The Sauna Part 136

I heard a faint tapping on the door as I woke the next morning and it was Pat, letting me know the coffee was ready. He was an early riser and was getting ready to take the dog for a walk. I threw on my robe and joined him for a cup before he left. I told him I was surprised that mother and daddy were waiting for us last night and he explained that mother had insisted on being there even though she’d forgotten why before we arrived.

“Yeah, your father wasn’t very happy about it, but I think sometimes he’s just too tired to fight with her” he observed.

I nodded in agreement and we both wondered how much my dad would be able to take and for how long. I heard the door of the bedroom open and a sleepy eyed Jon emerged, his hair sticking up at all angles. I poured him a cup of coffee and he put his arm around my waist and kissed me good morning. Pat was getting ready to take Belle for a walk and he asked Jon if he wanted to join him.

“I was thinking about going for a run to wake up, but a walk would work” he agreed as he stretched. “Wanna come babe?” he asked, turning to me.

I shook my head no as physical activity wasn’t what got my blood moving in the morning and I figured it would give me an opportunity to take a shower by myself without argument. We hadn’t discussed that particular issue, but I wasn’t going to risk upsetting my sister who was pretty prudish about such things.

When they returned, I was dressed and cleaned up and Linda and I were in the kitchen. I made a fresh pot of coffee, having drained the last one, and Linda proceeded to list off the choices for breakfast. Jon’s eyes lit up when she offered to make French toast and I warned her not to ask for his help except with clean up and he pouted.

He noticed I’d taken a shower already and resigned himself to bathing alone. It was already getting quite warm outside and the humidity was high so we all dressed in shorts and cool clothes. It was probably snowing back home.

We finished breakfast and piled into the car for the short drive over to my parents’ house and my dad was outside washing the car. Mother was in the house watching through the window as she always did, never letting my father out of her sight. She came to the door and invited us in and it was a little sad to watch as she tried to play hostess. My dad took Jon in the den to show him his collection of model cars while I downloaded pictures from the car show onto the computer. I overheard snatches of the conversation between my dad and Jon.

“You’re a decent looking guy, why don’t you get yourself a haircut?” my father suggested.

“Your daughter forbids it. Honestly, I wanted to before we left Buffalo” I heard Jon reply.

“Yeah, that figures” my dad responded and they resumed talking about cars.

I smiled secretly, knowing it was something my dad would leave alone now as he knew me well enough to realize I was behind it. He also knew enough to choose his battles wisely and this wasn’t one he was going to win anyway. My dad made us a simple lunch with sandwiches or salads or both and I whined that there was no mayonnaise, so I opted for the salad.

Jon wasn’t fussy and had both without complaint. It was interesting to see how I behaved with my family, he thought to himself. It was like seeing a different side of me as I seemed to flip between being an adult and a child and he noted how both Linda and I always addressed my dad as father, but referred to him between us as daddy while mother was always mother. After lunch, the story-telling started as seemed to be the unofficial tradition in our family whenever we were all together.

Jon really seemed to enjoy learning about our history and my mother soon began bragging about the things I had done when I was in school and how she remembered typing all my papers. I gritted my teeth and smiled, as the reality was that she had done it grudgingly and had been a real bitch through most of it, always complaining about how much I wrote and how much time it took.

My dad took Jon into the hallway and showed him the plaque I’d received from one of my instructors for my research and my sister told him how I used to correct her students’ papers back when I was in high school. My dad asked me about work and I was evasive, not having the courage to tell him I’d quit my job.

I turned the conversation towards Jon and his career and soon he was in his comfort zone, talking about the history of the band and his own middle class background. My dad listened with rapt attention and I could see he was impressed as he began to realize that Jon was no dumb rock star, but an astute businessman. Linda and I rolled our eyes when my dad offered to show Jon the ten-year financial plan he’d developed that was written out in infinite detail, but Jon seemed genuinely interested and they disappeared together into the den.

I never expected my dad to be capable of using that as a ploy to get Jon alone, but he had been waiting for an opportunity all day. He did show him the budget he’d created and he was proud of it, but he used the time alone to grill Jon about his intentions towards me. Jon answered honestly and my father learned more from him than I had shared by far and he seemed satisfied that this was no fling. He also realized that for once I had chosen a man who could take care of me, if it ever came down to that, and he was relieved.

“Do you really love my daughter and can you promise me that you will never hurt her intentionally?” my father asked him seriously.

“I swear to you that I love her more than I ever thought possible and that I will always take care of her and do everything in my power to make her happy. And I also swear to you that I will never ever leave her” Jon told him.

That was a bit more than my father had even hoped to hear and he was impressed with Jon’s sincerity and willingness to answer his questions. When they finally rejoined us in the living room, my father looked relaxed and Jon was smiling. I wondered, but never expected my father to have been so blunt so soon. I should have known better, and Jon told me later that he’d been waiting for it and would have done the same thing if some hot shot rock star wanted his blessing with Stephanie.

The rest of the afternoon passed comfortably enough and we began to discuss dinner. Linda had planned a meal, but Jon wanted to take us all out to eat as his way to contribute and Pat suggested CeCe’s, a pizza parlor with a buffet that boasted twelve different kinds of pizza at a time. I saw the twinkle in Jon’s eyes and cast my vote on that, although my dad declined as it would be too much of an effort with my mother, so it was just Linda, Pat, Jon and I who ended up going.

After dinner I suggested we watch a movie and I wanted everyone to see ‘Pay it Forward’. It was one of my favorite movies and not just because Jon had a bit part and no one else had seen it yet. Jon was agreeable then after a little pressure and we all went over to my sister’s to watch as there was more room. My mother dozed off half-way through, but everyone else seemed to enjoy it and my father teased Jon a little about the character he played.

“That’s why they call it acting, father” I said, defending him.

“I know, I know. Just making a point” my dad said.

“Received and understood” Jon nodded, acknowledging my dad and I kept my mouth shut.

My parents went home after the movie and we stayed up and played Scrabble. I couldn’t resist teasing Jon about what his fans would think if they knew how he was spending his evening and he reminded me that he knew how to sing the Barney theme song and watched cartoons with his kids. Linda asked about the kids and Jon beamed as he talked about them. Pat fell asleep on the floor with the dog and my sister woke him up and told him he should go to bed and we all decided it was time.

Jon joined me on the linai for a smoke and noticed the hot tub. Since Linda had gone to bed and Pat wasn’t such a prude, I asked if he’d mind and he fired it up, glad someone would get some use from it as they rarely used it. It was a quiet, mild night and it felt good to sink into the hot water. I sat between Jon’s legs and he held me while he told me about his conversation with my dad.

“Jon, I’m sorry. Really. I just never saw that coming” I apologized, feeling annoyed that my father had interrogated him like that.

“It’s okay, baby. I’m glad we got it over with and I was actually expecting it anyway” he said coolly as he filled me in on all that he had told my father.

“You didn’t tell him I quit my job, did you?” I asked in a moment of panic.

“No, darlin’. That’s not for me to tell, but you need to tell him eventually” he prompted.

“I know, I know. And I will, but not this weekend, okay?” I pleaded.

“You know him best and I trust you, but I’m guessing that it is eating at you to keep a secret from him and I’m not sure he’ll take it as bad as you think if you tell him the truth” he said soothingly.

He really did understand me and he was right. It was bothering me and I knew the conversation would go much worse the longer I waited. But I just wanted to be sure he’d had a chance to know Jon and realize that it wasn’t just some stupid impulse on my part. Jon might trust my judgment, but I was less sure of my father. I’d sleep on it.

Jon bent down and kissed my neck and I felt a shiver of desire run through me. I turned around and he pulled me closer. I wrapped my legs around his waist as I floated into his lap and he kissed me deeply. I circled his neck with my arms and he stood up, still kissing me. The water dripped off our bodies as he stepped out of the hot tub and set me down.

“Will you come to bed tonight, wife?” he asked imploringly.

“Yes, husband” I answered as I shut off the hot tub and we wound our way back to the bedroom.