Chapter 39

"Melissa's not here, John," Mrs. Harmon said as she opened the door. "She wasn't expecting you, was she?"

"Not really, Mrs. Harmon. I knew she would still be at the hospital. I, um, actually came to talk to you for a moment, if I may?"

"Come in," Mrs. Harmon waved me to the sofa in the living room, the same sofa on which Missy and I had been making out the previous evening.

"Can I get you something to drink, John?"

I shook my head. "No thanks," I told her.

"Well then, what's on your mind, John? Is everything okay?" Mrs. Harmon asked as we sat down.

I swallowed. This was not easy, but I'd known that it wouldn't be. It was the right thing to do, so I took a deep breath and ventured on. "I would like your permission to have Missy sleep at my house tonight."

I expected an explosion, and had prepared myself for anger and dismissal. I had even spent some time preparing a rational argument about why Mrs. Harmon should agree to let this happen. I was not prepared, therefore, when Mrs. Harmon laughed. 'Ah, I've been wondering when this was going to happen. After last night, I wondered if it hadn't already."

I must have looked confused. Mrs. Harmon laughed again. "I'm sorry, John. It's just that after you left last night I walked into Melissa's room to say good night. She was visibly nervous about me being there. Anyway, we had a wonderful talk. More like girlfriends than Mother/daughter."

She paused and took a breath. "Part of me, the very large protective Mother part of me, isn't really sure that Melissa climbing into bed with you is the best thing for my little girl, but the rest of me knows that you didn't really need to come here, or ask my permission, to make that happen. And, to be brutally honest, given the Melissa I have been living with the past week, the sooner you do make it happen the better it will be for the rest of this world."

She smiled at the incredulous look on my face and then we both broke up laughing.

"Last night, Missy claimed that I needed to get laid because I'd been a bear to deal with all week," I said through the laughter. I suddenly stopped laughing as I realized what I had just said to Melissa's mother, but this just made her laugh even harder.

"I'm sure that wouldn't hurt the world, John," Mrs. Harmon finally replied. "However, that daughter of mine is wound up tighter than a cheap watch. What you two did last night didn't really solve anything. In fact, it might have made things worse."

"So you're saying I should do the world a favor and have sex with your daughter?" I asked, just a bit incredulously.

Mrs. Harmon smiled and shook her head. "I'm saying that you have my permission to keep her at your house overnight tonight. Whatever happens there is between the two of you. I'll also tell you that I'm not ready to be a grandmother." She stared a hole through my chest to make her point.

"Fair enough," I smiled. "I'm not ready to be a dad." And then I added, "yet."

Mrs. Harmon searched my eyes and then gave a firm nod. "Take good care of my baby, John," she said softly. "I know she thinks she's ready to be a woman, but she's still my little girl and I don't want her to get hurt."

I nodded. "I promise I will try to make tonight very special for her, Mrs. Harmon." I stood, and Mrs. Harmon stood as well. We said nothing as we walked to the door. I turned at the door and hugged her. I think she was surprised at first.