Second Chance: A Military Football Romance

by Claire Adams

  When I got home, both of my parents were there, waiting for me, it would seem. They were sitting in the living room, my father in his wingback chair, my mother on the couch.

  “Hi,” I said.

  They both had rather grim expressions on their faces. My mother also had a big glass of wine.

  “Hello dear,” she said. She took a big sip of wine. “How are you?”

  “I’m fine,” I said cautiously. “How are you guys?”

  “Chloe,” my father said. “Come in here. Have a seat.”

  I sat down, knowing that I wasn’t going to like whatever it was they were about to say.

  “So ... I can tell this is going to be more than just a friendly little chat.” I swallowed, trying to quell the anxiety that had started to build in my chest. There was nothing for me to feel anxious about; I hadn’t done anything wrong. I knew this, yet there was part of me that felt as though they were about to blame me for something. I’d disliked this type of anxiety so much that it was my main motivation as a kid to always do what was expected of me. But now, it seemed, it didn’t matter what I did; my parents would find something to take issue with.

  “Chloe,” my father started, his tone dripping with irritation, “this has all gone on long enough. Frankly, I’m getting sick of having this conversation with you. You’re a young woman who could have a bright future ahead of her if she stays on track. And as your parents, it’s our duty and responsibility to make sure that happens. We would not be very good parents if we simply stepped to the side and let you conduct yourself however you wanted. We’re not saying that you need to mindlessly follow everything we say. In fact, I feel as though we’ve given you quite a bit of freedom.”

  “How so?” I asked.

  My father looked genuinely surprised. “How so? Did we or did we not agree to let you go to that art school you so badly wanted to attend? Who’s financing that? Who’s paying for your living expenses?”

  “I appreciate all of that—you guys know that. But I kind of feel like you’re only okay with what I do so long as it’s what you want.”

  “That’s absolutely untrue.” My father pursed his lips and shook his head. “If you were doing exactly what we wanted you to do, art school wouldn’t have been on the table in the first place. I have an appreciation for the arts, Chloe. Your mother does too. But it’s very hard to make a living as an artist, and because we want to see you do well in life, I feel as though we need to steer you in a different direction. And this path you’re headed down now, seeing this guy, that’s just got to stop. And it’s got to stop now, because I am tired of having this conversation with you.”

  My mother was quiet, staring intently into her wine glass. I took a deep breath and tried not to let my own irritation show on my face. “I know, Dad. And you’re not the only one who is getting sick of having this conversation.”

  “Yet it doesn’t seem to be getting us anywhere, does it? Because I find myself saying the same thing, again and again. So I’m going to nip this in the bud, right here, right now. You are not to see Graham again.”

  My mouth dropped open. “What?”

  “You heard me, Chloe. But just so there is no confusion, I’ll repeat myself: you are no longer allowed to see Graham. End of story.”

  I looked over at my mother, who hadn’t said anything. Hadn’t she told me the night I came home and found her sitting outside that she didn’t think Graham was that bad? That he seemed nice? That we would all have to try again another time to get together? But now, she was just looking down at the fabric on the couch cushion, as though she were considering whether or not she wanted to reupholster it.

  “You can’t tell me that,” I said. “You can’t tell me that I can or cannot hang out with someone. I’m not a child.”

  “You may not be a child, but you’re living under my roof. I’m financing your education, and your apartment. Even though I don’t agree that a person can really have a future in the arts—not a profitable future, anyway. But it’s something that you always felt strongly about, and I wanted to support that. Because I want what’s best for you. And I knew how badly you wanted to go to art school. You may not realize it, but these things cost money.”

  “Of course I realize that!” I snapped. “I’m not an idiot, even though you seem to think I am.”

  “Then you can understand why I don’t want you hanging out with someone like Graham. He’s not the right person for you, and it just seems unproductive to be spending your time with someone that you are ultimately not going to end up with.”

  I could only stare at him in disbelief. He was talking with such certainty that it almost made me doubt myself. But how could he know? How could he know that Graham wasn’t right for me? That we wouldn’t end up together?

  “You really have no idea what you’re talking about,” I finally managed to say. And that was the thing with my dad: he was always used to being in charge, in control of his situation, knowing what the outcome was going to be. And I’d always just got along with it, because I thought that’s what I was supposed to do. “You can’t stand that, can you? You can’t stand the fact that I am doing something you don’t necessarily agree with. Even though I’m not doing anything wrong. I’m not doing anything that’s hurting anyone.”

  “This is hurting me,” my father said. “It pains me a great deal to see you headed down the wrong path. And as your parent, it’s my duty and obligation to try to set you straight.”

  “You can tell yourself whatever you want, but you’re not right.” I shook my head. “I know for a fact that you are not right, at least not in this situation. Graham is a good person.” I looked at my mother. “Mom, you’ve been bugging me this whole summer about how I haven’t really dated anyone and how worried you are about that, and now I finally find someone that I actually like—and that wasn’t offered a job if he’d go out with me—and you guys are unwilling to accept that! I can’t believe it.”

  “You don’t know each other that well,” my mother finally said. “He may not be who you think he is. And what’s going to happen when the summer is over? He’s going to stay here; you’re going to go back to school. Long distance relationships hardly ever work out. You’re taking a gamble on someone that you barely even know.”

  I stood up. “Yeah, well, I’m willing to take that chance. You guys wouldn’t be happy with anyone unless you picked him out yourselves. But guess what? It’s not your life. And you can’t tell me what to do.”

  “Then you are not allowed to live in this house,” my father said calmly.

  My mother gasped. “John! We’re not throwing her out.”

  “You’re right,” he said. “We’re not. We’re allowing her to make a choice. Just because she’s over 18 doesn’t mean she doesn’t have to follow the rules of the house, Claire. We are by no means, though, throwing her out.”

  They both looked at me, my father expectantly, my mother pleadingly. Neither really thought I would leave, though. There was a part of me that didn’t think I would do it, either. But what choice were they giving me? I was 21, not 12.

  “Fine,” I said. “I’ll go.”

  “Chloe, you can’t—” my mother started to say, but my father shushed her.

  “Let her go, Claire. She’s making her choice, and we’re not going to stop her.”

  “I think it’s really unfortunate that it’s come to this point,” I said. “I haven’t done anything wrong. You guys are acting like I’m some sort of criminal or drug addict or something. I’ve met someone that I actually like, and I’m spending time with him. So what if he doesn’t happen to fall into the same socioeconomic class as us? So what if he doesn’t look exactly how you think he should? I didn’t realize you would be so closed-minded.”

  There was a part of me that knew my parents really only socialized with other people “like them,” but I had always assumed that they’d be welcoming to others, especially if they actually got the chance to know them. But now it seemed like they weren’
t even willing to go that far.

  My father started to say something, but I’d heard enough. I walked out of the room. I went upstairs and dug through my closet for my duffle bag. I threw in some clothes, went and grabbed my toothbrush from the bathroom, found my purse, and then trotted back downstairs. They were both in the living room, arguing. I paused at the bottom of the stairs, out of their line of sight.

  “I’m going to tell her she doesn’t have to leave,” my mother was saying.

  “You’ll do no such thing.”

  “But John, we can’t throw her out! Where will she go?”

  “Claire, it’s not our problem. And Chloe knows she is always welcome here so long as she is willing to follow the rules. If she wants to come back tonight—fine! We’re not asking that much. She’s making a big deal of it because she feels she needs to take a stand, but she’ll come around.”

  “I just ....” My mother’s voice broke and I knew she was about to start crying.

  “I’m leaving,” I said. I debated whether or not I should go in there, but decided against it. Nothing I said, short of promising to never hang out with Graham again, would change my father’s mind, and nothing they could say would change my mind, either.

  After I pulled out of the driveway and had driven a little ways, I called Tara.

  “Are you home? Can I come over?” I asked when she answered.

  “Of course you can,” she said. “I’m just hanging out by the pool. Everything okay? You sound upset.”

  “My parents just threw me out.”

  “What?!”

  “I’ll tell you when I get there.”

  “This has to do with Graham, I assume.”

  “You got it.”

  “If you need a place to stay, you’re more than welcome to stay here! It’ll be like old times when we used to have slumber parties and sneak down and watch horror movies!”

  I laughed. “You know, that sounds exactly what I’d like to do tonight.”

  “Well, you better get your ass over here then! I’ll see you soon.”

  I hung up, still laughing a little. It felt good.

  *****

  Tara’s mom, Melanie, answered the door. She immediately pulled me in for a hug.

  “Tara told me there’s a bit of upheaval happening at your house. I want you to know you’re welcome here as long as need be.”

  “Thanks,” I said.

  She pulled back from the hug and squeezed my shoulders.

  Tara’s mom hung out with my parents sometimes, but she’d always felt more like a big sister. When it came to fashion, she was far less conservative than my own mother, and she had a flair for bright colors, big purses, and gaudy jewelry.

  “Now, I don’t want to meddle or anything, but is this something maybe I should try talking to your parents about? Tara filled me in a little on the details, and the whole thing sounds like it’s a bit blown out of proportion.”

  “You don’t have to,” I said. “I appreciate the offer, but at this point, I don’t think there’s anything you could say that would change my dad’s mind, anyway.”

  “Your dad can be awfully stubborn. Here, let’s leave your bag here. Tara’s out back.”

  I left my duffle bag in the big front entryway and followed Melanie out to the backyard. Tara was lying out by the pool. She sat up when she heard us.

  “So what on Earth is going on?” she asked.

  “They don’t want me to see Graham anymore.”

  “The man from the tattoo place?” Melanie asked. I nodded. “I think I’ve seen him before, actually, when I was walking by there. He’s got a beard, right? He’s a nice-looking guy.”

  “My parents don’t think so. Well, my dad doesn’t, I think my mom would be willing to give him a chance. He actually came over a few days ago, but that went horribly. So now my parents just want me to stop seeing him. And they said if I didn’t, then I’d have to leave the house.”

  “Oh, my.”

  Melanie gave me a sympathetic look. “You really are welcome to stay here for as long as you’d like. And again, I don’t want to stick my nose where it doesn’t belong, but maybe it wouldn’t hurt if I said something to your mother. I see her around a lot.”

  “I can’t believe it,” Tara said, shaking her head. “They really haven’t even given him a chance.”

  “They just don’t like him. They don’t think he’s the right person for me, they think that I’ll be heading down the wrong path if I keep seeing him.” I felt my anger start to flare as I spoke; were they really that closed-minded? And how long did they plan on not talking to me for? If Graham and I ended up together, would they just simply cut me out of their lives forever? “But it’s not up for them to decide how I live my life, and since I’m not doing anything to hurt anyone, and since Graham is not a bad person ... they don’t get to dictate this.”

  Melanie patted my hand. “It’s never easy for a parent when they think their kids are doing something that’s not in their best interest. But, I know both your mom and dad, and they’re smart people. Hopefully they just need a little time to think about things and then they’ll change their minds.” She gave me an encouraging smile. “Anyway, I’ve got a hair appointment I have to get to, so I’ll leave you girls to chat. And I mean that, Chloe—you’re welcome to stay here for as long as you’d like. Though I have a feeling you’ll be back home sooner than you think.”

  “Thanks, Melanie,” I said.

  “Kicked out of your own home,” Tara said. “I can’t believe it. You rebel, you.”

  “I’m still kind of having a hard time believing this happened. I mean, it did really happen, right? That’s why I’m sitting here, that’s why there’s a bag of my clothes in your front hallway?”

  “I’m sure your parents will come to their senses. They probably can’t believe that you decided to leave, either. But for now, you can at least enjoy a transient existence for the next couple of days. Which is about as long as something like that is fun for.”

  “Well, I appreciate you letting me stay here.”

  “Of course. It’s the least I can do, considering how you guys came to my rescue the other night and that whole thing with Michael.”

  “He always kind of creeped me out, if I’m going to be honest. I couldn’t let you go meet him by yourself.”

  “I do feel kind of embarrassed about how that all went down. I really don’t think that Michael would’ve done anything, but ...” she shrugged and tried to laugh, though I could see that she was a bit troubled by what could have potentially happened. “So ... I really am glad that you decided to tag along, and even more so that Graham showed up.”

  “You know I couldn’t let anything bad happen to you,” I said. I kept my tone lighthearted, but I was immensely relieved that things had turned out the way they had and not worse. Tara might not be willing to admit it out loud, but I suspected Michael was the sort of person who would have no problems holding someone hostage for as long as he felt like, just because he was so used to getting his way.

  “And yes, I realize that it was stupid of me to want to make him jealous in the first place. Graham even said something about it to me, but I didn’t listen. He’ll probably give me a lecture the next time I see him, or at least an “I told you so,” and I totally deserve it. But I learned my lesson. God, what was I thinking, anyway? I realized when I saw him how glad I was that we weren’t together anymore. And then I was just sitting there, wondering why I’d even agreed to meet up with him in the first place. I just ... I don’t know, I realized that it wasn’t worth it. But yeah, I feel like a fool.”

  “We all make mistakes sometimes,” I said, wondering if I myself might have made a mistake by walking out the way I did. I hoped I hadn’t, but there was a small part of me that felt uncertain.

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Graham

  “So, you’ve got a girlfriend.” Todd shook his head slowly, brow furrowed in an expression of pure perplexity. We were out on a ride
and had stopped so Todd could demolish a package of energy chews. I hadn’t planned on mentioning anything to him about Chloe, but then he asked if I was still hanging out with Chloe or if I’d started sleeping with other girls, too. “Didn’t we start this summer with you swearing off getting laid? How does this happen?”

  “I don’t know,” I said. “It’s just one of those things that happens when you’re not expecting it?”

  “Now it sounds like you’re quoting to me from the last fortune cookie you got. No, I’m serious—I’d really like some sort of explanation as to why the fuck the guy who swears off sex is now the guy who is not only getting laid, but is actually in a relationship. And you’re winning races! How is all this possible? Granted, it was the one race that I didn’t go to, so I’m sure I would’ve beaten you if I’d been there, but ....” He looked at me with a mix of awe and envy. “I mean, really, it’s like you’re having the best year of your life or something. The best summer, anyway.”

  “It hasn’t been bad.”

  “No shit! You’ve even won a race. Are we still going up to the race this weekend?”

  “Yeah. I think it’ll probably be my last one, though.”

  “Really? If my summer was going as well as yours was, I’d go all out and do as many races as I could. You should probably start playing the lottery, too.” He tipped the package of energy chews into his mouth and then, once the last one was gone, crumpled the wrapper and stuffed it into the back pocket of his jersey. “I am happy for you, though. Now all you need to do is find a girl for me.”

  “I’ll see what I can do,” I said. Maybe I could ask Chloe if she had any ideas. Tara might be a possibility, and after dealing with someone like that guy Michael, Todd would probably seem like the perfect gentleman.