Chapter 64

Two weeks had passed since Tim had tried to kill me in the van. Ok, it really wasn't that bad, though he did run a red light. A couple people honked, and one guy gave him the finger. I think it surprised him when I told him not to worry about it. He was very relieved when I didn't say a word to Theresa.

There was only one more week of school for Jessica, before the winter break. They used to call it Christmas break, but had changed it. The notion that Jessica was going to be home all day long was not setting well with Theresa.

This was Tuesday, so Tim was with me.

"Do you have as much of a problem with Jessica being here, alone with me, as Theresa does?"

"Why do you ask?" he responded, not answering my question.

"Because you don't say anything about it."

"Not to you."

"So you let Theresa be the bad guy," I said, prodding him with my words.

"How much teeth do my words have in them?"

"All depends on if you're nibbling Theresa's neck at the time, or not."

Tim stuttered, and then said, "That's not the kind of thing I was talking about."

"'And I know it.' You can say that as well."

"And you know it."

"You're right, although you should have seen your face." I grinned. Then I sighed. "I wouldn't have all this time to think of these stupid word pranks, if I could move."

"I don't blame you. You're really in pretty good spirits, most of the time. I think I'd have gone crazy by now."

"I'm not sure I haven't. But to get back to the original subject, if you want Jessica to respect you, then you've got to take responsibility. Tell her no. Let her get mad at you. Work things out."

Tim looked at me as if I'd asked him to stick his hand into a pit of poisonous snakes.

"Do you have any idea what I could lose?"

"Do you know what you'd be gaining?"

"I'm going to have to think about that one," Tim said.

"Good. In the meantime, tell me if you have a problem with the two of us being together."

"Together, no. Alone ... possibly."

"Possibly, I don't get that one."

Tim scratched his head, and then said, "With the way you are, right now, I can't see how you could do much to get into trouble. Theresa thinks differently."

I was trying to keep a straight face.

"As parents, this isn't that funny," Tim said.

"I guess not. I'm not in your shoes. There's a component you haven't thought of exploring."

"Oh? What's that?"

"Talk to Jessica. Ask her what she's thinking."

"Right. I'm just going to say, 'Jess, sweetie, come talk to me about what you think concerning sex with John.' I think if I said something like that, we'd both have coronaries."

"You might. I don't think Jessica would have any problem with it. She and I have grown up in a different society than you did, with regards to sex. I bet your father wouldn't have ever said that word around you."

"Got that right."

"Yet, you're sitting here talking about it with your daughter's boyfriend."

"Mmmm. I never thought about it like that."

"Jessica would be just as easy to talk to. She'd feel comfortable. It's you who would have the problem."

"Well that's part of the problem, now, isn't it? You two feel a little too relaxed about sex."

"See, there's part of the problem. You assume that. Were you promiscuous?"

"Of course not! Theresa has been the only one."

"Even after the divorce?"

"Well, I..." Tim said looking down.

"Sorry," I said, "Didn't mean to change the subject. "Did your parents think you were getting into trouble with girls?"

"My dad ... there was no mom," he said with a bit of heat in his voice. "He thought I should go out and get every girl I could."

"So," I said to drive the point home, "your father and you didn't look at that subject in the same light. If you want to be a better father, talk to Jessica. What you find might surprise you."

We were interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Can't be Jessica, although it's lunchtime," Tim said as he got up to answer the door.

"I know, she's been eating lunch with Fiona. I think it's great. Not that I didn't enjoy seeing her, I knew she cut her lunch break short by running here and then back."

Tim opened the door.

"Is John here?"

Tim chuckled.

I said, "Yeah, I'm stuck living the life of a hermit."

It was Brandon. I was a bit surprised, as I hadn't seen him in a week.