The Map That Leads to You by J. P. Monninger

Author:J. P. Monninger
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Published: 2017-06-13T07:00:00+00:00

31

“So tell me about Jack,” my father said. “Your mother says he’s accompanying you home.”

Accompanying, my father said. He made Jack sound like a valet.

I knew he had been put up to the call by my mother, by her insistence that he find out what this all meant. It was an old pattern with us. And, man, they worked fast.

“Jack is a man I met on a train to Amsterdam.”

“He’s an American?”

“Born and bred.”

“And your mother said from someplace in New England?”

“Vermont,” I said.

I hated giving him short answers, but I didn’t trust myself to go on at length. It was better to speak in short, declarative sentences without volunteering too much.

“And what are his plans? Do you know?”

“Regarding what?”

“Well, just his general plan. For life, I guess. Have you had that kind of discussion?”

“Dad, you’re prying.”

“I don’t mean to, sweetie. Sorry. I’m curious, I guess. So is your mother. This is a big step. You just graduated this spring.”

“I’m aware of that, Dad.”

I sipped my hot chocolate. I determined not to step into any traps with my dad. If he wanted answers, he would have to lead the conversation. After a pause, he continued.

“And with the new job—Ed Belmont’s team just went through the roof, by the way. Their sales, I mean. They had a big write-up in The Wall Street Journal. Anyway, Jack is going to be living with you?”

“We don’t know exactly, Dad. Probably. We only know we want to be together. That’s the crux of our plan.”

An intense, narrow headache lodged like a bullet in my front cortex. I put the cup of hot chocolate against my forehead, but that failed to help.

“And what is his line?” Dad asked.

“His line?”

“His trade, his ambition. What does he want to do?”

“He’s been following his grandfather’s journal through Europe. That’s what he’s been doing, mostly.”

“His grandfather’s journal?”

“His grandfather traveled through Europe after the war. Jack is retracing his steps with the idea of maybe doing a book. He loved his grandfather. Jack was a journalist before that at a paper in Wyoming.”

My father didn’t say anything. The tide of electric whatever-buzz that connected our phones made the sound of the sea swelling and subsiding.

“Okay, then, I guess you know best, Heather. We’re a little concerned—your mom and I—we’re a little concerned about the timing. You’re young, kiddo, and this is your first big love.”

“Dad, come on. Stop, please. I’m not doing this lightly. I’m not. Neither is Jack. We didn’t plan to meet or fall for each other. It just happened. We want to be together. He’s a great guy. You’ll love him. He makes me feel solid when I’m around him. I know it may take a little juggling at first, but I’m good at that. And don’t worry. I’m still fully committed to the job and my career. You don’t have to worry about that. I won’t embarrass you, I promise.”

“Nothing you’ve done has embarrassed me, sweetie. Don’t even think that.”

We didn’t have much more to say, at least not without getting into a major fritz with each other.

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