The following evening at dinner, my parents said something that chocked me.
“Show, I’ve heard you’ve got a new girlfriend? How come you haven’t told us about it?” my mother asked. I sat like someone had just shot me with a shotgun in the crotch. How could they know this?
“Is that why you’ve asked for more money these weeks?” My father looked serious at me.
I hesitated, but said:
“It’s right. Erhm… Her name is Selina, and she is at my age.”
There was silent for a moment. Then my mother exclaimed, while clapping her hands together.
“Then you should bring her home for dinner! I suggest tomorrow afternoon. She must come tomorrow! And you must tell me everything about her, so I can…”
“Mom!” I said loud. “It’s not sure that she can come tomorrow, as her mother is very sick and in the hospital, and she and her sister are the only one at home.”
My mom looked at me for a moment, and then asked:
“What about her father? Is he out of the country?”
“No, he is dead.”
“Oh… But you haven’t told us that Jolin came back from Europe either! I was SO surprised to see her this morning…”
So Jolin had talked to my parents? Was it her, who told them about Selina?
“I’m surprised that you’ve got a new girlfriend, since Jolin has come back. You know I like Jolin. She is a very nice girl, and we are good friends with her parents too. We were all so happy when you and she were together, and I speculate why…”
“Mom, please stop talking! My ears will fall of if you continue like that! Jolin and me are past, okay?! I really love Selina!” I didn’t plan to say the last sentence. I even chocked myself. I didn’t like her, did I? No, I just paid her to be my girlfriend. Nothing else than that.
Both of my parents looked surprised at me – even my father stopped eating – since I didn’t use to say such things in front of them.
My father seemed to be uninterested in the whole Jolin-case, and returned to talk about Selina.
“Did you say that her mother was in the hospital? Then we must get her the best care.”
“Yes,” I said. I hurried to look down at my food, since I had blushed from my last comment.
“And her father is dead? How sad. How does she pay the hospital bill then?”
“Her mother’s friends help them, and she used to work for money.”
“…But now?” my father asked. My mother started to look less excited when she heard about the “working for money”. She had always wanted me to marry a rich and grand girl – like Jolin.
“Since I’m also considered friend of the family, I chose to help her with money too.”
“Oh, that’s very grand and generous of you!” my mother exclaimed. “But you must be aware if she is just making use of you.”
I didn’t comment this, as it would be a lie to say that she didn’t. But since I did too, we were equal.
My father took the word again.
“Bring her home as soon as she can. She can come with you after school, so we can both have afternoon tea and dinner together. And you must also meet her family as soon as possible. Before this gets too serious, we must know what we are facing.”
I suddenly got angry.
“Will you prohibit me from dating her if her family isn’t nice? Or if you just don’t like her? You act like all my relationships will end with marriage. Look at my friend Calvin, he is like, changing girlfriend every second day!” I said, louder as I continued talking.
“Show, sit down please,” my father said. I hadn’t noticed that I had got up from the chair. I sat down again.
“We just want to know your girlfriend, as we love to meet knew people just like you young persons do. We don’t want to control your love life, but we want to warn you about your responsibility as heir of the company,” my father said. I understood. Why did I get angry anyways? I knew this wouldn’t end in marriage, as Selina probably hated me as much as I loved to bully her.
My mother looked from one to another.
“Oh God, let’s quit this boring talk, just bring her tomorrow! I can’t wait to meet her, and I will tell the kitchen people to make a great dinner, but not to great if she is used to cheaper food, and…”
And then she blabbered for the rest of the evening.

“Selina, my parents want to meet you,” I said next day at lunch break. I haven’t seen Jolin the whole day, but it was fine, as I actually didn’t want to meet her.
Selina needed some time to understand.
“Your parents? Why did you tell them about me?”
“I didn’t. They have just heard it from someone…”
“Jolin!” she said, most to herself, but I heard it anyway.
“Maybe. But then they asked some stuff about you, and you now have to be at our house this whole afternoon and evening.”
“The whole…?!” she said chocked, and looked like she would rather commit suicide or strip in front of the whole school.
“What if I don’t want to?” she asked.
“Then your mom can’t enjoy the best care from the hospital, as my parents hate when people don’t obey them.”
“Then you are sure their son.”
Silence between us for five seconds, before I said:
“That isn’t any of your business. Just come and have dinner with them, they’ll be happy, I will continue to pay hospital fees, and my father will make sure that your mother will get the best care.”
She hesitated, but then nodded. Lil’ Miss Innocent was going to meet my parents.

We walked home together after school, and first made a stop at Selina’s house so she could change her clothes and lay some make-up, so she was more presentable for my parents. I told her not to make a big thing out of this, but she seemed very nervous. When I was done with teaching her how my parents liked a girl to dress and look like (and tried to peep on her when she changed her clothes, which ended in a very hurting cheek on my side), we were ready to walk to my house.
I told her to hold my arm, so I could lead her in gentleman-manner when we faced my parents (they loved all that old stuff, they even made me practice all kinds of pair-dance, even though I liked other kinds of dance better, which they luckily also gave me the best teachers for).
My mother opened the door when I rang the bell, and lightened in a smile when she saw us.
“Come in, come in! Oh, how a pretty girl! Not as beautiful as Jolin, but I actually think she is cuter than her…” – and like that she blabbered until while she led us to on of the sitting rooms, where the tea was served. I felt embarrassed by the way she talked, and her way of always mentioning Jolin.
My father sat in the sitting room when we came, but got up when we entered.
“Hello, I’m Show’s father. You’ve already met his mother, who probably forgot to introduce herself…”
“Oh, stop that formal talk! We’re all family, right? I’m so happy that our little Show has got a new girlfriend, he hasn’t been himself since Jolin travelled to Europe.”
“Mom, please! Don’t talk that much. It makes both me and Selina uncomfy to hear you say that ‘we are all family’. Let’s drink tea, okay?” I said, and looked with begging eyes on my father, who was the only one who could stop my mother from saying too many foolish things.
For the first time, Selina looked at me with gratitude. She was probably just as nervous for this as I was. My father’s high standards and my mother’s sometimes rude comments could kill anyone.

After drinking tea, which passed with polite questions from my father to me and Selina, which were also answered politely, and sometimes interrupted by my mother’s exclaiming, Selina and I were suggested to spend the afternoon in my room until dinner. When we walked out of the sitting room, my father stopped me and let my mother show Selina the house. He wanted to talk to me, and my mother was happy to brag of her furnishing skills.
“Show, I think Miss Ren is a very nice and polite girl. I think she must be very nervous, but she seems to be very friendly. I think you’ve made a good choice.”
My father was a man of few words, but his meaning meant a lot to me. I was very relieved when he accepted Selina this way.
“Even though she isn’t rich, and she actually is pretty poor, I think she is very responsible, as she can take care of her sick mother and her little sister, and even have time to date a “hunk” like you. I know you are very popular in your school, but I’m glad that you don’t only go after the appearance. Not that she isn’t good-looking, she is very pretty, but in proportion to Jolin, she is more discreet. I’m proud of you.”
I don’t think I’ve ever been that happy in my whole life. This was the first time my father said he was proud of me, and even in one of the situations when I expected it the least.

When I walked to my room, my mom and Selina was already there. My mother left when I came in, and left me and Sel in awkward silence.
“My father likes you,” I said.
She looked truly surprised, and I smiled bright. When she saw me, she tried to hide her emotions, but I smiled anyway.
“I’m happy that you came today. My father is proud of me, because I chose a girl like you to be my girlfriend.”
“But we aren’t really lovers,” she said. My smile disappeared. I suddenly thought of that I fooled my father to be proud of me. And I didn’t want it to be that way.
I walked closer to her.
“Who says we aren’t lovers? Ask anybody in the school. They’ll say we are.”
“But only official,” she said. I pretended not to hear her.
“And we’ve done ‘that’, remember?” I asked.
“Not real!” she said loud.
I suddenly got an idea.
“Maybe after today!” I said, and took a grasp in her shoulder. She looked really chocked and froze. That was just the expression I wanted. I hadn’t really planned to do it at all, so I released her shoulder. She just stood with the same expression at the same place, until I said:
“Like I would ever intend to do something like that with you! Learn to act well. We ARE lovers. Just less intimate ones,” I said in a serious tone. But I should’ve gone farer away from her, because right after that comment, she slapped me on the cheek.
“Wah!! That was second time today! Do you have a violence problem?!” I asked angrily.
“It’s you who have a erted problem!” she shouted. I was glad that the walls were soundproof.
We were called in for dinner.

***
Extra long chapter xD gift for you.
I’m very, very sad to say that we can’t update from Monday to Wednesday this week, as I’m in Skagen, and me and Gril are taking turns to update, so she can’t update without me. I hope you’ll survive. But as a gift, we can maybe update three or four chapters tomorrow :D
Next chap will be written by Gril4Life, and will be from Selina’s P.O.V.

PLEASE leave a comment, it would mean so much!

- Blitz