Water under the Bridge

by Sherryl Hancock

  Chapter 2

  The first impression Marcel and Todd Mathews got of Fadiyah Antar was her obvious effect on their only child. They had arrived in Los Angeles the night before, and had come to have lunch with their daughter. Their relationship with Jet was at best, acrimonious. Jet rarely, if ever, let them know what was happening in her life. Years before when she’d joined the Army shortly after high school, Todd had done his best to talk his headstrong daughter out of such folly, but Jet hadn’t been dissuaded in the slightest. If anything it had made her more determined to follow her own path.

  Marcel and Todd were quite well off. Todd was a very successful real estate broker, and Marcel’s family had money. They had expected Jet to follow the logical path of college, career, marriage, and children. The first shock had come when their daughter announced to them that she was a lesbian and didn’t care what they thought. Later, they found that not only did Jet not intend to settle down and have kids with a man, she didn’t seem to want to settle down at all. Every time they asked her about someone in her life, she told them that she didn’t have a ‘girlfriend.’ It was a source of concern for Marcel and Todd; they were worried that their daughter would end up alone.

  The extent of Jet’s purposeful disconnect from them was extreme at times. She had not informed her parents the first time she’d been deployed to Iraq. The only reason they’d known of her time there originally, was when they’d been informed that she’d been killed in action. A mistake, fortunately, but it had shocked them to the core. It had been the impetus they’d needed to start trying to reach out to their daughter. Their sudden “interest” as Jet coined it, only served to irritate their independent, headstrong daughter even more and she’d pushed them farther away. They’d been attempting to come to visit Jet for months, but every time they would contact her, she would put them off. In some cases Todd’s work also got in the way, which usually seemed to relieve Jet more than anything else, much to their dismay.

  They had finally managed to schedule time with Jet, and had arrived at the house as arranged, only to find that she wasn’t answering the door. Against his better judgment, Todd used his key, when Marcel reminded him sharply that the house did belong to them after all. At their suggestion, Jet was staying in the house as a ‘favor’ to them. Walking through the house, they heard music coming from the backyard and walked to the back door.

  They saw Jet sitting in one of the patio chairs facing to the side; she was smoking and drinking coffee. There was an exotic looking dark haired woman with her and they were talking. But as the song on the stereo changed, the young woman smiled and moved to sit on Jet’s lap. Both Marcel and Todd were very surprised when they saw their daughter singing the words to the song, staring up lovingly at the young woman on her lap. It was an enchanting scene, and one they never thought they’d see.

  Jet sang the last lines of Fadiyah’s favorite song, her hands at the girl’s waist, her light green eyes full of emotion.

  Fadiyah smiled brilliantly down at Jet. “You know I love that song.”

  “Of course I do,” Jet said, smiling.

  “And I love you,” Fadiyah said, taking Jet’s face in her hands gently.

  Jet’s hand reached up to touch Fadiyah’s cheek and then she drew her face down to hers, kissing Fadiyah’s lips softly. When their lips parted, they looked into each other’s eyes for a long moment. That’s when Jet heard the back slider open. Her head snapped around and she moved to stand, carefully moving Fadiyah off her lap to do so.

  “We’re sorry if we’re interrupting,” Marcel said, a strange light in her eyes that Jet saw right away. “You didn’t answer the door…”

  Jet looked momentarily contrite, but then she narrowed her eyes slightly. “Guess you used your key,” she said, her tone even.

  “Jet…” Fadiyah said from beside her.

  They’d had a lot of conversations about Jet’s parents coming to visit and Fadiyah had been bound and determined that Jet would at least give her parents a chance before getting nasty. It was already heading in a bad direction.

  Jet closed her eyes for a moment, reaching down to take Fadiyah’s hand, squeezing it gently. When she opened her eyes again, they sparkled with amusement. Her parents had no idea what to expect with that particular look in their daughter’s eyes.

  “Mom, Dad,” Jet said, her smile crooked, “this is Fadiyah Antar, my girlfriend. Fadi, these are my parents, Marcel and Todd Mathews.”

  Marcel and Todd both looked shocked by the term ‘girlfriend,’ but managed to cover that shock by nodding and smiling at the girl.

  “It is very nice to meet you,” Fadiyah said, inclining her head respectfully as she would when meeting a man’s parents.

  “It’s lovely to meet you,” Marcel said, smiling at Fadiyah.

  “Nice to meet you,” Todd said, his smile warm.

  “Can I get you some coffee?” Fadiyah asked.

  Jet held her hand up. “Warning, it’s Arabian coffee, and it’s strong.”

  “How strong?” Todd asked, always up for a challenge, especially from his headstrong daughter.

  Jet grinned as she picked up her cup from the table, handing it to him. Todd took a drink and did his best to control the wince that followed. Jet grinned, her tongue between her teeth in amusement.

  “I’ll take some,” Todd said, his light blue eyes looking challengingly at Jet’s.

  Todd handed the cup to Marcel who took one sip and coughed.

  “Oh my lord, Jet, how do you drink that stuff?” her mother said, shaking her head, and handing the cup back to Jet.

  “Well, when you need to stay awake in the desert in the middle of the night…” Jet said, her tone trailing off ominously.

  “I will get you a cup,” Fadiyah said to Todd. “Can I get you some tea?” Fadiyah asked Marcel.

  “That would be wonderful,” Marcel said, smiling.

  “Cream and sugar, babe,” Jet told Fadiyah, who nodded as she walked inside the house.

  “She’s lovely, Jet,” Marcel said, her eyes shining.

  Jet grinned, but nodded. “Yeah, I know,” she said. She picked up her cigarette and re-lit it, sitting back down as Todd and Marcel did the same.

  When Fadiyah came back out, both Todd and Jet stood. Fadiyah smiled shyly, still ever astounded by Jet’s chivalry; it was apparent she’d gotten some of that from her father. She went to hand Todd the cup, and he put his left hand out to take it.

  “Dad, no!” Jet said immediately, putting her hand out to stop him.

  Todd looked shocked by Jet’s sharp order, but he put his hand down and looked at Jet quizzically.

  “Use your right hand,” Jet said, her tone easier then, her look mild.

  “Jet, it is not important,” Fadiyah said, as she handed Todd the coffee. He took it with his right hand, still looking confused.

  “It is,” Jet said, her tone sure. “It’s your culture, and if we’re all going to be part of your life, we’re all going to respect that.”

  “But he did not know,” Jet said, her tone reasoning.

  Jet nodded. “I know that, and now he does.”

  Fadiyah gave her a questioning look, but then looked at Todd again.

  “It is tradition in my culture to only accept food and drink with the right hand,” she told Todd, her voice low and respectful. “It is believed that the left hand is unclean.”

  “Oh,” Todd said, nodding and glancing at Marcel who nodded also. “I didn’t know, I apologize.”

  “It is no worry,” Fadiyah said, glancing over at Jet. “Your daughter is very vigilant about my culture.”

  Todd nodded again, looking at his daughter, and catching the exchange of looks between Jet and Fadiyah. It was obviously something they discussed a lot.

  Todd sat down, noting that Jet offered her seat to Fadiyah and moved to sit on the arm of the chair after Fadiyah sat down.

  “So where are you from, Fadiyah?” Marcel asked, looking fascinated.

  “I am from I
raq,” Fadiyah said.

  Both Marcel and Todd looked shocked, which caused Jet to grin as she took a long drag off her cigarette.

  “Fadiyah is the reason I went back to Iraq last year,” Jet told them. “She’s the one that saved my life over there.”

  The shocked looks on both her parents’ faces had Jet looking at Fadiyah, her light green eyes twinkling in amusement as she waggled her eyebrows at the girl.

  Marcel leaned across Todd, and touched Fadiyah’s folded hands with her right hand, her eyes shining with unshed tears.

  “Then we owe you a debt,” Marcel said, surprising Jet with her sincerity. “Thank you for what you did.”

  Fadiyah simply smiled, inclining her head. “It was my honor, Jet is an amazing person. I am very lucky to know her.”

  Both Todd and Marcel were surprised by Fadiyah’s declaration, however, they noted that Jet did not seem surprised. In the silence that ensued, Todd looked around at that backyard.

  “Well, Jet, this looks remarkable,” he said sincerely.

  Jet grinned, reaching around Fadiyah’s back for another cigarette as she did.

  “Let me show you what I’m doing over here,” Jet told her father as she got up and lit her cigarette. She leaned down to kiss Fadiyah on the lips before she gestured to her father toward the back part of the property.

  As Jet and Todd walked away, Marcel moved to sit in the chair closest to Fadiyah. Jet noted the movement and raised an eyebrow. Fadiyah glanced at her, seeing the raised eyebrow and smiling.

  After a few minutes of discussing what Jet was doing in terms of the yard, Todd leaned against a post, looking at his daughter.

  “She really is lovely,” Todd told Jet. “How long have you two been together?”

  Jet looked back at her father, surprised by the question, but knowing that Fadiyah would be mad at her if she didn’t try to be nice to her father. So she ignored the urge to make a smart ass comeback.

  “About six months,” Jet said.

  “That’s some kind of record for you, isn’t it?” Todd asked, grinning.

  Jet chuckled. “Well, yeah, stateside, it is.”

  Todd looked confused. “Stateside?”

  Jet cleared her throat, already kicking herself for making that distinction. “I was dating someone in Iraq for two years,” she told him.

  “Oh,” Todd said, nodding looking circumspect.

  Jet knew he was dying to ask questions, so she decided to give him what he wanted.

  “She was a Blackhawk pilot,” Jet said, her tone even. “Her chopper went down, and she was hurt badly. They sent her home, and I didn’t see her again for years. Now I work with her here.”

  “And that’s not difficult?” Todd asked, looking concerned.

  Jet grinned. “Well, she just got married to another woman about six months ago, and she’s happy. I’m happy with Fadi, so it works out okay.”

  Todd nodded, never imagining that his wild daughter had ever formed such close attachments to people. He’d never seen her get attached to anything or anyone for long, with the distinct exception of her maternal grandfather.

  “I guess your mother and I really haven’t been in the loop with you for years,” Todd said, his tone contrite.

  “Don’t ask, don’t tell,” Jet said simply.

  “Is that how you feel about it?” Todd asked her, surprised by her statement.

  Jet nodded. “Pretty much since Grandpa died, yeah.”

  Todd looked shocked. Jet gave him a surprised look of her own.

  “You think I didn’t hear all that stuff that you guys said about him?” she asked, her tone taking on an edge.

  “Jet…” Todd began, his tone cautious.

  The last thing he wanted was to ruin the fragile relationship he was trying to build with his daughter. It was already too late though, he could see Jet’s eyes take on the usual glint of cynicism.

  “You need to know how shocked your mother was, and that we had no idea that you were…”

  “Gay?” Jet snapped, her eyes flashing. “Like him?”

  “Honey…” Todd said, shaking his head, his look pleading. “We knew nothing about the gay community then. And your grandfather hid it from the entire family until the very end…”

  “He didn’t hide it from me,” Jet said, her tone strong.

  Todd looked surprised. “When did he tell you?”

  “When he figured out I was gay too,” Jet said, her eyes holding pain she’d never admit to, especially not to him.

  Todd grimaced. “We never meant to hurt you, Jet, you need to know that.”

  Jet nodded, her eyes looking down, her right knee moving in agitation.

  “Did you mean to hurt him?” Jet asked, her eyes shining with unshed tears.

  Todd was stunned not only by the question, but by the tears in his daughter’s eyes. Weakness was never something Jet showed, especially not to her parents. Todd saw a tiny little window of hope and he knew he needed to grab it while he could.

  “No, honey, no…” Todd said, his own eyes filling with tears. “We just didn’t understand, and we handled everything so badly, and I’m so sorry…”

  Reaching out, he touched his hand to Jet’s shoulder, pulling her to him to hug her. As he did, he prayed that she wouldn’t shove him away as she had years before at her grandfather’s funeral. He was elated when she not only didn’t push him away, but leaned into him accepting his embrace.

  Jet felt years of closely held anger melt away. She wanted to believe her father meant what he said and they hadn’t intentionally been so horrible to her grandfather.

  “You’re dying?” Jet asked in a shocked voice.

  “I am,” her grandfather, Jeremiah Hannrahan, responded, nodding sadly.

  “But why, how?” Jet asked, her mind going in a million directions at once.

  Her grandfather was the only one in the family that knew she was gay. He was her ally. He was the one that assured her there was nothing wrong with her. He was also the one that no one knew was gay too.

  “I have AIDS,” he told her, his tone gentle.

  “That disease everyone is getting?” Jet asked, her tone alarmed.

  “That plague on the gays,” her grandfather said, his green eyes sad.

  “I fucking hate that phrase!” Jet snapped.

  “Jet Blue Mathews, do not use that language here,” her grandfather said, his tone solemn.

  They were sitting in a church, but Jet had long since given up on God and all his wisdom. Her grandfather, however, had not.

  “I’m sorry, Gramps,” Jet said, lowering her eyes.

  “I want you to know,” Jeremiah said, his look direct, “that I am setting up a trust fund for you.”

  “I don’t want stuff, Gramps, I want you here,” Jet said, shaking her head sadly.

  “But that is not to be my little love,” he said, his tone sad. “So I want to make sure that you are set, and that you won’t have to depend on anyone for anything.”

  “You mean when they find out?” Jet asked, her tone rebellious.

  “Yes,” Jeremiah said, nodding. “I don’t want you to go through what I had to when I broke with my family.”

  Jet pressed her lips together, not wanting to cry, but feeling like her whole world was coming apart at the seams.

  She’d been visiting with her grandfather every summer for years. It had been that summer when he’d told her that she was different. She’d known exactly what he’d been referring to; it was a secret she’d kept to herself, because she wasn’t sure how others would take it. Her grandfather had been sure and he’d intimated to her that he too was homosexual so she ‘came by it honestly.’ In her grandfather, she’d found an ally. Not that he hadn’t always been. He was the one to talk sense into her parents when they had no idea what to do with their wild daughter. Both of them being gay just seemed like a sign to her. And now she was losing him. It wasn’t fair.

  She walked into his house unexpectedly one afternoon, when she w
as supposed to be out riding. She heard her parents talking to her grandfather. She was at his home in Seattle for a visit, she’d just graduated high school three weeks before.

  “We don’t want your kind of perversion around our daughter, it’s that simple Jeremiah,” Todd was saying.

  “It is not a perversion,” Jeremiah said, sighing. “And you’ll only alienate that girl if you keep calling it that, Todd.”

  “You need to stay out of this, Father!” Marcel exclaimed. “Jet is my only child, and I will not have you filling her head with this nonsense!”

  “I am not filling her head with anything, other than the knowledge that she is loved and accepted by me.”

  “And the idea that you’re going to leave that child all that money, what is she going to do with it? You’re just encouraging her to run away from us, and you know it!” Marcel yelled, her voice harsh.

  “Marcel, darling, you cannot make that child stay where you want her, she is a free spirit, she needs to spread her wings.”

  “You stay away from Jet!” Todd yelled. “Or I swear, old man, I’ll have you committed before you die!”

  “Jet will still be who she is, Todd, you cannot change that,” Jeremiah had said, his tone still mild.

  “We’ll see about that!” Todd snapped, storming out of the room and right into Jet’s path.

  Jet stared at her father defiantly, her feet apart, her hands down at her side in a fighter’s stance.

  “I’m gay, Dad, just like Gramps and there isn’t shit you can do about it!” she screamed at him.

  With that she ran out of the house and disappeared for a week. When she returned to her family home, she informed her parents that she’d joined the Army and there wasn’t a thing they could do to stop her. Todd had thought because she wasn’t yet eighteen he would be able to force the Army to release her, but they said that since she was seventeen and a half and a high school graduate, she was able to sign the documents herself. It was not a happy time.

  Later, Jet drove her Maserati to lunch, her parents were in the back seat. They noted how Fadiyah wrapped her hands around Jet’s right upper arm, constantly looking over at her. Jet, as usual, had the radio on and sang every word of every song, even the ones in Spanish. A song called “Sound of Silence” came on, it was a remake of an old Simon and Garfunkel song, done by a group named Disturbed. It was a haunting melody and Jet sang the words, her voice clear and to her parents surprise, quite beautiful. Fadiyah stared at Jet in rapt silence. Jet glanced over at Fadiyah a few times while she sang, smiling. It obviously didn’t bother her that Fadiyah was watching her the way she was.