I was admittedly a little afraid to say anything else. “No, I…..”
“Forget about bringing him here. Even forget about disrespecting me. You disrespected yourself! I can’t even look at you right now!” She yelled loud enough that I was worried she’d wake Daddy. “You’re father and I waited until we were married, Samantha. This is unacceptable.”
Hearing my mother compare me to her made me feel so ashamed. I did know better, but I chose to do what I wanted instead of what I knew was right. I felt the tears coming on again and did my best to hold it in. AJ felt me tense up and squeezed my hand gently. His sympathy made me even more emotional and my tears flowed like a river after a dam failed. My body quaked like I was seizing as I buried my face in my hands. I felt AJ’s arm wrap around my shoulders to comfort me.
Mom was silent for a long time. When she spoke again, her anger had subsided a little and her tone was softer. “Samantha, your father and I love you just like I’m sure your parents love you AJ. We don’t want to see you two messing up your lives. You’re not responsible enough to handle the pressures that come along with having a sexual relationship. It changes everything. You two are young and obviously in love. Don’t mess that up by complicating things with sex.” I felt her put her hand on top of mine. “I want to see you two make it. I really do. But you’re not ready for that.” I trusted my mother. Although I didn’t fully understand, I took her words to heart.
She talked for a little while longer before dismissing us. I walked AJ to the door and stood there. “Thank you for staying with me. You didn’t have to do that.”
He smiled at me reassuringly and we kissed once briefly before he was out the door. I leaned against it and replayed the night in my head. None of it seemed real, but it definitely was. My mother came from the study and stood in the middle of the foyer. She stared at me for a few seconds before she extended her arms to hug me. “I love you.” She patted my back and kissed my forehead. “But you do know you’re grounded, right?” She asked as she turned to walk up the stairs.
“Yeah, I know,” I sighed.
“Straight home after school every day until Prom.”
“Mom, Prom’s three months away!”
She looked back at me and I could tell from her expression that I shouldn’t press the issue. “Straight home after school every day until prom,” she repeated. “Am I clear?”
“Crystal clear,” I replied.
“If you stick to it, maybe AJ can come by and you two can sit in the living room and talk. But I know you understand your visits will be supervised.” When she reached the top of the stairs, my parent’s bedroom door opened slowly.
“What’s going on?” Daddy asked groggily. My heart stopped again as Mom turned to look at me.
“Nothing, James. Go back to bed,” she stated flatly as she followed him back into the room. I was grateful to her for keeping the night’s events a secret. Daddy wouldn’t have been so forgiving.