and head out the back door. I need to ask my dad a question before I go to the parts store anyway and now I’m curious. My mom follows closely, like a hyper puppy, somehow carrying two full glasses of iced tea. I open the door to the garage and hear voices at the other end, but the TV is loud and I can’t make them out. I can see that there are two people sitting in the chairs facing the TV, their backs to us.
My dad turns around first. “Hey, Ronnie, I was beginning to think you got lost.” He reaches out to take a plate from me. “Thanks.”
I look at the chair next to him and nearly drop the plate. Dimitri stands up and quickly grabs it before it slips out of my hand.
I can’t speak. What? How? Too many questions are running through my head.
He looks at me like he can hear the incoherent babble in my mind. One corner of his mouth turns up into a boyish grin and he nods slightly. “Good morning, Veronica. Or is it afternoon?”
I’m still dazed. “Almost afternoon. Hi Dimitri. What are you doing here?” It comes out sounding rude and I want to take it back as soon as I say it.
“You said I should stop by this weekend to see the garage … that your dad would be home … remember? I apologize. I should’ve called, but you never gave me your number. I didn’t realize you had plans this morning or I would’ve waited.”
He’s struggling and I have to interrupt him before this gets any worse. I force a smile. “It’s okay. You just surprised me, that’s all. I guess you’ve already met my parents, then?”
They all look at each other and smile. Suddenly I feel like an outsider.
Dimitri nods, the odd, knowing smile still on his face, as he looks from my parents to me. “Yes. We’ve met.” The smile is the same one I saw on the first day of school when he asked me if I’d just come from French class. Only now they all seem to be in the on the joke and I have no idea what to think.
“Here’s some tea, sweetie.” My mom hands Dimitri a glass. “You let me know if you need some more. I just made a fresh batch.”
“Thank you, Jo. And thanks for the sandwich. It really wasn’t necessary. I’ve already made a pest of myself this morning.”
A pest? That indicates some period of time has passed. How long has he been here? What the hell?
My mom gives my dad his glass of tea and pats Dimitri on the shoulder as she passes and goes back to the house.
I feel like I’m in a goddamn twilight zone. My mom is always hospitable and always friendly, but she’s usually a bit more tentative with any new guys I bring home to meet them. Not to mention that this new guy brought
himself
home, unannounced—
without me
. And then there’s my dad who, in the past, hasn’t acknowledged any of my friends that are guys unless it is blatantly obvious they aren’t boyfriend material. A grand total of three have passed the test: John, Tate, and Teagan. My dad trusts me implicitly, but doesn’t think anyone is good enough for his little girl. This is definitely weirding me out.
My dad pulls a chair up next to him. “Ronnie, why don’t you sit down?”
I sit down mechanically. It’s like I’m outside myself looking down on the scene. On one side I should be absolutely thrilled that Dimitri’s come to see me. But on the other hand, my parents’ reaction to him is so …
strange
. I know the effect Dimitri has on me. I’m completely spellbound in his presence, despite the fact that I’ve known him less than a week. I’ve noticed the way other girls react to him at school, too. His looks and confidence are intoxicating. But that shouldn’t work on parents, especially mine. My dad is sitting here in his goddamn shrine, watching an old western, eating lunch with Dimitri like they are old buddies. For crying out loud—he’s only known him for a few hours at most.
They eat their sandwiches in contented silence. My dad’s eyes are glued on the TV and Dimitri’s eyes are glued on me. He’s sitting
My dad turns around first. “Hey, Ronnie, I was beginning to think you got lost.” He reaches out to take a plate from me. “Thanks.”
I look at the chair next to him and nearly drop the plate. Dimitri stands up and quickly grabs it before it slips out of my hand.
I can’t speak. What? How? Too many questions are running through my head.
He looks at me like he can hear the incoherent babble in my mind. One corner of his mouth turns up into a boyish grin and he nods slightly. “Good morning, Veronica. Or is it afternoon?”
I’m still dazed. “Almost afternoon. Hi Dimitri. What are you doing here?” It comes out sounding rude and I want to take it back as soon as I say it.
“You said I should stop by this weekend to see the garage … that your dad would be home … remember? I apologize. I should’ve called, but you never gave me your number. I didn’t realize you had plans this morning or I would’ve waited.”
He’s struggling and I have to interrupt him before this gets any worse. I force a smile. “It’s okay. You just surprised me, that’s all. I guess you’ve already met my parents, then?”
They all look at each other and smile. Suddenly I feel like an outsider.
Dimitri nods, the odd, knowing smile still on his face, as he looks from my parents to me. “Yes. We’ve met.” The smile is the same one I saw on the first day of school when he asked me if I’d just come from French class. Only now they all seem to be in the on the joke and I have no idea what to think.
“Here’s some tea, sweetie.” My mom hands Dimitri a glass. “You let me know if you need some more. I just made a fresh batch.”
“Thank you, Jo. And thanks for the sandwich. It really wasn’t necessary. I’ve already made a pest of myself this morning.”
A pest? That indicates some period of time has passed. How long has he been here? What the hell?
My mom gives my dad his glass of tea and pats Dimitri on the shoulder as she passes and goes back to the house.
I feel like I’m in a goddamn twilight zone. My mom is always hospitable and always friendly, but she’s usually a bit more tentative with any new guys I bring home to meet them. Not to mention that this new guy brought
himself
home, unannounced—
without me
. And then there’s my dad who, in the past, hasn’t acknowledged any of my friends that are guys unless it is blatantly obvious they aren’t boyfriend material. A grand total of three have passed the test: John, Tate, and Teagan. My dad trusts me implicitly, but doesn’t think anyone is good enough for his little girl. This is definitely weirding me out.
My dad pulls a chair up next to him. “Ronnie, why don’t you sit down?”
I sit down mechanically. It’s like I’m outside myself looking down on the scene. On one side I should be absolutely thrilled that Dimitri’s come to see me. But on the other hand, my parents’ reaction to him is so …
strange
. I know the effect Dimitri has on me. I’m completely spellbound in his presence, despite the fact that I’ve known him less than a week. I’ve noticed the way other girls react to him at school, too. His looks and confidence are intoxicating. But that shouldn’t work on parents, especially mine. My dad is sitting here in his goddamn shrine, watching an old western, eating lunch with Dimitri like they are old buddies. For crying out loud—he’s only known him for a few hours at most.
They eat their sandwiches in contented silence. My dad’s eyes are glued on the TV and Dimitri’s eyes are glued on me. He’s sitting
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