Monogamy

by Susan X Meagher

  "Yes, of course. You can tell me anything, Mia."

  "I’ve always assumed that meant that you’d listen to me and not judge me before you heard me out, right?"

  "For the love of God, what is it?" Anna Lisa cried, grasping her child by the shoulders and holding on a little too tight.

  "It’s not that big a deal, Mom," Mia said, wincing as she pried her mother’s hands from her body. "I think you’re probably going to be a little upset by my choice of partner."

  "Is he a drug dealer? A child molester? What?"

  "He’s … not a he. He’s a she, Mom. I’m in love with a woman."

  Anna Lisa’s face froze in surprise and she took a step backwards, stumbling a little as she did. Grabbing onto the counter, she shook her head violently, then said, "You’re what?"

  Mia looked her right in the eye and said, "I’m in love with a woman. I love her with all my heart, Mom."

  "You can’t be serious!" the older woman cried.

  "I’m deadly serious," Mia said, her expression reflecting her feelings. "I’m serious enough to tell you the truth – even though I know this will upset you."

  "Upset? Upset? You’ve never seen upset!"

  "Mom, please don’t yell at me," Mia begged. "You said we could discuss this."

  "What is there to discuss? My only daughter comes home to tell me she’s a lesbian? What can you say to that?"

  Swallowing, Mia decided to tell the whole truth. "I didn’t say that I was a lesbian. I guess I’m bisexual, because I’m still attracted to men. But I love Jordan, Mom, and she’s the person I want to be with – she means everything to me."

  "You’re in love with a woman, but you’re not a lesbian." Anna Lisa said this slowly, giving her daughter a look that bespoke her incredulity.

  "What I call myself doesn’t matter," Mia insisted. "What’s important is that I’ve found the person I love. Why does it have to be such a big deal that she’s a woman?"

  "I knew I shouldn’t have let you live with that girl," Anna Lisa said, fuming. "With that alcoholic mother and that cheating father, she couldn’t possibly be a good influence on you. She’s obviously convinced you that this is a perfectly acceptable choice. Well, it’s not!"

  "Mom, Jamie had nothing to do with this! You can’t convince someone to sleep with a woman if she doesn’t want to!"

  "WANT TO!" Anna Lisa yelled. "You admit that this is something you want to do! Well, you can change your mind right back, young lady. If you can want it, then you can stop wanting it just as easily!"

  "Will you listen to yourself? You can’t order me to stop loving someone!"

  "I most certainly can!" Anna Lisa said, her voice rising over her daughter’s.

  Mia jumped down from the counter, standing toe to toe with her mother. "You can’t have it both ways, Mom. Either you have a rational discussion with me, or I hide things from you. I will not tell you something that means so much to me, only to have you treat me like a two-year-old!"

  "You’re acting like a two-year-old! You see someone else do something, and you have to jump right in and do it yourself! This isn’t who you are, Mia! You’re not like Jamie and her …"

  "Lover," Mia growled. "Ryan’s her lover. Jordan’s my lover. And there’s nothing you can do to stop me from loving her. Nothing!"

  Grabbing her jacket, Mia stormed outside, heading up the curvy, narrow road, determined to keep walking until she felt calm enough to start round two of the encounter.

  It was fully dark, and the cars barreling around the curvy streets would have frightened Mia if she hadn’t been so angry. But she was so steamed that all she could think of was exactly how to tell her mother off when she returned to the house. She was so engrossed in her plans that she failed to see the British racing green Jaguar slow, and then pull into the driveway in front of her. "Mia!" her father called out.

  Looking up, the young woman approached the car tentatively. "Are you armed?"

  "Get in, you lunatic," Adam said, chuckling softly.

  Mia did so, leaning against the door, in case her father took a swing at her. "Do you curse the day I was born? Or is that only mom’s wish?"

  "Oh, honey, she didn’t say that, did she?"

  "No," Mia admitted, "but, it was implied."

  Adam put his hand on his daughter’s knee and gave it a squeeze. "You know her temper gets the best of her, honey, but she loves you very, very much. You caught her by surprise with this one." He smiled and added, "You caught me, too."

  "What were my options, Dad?" she asked. "It’s not like I could have worked up to this slowly. I mean, I guess I could have started dating effeminate men, but that probably wouldn’t have given you a good enough clue."

  "No, I don’t think there’s a baby step for this kind of thing. I’m sorry that Mom hurt your feelings so badly. Would you like to go have some coffee or a drink and let her calm down a little?"

  "A drink," Mia decided. "A nice, stiff drink."

  They found a nearby restaurant with a comfortable bar, and father and daughter sat next to one another, sipping at their drinks for a few minutes before either one spoke. "Are you disappointed in me, Dad?" the young woman finally asked.

  "No, Mia," he said softly. "You’ve never disappointed me, baby." She raised an eyebrow and he smiled. "Okay, I’ve been disappointed a few times, but only when you’ve done something that’s dangerous or harmful. This isn’t one of those kinds of things."

  "What kind of thing is it, Dad?"

  "Well," he said, "I’ve always thought you’d find a nice guy and settle down. It never dawned on me that you might see a different future for yourself. It’s gonna take some time to get used to this."

  "But … you’ll try?" she asked tentatively.

  "Of course I will," Adam said. "I love you, Mia, and I’d never let something like this make me stop loving you." He put his arm around her and gave her a squeeze. "You haven’t been the easiest child in the world to raise, honey, but I wouldn’t trade you for anything. We’ll get through this, but we have to weather the storm first."

  Finishing her drink with one big gulp, Mia stood and said, "We might as well head into the tempest, Dad. I think it’s gonna be a rough night."

  The pair went into the house through the back door, and Mia shook her head when she saw the uncooked dumplings lying in a congealed mass in the sink. "I guess a bisexual doesn’t get to have her favorite dinner."

  Adam put his arm around her shoulders and said, "Do you think it’s a good idea to let her have a knife in her hands? Count your blessings."

  Walking into the living room together, Anna Lisa fixed the pair with a withering glare. "Did you walk to San Mateo?"

  "No, but I could have," Mia said. "We went out for a drink to give both of us time to calm down a little. I don’t want us to keep yelling at each other."

  "Fine," Anna Lisa said. "Come sit down by me and tell me how this happened."

  Giving her a puzzled look, Mia sat down and said, "You want me to explain how I fell in love?"

  "No," Anna Lisa said. "I want you to explain how you got into the position to fall in love."

  Her mind came up with a dozen answers, all of them lewd, so Mia forced herself to answer seriously. "Jordan played on Ryan’s volleyball team …"

  "I knew that woman was involved," Anna Lisa snapped.

  "Do you want me to talk, or do you want to assume whatever you want, Mom?"

  "Talk! Who’s stopping you?"

  Rolling her eyes, Mia continued. "Jordan came over to the house every once in a while, and one night we went out together – just the two of us."

  "Why did you do that? If I met a lesbian, I’d never agree to spend the evening with her!"

  "Well, aren’t you the most open-minded person in the world." Mia’s arms were crossed over her chest, and she took in a few deep breaths. "That was the night I learned that Jordan was gay, but that certainly wasn’t going to stop me from going out for the evening with her."

  "So you admit you ac
cepted a date from a lesbian?"

  "I didn’t think of it as a date," she said thoughtfully. "At first, that is. But we had a wonderful evening together, and we stayed out until dawn, just talking. As the night went on, it became clear that we were … attracted to each other, and when we came back to the house I … I kissed her."

  "You … kissed … her," Anna Lisa said.

  "Yeah, that’s right. I kissed her. I was very attracted to her, Mom, and she looked so pretty, sitting there in the kitchen, with the morning light hitting her hair. I had to kiss her."

  Anna Lisa dropped her head into her hands, muttering, "Then what?"

  "You really want to hear this?" the younger woman asked.

  "Yes. I want to know how this happened," Anna Lisa insisted.

  Mia looked to her father for help, but he just shrugged his shoulders, so she continued, "Jordan’s painfully shy, so we took it very slow. We saw each other once or twice a week, until she started making up reasons to come home with Ryan at night. Soon we started spending our evenings together – talking and kissing – like you do with anyone you’re starting to get to know."

  Shaking her head, Anna Lisa blinked repeatedly, then asked, "Why did you want to kiss her? She’s a woman!"

  "I was attracted to her, Mom, it’s as simple as that. I kissed her for the same reason I’ve kissed every boy I’ve ever dated – I did it because I was very attracted to her and I wanted to touch her."

  "Go on," Anna Lisa growled.

  "Fine," Mia said, deciding to give her mother exactly what she was asking for. "I got tired of waiting for her to make the first move, so one night I convinced her to let me give her a massage. She agreed, and I finally relaxed her enough that she could accept my touch. We made love that night, Mom." The young woman shrugged her shoulders and said, "As soon as I touched her, I knew I loved her. It’s magical to be with her."

  Anna Lisa scowled at her. "What are you saying? That she has you under some kind of spell?"

  "We’re not in the Old Country, Mom. She didn’t put the evil eye on me. Jesus!"

  "This doesn’t make any sense, Mia! Why would you want to touch a woman – like that? What on earth has gotten into you?"

  Mia looked at her father and asked, "Does any of this amaze you, Dad? I mean, come on, look at my history!"

  Adam looked at his daughter for a moment, then said, "No, I suppose this isn’t a great shock. You’ve always been one to try something new."

  "Fine! So you tried it," Anna Lisa said, brushing her hands together in a dismissive gesture. "Now, you’re finished with it!"

  "No, I’m not," Mia said firmly. "This wasn’t the first time I’ve been with a woman. This is not out of the ordinary for me."

  "What? You’re lying! You’re only saying that to make this sound more normal."

  "I am not! I’ve been sleeping with men since I was 16, and with women since I was 17."

  "How can you say that?" the older woman cried. "I know that’s not true!"

  "I had sex with Melissa Johnston right upstairs in my room – for almost a year. Every time she stayed over here, or I stayed at her house, we had sex. She fell in love with me, Mom, and if I hadn’t been so afraid of your reaction, I might have let myself fall in love with her, too."

  "You were going steady then! I was so worried about you getting pregnant by Mark! Now you tell me you were only putting on a front so you could be with Melissa?"

  Mia looked down, feeling guiltier about her two-timing Mark than she ever had over anything she’d ever done. "No, I wasn’t putting on a front. I was sleeping with Mark while I was sleeping with Melissa."

  "Adam! Do you believe this?" Anna Lisa demanded.

  "Why would Mia lie about this?" he asked. "This is obviously something that she’s been dealing with for quite a while."

  "You had sex with a girl … right in my house?" Anna Lisa cried.

  "Yep. Sure did. I had sex with Mark here, too, just for the record. When you and Dad were going to be out for the night, Melissa and Trey would have sex in Peter’s room, while Mark and I would be in my room. After the boys would leave, we’d make love, and it was always – always better with Melissa."

  "Damn it, Mia!" The enraged woman paced back and forth in front of the sofa. "How could you do something like that?"

  "Mom, you know I’ve always had a … wild streak. I’ve done a lot of things that I’m not very proud of. But loving Jordan isn’t one of them. She’s a wonderful woman, and I’m proud of our love."

  "Proud! You’re proud of this!"

  "I am," Mia said, standing to glare right back at her mother. "Now, I’m gonna go get something to eat. Since my ‘favorite daughter’ dinner was thrown away, I’m going to go get carry-outs. Dad, do you want anything?"

  "I could use a bite," he admitted.

  "I assume you’re too angry to even think about eating," Mia said to her mother.

  With a withering look, the older woman turned her back and stomped away, heading upstairs.

  "Let’s go out for a decent meal," Adam said. "I’ve had enough yelling for one evening."

  "That goes double for me," Mia agreed. "Too bad there’s no place around here to get chicken and dumplings," she groused. "I had my mouth set to dig into those babies."

  After dinner, Jordan paced across the living room, while Jamie and Ryan tried to get her to relax a little bit. "Mia will be fine, Jordan," Jamie assured her. "Her mom is very volatile, but Mia doesn’t take much abuse. They’re pretty well matched, to be honest."

  "I can’t stand the thought of her being yelled at or having her feelings hurt," Jordan said.

  "I understand that, but you’ve got to understand how the Christophers’ interact. Mia and her mom are either kissing each other and complimenting the hell out of each other; or they’re yelling their heads off. They’ve always been that way, and they always will be. My guess is that they’re yelling now – and before the night’s over, they’ll be kissing."

  "What about her dad?" Jordan asked. "Can she count on him?"

  "He’s a funny guy," Jamie said. "He lets Mrs. Christopher run the house and make most of the decisions regarding the kids. In a way, he kinda acts like one of the kids. I think he’ll be on Mia’s side – he usually is – but that still won’t stop her mom from giving her a hard time."

  "She’ll call if things get bad, won’t she?" Jordan asked, her face lined with worry.

  "No. She’ll storm out of there and come home. She’ll be able to handle this, Jordan. I promise you that she will."

  Over dinner, Adam leaned back in his chair and said, "Tell me a little more about this woman, Mia. All I know is her first name."

  "Her name’s Jordan Ericsson," Mia said, smiling from the mere recital of her name. "She’s from L.A,. and her dad is a bigwig in development at Paramount. Her parents are divorced, and her mom is a psycho, and she has one older brother. He’s close to Peter’s age – but he’s a loser."

  "Doesn’t sound like a very happy family," Adam said.

  "No, it’s not a happy family, Dad. Jordan practically raised herself, and if she hadn’t had volleyball to give her some focus, I don’t know what would have happened to her."

  "She must be a pretty good player to make Cal’s team," Adam said.

  Giving him a proud smile, Mia said, "She’s fabulous, Dad. She’s on the Olympic team. That’s why we can’t be together right now – she’s in Colorado Springs at the Olympic training facility."

  "Damn! She must be great!"

  "She is," Mia said. "And she works her butt off – she’s very, very disciplined." Cocking her head, she asked, "Wanna see a picture?"

  "Sure."

  She dug into her wallet and pulled out a photo of the two of them taken in the Bahamas. They were lying together on a chaise on the deck of their villa, and Mia was sound asleep. Jordan had her arms around her waist, cuddling Mia to her chest. The blonde was wide-awake, and when Ryan had come out with the camera, Jordan had dipped her head, closed her eyes, and ki
ssed the top of Mia’s head. Adam gazed at the print for a long time, then looked at his daughter and smiled. "You look like you’re in love."

  "I am, Dad," she said earnestly. "For the first time in my life. I want you and Mom to like her – but whether or not you do – I’m going to continue to love her."

  "I thought you were in love with Jason, Mia. You said you were at the time."

  "I thought I knew what love was, Dad, but I didn’t. I cared for Jason more than I ever had any other guy – and I thought that’s what love was supposed to feel like. But I never felt like Jason was a part of me – I never felt that his needs were as important as mine. I didn’t fully trust him, Dad. But I trust Jordan with my life. I know she’d never hurt me – no matter what."

  He looked at the picture again, smiling as he said, "You do know how good looking she is, don’t you?"

  "Uhm … yeah, that hasn’t escaped my attention. But that’s not her biggest appeal, Dad. I’ll admit that her looks were the first thing I noticed, but it’s her heart that I love." She took out another couple of photos – including one of Jordan in her thong bikini, lying on the beach – striking an intentionally sexy pose. "But, I’ll admit that her body takes my breath away."

  Adam looked at them quickly, then handed them back. "Well," he said, giving his daughter a mildly embarrassed smile, "I thought it was bad enough when Peter started bringing girls home – now I have to try to ignore the fact that my daughter is dating a gorgeous woman! I think I’d prefer to see some nice, fully clothed pictures of the two of you, honey."

  "Sorry," she said, giggling. "I guess I forget sometimes that you’re a guy."

  "Only when your mother’s not around," Adam said, laughing along with his daughter.

  When they returned home, Anna Lisa was not much calmer. Adam tried to intercede, and they went upstairs to their room to talk privately for a while. Mia took the opportunity to go into the kitchen and put in a call to Jamie. "Hey," she said, when her friend answered.

  "How’s it going?" Jamie asked. "We’re worried about you."