Lucinda – Chapter Fifteen

Author’s note: I don’t know what happened yesterday, chapter fourteen was posted. Anyway on to today’s scandal.

It wasn’t long after that night and just before Cleo came home from break that Ryan wanted me to meet his parents.  I was filled with hesitation and curiosity. I wanted them to like me but with all that Cleo had told me, I didn’t think it was going to be very easy to like them. On the other hand, I wanted to like them for Ryan’s sake. We entered his parents’ huge house overlooking the bay on a fateful November evening.

“Mom, Dad are you around?” Ryan called.

“Hush Ryan, you know your father doesn’t like shouting,” his mother said as she came down the stairs. I could see instantly what Cleo meant about her being a little slip of a thing. She was wringing her hands already. She was nervous. Mrs. Montgomery smiled and extended her hand in greeting. “How are you dear? Lucinda, isn’t it? It’s nice to finally meet you. Ryan has told me so much about you.

I thought it was odd that it wasn’t Cleo who had mentioned me first, but I didn’t stop to consider why. “Won’t you come in? We were just about to have tea.”

I shook Mrs. Montgomery’s hand, and I was polite as could be. “It’s a pleasure to meet you ma’am. I will gladly have some tea. Thank you for offering.” I said, and though I hesitated to move through the door, Ryan’s hand on my arm propelled me forward.

Mr. Montgomery sat in a large chair. It seemed overly ostentatious and out of congruence with the rest of the décor. It was so bold that it reminded me of something akin to a throne. He felt that he was the ruler of his domain, I presumed. It fit with the description of him that Cleo had given me. He did not rise to greet me as we came in.

“Lucinda, this is my father. Dad, meet Lucinda.” He said it and pushed me ahead to shake the man’s hand. It was cold and clammy, put me in the mind of a reptile, a snake. I wondered if I was letting Cleo’s opinions cloud my mind. Most likely I was. I tried to be more receptive.

“It’s very nice to meet you sir.” I fought the urge to drop a curtsey to him. I didn’t imagine this man had a sense of humor.

“What kind of people do you come from Lucinda? We only like good stock around here.” Ryan’s father asked me in an overly loud booming voice. I was really surprised by his abruptness. I looked around the room, half looking for the cattle that the man must be talking about and half at Ryan who was adjusting his tie in a fit of embarrassment, as well he should have been. And though the man’s rudeness astounded me, it was nothing compared to what came next.

“I live with my grandmother sir, Lucinda Barnes. She took me in when my parents were…” I hesitated looking for the words that would make my family sound normal. I was suddenly ashamed of my background. “…When they were disabled.” There, perhaps it wasn’t the truth, but it was the best that I could do.

“Lucinda! Oh no!” he said, his voice becoming noticeably louder by the second. “You’re not Lucinda O’Brien… Henry O’Brien’s daughter?”

I nodded meekly. I was getting very uncomfortable with this man and his invasive questions.

“Get the hell out of my house! Ryan, if you know what’s good for you, you will never see her again!”

Ryan tried to say something to stop me, but I ran from the house in tears. My vision was so blurred that I tripped on the sidewalk outside. I twisted my ankle, but I kept on running until I got back to Grammy. I never stopped to look back and see if he followed. I didn’t care at that point. I should have been used to rejection based on the sins of my parents but its something I never got used to.

Grammy, to her credit, stayed up all night trying to comfort me. We couldn’t figure out what the man’s problem was other then he had been daddy’s boss when daddy stole money from the bank. I guess that was enough to make him hate me.

I wrote to Cleo that night and told her all about Ryan and me and the relationship we had. I wrote her about meeting her parents and how I didn’t understand any of it. But I wrote to her too late. Our letters would cross in the mail. Two days later I got a letter from her telling me that she had gotten the opportunity of a lifetime, to be an exchange student in Paris for a year. She was taking it. There was nothing she or anyone else could do to help me solve this mystery.

Ryan called me and we agreed to meet secretly. We did that for a while. We would meet in the next town over, where I worked. We didn’t want to meet at my house and risk putting Grammy in an awkward spot. But I am sure she knew what we were doing. Grammy knew everything. Neither of us could figure out why his father had acted the way he did that night. All that he would answer when Ryan asked him was ”O’Brians are all alike.” It put a noticeable strain on his relationship with his father. He gave up asking his mother questions. All she ever did was wring her hands and run to her room crying. He couldn’t upset her anymore.

Sneaking around was killing me and we both wanted more out of the relationship. I decided that I had to let him go and find and let him find someone else to love. It was not an easy decision.

One night after I was done work, we went to the point in that town. We made out in his car like we usually did and when things progressed a little bit further then they should, I didn’t stop him this time. We made love that night for the very first time. It was slow and sweet. I wanted it to last a lifetime. Ryan was elated as we lay in each other’s arms.

“I am so glad that you agree with me sweetie,” he said, out of the blue. “I know having money is nice and all, but we can make it without it. I can get a job anywhere. After we’re married, we’ll settle down somewhere and…”

“Married? I can’t marry you, Ryan.”

“But I thought that… but we…” he stammered, visibly upset by my answer.

It was killing me to do this, but I had to hurt him so that he would go on with his life. “I don’t love you, Ryan, not that way. I won’t be responsible for driving a wedge between you and your parents. Go home to them Ryan and live your own life.” With that, I ran out of his car and back to my own. He didn’t try to follow. I imagine he sat there in stunned silence.

Ryan tried to call me every day after that. He came by the house and Grammy would send him away. She didn’t know what had happened and she wasn’t going to ask me until I was ready to share the information with her. Eventually, he gave up and went to Paris to visit Cleo.