asshole. She shoved the mascara brush violently back into the container, screwing on the lid and throwing it into her make-up bag. She adjusted the long peasant skirt she was wearing, glancing in the mirror to make sure the white satin shorts she wore underneath didn’t show.
“ I’m coming!” She made a kissing face at her own reflection, tilting her head first left, then right. The pink tank-tee she was wearing wasn’t made to be see-through, but without a bra, her dark nipples were clearly visible. Grabbing her purse and slinging it over her shoulder, she pulled the door open and crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Jeez! Can’t a girl even take a pee without it turning into some committee meeting?”
They all stood there, arms crossed, glaring for a moment, before Lindsey’s mother broke the silence. “You look nice.”
“ Thanks.” Lindsey snapped her gum. “So what’s up? Zach’ll be here any minute.” Her parents exchanged looks and she knew, then, what they were up to and rolled her eyes. “Oh good god, don’t tell me this is the ‘you can’t date a nee-gro’ lecture again?’” She brushed past them both and headed toward the kitchen.
“ It’s not that.” Her mother’s voice followed her, and so did her stepfather’s footsteps. The whole kitchen still smelled like stuffed green peppers, which Lindsey hadn’t touched. She hated green stuff. “It’s just… well, Zach is a little old for you, don’t you think?”
Lindsey snagged a Diet Coke, popping the lid open with a pink-painted fingernail. “Twenty-two is too old?” She downed half the can in four big swallows and then burped loudly. “Christ, it could be so much worse. He could be fifty-two—lay off already!”
Her mother sat at the kitchen table and sighed, glancing up at her stepfather. He just shrugged, shaking his head. Lindsey hid a smile behind her Coke can, swallowing the rest of it. It thrilled her to know that she had backed them into a corner. They were too P.C. to say any more about the fact that he was black, and they couldn’t really soundly object to their four-year age difference.
“Four years isn’t a big deal if you’re, say, thirty, and he’s thirty-four… ” Her stepfather was clearly trying to salvage his argument. “But there’s a big difference when you’re eighteen and he’s twenty-two.”
“ Really?” Lindsey rolled her eyes, tossing the can into the recycling bin. “Is that the new math? Did I miss that day in school?”
“ Honey… ” Her mother sighed again, folding her hands on the marred surface of the table. It was the one piece of furniture they’d had since she was a baby, and she suddenly had a memory of her father—her real father—sitting her on the edge of that table, putting a band-aid on her knee after she’d fallen down and skinned it. That can’t be a real memory. I was too young. I must have seen a picture of it or something… But she knew it was. She had only a few memories of him at all, but that was one.
“ Wait!” Lindsey held up her hand. She’d heard Zach’s Camaro pull up in the driveway. “Let me save you some breath. You’re worried about me… concerned about my welfare, that’s all. You wouldn’t even be having this conversation with me if you didn’t love me so much. Right?”
“ I don’t appreciate your sarcasm.” Her stepfather’s jaw was working in that way it did before he really got mad, and she was glad she was minutes from heading out the door.
“ And I don’t appreciate you trying to tell me who I can or can’t see.” Lindsey heard Zach’s footsteps on the stairs. “I’m not going to tell this guy to come back in the year 2020 because you’re afraid of the age difference. That’s just wack!”
The doorbell rang. That was her cue. “So tell me, mom… which do you hate most? The fact that he’s black? Or the fact that he’s twenty-two?”
“ Which attracts you most?” her stepfather asked, leaning against
“ I’m coming!” She made a kissing face at her own reflection, tilting her head first left, then right. The pink tank-tee she was wearing wasn’t made to be see-through, but without a bra, her dark nipples were clearly visible. Grabbing her purse and slinging it over her shoulder, she pulled the door open and crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Jeez! Can’t a girl even take a pee without it turning into some committee meeting?”
They all stood there, arms crossed, glaring for a moment, before Lindsey’s mother broke the silence. “You look nice.”
“ Thanks.” Lindsey snapped her gum. “So what’s up? Zach’ll be here any minute.” Her parents exchanged looks and she knew, then, what they were up to and rolled her eyes. “Oh good god, don’t tell me this is the ‘you can’t date a nee-gro’ lecture again?’” She brushed past them both and headed toward the kitchen.
“ It’s not that.” Her mother’s voice followed her, and so did her stepfather’s footsteps. The whole kitchen still smelled like stuffed green peppers, which Lindsey hadn’t touched. She hated green stuff. “It’s just… well, Zach is a little old for you, don’t you think?”
Lindsey snagged a Diet Coke, popping the lid open with a pink-painted fingernail. “Twenty-two is too old?” She downed half the can in four big swallows and then burped loudly. “Christ, it could be so much worse. He could be fifty-two—lay off already!”
Her mother sat at the kitchen table and sighed, glancing up at her stepfather. He just shrugged, shaking his head. Lindsey hid a smile behind her Coke can, swallowing the rest of it. It thrilled her to know that she had backed them into a corner. They were too P.C. to say any more about the fact that he was black, and they couldn’t really soundly object to their four-year age difference.
“Four years isn’t a big deal if you’re, say, thirty, and he’s thirty-four… ” Her stepfather was clearly trying to salvage his argument. “But there’s a big difference when you’re eighteen and he’s twenty-two.”
“ Really?” Lindsey rolled her eyes, tossing the can into the recycling bin. “Is that the new math? Did I miss that day in school?”
“ Honey… ” Her mother sighed again, folding her hands on the marred surface of the table. It was the one piece of furniture they’d had since she was a baby, and she suddenly had a memory of her father—her real father—sitting her on the edge of that table, putting a band-aid on her knee after she’d fallen down and skinned it. That can’t be a real memory. I was too young. I must have seen a picture of it or something… But she knew it was. She had only a few memories of him at all, but that was one.
“ Wait!” Lindsey held up her hand. She’d heard Zach’s Camaro pull up in the driveway. “Let me save you some breath. You’re worried about me… concerned about my welfare, that’s all. You wouldn’t even be having this conversation with me if you didn’t love me so much. Right?”
“ I don’t appreciate your sarcasm.” Her stepfather’s jaw was working in that way it did before he really got mad, and she was glad she was minutes from heading out the door.
“ And I don’t appreciate you trying to tell me who I can or can’t see.” Lindsey heard Zach’s footsteps on the stairs. “I’m not going to tell this guy to come back in the year 2020 because you’re afraid of the age difference. That’s just wack!”
The doorbell rang. That was her cue. “So tell me, mom… which do you hate most? The fact that he’s black? Or the fact that he’s twenty-two?”
“ Which attracts you most?” her stepfather asked, leaning against
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