Off Limits

chapter 15



Emily



My cab pulls into the front of Le Bernardin about ten minutes early but I know my parents will already be here. They habitually arrive early to everything, just as I do. I pay the cabbie and step out of the car. It's been awhile since I've dressed up, as there's not much of a need living the life of a college student.

I smooth down the front of my cream colored, Valentino dress. It's one of my favorites. It's perfectly tailored to fit my curves and stops just above my knee. It's sleeveless and has a mandarin collar. A lightweight black jacket and black peep toe pumps complete the look. It's nice to play dress up every now and then, but these clothes represent such a small part of my life now.

I'm finding myself more partial to paint covered cargo pants than anything.

But just that thought makes me fume over Nix’s misplaced sense of decorum. How dare he even place a label on me? I had just spent two years digging myself out of a category, and he was pushing me right back into one.

Bastard.

Maybe I should just show up Monday to work and drop my clothing on the floor and see what he does. I'll show him down and dirty.

I walk into Le Bernardin and scan the bar. My parents are sharing a table and have drinks in front of them. I approach them with nothing less than dread in my stomach. The main topic of our conversation I'm sure will center on my degree and how wrong it is for the family.

My heart hurts a bit that I can't have the type of parents that would be ecstatic just to come and have some quality time with their daughter. As I approach their table, they both look up at me. My father's smile is warm but he stays seated. My mother rakes her scrutiny down my body, taking in my appearance. Approval of my dress is the only thing reflected on her face. What I wouldn't give for both of them to jump up, yell out to everyone in the restaurant, "Emily, we've missed you."

But to be fair, it's not like I'm running to them either. In fact, I feel like my pace is slowing, such is my aversion to this meeting.

When I reach the table, my father stands and gives me a hug. He pulls a chair out for me and I lean over and kiss my mother's cheek before I sit down.

"You look very nice, Emily," my mother comments.

It's a compliment and I greedily soak it in. "Thank you. You both look wonderful as well. What are you doing in New York?"

"Just a few fundraisers. We're staying with Reynolds and Libby Fischer," my father supplies.

My father is a very handsome man. His dark hair has gray at the temples and his brown eyes are welcoming to me. It’s a stark contrast to my mother's lovely, Nordic features.

A waiter approaches and asks what I'd like to drink. I ask for some iced water, as my mouth has been dry as hell since I left my apartment. I'm sure it has nothing to do with nerves.

"So, how is school going?" my dad inquires.

My eyebrows rise slightly. I'm not sure if he's baiting me or not, but I cautiously answer.

"It's going great. I really love all of my classes." And then I decide I better break the ice. "I really love Economics of Sports. It's so fascinating and I was lucky to be able to get into it this semester."

I hear my mother make a weird sound in her throat and I see her hands are clenched on the table. My father surprises me when he says, "That's wonderful, Em. I'm glad to see you enjoying your studies."

I suppose my mother couldn't stand this farce any longer. She reaches over and lays her hand over my father's. "Now Alex, don't encourage her."

"Well, why not," my father booms. "That class sounds really interesting."

I'm sort of enjoying this. I can tell my father has no clue that he's talking about a class that directly supports my forbidden major of Journalism. For even if he truly doesn't care what I major in, he would never intentionally say something to upset my mother. One of the reasons he's an awesome politician is because of his ability to keep the peace.

"Alex," my mother warns, in temperatures that range from frigid to downright arctic. "We discussed this."

And then my father shocks the hell out of me. "No, Celia. I believe you discussed this. I didn't seem to have much of a say-so." He then turns to me. "I'm proud of you kiddo. You pursue your dreams as best you see fit."

I stare at my father dumbfounded. He has never, ever, gone against my mother. In fairness, he's usually gone most of the time so governance of their children usually fell to her. My mother gasps over his comment and stares at him as if she's planning which form of murder will be less likely to be traced to her.

"Alex," she says and I didn't think her words could get any colder. "A journalism degree is not the absolute best choice for your campaign."

My father takes a sip of his drink and says, "Screw the campaign, Celia. Stop trying to control everything. It's not like she's learning how to be a stripper."

I can't help myself but I actually snort out loud. My mother glares at me, and then glares again at my father. My father shoots a wink over at me and I give him a toothy grin.

"Well fine," my mother huffs. "I'm just trying to do the best possible job that I can to help you achieve your goals."

Leaning over to kiss my mother on her temple, my dad smoothes her ruffled feathers. "And you do a marvelous job, darling. I wouldn't be what I am today without you."

Awww. That's so sweet. I’m delighted to see the tension leave my mother's shoulders and she gives him a fond smile. Maybe this dinner won't be so bad after all.

"Hello, Congressman Burnham...Mrs. Burnham..."

I turn in my chair at the voice that just spoke out from behind me and realize that this dinner was about to get very bad.

"Todd!" my father says in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

Indeed! What the hell is he doing here?

My mother stands up and gives Todd a warm hug. It pisses me off because clearly, I didn't rate one. "I invited Todd to join us tonight. Isn't that nice?"

Todd looks down at me with a sly, smile on his face. I can see he's happy to have trapped me here in his presence. I can see him mentally patting himself on the back.

"Emily. You look beautiful," Todd says as he leans down to give me a kiss on my cheek. I'm beyond furious that he thinks he can get away with this. I push my chair back abruptly to avoid his kiss and stand up. Todd actually has to jump back a foot so the chair doesn't ram into him.

I look at my mother. "I told you, Mother, that Todd and I are not dating, nor will we be in the future. I will not be having dinner tonight if he's here."

"Emily," my mother hisses at me. "That is completely rude. Todd is our guest and you will not embarrass our family further."

I close my eyes and try to garner as much strength as I can. Opening them back up, I look to my father first. He's looking at me with worry. Glancing at my mother, she's completely affronted. Todd is merely smirking, convinced that I'm going to bow to my mother's declaration.

I muster as much calm and gentility as I can. "Mother...I told you this summer that things ended badly between me and Todd. I don't understand why you can't accept that and stop pushing us together."

"Don't be silly, Emily. Everyone has problems with their relationships. You just need to sit down and talk things through."

God help me, but I've never wanted to throttle my mother before but I was on the verge now. "No, Mother. Some problems can't be talked through."

My mother completely ignores me. She leans toward my father and says, "Honestly, Alex. Emily can be so dramatic sometimes." She slaps his arm playfully. "I think she gets that from you."

Then my mother actually giggles over that remark.

I, on the other hand, feel like the top of my head is going to blow off. I have no control over my next words. "Mother, would it make you feel any different if I told you that Todd was physically violent toward me? He slammed me into the wall in my bedroom so hard that a painting fell off. How's that for dramatic?"

The patronizing smile slides off her face and my mother's lips press severely together. "That's a very serious accusation."

Deep down, I knew my mother wouldn't believe me. Not necessarily because she thinks I'm dishonest, but because it would ruin all of her plans of matching me with Todd Fulgram and his father's huge war chest. She wants it to be false, therefore, she will do anything in her power to make it false. It still hurts like hell that she doesn't immediately jump up and shove Todd out of the restaurant.

"It's not an accusation, Mother," I say on a heavy sigh, and the full truth of how I feel comes pouring out. "It's a fact. And honestly...I’m a bit heartbroken that my own mother cannot even take my side. You’ve managed to alienate your son, now you’re doing it with your daughter. You need to wake up, Mother, and get your priorities in line. Now, if you will excuse me, I'm going to leave."

I turn around and walk out the door. Tears start pooling and I wipe the back of my hand across my eyes to dash them away. They immediately fill back up again.

Just as I step out onto the sidewalk, I feel someone grab my arm. I wheel around, thinking it's Todd, but it's my father. His eyes are filled with heartache and I know immediately that he believes me.

He holds his arms open and I walk into them, tears now pouring down my face. "I'm sorry, honey. I wish you would have told us."

"Why?" I mumble into his chest. "Mother doesn't believe me."

He kisses me on top of my head and pushes me back just a little so I can look at him. "Your mom tends to get too deeply involved in appearances. It's something she has to work on and it’s something I will talk to her about. But don't ever forget, she's your mother first. She'll always be that for you in the end."

His words sound nice but I’m having a hard time accepting them. Just the mere fact she couldn't even hug me but had a warm embrace waiting for Todd told me all I needed to know. That made the tears continue to fall.

My father frames my face with his hands and wipes away the wetness with his thumbs. "We both love you very much, and are proud of you. No matter what we say to you, or anyone else says to you, you go after your dreams. You don't let anyone stand in your way of what you want. Not even your parents. Okay?"

I nod my head and give him a shaky smile.

"How about we go get some dinner somewhere else...just the two of us?" my dad offers.

"That's okay, Dad. I think I'm just going to head home."

He's worried...I can tell by the look on his face. "Are you sure?"

I stand on my tiptoes and kiss him on the cheek. "I'm sure. We'll get together next time."

Then he wraps me in a big, bear hug and whispers in my ear. "I love you, Emily."

"I love you too, Dad."

Stepping back from me, my father rakes his hand through his hair. "I guess I need to go back in and threaten Todd if he ever looks at you again I'm going to kick his ass."

I start giggling. "That's awesome."

But then the repercussions of this whole Todd fiasco come crashing down on me. "But what about his father?"

"To hell with him. I don't need him to get elected. Not at the expense of my little girl." He reaches out and strokes my cheek.

"Thanks, Daddy," I whisper and then turn abruptly away to hail a cab before my tears start again.