Heading into the house, I headed up to my room, and decided to look up time for the movie I wanted to watch. I wanted one at a decent time where Jason and I could get something to eat first. Scrolling through the pages, I found what I needed, and I wrote down the times. I’d call Jason later and get things sorted out.
A knock on the door interrupted my thoughts, but I went and opened it to find my father on the other side. “I heard you come home. I had been waiting for you to call me,” he lingered in the doorway awkwardly.
Stepping aside, I let him walk into my room, and I left the door open as I went and sat on the bed beside my laptop. “Jason and I had been hanging out by the school, figured I’d walk. Didn’t want to hassle you for a ride when the walk wasn’t very long,” I answered him, not looking up from my computer.
My father cleared his throat before coming to sit on the edge of the bed closest to me. “How was your night at Jason’s house?” He seemed rather embarrassed about having to ask me about it.
I smiled at my father. “It was really lovely, actually. His parents are wonderful people. They were very inviting and fun to talk to. I think you’d really like them.” I shut my laptop and looked at my dad.
“Did you and Jason… you know… sleep. Uh…” he looked like he wanted to be anywhere else rather than here in this room with me.
Grinning, I replied, “Dad, yes, we slept in the same bed. No we didn’t have sex.” I was matter of fact, and I refused to break eye contact with him. He brought it up. I was going to relish this moment.
Clearing his throat rather loudly, he stood up and headed for the door. “Well, I’m glad you’re smart, and I don’t have to worry about… well, just worry.” With that, he disappeared out of my room as quickly as he could. I couldn’t help the giggle that escaped my lips. My dad at a loss was everything I wasn’t used to in life. It was amazing.
I reached for my phone from the night stand and texting Jason the times for the movie before I headed down to the kitchen to get a snack. Finding some fruit out of the refrigerator, I took the container and set it on the counter, eating them one by one when my phone lit up. Jason was calling me.
Swallowing what was in my mouth, I answered the phone, “Hey, Jase! Did you get your parents to okay movie night?” I grabbed a grape out of the bowl and held it between my fingers as I waited for his response.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t go,” he replied in a voice that was so sad, it broke my heart.
Sitting up straighter, I dropped the grape back in the bowl. I needed my fullest attention on Jason. “Jason, what’s going on? What’s wrong?”
“My parents are going to bring me to their lab so they can run some tests to try and find a way to remove all of the animal DNA from my own DNA.”
Tests? Labs? Don’t his parents understand that it’s too soon to be putting Jason back into a lab. The memories that would drudge up for him had to be terrible. But, I supposed, they were thinking long term. They wanted to help get him back to normal, like what he wanted, like how he should be. And the sooner they get that done, the better off he’ll be.
“How do you feel about that?” I asked him. I really cared. I really wanted to know. I wanted him to be okay. To feel safe with them.
“Not thrilled about being in a lab again, but if it’s the only way I can be normal, I have to do it,” he replied. It was what I expected him to have said.
I nodded into the phone. “Your parents are going to take great care of you, Jason. Do you want me to come along? Keep you company?”
“No, you don’t have to do that. It’s supposed to be a long process, and I don’t want to put you through that. Just knowing you’re thinking about me will help me through it all,” he answered in typical Jason chivalric fashion.
Smiling, I said, “Is it going to take more than one day?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll come along on some of the rides. I’ll let this first time be you and your family so you can get familiar with the routine and all that. Call me when you get back home to let me know how everything went, okay?”
“I will.”
“Everything will be okay, Jason.”
“I hope so.”
“I know so. I love you, Jason, talk to you later.”
“Love you, too, Elijah.”
Ending the call, I slipped my phone into my pocket. What was I going to do with myself tonight? I walked into my father’s office. “When will Mom get home?” I asked him.
“She said she’d be home in about an hour now,” he answered, then looked up at me because I never asked when they got home. I never cared. “Why? Do you need something?”
I nodded, “I need to tell you two something, but I want to tell you both at the same time. I’ll tell you over dinner.”
Turning, I headed out of the office, but my dad’s voice stopped me. “You aren’t pregnant are you?”
And only because I was feeling a little ornery, I winked and said, “Guess you’ll have to wait until dinner to find out.”
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
Sitting around the dinner table, the suspense between the three of us was so thick, I could have reached out and touched it. I picked at my food, taking small bites before my father couldn’t take the silence anymore. “For God’s sake, tell us what you need to tell us. The suspense is killing me,” he practically shouted.
My mother nodded, “Yes, I am quite curious as to what this is about, too.”
I set down my fork and made a show of taking my time in organizing my thoughts. “I got accepted into Duke University. Full ride,” I finally just threw it out there. No prologue, no warning.
My mom hopped in her seat in surprise. “You what? Duke?” she was so taken aback she couldn’t even form complete sentences. The smile that crossed her lips I didn’t think I’d ever forget it in a million years.
“Elijah! That’s fantastic news! When did you find out?”
“The day we got Jason out of the labs. I just forgot about it in the aftermath of everything,” I replied.
“I didn’t know you even applied to Duke,” my mother said.
“That’s the best part. I didn’t. Coach submitted my application, sent in the tapes from last season and some from the beginning of this year, and sent in one of my essays from English Comp my teacher had saved, and paid the fee. If Coach hadn’t helped me out with that, I have no clue where I’d be going or what I’d be doing. “
“I don’t have any idea what to say. This is the best news I’ve heard in a long time. I am so happy for you, El. Congratulations. We are going to go out after supper and celebrate. Get some ice cream. Live a little.” He reached over and placed a hand on top of mine. My mother did the same with my other hand. “Elijah, we are so proud of you.”
And those were the words I had been searching for my whole life. I never would have been able to guess that this much energy and love would over power me like that. I felt like crying in happiness. I loved this feeling. I loved my family. My parents. I liked what was happening in my life for once in my life.
