"What time is Ken getting here, hon?" Monica Rose inquired of her daughter as they pored over a crossword puzzle at the kitchen table.
From the time Maddy had been in elementary school, it had been one
of their favorite shared hobbies. An avid reader practically from the time
she was a toddler, Madeline excelled in writing, literature and word games;
she thoroughly enjoyed the challenge of deciphering the cryptic clues and
then coming up with the correct letters. Usually, she and her mom were
doggedly persistent, able to crack just about every one they attempted.
Tonight, however, The Philadelphia Inquirer's Friday night crossword edition
had been particularly tough.
"Oh, he called me while I was still at the office earlier; said he was
leaving Somers Point around 5:30. Since he lives right near the Parkway, I
just gave him directions from the A.C. Expressway. It didn't make sense
to have him drive several miles south and then take all of those back
roads. Besides, most traffic is heading to the Shore, and not away from it, I
would think."
"Yes, that makes sense," her mom agreed. "I would imagine he'll be
here by 7:30 at the latest. What do you guys have planned?"
"Well tonight, we'll probably just go to dinner and maybe see a
movie, if it's not too late. Tomorrow night, he's taking me to Lily
Langtry's. And of course, on Sunday, the Eagles are playing the Cardinals
away, so guess we'll watch it here with everybody."
"Yeah, that'll be good, honey. We can make something easy like
spaghetti with clams for dinner, and I'll go pick up some tomato pie and
other stuff to snack on. Maybe Lyle and Daphne will come over, too,
although if she comes she has to watch the game or hang out with Louis
in the other room. I don't want to be distracted."
Maddy laughed, knowing how tough it could be for her mom to play
hostess for non-football enthusiasts. She certainly sympathized with the
sentiment; none of her girlfriends gave a damn about the sport, either.
"I just don't understand how anyone could not enjoy football, Mom.
I'm addicted to it!" Then, changing the subject, "Oh, I forgot to tell you,
Kenny invited me to a wedding!"
"Really? Who's getting married?"
"One of his cousins who lives in Ventnor. I don't know the guy.
Actually, I haven't met anyone in his family yet, although he's shown me
lots of pictures. I guess this'll be a great opportunity to get to know them.
His mom sounds really nice; I'm looking forward to meeting her."
"Wow, that's a big step, going to a wedding with him," Monica
remarked softly. Maddy shrugged her shoulders.
"I guess, but we've pretty much been seeing each other nonstop for a
month, plus talking on the phone all the time. Neither one of us I is
seeing anybody else. He needed a date, so he asked me. Makes perfect
sense. Ugh! Now, I have to figure out what to wear. I have a few ideas,
but I have to ask him again what time of day it is, so-"
"Madeline, don't you think this is moving a little too fast?"
"Why because he invited me to a wedding?"
"Don't get me wrong, Maddy. Ken's a very respectful kid, and a
pleasure to be around. He's nice and all, but-"
"It's the college degree thing again, right?" Maddy felt her blood
beginning to boil, but she fought to keep the emotion out of her voice.
Her father would be walking through the door at any minute and she
certainly didn't relish the thought of the three of them butting heads over
the issue. True, Dad was on her side; but the idea of her parents arguing
over something else when they were already stressed out over Damian
and Laura pained her deeply.
"Madeline, honey, it's just that you come from a highly educated
family," Monica pleaded as calmly as possible. Like every good mother,
her fondest wish was for her daughter to marry the right guy and live
happily ever after. And though she truly did like Ken, she lacked her
daughter's intuitive faith and spiritual vision when it came to detecting the
inner spark that fueled his passion and work ethic. "My goodness, your
grandfather was a pharmacist back when most immigrants were still
working hard labor!"
"Yes, Mom I've very proud of our family, but what does that have to
do with anything? Ken treats me like a lady; he respects me, he makes me
laugh all the time. We have fun together and I never have to pretend I'm
someone else when I'm with him. After all of the crap I took from Jake,
doesn't that count for anything? Why can't you just be happy that I met a
decent guy?"
"Madeline-"
"Oh, and by the way, here I am an educated "college girl," living at
home with Mom and Dad. I don't even make enough money working a
job I hate to even buy or rent my own place. Maybe you don't like what
Ken does for a living, but he makes a helluva lot more money than me,
owns his own house and has a nice car. You know what? He's ten times
more accomplished than MBA Jake, who still lives at home and is still
trying to find himself!" In spite of her best efforts, the tears were flowing
freely.
"Well, what do you two even have in common? I mean, what do you
talk about?"
Monica spoke in a soothing voice now, hoping to pacify the situation
before her husband walked through the door. She hadn't planned on
having this exchange right now, considering the weekend plans ahead, but
Madeline's wedding news had acted like kerosene on a smoldering fire.
She'd initially dismissed the concern that her daughter might be speeding
ahead precipitously in this relationship, but it appeared her instincts had
been correct. If Ken was at the point of including Maddy in important
family celebrations, no doubt his intentions were serious. And who could
blame him? But not just anybody was going to get Madeline's hand. She
was simply too special to settle for anything less than she deserved.
"Everything, Mom! We talk about everything, including all of the
amazing things he's done and seen in the Navy. You know, not all kids are
lucky enough to have their parents foot the bill for college. But unlike
Jake, Ken doesn't hate me for not having to take out loans to finance my
education. He took it upon himself to enlist because he wanted a better
life. My God, can't you at least admire him for that? Hasn't just about
every man in our family also served in the Military, with the exception of
Greg, Damian and Louis? You're proud of them! Why can't you be proud
of Ken?"
"Honey, I do admire that. Your Uncle Dan was an Admiral in the
Navy, and look at all he's done. But there's no substitute for education,
that's all I'm saying. And I just hate to see you get too serious with this
guy too soon, that's all."
"Mom, how long has it been since you've been in the dating world?
Let's see, oh about 36 or so years? Do you have any idea what it's like out
there, especially for nice girls? 'Cause if you did, you wouldn't be giving
me a hard time right now!"
"Hey, what the hell is going on in here?" Maddy closed her eyes for a
second when she recognized her father's booming voice. "I can hear the
two of you all the way out in the garage!"
"Mom doesn't want me to see Ken anymore," Maddy said quietly.
"Madeline, that's not what I-"
"You listen to me, Maddy," Joseph Rose said firmly, striding up
closely to his daughter to emphasize his viewpoint. He was still dressed in
his tennis garb, having just come from his Friday night session. "You are
25 years old. You can date anybody you want!"
A shell-shocked Maddy remained silent for a moment, grateful for her
father's support, but dismayed that she'd become the cause of discord
between her parents.
"Joe, all I was saying is that you can't discount the importance of
education in today's world," his wife explained. And while he conceded
that point to her, he opposed her on everything else. Madeline watched
sadly as their disagreement escalated into a shouting match, with Joseph
extolling Ken's praises and Maddy's right to choose her own boyfriend,
and Monica expressing heartfelt motherly concern. It had never been her
style to interfere before. That's what made this even more difficult for
Madeline to cope with; it was completely unknown territory.
And as she stood there, a bystander in a battle she'd indirectly
instigated, she was rendered speechless. Her stomach in knots, she
suddenly panicked when she looked at the clock.
"Mom, Dad, please stop fighting!" she ordered them. "Ken's going to
be here any minute. I'm going upstairs now to clean myself up before he
does. Then I am going to spend a nice weekend with him before I end
things for good." And with one final glare at her mother, she added, "I
hope that makes you happy!" With that, she turned and ran upstairs to
redo her make-up.