"Don't expect anything. Just be yourself," my dad advised me.
"But her father, what if he doesn't like me?" I asked the question that I really wanted to know the answer to. My dad smiled at me.
"Oh, I see, this is really about meeting her father for the first time."
"Yeah, it is," I said.
"Tell you what. Why don't I drop you off at this young lady's home and then that way we can both meet her parents. It'll take a lot of the uneasiness out of the situation."
"No," I said quickly. "Then I'll look like a baby."
"Well, where does she live, Wesley?"
"A few blocks over. I wrote down her address and phone number and left it on the kitchen counter like you asked me to do. I'm worried about her parents' approval of me."
"There is nothing wrong with you, Wesley. You're a nice and respectful young man. You've just run into a few wrinkles in the road, that's all."
"I know, but what do I say to her father? What if the guy is a real jerk?"
"Okay. A few rules for you. When you meet him, be very respectful. Address him as sir. When you enter his home, listen to his direction. If he asks you to have a seat on a particular chair, make sure that's where you sit. Then, when he asks you questions, be honest and truthful. Meeting fathers is never easy, especially the first time. Her father was your age once and he's probably thinking that if you are anything like he was at the age of sixteen, the only thing your brain is filled with is having sex with his daughter."
"Aah, well—that would be true, I have thought about it but I haven't brought that up to her. I'm not putting her under any pressure or anything like that." At that point my father turned the television completely off.
"Are you still a virgin, Wesley?" my dad asked out of the blue. I suddenly felt mortified that he'd asked such a personal question.
"Yeah," I answered, suddenly wanting to end our conversation.
"There is nothing wrong with you being a virgin at your age. In fact, it's a good thing that you are because having sex is a major step and it's a lot of responsibility."
"We don't have to discuss this right now. It can wait," I said, wanting to end our conversation.
"No, I think it's a good time to have it. We've talked about everything else but this. I know that you must have some very strong urges. So let's talk about it."
I felt numb. Talking about sex with my old man was like trying to talk about a wet dream with my mother. It was just odd.
"You do have urges, don't you?" my dad asked.
"Yeah, I do—" That was all I could say but I could tell that my dad wanted to know more.
"It's okay to have those feelings," he said, "but you have to be in control. You can't allow yourself to go around trying to hump every girl you meet. It's unhealthy, it's irre sponsible and you could get a reputation that you may not be very nice."
"Are you kidding me? Guys my age love having a reputation for getting down with a lot of girls. There are guys around my school who brag constantly about their conquests. One guy told the entire locker room about how he did some girl in his car and how bad she was. Another guy has tricked several girls into giving it up by telling a variety of lies from 'if you love me, you'll do it' to 'I'll go blind if you don't' and girls actually fall for it."
"Wesley, just because a young man claims to have had an intimate relationship with a young lady doesn't mean it's true. A guy that brags about his conquest to an entire locker room is a real jerk. Because now that young lady is going to be approached by those other guys looking for their own opportunity because she has a reputation of being active. And just because a guy has an intimate time with a number of girls it doesn't make him more of a man or a great lover. In fact, I'd be willing to bet that the young men who are bragging so much know very little about love, romance, compassion, respect and truly carrying for a person. Intimacy is much more than jumping up and down inside some young lady's belly for a few moments of pleasure. It is so much more than that. It sounds as if the guys who are bragging have removed their emotions from the relationship, which is why they don't care about what they're saying. When you're involved emotionally, you've made a commitment on a different level. I'd be willing to bet that the young ladies who are active believe that they are in an emotional relationship with the guys they've given it up to."
"Yeah, I think you're right because I do hear those same guys talking about how crazy some of the girls get when they dump them for another girl. The girls cry, they argue in public and some even fight the guy's new girlfriend. The boys I know get a kick out of it when girls fight over them. Oh, and one girl even had her male cousins beat up a boy for having sex with her and then dumping her the next day."
"Wesley, you don't want to be in a position where you slept with a stranger and then wake up with an enemy. Love is not about having intercourse. Loving a person is much deeper and there is a emotional bond that is formed when you love someone—I know that it's not easy when your body is sending out signals of desire. Sometimes the hunger for intimacy can cloud a man's judgment." My dad paused for a moment. "Do you have condoms?" he asked.
"No," I answered.
"Then I'll get you some to keep with you. I'm not saying go out and do anything, I'm just being a father." He paused again before speaking. "You're my son and you're a likable kid with a good heart. Keysha's father will see that," my dad said, and that made me feel a little more at ease.
"Okay," I said, glad to know that our conversation about sex was ending.
"Are you sure you don't want me to drive you over there?" he asked again.
"No, I'm cool. I'll walk," I said.
"I would let you take the car but you know that we have to wait for the final paperwork releasing you from the care of the rehab center to reach the judge for approval."
"I know. I still can't believe that Judge Hill actually suspended my license."
"Well, I think it was a good thing that she did that. It keeps you from making an irreversible mistake. What time will you be back?"
"I should be back around 4:00 p.m. or 5:00 p.m. Before the weather turns too cold. Oh, on my way home I'm going to stop at the library and pick up a book Keysha suggested I read."
"You really like her, don't you?" my dad asked.
"Yeah, I do."
"I like her too and I haven't even met her. When are you going to bring her over?"
"I don't know. I haven't thought about it."
"Well, here is a word of advice from your old man. She's probably waiting for an invitation from you. So make sure you invite her over before she says something to you."
"Gotcha. What are you going to do this afternoon?" I asked.
"I'm going to install that ceiling fan sitting in the corner." He pointed to a box on the floor. "I'm going to remove the old light fixture above the sofa." My dad pointed toward the ceiling.
"Do you need any help installing it?" I asked.
"No, I can handle it. You go and have a nice time," he insisted. "As soon as this movie goes off I'm going to get that project taken care of."
"Cool. I'll catch you later," I said as he clicked the television back on and continued watching his movie.
When I arrived at Keysha's house, I was so nervous that I felt like puking. I rang her doorbell and waited for someone to answer it. I cleared my throat a few times in anticipation of greeting her dad. I heard the tumbler on the door turn and then finally it opened up.
"Keysha." I breathed a sigh of relief.
"Ooh, you said that as if you were expecting a dragon to answer the door."
"I'm just a little nervous, that's all," I whispered. "Here, I purchased a flower arrangement for you."
"Oh, they're so pretty," Keysha cooed as if the flowers were the best gift she'd ever gotten. "Come on in. My dad is sitting in the family room. My stepmom is on her way back from the grocery store with my brother."
"Oh, okay," I said nervously as I entered the house and kicked off my shoes so that I wouldn't track in any dirt from outside. I walked up several steps and entered the family room.
Keysha introduced us. "Dad, this is my friend Wesley. And, Wesley, this is my dad, Jordan."
"Hello, sir," I said as I approached him. Jordan was sitting on a chair, glaring at me as if I'd stolen something from him. I mean, honestly, Jordan looked as if a smile hadn't crossed his face in at least one hundred years. I immediately got a bad vibe from him.
"So, you're Wesley." He didn't sound pleased at all.
"Yes, sir." Jordan shook my hand but squeezed it so hard I swear it felt as if he'd shifted several bones in my hand around. When he released me from his clutch, I had to shake my hand and fingers out to make sure they still worked.
"They used to call me the bone crusher," he said with a condescending grin on his face.
"What are you talking about?" Keysha asked. It appeared to be the first time she'd ever heard him say such a thing. Her father ignored her request for additional information.
"Have a seat." He pointed to a chair and I sat down. Keysha came over and sat next to me. She placed my hand in hers. I know she did it as a way to ease my nerves. Heck, I wasn't as uneasy when I had to go into juvie as I was now. Jordan didn't like the fact that Keysha was so close to me. I could see the distrust in his eyes.
"So, what do you want to do with your life, Winston?" Her father didn't remember my name.
"Um, my name is Wesley, sir," I politely corrected him. I glanced at Keysha and I could see her murdering him with her eyes.
"Oh, my bad." Her father tried to sound hip but it seemed so out of character for him.
"I haven't thought about what I want to do yet as far as a career goes," I answered him truthfully.
"Why haven't you thought about it?" he asked as if I was a complete idiot for not having a plan mapped out.
"I don't know." I shrugged my shoulders. I felt my heart beating about four times faster than normal. I felt as if I was blowing my first encounter with him.
"He's going to go to college, Jordan." Keysha jumped in the conversation. "He's going to do great things with his life. I just know he is." Keysha smiled at me.
"What kind of job do you have now?"
"He's not working right now but I'm sure he'll find a job over the summer. Isn't that right, Wesley?" Keysha asked.
"Yeah," I agreed.
"Can't he speak for himself?" Jordan cut Keysha off. I could hear Keysha's breathing getting heavier. I knew that she was upset with her father for grilling me so hard.
"So, what do you plan on doing with my child?" he asked, but I didn't know what he meant.
"Excuse me, sir?" I asked.
"You know, why don't we cut straight to the chase, Wesley?"
"Okay," I said, not certain of what he meant.
"I don't like you. And I probably never will."
"Jordan!" Keysha yelled at him. "That's not fair and you know it. Why are you acting like this?"
"It's okay, Keysha," I said.
"No, it isn't. You haven't done anything to him so he has no right to treat you like this."
Jordan leaned back in his seat and just glared at me. His eyes were filled with fire and I didn't know why.
"I think I should leave," I said.
"But you just got here. Barbara planned on cooking for us."
"No, Keysha," I said, rising to my feet. "It's time for me to go. Your dad just said that he didn't like me."
"You can stay," Jordan said, but I could tell that his words were empty and didn't mean anything.
"I can't believe you're behaving like this, Jordan," Keysha scolded her father.
"Look, I'll just catch up with you later, Keysha. Maybe this is just a bad time or something," I said, and made my way toward the door. I quickly put on my shoes and exited the house. Just as I stepped out into the sunlight I saw a blue Volvo pull into the driveway.
A woman got out of the car. "You must be Wesley. I'm Keysha's stepmom, Barbara."
"Hi," I said.
"Where are you guys going? It will not take me long to whip up something to eat."
"I'm walking Wesley home," Keysha said. "Jordan is being a real big jerk!" she said it very loudly. The smile fell from Barbara's face.
"What did he do? Was he being mean-spirited?" Barbara seemed to know her husband very well.
"Mean and evil," Keysha said. "Ooh, I can't believe he acted out like that."
"He was like a big bully, wasn't he?" Barbara asked.
"Yeah," Keysha said. At that moment I glanced in the passenger seat of the car and saw Mike with a sinister smile on his face and wondered what that was all about.
"I'm going to walk him home. Is that okay with you, Barbara?" Keysha asked.
"Wesley, you're really welcome to stay. Jordan isn't going to bother you. I promise."
"Thanks for offering but I really should get back. My dad needs help installing a new ceiling fan anyway."
"Wesley's phone number is sitting on my desk in my room in case you need it. I won't be gone long," Keysha informed Barbara.
Barbara sighed. "All right, then. Let me go in there and straighten Jordan out. Oh, and for the record, I apologize for Jordan's behavior."
"Don't worry about it," I said, and began walking past the car.
"Are you sure you don't need a drink, Wesley?" Mike asked. At that moment Keysha realized that Mike must have had something to do with the way Jordan was acting.
"What did you say to Jordan?" Keysha snapped at him.
"I told him what he needed to know," Mike answered.