Chapter 5

Robbie shut the apartment door behind him a walked toward the kitchen, taking his jacket off and hanging it on the coat stand. As he entered the kitchen, he saw the flashing light indicating a message on his phone. He sat down at the kitchen table and pushed the 'new message' button. It was from Eleanor Thompson.

"Hi Robbie," she began. "I talked to my friend Dr. Weisman and he was pretty reluctant to give me any advice or analysis over the phone without meeting Julie, but here's what he said. He suggested that Julie might have been reacting to the confrontation in the mall that morning by seeing you as her protection.

"He said she might just change back to her normal self in a day or two as the threat she perceives passes. However, he suggested you limit your contact with Julie for a few days to give her a chance to feel like she's back to a normal routine."

Robbie listened carefully to the message and then dialed Eleanor's number. She picked up right away. They exchanged greetings and Robbie asked her to give him more details of what the psychiatrist had said. When she had finished, he told her what he planned.

"She works in the afternoons so I don't see her until I bring her home from the restaurant. Right now, she's afraid to be alone, so I'll stay on the living room couch when she's in bed."

"Sounds like you're doing the right thing, Robbie. If she doesn't show signs of coming around, we'll need her family doctor to give her a referral to another psychiatrist. Dr. Weisman gave me a name. Do you have a pen?"

Robbie made note of the doctor's name and phone number, and thanked Eleanor for getting back to him so quickly. They exchanged small talk for a couple of minutes before ending the call. He sat at the kitchen table for a few minutes, contemplating what he should do. He decided to pick Julie up after her shift and drive her home. He would stay in the house only if she insisted and only under the conditions that existed the previous night. He would sleep in the living room, and she in the bedroom.

He arrived at the restaurant just before closing and sat at the counter waiting for Julie to close up. She was happy to see him and thanked him for saving her the walk home. As they rode back to her parent's home they chatted about her day and his with no evidence of concern or worry on Julie's part.

"Are you staying tonight, Robbie?" she asked finally.

"Do you want me too?"

"You know I do."

"Same arrangement as last night, Julie. I'll be in the living room; understood?"

"If you insist," she said without emotion. "I'd rather have you in my bed, though."

"Be patient, Julie. We'll work it out. It'll be allright. You'll see." His voice held more conviction that he felt.

When Robbie awoke at six the next morning, he was conscious of a stiff neck and a sore back. The sofa was a poor choice of bed, even for someone as short as he was. He crawled out from under the comforter and stretched several times to loosen the muscles that had bunched and tightened overnight.

He walked into the kitchen and made coffee, then quietly walked down the hall to peek into Julie's bedroom. She was sound asleep, and he decided to leave her a note before returning to his apartment for a shave and a shower before going to work.

Julie awoke shortly after eight and padded out to the living room to find Robbie gone and no evidence that he had slept on the sofa. A mild feeling of panic passed through her until she smelled the coffee and saw a note on the kitchen table. She smiled as she read the note and immediately felt better. She would see him again tonight.

As the week passed, Robbie picked Julie up each night at the restaurant and drove her home. He continued to sleep on the sofa, despite the discomfort. By Saturday night, he was relieved that Julie's parents would be home the next day. He had developed a plan and he needed to talk to them in private.

He would get that opportunity on Tuesday evening, Julie's first day back at work. In the meantime, it meant he could go back to sleeping in a proper bed and hopefully get a good night's sleep for a change. He had become less and less concerned about Julie's behavior as the week wore on. She had either repressed the events of that Monday and her actions on Monday night, or they had been a singular event and weren't likely to reappear. He hoped fervently that it was the latter.

Saturday afternoon he called Eleanor and gave her an update on Julie. He caught her just before she was about to leave with Roger to go to the theatre, so their conversation was short. Eleanor was grateful for Robbie's call and was equally pleased that Julie hadn't shown any additional signs of problems since Monday. Robbie told her of his plan to speak with Julie's parents and promised to keep her informed.

Julie's parents returned Sunday afternoon, looking tanned and tired. It had been a long two and a half day drive from Arizona and they were happy to be home. Julie had decided to wait a while before telling them of her experience at the mall. Robbie had asked her if she wanted him there when she told them. Julie seemed uncertain at first and then said no, that she could handle it herself.

Robbie promised to come over Monday evening after work and see her then. In the meantime, he had been thinking carefully about what he wanted to talk to Mr. and Mrs. Payton about on Tuesday evening. If he was going to be involved more intimately with Julie, he knew that he would have to be honest with her parents. He also knew there was no guarantee they would accept him. He wasn't a white collar white guy, he was a blue collar Hispanic, and he was unsure of how they would view him.

He was certain he was going to have to use salesmanship if he wanted their approval. It was old fashioned in these modern times, but it was the way things would be done in his homeland, and there was no reason he shouldn't treat her parents with that same respect. He didn't know what he would do if they rejected him. He had no plan for that occurrence. He simply expected to succeed.

When Julie called him Monday evening, she confessed that she had not told her parents about the events of the previous Monday, either in the mall or in their home. Robbie was silent for a moment before he spoke.

"Julie, I was going to ask your parents to let me talk to them tomorrow night when you were at work. I wanted to tell them about us, at least how I felt about you and me. If you want, I will tell them about last Monday."

He had delivered this message in a quiet but firm voice.

Julie was quiet for a moment. "All right, Robbie, but please don't tell them about ... I mean ... what we did that night," she said in worried tone.

"I won't, Julie, unless they ask me directly if anything has happened between us. I won't lie to them. I can't do that and expect them to trust me."

"Okay, I guess," she said cautiously.

"Julie, why don't you just let me do this and then we'll see how it goes. Then we can decide then what comes next, okay?"

"Yeah, okay Robbie." She still sounded doubtful. "Good luck. Will I see you Tuesday night?" she asked hopefully.

"Yes you will," he said emphatically. "I don't want you walking home alone any more. I'll be there."

"See you then." He could hear the smile in her voice and immediately felt better.

Robbie parked his small truck on the street outside the Payton home just before eight on Tuesday evening. He had phoned the house and talked to Mrs. Payton that morning from work and asked if he could meet with them both. He was pleased that she readily agreed.

He had met both John and Evelyn Payton over the past weeks as he began dating Julie more regularly. They were pleasant to him and he had made sure in his manner and dress that they wouldn't have a poor opinion of him. He was polite by nature as well as neat. Even at the end of a hard work day on the construction site, he looked less scruffy than the other men.

He had shaved off his moustache at New Years, and at first Julie had complained. In time, however, she had accepted him as clean shaven. Her parents had never seen him any other way. He took a deep breath, opened the truck door and walked to the Payton front porch.

"Hi, Mr. Payton. Nice to see you," he offered as John Payton opened the door.

"Come on in, Robbie. Evelyn said you would be dropping by this evening." His greeting had been pleasant.

They exchanged small talk about the recent vacation until Evelyn came into the living room. The conversation petered out and Robbie knew his moment had arrived.

"Mr. and Mrs. Payton, I wanted to talk to you tonight about a couple of things, things that have happened while you were away."

A look of concern passed over John's face but they remained silent.

Robbie began by describing what had happened to Julie a week ago at the mall. There was shock and dismay on both parent's faces as he did his best to describe an event he hadn't witnessed.

He told them he had contacted Corporal Janet Mayne on Tuesday and thanked her for her intervention and assistance. Robbie reminded the Paytons that Cpl. Mayne had been the attending officer at the scene of Julie's rape. Robbie also let them know that Julie had told him of her rape and the events of that evening a few weeks ago. Finally, he began to tell them of his feelings toward Julie.

"I guess there isn't any easy way to say this, so I'll just say it. I'm in love with your daughter, Julie."

He waited for the reaction.

"Oh my," was her mother's response. John Payton looked carefully at Robbie with a tight-lipped expression but said nothing.

"I guess I knew it when I first met her while I was going to night school. I didn't think I had a chance with her ... you know ... she was beautiful and I was ... well ... not exactly Brad Pitt," he smiled.

"But over time, she kind of saw me differently and I think now she feels the same way about me as I feel about her," he said cautiously.

Again he paused, waiting for a reaction.

"Robbie, I appreciate your honesty, but, why are you telling us this?" John Payton finally asked.

"When I came here on Monday evening she was in terrible shape. She had been re-living the shock of seeing Mike Tulkman again and it brought back a lot of bad memories. She needed someone to be here and that was me."

He paused again and this time there was no interruption.

"She wasn't herself. She needed someone to comfort her and one thing led to another," his voice trailed off.

"Do you mean you had sex with her?" John asked pointedly.

"Yes sir. I was very worried that it was the wrong thing to do, but she was very insistent, not herself at all. I felt terrible afterwards and I feel terrible now, but I didn't want you to find out ... I mean ... I'd rather you heard it from me. I'm not very proud of myself," he said quietly.

"No, I guess not." Julie's father said pointedly. "Have you been sleeping with her while we were away?"

"No, not even that night. I've been sleeping on the sofa in here. She didn't want to be alone, but I wouldn't ... I mean I couldn't ... sleep with her in her bed."

"Well that's something, I guess," her father sniffed. "Did you use protection?"

"Julie said she had a diaphragm. I don't carry condoms with me. I wasn't planning ... Sir, it just happened," he said shaking his head.

"That's how it usually goes ... it just happens." John Payton looked grim but strangely not angry.

For the first time, Evelyn Payton spoke.

"Why didn't you call us? Julie had our number."

"She didn't want to upset you when you were so far away. I agreed not to call you, but I called Julie's Aunt Eleanor and got some advice from her."

Evelyn looked surprised. "I didn't know you knew her."

"Julie's talked about her a lot. She doesn't know I called her but Mrs. Thompson was very helpful. When I described Julie's aggressive behavior, she contacted a psychiatrist friend of hers and got some advice. He said he thought Julie might be okay in a couple of days, but if anything happened, she gave me the name of another doctor here in Vancouver to call. I wrote it down."

He pulled the hand written name and phone number from his shirt pocket and gave it to Julie's mother.

John Payton studied Robbie for a moment. He was beginning to relax. Other than having had sex with his daughter, Robbie had acted responsibly and had not made matters worse. He has used his own initiative to call Eleanor. John was upset that he hadn't been called in Scottsdale, but realized he was three days away from home unless he took a plane and left his car in Arizona. Logistically, that was not a good option.

Evelyn broke a brief silence. "Would you like some tea or coffee, Robbie?"

"Oh, tea would be nice, thank you," Robbie quickly answered.

"That's how I met Julie. I was going to BCIT night school across the road and I went to her restaurant for tea and a piece of pie when the class was over," he reminisced.

John Payton leaned back in his arm chair for the first time since Robbie had entered their home. He considered himself a good judge of character and felt he was able to read people. He had liked Robbie from the first time he had met him. He wasn't anything like the young men he saw around town. He was neat, clean, polite, well spoken and now, well educated.

John had a high opinion of BCIT graduates. He had hired several at his firm and they all came with a one special ingredient, they knew how to work. He was interested in how Julie felt about Robbie. He was small, almost Jockey size and he was Mexican he said. Julie was still very young, only 20. Too young to get married he thought.

When Evelyn brought in the tray with mugs of tea there was a break in the tense conversation and no one spoke for a while. Finally, Evelyn looked over at her husband.

"Well, John, I think we should thank Robbie for coming here tonight and telling us what's happened to Julie. I admire your honesty, Robbie," she said turning to him.

"I can't say I'm pleased about what happened between you and Julie, but you didn't make it worse and I don't feel like you took advantage of her. I know what she's like when she makes her mind up on something. She's very hard to stop."

John Payton nodded his head in agreement.

Robbie let himself breathe again as he felt the worst of his confessional was over.

"Why don't you tell us what you plan with Julie?" Evelyn suggested.

"We're not ready for marriage yet, Mrs. Payton. I have a small apartment and I'm just getting settled in my new job. It's going to be a while before we're ready for that. But, I want to see her and be with her. She's very important to me and I want her in my future ... if she'll have me."

"I have to agree," John Payton spoke up. "She's too young for marriage but she's been pretty responsible since she came back here from Toronto. She's grown up a lot since she left here."

"Do you plan to live together?" Evelyn asked him pointedly.

"Not without your permission," was Robbie quick response. "I think it's too early. She still has some recovering to go through yet, and I don't think it's a good idea to rush her. Of course, Julie probably won't agree with me," he said smiling.

"Well, I've got to admit, this is a first," John exclaimed. "I never expected anyone to ask for our permission to let our daughter live with them. This is a different world."

He smiled slightly for the first time that evening.

"Why don't we just think about this for now? I think you're right that it's too early, so that gives us some time."

Robbie nodded his agreement, but Evelyn sat quietly non-committal.

"I think I need to have a talk with Julie ... by myself," she said finally.

Her husband turned his head and gave her a quizzical look.

"She's very naïve and inexperienced. I don't want her to make a big mistake at this time of her life, especially with what's happened to her in the last two years."

She had a determined edge to her voice and neither man chose to comment on her assertion.

"Well that just leaves the question of whether I have your permission to date Julie," Robbie said.

"Why don't you wait until I've had a chance to talk to her Robbie? I'll know better then if I'm comfortable with her being with you ... or anyone for that matter. Do you agree John?"

Her husband nodded his head.

Robbie stood to leave. "Thank you for seeing me tonight. I'm very sorry if I've caused you pain, and I can only promise you that I want what's best for Julie too. I'll respect whatever decision you make."

With that, they said their goodbyes, and Robbie left to head back to his apartment. He had a couple of hours before he would drive to the restaurant to pick Julie up and take her home and it would give him time to think. He had changed his mind at the last minute and decided to tell her parents about their sexual interlude, although he said nothing of her insatiable behavior afterwards. It would leave nothing to be exposed at a later time.

When Robbie had left the Payton house, John and Evelyn sat quietly in the living room.

"What do you think, mother?" John asked.

"You know I like Robbie and I think I trust him, but I'm not so sure about Julie. She's very young and I'm not sure she's ready for a mature relationship yet. I think I need to talk to Eleanor and see if she can give me some insight. And then I need to talk to Julie."

Evelyn was calm and thoughtful as she spoke.

"I like Robbie too. He's a solid citizen and he went up a couple of notches with me tonight when he told us what had happened without being prodded. I think he's honest too. I guess it's a matter of whether Julie is ready for this or not. I'll leave that up to you to decide, dear."

John wisely deferred to his wife when it came to what was best for their daughter. This truly was uncharted territory for him.

The next afternoon, Evelyn Payton called her sister Eleanor in Toronto, and after the usual greetings she got down to the heart of the matter.