Chapter 17

Tiny got home about fifteen minutes after I brought Donna in to meet my parents and Terri. I introduced him to her, and her to him. He and my father were soon in earnest discussion about the boat's capabilities, and the types of fishing that were now opened up to them both. My father told Tiny that they should leave the boat in Tiny's driveway since they'd probably want to do mostly ocean kelp fishing for a while. This made Tiny and Terri both happy, because they knew that my father would put out to sea several times over the next three years, and they would still have easy access to the boat for their own fishing needs.

After dinner, Tiny and my father went outside to inspect the boat, and to look over everything else once again. Terri stayed in with Donna and my mom this time. I went out with the guys, only because all of the whispering that the three women were doing amongst themselves was beginning to make me paranoid.

Don't worry, Jimmy. They're all saying nice things about you. You're mom is trying to find out the full extent of your relationship with Donna though. That 'very special person in my life' comment has really made her curious. Donna is a little bit afraid of your father. She recognizes that look of longing that he has every time he looks at her.

When I got out to the boat, Tiny and my father were discussing the relative merits of several different types of reel technology. I remember something about stars, drags and penn reels, but don't ask me about what any of it meant. Still, I stayed out with them and listened to what they were saying to each other. When they began talking about where they were going the following day, I told them that Terri had said that she was going too. Tiny's eyes narrowed at that information, but my father took it in stride. I wondered if Terri would tell Tiny about my father goosing her. If she did, I wondered whether Tiny would say anything to my dad about it. I didn't think that he would. That was Tiny, he seldom made any waves. My dad turned the conversational topic to Donna.

"Are you getting any of that, Jimmy? What do you think Tiny, is he tapping that sweet little girl or not?" Tiny didn't say anything. "Well, are you?" I just looked at him. Finally, I said something to him.

"You think ma's going to be pissed at you for long over that broken glass thing."

"No, she knows that I was only kidding around. Tiny, how many times have you seen me goose somebody, fifty or more times I'll bet? It doesn't mean anything, I just like to see people jump, because it's so damn unexpected. Hell, I'd even bet I've goosed old Tiny here before, right, Tiny?"

"I don't think so, Jack. At least, I don't remember you ever doing that to me."

"Ha, maybe not then, because if I had of, you'd sure remember it. That's what Jimmy's talking about. Terri was walking by when I kind of reached out and gave her the goose, and she dropped her glass. Jimmy thinks its a big thing, but it isn't. Right, Tiny?"

"You goosed Terri, Jack? What did she say when you did that?"

"I think she said something like... EEK! and then grabbed her ass with both hands, even though that meant that she'd she drop her lemonade and break the glass. I didn't mean to have her drop that glass Tiny, but what good is a goose without the element of surprise to it?"

"What did Martha say?"

"Well you know Martha, Tiny, her sense of humor doesn't extend to that type of kidding around. She'll get over it though, she always does. So, you never did answer my question about that pretty little girl, are you drilling in her hole or not?" I walked away. I had a hundred things that I might have said to him, but none of them would have improved the situation, in fact, all of them would have made it even worse, for both of us. I walked inside the house and asked Donna if she was ready to leave yet. She and my mom hugged, and Terri gave her arm a squeeze too. I opened my car door for her and, while I was walking around to the driver's side, my father came over and signaled Donna to roll down her window, which she did.

"I just wanted to tell you how happy I was to meet you Donna, and to tell you how much I'm starting to admire my son's taste in women. I hope to see a lot more of you real soon." Then, he leaned in and gave her a kiss, right on the lips, not even caring that it was done right in front of me.When he straightened up again, he looked over at me, waiting to see if I'd make anything of it in front of Donna and Tiny.

Jimmy, it isn't worth it. One of you should act like an adult. Don't stoop to his level. This is him at his worst, just let it go.

"We've got to go, dad. I'll be back later. Maybe the two of us can have a talk about things after I get back."

"I look forward to it, Jimmy. It's been awhile since the two of us just sat together and let our hair down with each other."

I drove Donna home, and we sat in the car in front of her house talking for awhile.

"I like your mother, Jimmy, she's nice. Your father scares me a little bit, and he makes me uncomfortable. Is he always like that?"

"I'm sorry about that, Donna. We can't pick our parents. Maybe we should get your mother and my father together in the same room sometime. Either she'd kill him or else he'd fuck her."

"That isn't nice to say, Jimmy. But it's funny. Probably because it's true too. He sure comes on strong with people, right in front of your mother too. Doesn't anybody ever say something to him?"

"Well, just about everybody he knows has said something to him about it, but nothing seems to slow him down or stop him."

"I feel sorry for your poor mother then. I don't see how she puts up with it."

"I don't either, but she does. I stopped trying to figure it out several years ago. Usually, I keep my friends away from him, but I had hoped that maybe he'd be good when I brought you over to meet him and my mom."

"He's a nice looking man, your father. Distinguished looking, I'd say. You look a lot like him in the face, especially in your eyes and nose."

I walked her up to her house, and we both went inside. Her dad was home, and I said hello to him. Clara came out from somewhere in the back of the house and she and Donna started talking about the meal, my parent's, and how she got along with them both. Donna surprised me when she told her mother about my father, and how he had goosed Terri, and had flirted with her. After that, Donna started whispering in her mother's ear, and then both of them really cracked up about what Donna had told her. I thought that Donna had told her what I'd said about putting her and my father in the same room.

"Well if his dad looks like him, I probably wouldn't want to kill him." Then, both of them broke out laughing again. Donna's dad looked over at them and shook his head. They just kept whispering together. I finally waved at Donna and started for the door. Donna stopped talking with her mother long enough to walk me out to the car.

"Don't be mad, Jimmy, I had to tell her, it was funny. She won't say anything to anybody about it."

"I'm not mad. It is just a little embarrassing to have a father who acts like that."

"He's not that bad. You should see my father when he's really drunk. Or my mother, too. When they're both drunk, anything might happen. At least your mom is normal."

"You should see her when she's been drinking and my dad gets out of line like he did today. If you did, you wouldn't exactly call her normal." We kissed a few more times, and I asked her if she wanted to go to dinner and a movie the following night. She said she did, and I told her I'd come over early, after my classes let out, and we'd make a day of it. I got back in and drove back to Tiny's. My father and I never came to blows in my first time through, but we did cuss each other out more than a few times. As I drove back, I was seething with anger at him. He shouldn't act like that, period, especially when it's a girl that I've brought home to meet my mother and him. By the time I got to Tiny's, I had given my anger free rein. I parked, and was surprised to see my father coming out of the house and approaching me.

"Jimmy, I want to apologize to you. I was way out of line with your girlfriend, and with those comments that I made to both you and Tiny. I don't know why it is, but, sometimes, I act like I'm a little kid and I try to see how bad I can be in front of all the grown up people. Today was one of those times, and I'm sorry. After you left, I started thinking about what your mother said to me before, about how you're trying to meet me half way now. I hope that today won't change what's been happening with us lately. I really am sorry as hell about today."