Her eyes widened. “Oh, that sounds promising. What school will you be attending?”
I again had to refocus my attention on our conversation which wasn’t hard because AJ and his father were no longer in sight. “Charleston University.”
That’s a great school. It’s almost as difficult to get into as Westwood where Anthony’s going. His father was so proud when he was accepted. My husband graduated from there years ago. It was always his dream for his son to follow in his footsteps. He wants Anthony to one day take over the family business.”
As she spoke I realized how much of a sacrifice AJ was making to follow me to Charleston. I could only imagine how disappointed his father would be when he found out that he wasn’t going to Westwood. It would probably crush him. I knew that AJ had to be aware of this, but decided that being with me was more important than pleasing his parents.
Mrs. Hahn excused herself to check on dinner and I asked her to point me in the direction of the restroom before she left. She disappeared down the hallway and I crossed through the foyer down another long hallway toward the bathroom. On my way, I overheard AJ and his father talking loudly around the corner. I eased over to the wall and eves dropped after slipping my shoes off to keep them from hearing me as I moved in closer.
“Son, I just don’t understand what it is about this girl. There are plenty of others out there.” His father’s words reopened a deep wound that hadn’t had much time to heal. My biggest fears were coming true. Mr. Hahn hated me. “What about Mr. and Mrs. Tanaka’s daughter Reina. Or there’s The Allen’s daughter right next door, Jennifer. She’s a nice girl and she comes from a good family.”
“Dad, I love Samantha. I’m not settling for just any girl. And Jennifer’s not even Japanese, she’s white!” AJ replied. “Why do you feel she’s not good enough for me? Is it because she’s black? Is that it?”
“Yes! That’s exactly it! They’re no good and I don’t want you with one of them!”
“No good,” AJ repeated flatly.
“Yes, son. They suck the very life out of society. You can do so much better. You’ve got a bright future ahead of you and I don’t want you to throw it all away over some girl. She’s got a pretty face, but who knows what’s hiding behind it. Don’t get so caught up in your physical attraction that you can’t think clearly.”
AJ was silent. I would’ve given anything to see his expression. “Ahhh…..I see.” His father laughed to himself. “That’s what it is.” Apparently he’d just come to the conclusion that sex was the only reason AJ was so attached to me. “Anthony, take my advice. You don’t want to get too involved with this girl. I understand that physical love can be a powerful thing, but you can’t let that cloud your judgment. This girl is not right for you.”
“You have no idea what you’re talking about. Sex has nothing to do with why I’m with her. She’s nothing like you just described. She’s loving, gentle, ambitious – all the things I’d think you’d want me to look for in a woman. But you’re so close-minded that you can’t see past her skin color.” He paused. “Until now, I’ve never been ashamed of being your son.”
“Anthony, mark my words. That girl will let you down. And when she does you’ll have to come back and apologize. She’s no different from the rest of them and it’s just a matter of time before she proves me right.”
“I can’t change your opinion of her, but I can tell you that as long as I’m breathing you will respect her. If I ever hear anything different I won’t even take into consideration that you’re my father before I react.”