Coming to the restaurant that Friday evening I couldn’t have been more pleased with life. That morning I had been appointed executive vice-president of the company. While my wife couldn’t join me this evening she was recuperating very well from her heart attack. My oldest son had started a promising Wall Street career and my younger son achieved excellent results at law school. Not that I ever really had had that much contact with my sons but they were both coming home for the week-end to celebrate. While I was huffed by my promotion I hoped that the dinner wouldn’t end too late.
When I joined my company President some of the directors were already there. We were having drinks and talking while waiting for the last guests to arrive. The last to arrive was the president’s son and his new fiancée. The president already had had a few drinks otherwise he wouldn’t have let on how relieved he was that his son finally had found himself a girl. Not only that, apparently the son had been set on a path of self-destruction before meeting this paragon of a girl who had picked him up, dusted him off and made him actually do some studying.
I was very surprised when I saw the young couple. They were a delight to see. He was tall, athletic and very handsome in his black suit. She was as taken from a fairy tale. Long blond hair elegantly coiffed, a pretty face, a slender, strong body that her exquisite dress set off perfectly. They were quite obviously very much in love with each other.
When seeing us she stumbled in her high heels but he was there immediately to steady her.
I looked at my boss. He was the very figure of proud father showing off his son and the new fiancée. All through dinner I was looking at him to see if there was any sign that he knew. There wasn’t.
This put me in a very awkward situation. How do you tell your rather conservative boss that the girl he is so happy his son is dating isn’t a genetic girl? DO you tell him? Would it be a case of shooting the messenger? Well, I decided that whatever I was going to do the dinner was not the right time and place since there were so many others present. So I relaxed and decided to enjoy the evening. I especially wanted to get to know the delightful young lady better.
After a very enjoyable dinner it was time to leave. I made sure that I was the one to help the young beauty with her coat.
In a very low voice I asked her: “Do they know?”
“Not the father, until tonight I had no idea who he really is.”
Adjusting the coat for my younger son, who I apparently didn’t know at all, I silently told him
“Have fun tonight but tomorrow we need to have a serious talk.”
Walking away in the slightly chilly evening I was determined that we all would have the best week-end ever since come Monday I most likely wouldn’t have a job any longer.
Comments
I Like This
His daughter/son's happiness is far more important. Hopefully dad's family will embrace the relationship. I see this as a happy story, not a sad one. Very nice.
Portia
Bru,
Bru,
You always have such interesting twists at the end of your short stories. Please keep it up, as it makes them so much fun to read.
Careful...
The narrator had better leave well enough alone. Ruining his own life is one thing. Ruining his son's, and his boss's son's? That's another thing entirely.
-- Daphne Xu (a page of contents)
Actually
it's rather that he doesn't expect his son's prospective father-in-law to remain unaware of the situation now that the boss and the narrator's son finally have met and will spend time together. The boss isn't stupid even if he was a bit drunk this night. If nothing else the boss sooner or later will want to meet his daughter-in-law's parents.
It depends
I suppose it depends upon whether the boss values his "conservative values" more than his son's relationship with the person who "saved" his son. Of course that assumes he hasn't got the sort of God complex that many men in power get -- the idea that they can force the universe to conform to how they would like it to be.
you should continue this one
maybe things will work out for them all
I think it will work out just fine
Best case: The boss realises how lucky his son is (and thus also he himself). Everybody lives happily ever after.
Worst case: Boss kicks out son and fires narrator. The narrator is prepared for this. The family is obviously quite well off and the older son is already working. Depending of what kind of business the narrator is in and where they live he shouldn't have any problem finding a new job since he wasn't fired for incompetence and he has shown that he stands up for his family. Boss's son will have to show what he can do without dad's Money.
Either case it's obvious that the narrator fully supports his son/daughter (the story isn't completely unambiguous which it is).
The narrator isn't really that upset which is remarkable given the shock he must have received seeing his son/daughter without previously suspecting a thing. Not to mention his child getting engaged without telling him (though that was probabably an item for the week-end's agenda)
Liked the story
I almost always like a story like this where it is told in 'first person' but the narrator is not the cd/tg/transformee.
Styx
Love Your Little Batch
Of stories with the unexpected twist. More please!
hmm...
Be they family or not, it is NO ONE's BUSINESS in other people's personal affairs. Only a closed mind would think otherwise and interfere with someone else's personal life; no one appreciates someone else interferring in THEIR life, why should you have any say in someone else's.
The peace and sane way would be to let them be and keep one's business to themself.
For example, One of my kids once asked me how I would take to them transitioning. I merely reminded them that as I didn't live their life, it would NOT be MY place to say otherwise. Besides, it's not like the person within is changing into anything that they did not have within them, per se, they are merely changing as per the prime reality of any life
A bit slow
Took me a few moments to realize the truth about the young woman; I had to read the after dinner departure a few times before things clicked.
Because the story didn't say dad was angry when he recognized the young women, it can be surmised he wants to know more about his daughter--they are going to have a serious talk after all.
Neat story.
Others have feelings too.
Not exactly a condemnation
when earlier in the text he said "I especially wanted to get to know the delightful young lady better."
An Old Saying
"Least said, soonest mended." Don't tell the young man's dad who his fiance really is. Need Dad ever find out?
-- Daphne Xu (a page of contents)
Sometimes best to say nothing
When the truth or what one perceives as the truth would hurt more than keeping one's mouth shut when knowing how others are known to judge. I have known him forever and he is a great friend, decent person. Except his opinion of gays, les, trans is..., very derogatory. The lady walked in and paid for some things she had put on layaway. More than she could carry to her car in one trip. I helped carry the extra things and had a pleasant short conversation with her. I had known her since grade school. I admired her courage. She's big, not very feminine but is coping. I wasn't friends with him in school. But then I really didn't have any friends in school. I knew all the kids in my grade and the grades ahead of me and behind me. I didn't have time to be social as my time existed on the dairy farm. No regrets, I was blessed more than anyone. I would have liked to put on a party dress and go to some of the parties but that wasn't in the cards.
Walking back into the store, my friend began making crude jokes and nasty comments about the lady I walked to her car. I never said anything but nodded at his comments. He had no idea! I doubt I'll ever change his mind but who knows? Maybe as we close in on our last days, I'll tell him, he isn't that biased, because one of "those abominations" has been his friend for years.
Bru, my love, sometimes your stories get close to real life.
Hugs sweety
Barb
Life is a gift, treasure it unti lit's time to return it..
Oklahoma born and raised cowgirl
Real Life
> Bru, my love, sometimes your stories get close to real life.
Yes indeed. Real life very much has its own plot twists.
-- Daphne Xu (a page of contents)