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PAMELA
Posted On: 04/07/2015 04:15:28

April 7

PAMELA

 

FROM THE PREVIOUS PAGE

“No, I will not permit it.” Victoria startled herself with her loud announcement, fearful she had wakened Pamela and Dusty. A minute later, she was satisfied. The only sound was the longcase clock declaring that the six a.m. hour had arrived.

Despite her weariness, she surprised herself with a smile. The honor of the Sheffield name was at stake and she had the beginnings of a plan to save it.

****

Pamela’s soft knocking on the bedroom door and calling her name hadn’t solicited any response. The flush of the toilet signaled she wasn’t asleep. That was good. The silence didn’t signal she was unwelcome. Pamela decided that Dusty was in one of her rare ambivalent moods with no opinion on any subject, including receiving visitors in her bedroom.

Having ignored watching the intensity of the storm pounding the city, Dusty had chosen to remain secluded in her room for much of the day. Like her granddaughter, Victoria had also spent most of the day resting, reading in her bedroom.

Pamela had hoped her daughter would grow weary of the solitude and join her for their usual Sunday afternoon of watching a movie, eating popcorn. Instead, her only glimpse of Dusty was when she had made a quick forage into the kitchen to retrieve a Coke and a bag of chips.

Patience finally surrendered to worry that something serious had happened during dinner the previous evening. There wasn’t any sense that Seth had violated her trust in him. It was obvious that he had said something that left Dusty unsettled, confused.

It was time for a mother-daughter talk.

She found Dusty sitting on the bed, legs drawn up, chin on her knees, watching a rerun of Gossip Girls. Discarded at the foot of the bed were an empty bag of chips and a Coke can.

“Can I get you something to eat, sweetheart?”

Shrugging her shoulders, Dusty continued to watch the program. “No, I’m good.”

“Honey, I know something has upset you. Can we talk?”

“I said I didn’t want to talk about it.”

“I know. But that’s hard for a mother to accept when they see their daughter so upset. We’ve never had secrets between us. Please.”

Turning the TV off with another shrug, Dusty muttered “Whatever,” and scooted up, resting her back against the headboard. Pamela sat on the edge of the bed.

“Sweetheart, what did Seth say to you that has you so upset?”

Dusty ignored her mother as she examined the opposite wall that held no interest for her. “Are you in love with him?”

“Seth?”

Returning her focus to her mother, Dusty frowned, pursed her lips together. “Yes, Mother. Are you in love with Seth?”

Pamela had some idea of what might be troubling Dusty but that question had never come up on her radar. “Am I in love with Seth? Honey, I don’t know. . .Maybe. I care for him very much. I know that much.”

“So you are in love with him? Are you going to get married?” Tears pooled in the corner of her eyes. She brushed her hair away from her face.

“Oh, sweetheart.” Pamela moved to hug her.

Dusty raised her hands in protest as the first tear fell onto her cheek. “No, Mother, I don’t need a hug. I need to know if you are going to marry Seth someday.”

Pamela slid away from Dusty as she fought to control her own tears. “Honey, I don’t know. I know we care very much for each other. . .maybe someday it could happen.”

“What happens to me if you get married? Are going to ship me off to some school in Europe like they do in the movies?”

“Oh, Dusty,” Pamela said, cupping her face. “ That’s a terrible thing to say to your mother.”

“Well, are you?” Dusty wiped away the last of her tears. Her eyes, intense, locked onto her mother.

Pamela sagged, hurt by the questions. Pausing to regain some sense of composure, she said, “Sweetheart, I would never to do that to you. Never! I love you. It’s going to break my heart when you leave me one day and go to college. What on earth did Seth say that has you so upset?”

“He said I hurt you.”

“Hurt me?”

“Yes. He said I hurt you because I want him to go away.”

Pamela brushed away an errant tear that had run down her own cheek.

“Is that true, Mother?”

The truth. Dusty had to hear the truth.

“Yes, it upsets me. You are the most important person in my life. It hurts when I’ve met a man you don’t like. It makes it very hard for me. I want you to be happy. I also want to be in love again. Is that so terrible?”

Dusty rubbed her eyes, cleared her vision, and looked at her mother’s sad face. “Seth said we should pretend to like each other when you’re around.”

“What?”

“He said I could yell at him all I want when we’re alone. He even said he’d take me out for pizza so I could yell at him some more.”

Pamela chuckled. “Oh, my gracious. I can’t believe he said that.”

Dusty resisted her own chuckle, but a thin smile escaped. “He said he liked me. That I’ve got spunk. Mother, what’s spunk?”

Pamela chuckled again. “Spunk means you’re a strong person. You have your own ideas and you’ll fight for them. You won’t let people push you around. Are you telling me, Dusty Brighton, that you like him?”

“He’s different.”

“You like him.”

“No, I hate him,” Dusty said without any conviction in her voice.

“I don’t believe you”

“I know I don’t want him to be my father. I don’t ever want to have another father.”

“I can understand why you feel that way. What about a friend? Would you feel the same way?”

“I don’t understand. What are you talking about?”

“How would you feel if I got married someday and my husband just wanted to be your friend? He wouldn’t try to be your father.”

“You’re talking about Seth.”

“No, I’m not,” Pamela said with little conviction.

“Yes, you are. I see the way you look at him.”

“Honey, I’ve told we just met.”

“My girlfriend Amanda told me her parents got married a month after they met.”

“Okay, sweetheart, let’s talk about Seth. Let’s pretend that Seth and I do get married someday, and he tells you all he wants is to be your friend.”

“Are you saying that if you two got married he wouldn’t try to be my father?”

“Yes. Let’s pretend that happened.”

“That’s crazy. What if Seth beats on our bathroom door like he did?”

“Do you really believe Seth would do that?”

The questioned surprised Dusty. Pamela knew the answer could help define the future for both of them. Dusty returned to her examination of the uninteresting wall. She sniffled and rubbed her nose.

“Do you think he would do that, sweetheart?”

Dusty quit her examination of the wall.

“I don’t know.”

“Why don’t you get to know Seth better, then ask yourself that question. Fair?”

Dusty stared at her mother. Pamela could see the struggle on her face. Did she want to spend time with Seth? Would he beat on the bathroom door? At last, Dusty relaxed, smiled.

“Fair.”

Pamela’s smile was broad. She and Seth had a chance after all. “Honey, I think we have done enough talking today. What do you think?”

“Yeah.”

“There’s still time for a movie and popcorn.”

“Can I pick out the movie?”

“Only if you give me a hug first.”

They hugged for the longest minute.

TO BE CONTINUED



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