preview of what Beth would look like in twenty years ... I mean, wow! If Beth didn’t develop a weight problem, I would be very pleased with her looks.

On the other hand, Frank looked and acted just like a typical factory worker. He huffed and puffed a bit; however, it was apparent that Edith was in control of him for the most part. Well, at least until he said,’ I had better never lay an unwanted finger on his daughter.’ I think I realized at that point that Edith already knew we’d had sex together.

“He doesn’t seem like that kind of boy, Frank.”

“Doesn’t matter; he is a boy, and all boys want is one thing.”

“Frank, do not scare him off. He is just what Beth needs.”

“Right, hum, just like that crazy doctor that gave her that noise contraption she uses in the middle of the night.”

“Frank!” Edith exclaimed.

“Daddy!” Beth joined her.

“Excuse me,” I said, and three eyes turned on me. Well, maybe I should have been silent.

“I am sorry, but I don’t think you realize what you just did, Mr Arnold.”

“And just what do you think I did?” Of course, the tone in his voice was one of disbelief.

“You just disclosed a personal detail about your daughter’s life.”

Frank grumbled something unintelligible.

“You better listen to him, Frank, the boy’s right,” Edith said.

He grumbled some more.

“Daddy, would you like it if I told anyone about how you like to...”

“That’s enough, I get the idea,” Frank said, and then he seemed to relax a bit.

“Mr Arnold, I am here today because I love your daughter as much as you do.”

He just looked me in the eyes.

“Yes, I said ‘Love’ and all that the word means. I know you think we are too young yet. However, Beth told me you were sixteen when you met Edith, and she was fifteen.”

Frank seemed to wish I wasn’t armed with that information.

“Look,” I said as I stared him in the eyes, “I am telling you, that is the kind of love I have for your daughter. The type that would rather die than ever hurt her or allow her to be hurt.”

Frank said, “You say that now, young man, but what about when you’re horny and she says no.”

“Daddy! Stop it.”

“It’s a fair question, considering your delicate condition since the rape.”

“Frank!” Edith scolded him.

“A fair question,” I said, “and it deserves a fair answer.”

Edith looked a bit surprised. And Beth looked a bit worried about what I would say.

“I would never push her into doing anything she was uncomfortable with.”

“As I said, you say that now, but what about when she says no?”

“Daddy, I already said yes and had the time of my life, so quit trying to protect me from something that isn’t a problem.”

I did not expect that at all. Edith looked like she was worried.

Frank looked around in surprise, and the silence was so thick that you could hear the oven timer going off in the other room.

Well, that meant that the food was done. Edith got up and headed out to take care of the meal. Frank looked at his daughter and snorted. “If that’s how it is, fine, have it yours and your mother’s way then.”

Okay, now I was puzzled. However, it seemed like Frank was saying he was washing his hands of the issue.

“I will, Daddy, and thanks.”

Frank snorted.

“Um...” I started, only for Beth to interrupt.

“So, Daddy, I take it you will not say anything when Tim spends the night with me here.”

Frank rolled his eyes and looked like he was struggling with the idea.

“Frank,” Edith said from the kitchen doorway, “your little girl has grown up. It’s time to let her find all the happiness she can in this world.”

Frank surprised me by saying, “I guess it would be better than the back seat of some car.”

From inside the kitchen, Edith said, “Ok, you have terrorized the boy enough. Now act normal and be good, or else.”

Frank visibly cringed at the ‘or else’ part. As for me, I was sure I didn’t want to know. Edith said she needed help in the kitchen, and Beth got up to help her.

Frank stared at me for a few moments, and after the females were out of earshot, he said, “Make sure you hide that buzzy thing the first chance you get.”

Then he winked at me like he was sharing some hidden truth. That was the closest thing to a blessing the two of us would ever get out of Frank. I knew the feeling well. All too well, that is.

Surprisingly, the meal and everything else that day seemed normal. I mean, there was just no tension in the house anymore. Beth passionately kissed me, and when Frank didn’t realize I could see him, he did the same to his wife.

Some of the senior girls started showing their senior pictures at school. They almost bragged about how much they cost to anyone who would listen. That got me thinking of a way to make some real money. I mean, I could do a better job than some of the pictures I was seeing.

By then, Beth had seen much of my work and agreed I could do much better. She was sure she could have done better than we had seen. That would not have been difficult; she had an excellent eye when she looked through the lens. It’s too bad the elective was removed from our curriculum.

We didn’t take long to decide I should pursue the idea. After all, it was good money, and the school was full of prospects.

We had finished half of our junior year, and I was thinking ahead this time. Beth also helped me a lot when we started the process.

We started shooting senior pictures with Dad’s old Nikon “F” camera. Many seniors had been slow about getting around to it. I got twenty kids in the senior class who were in a hurry. Not bad since I was only sixteen. They all loved the photos.

Well, almost all. Richards’s mother was unhappy. Then again, I didn’t think anything would have made her happy, the way she complained. I finally gave up in frustration and gave her the sitting fee back. The sitting fee is the photographer’s money to pay for the proofs. In other words, I was losing money by doing so.

Then Richards’s mom tried to keep the proofs. I had no choice, so I put a stop payment on the check. If they were so bad, why did she want the proofs?

She took me to small claims court over that. After the DA’s office refused to touch the bad check case. I did have to talk to them as they investigated the charge. Amazingly, they thought the woman was off her rocker. I would not have been as nice in my description of her.

The Judge laughed her out of court. He laughed at her because she had tried to pull a fast one on him. She made 8X10s of the proofs to make her point about how bad they were. The Judge disagreed with her, but the watermark convinced him she was scamming—that and the contract she had signed, which said she couldn’t copy the proofs.

He clarified that she violated the law and could go to jail. She ended up paying me thirty dollars for each 8X10 copy she had made to avoid the lawsuit. I was not about to waste my time on her. However, she didn’t know that. Richard’s photo in the yearbook that year looks funny with the watermark on it. It was so amusing that I had given my permission to use it; it was copyrighted. I did feel like I was being a real stinker. I could have given the school an excellent photo to use. Then again, Beth thought that would be a bad example for me to set under the circumstances.