Beautiful Monster 2(8)

 
"I think he likes you, mostly," I replied as we walked out into the warm September sun.
 
"Are you going to audition for the year-end show?" he asked me, changing the subject.
 
I shrugged, giving him a mischievous smile. "Depends. Are you on the casting panel? Also, isn't it a musical?"
 
"Right, but it's not a strong musical. We revised half the songs and made them lines. And no, it's completely impartial... not that I think that should impair you in any way."
 
"We'll see then."
 
The restaurant was a short walk away, a place that I considered fancy, especially on a modest theater salary, even with the school allowance. It had been part of my scholarship, and I was grateful for it. However, you grow up fast when you grow up poor, and money worries were a very real concern for me. When school was over, if I didn't get a show or a role somewhere, I had no idea what I was going to do.
 
My father was already inside, having gotten a table for three. He was reading the menu, no doubt criticizing it to no end, and didn’t notice us until we were practically on top of him.
 
“Amy!” He threw his arms around me, giving me a giant hug. I hugged him back, beaming. I had missed him more than I realized. “And Liam, good to see you.” He reached out to shake Liam’s hand.
 
“You too, sir,” Liam said, even though I knew they had seen each other all summer. But they had seen each other in the form of Headmaster and Chef, not as potential future in-laws.
 
We sat, opening our menus as Dad peppered me with questions.
 
“How are you feeling, Amy?”
 
“Fine,” I replied, trying not to roll my eyes. It was his daily question and I was surprised he went this long without asking it.
 
“Is everything okay with your medications? Do you need any refills? Don’t forget you have an appointment with Doctor Zed on the 18th at…”
 
“Dad, I know.” I smiled at him. “I have it written down. And everything is fine. Don’t worry.”
 
He relaxed a bit, giving me a sad smile. “Sorry, I guess I’m not used to the fact that you are all grown up. You look just like your mother, you know.”
 
“I’d love to see a photo of Amy’s mother,” Liam broke in. “Do you happen to have one?”
 
“I do.” My father reached into his pocket to get his wallet.
 
Liam winked at me and I grinned back at him, grateful that he was changing the subject. Dad passed over a dog-eared photograph that I knew like that back of my own hand. My mother was standing in a field of flowers, grinning at the camera, in a yellow sundress. She must have been my age, or just a little bit older. My parents had a true love story, meeting in high school and getting married soon after. It should have been an epic tale, one they could tell their grandchildren sitting around the fire. Instead, not too soon after their wedding, they got in a car crash and my mother had needed a blood transfusion. Little did they know that the transfusion contained infected blood.
 
“She’s beautiful,” Liam said, passing the photo back. “You are a lucky man, sir, to have such a beautiful wife and daughter.”
 
“Thank you.” Dad looked down at his menu again, to avoid emotion, and I glanced at mine for the first real time.#p#分页标题#e#
 
My stomach was growling and I was starving, although what I actually craved was a home-cooked meal. I wished we had just gone over to Dad’s house for lunch. After months on the road, something simple would have been nice. But I wanted to take him out, and it was the first time in my life I had been able to afford to.
 
“Hey, Dad, guess what?” I asked, procrastinating from choosing a menu item. “Sarah got into grad school at Leopard. She’s moving here next week.”
 
“Really?” He glanced from me to Liam. “And was that an… assisted application?”
 
Liam shook his head. “No, sir. The applications are blind. We don’t have any information from admissions until we select them. Amy’s friend Sarah is a very talented young lady and it’ll be wonderful to have her.”
 
“Oh, I know all about Sarah.” He gave me a smile. “You must be happy.”
 
“I can’t wait!” I exclaimed, unable to stop myself.
 
Dad opened his mouth to say something, and then coughed, bringing his napkin to his mouth.
 
“Father, are you ok?”
 
“It’s nothing. A summer cold. Shall we order before the waitress has us for dinner?”
 
I chuckled, glancing over my menu at our waitress, who did look quite capable of eating us, especially if we didn’t order something soon. I felt comfortable and relaxed, surrounded by my favorite people in the town I had grown up in. The town and people that had made my dreams come true. It was certainly good to be home.