One of the caveats of Maris' father made before agreeing to let her go to Columbia rather than the smaller, much more affordable (even before the discount she would have gotten being the daughter of a professor factored into the equation) college he taught at, was that she needed to come home for a weekly dinner.
She hardly minded. Maris adored her father and grandfather above all others. Not to mention they didn't seem to mind when she raided their fridge for leftovers. After letting herself in with her key, she immediately started poking around in it, nudging her grandfather's beloved Cokes out of the way with her fingertip when the sound of her father clearing his throat caused her to jump.
"Daddy, you scared me," she scolded, hand over her chest.
"Did you really think I wasn't going to find out?"
Her father's tone was twinged with something she wasn't used to hearing: disappointment.
She wrinkled her nose, inadvertently drawing more attention to the thing she thought she was getting a scolding for. "Is this about my nose ring because..."
"No, this isn't about your..." Her father visibly paled, taking a few brisk steps forward to close the space between them. "You got a nose ring?!" he sputtered, lifting up her chin for a better look.
"It's just a stud," she mumbled, unaware that in about two months, she'd catch a cold, take it out and not bother to get it redone once the hole closed up.
"I'm talking about Caroline Muller," her father said once he let her go, the deep lines on his forehead only intensifying.
Maris felt a wave of relief. "Oh. Yeah. You know she's my professor."
"Apparently she's a little more than that."
She bit her lip, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear before nudging the refrigerator door shut with her hip. "Yeah, so..."
"She's twice your age, Maris!"
"Yeah, and I'm of age so what's the problem?" Maris said haughtily, plopping down in a chair at the kitchen table. "I also fail to see how this is any of your business."
"We're colleagues, Maris! Do you have any idea how embarrassing this is for me?!"
"Oh come on, you're not colleagues. You see her at a historical society thing like once a year. She told me."
"She knew you were my daughter!?" John looked aghast as he sat down next to her.
Maris scooted away. "No! Well, not at first. Eventually she was like, Forrester, are you related to John? So I told her yes. It's not some grand conspiracy, dad. And why the hell are you embarrassed? Are you afraid someone might find out you have a lesbian daughter and-"
"It's not about that and you know it, Mari. I'm proud of you. So proud. Which is why I can't believe you're sleeping with your teacher and-"
"And who I sleep with is none of your business!" she spat back. "For God's sake dad, I'm twenty years old!"
"Everybody knows. You realize that right? Don told me. It's all around campus and people are saying-"
"I know what everyone's saying," Maris grumbled, not quite meeting his eyes.
"And that doesn't bother you? People thinking you're only getting the grades you get because-"
"You know what? I don't have to be here," Maris announced, abruptly pushing her chair away from the table.
"Maris," John started softly. "I know you don't want to hear this, but I know Caroline and you're not the first. I know you think you're special and that she thinks you're mature but she's dated plenty of students and-"
"Oh fuck you, dad. I'm not some schoolgirl with a crush!"
The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them and her father looked like he'd been slapped. For a moment, she didn't want to take them back because his had hurt her too.
"It's not serious," she said with a bit of a snort. "We're not dating."
"I know you're not. Don says you're getting a bit of a reputation."
Maris let out a bitter laugh, astonished that her father's friend and her former American history professor was such a narc. "Oh, Don knows everything doesn't he? This really isn't any of your business, dad. And it definitely isn't Don's." Uncomfortable, she took a look around the room for her grandfather. "Where's Pop? I want to go say hi."
"He's not here. I wanted to talk to you alone." John softened, reaching for her hand. "Don't you want better for yourself? A nice girl, someone your own age who-"
"Sounds boring," she sneered, pushing his hand away. "You know what I really want? I want to leave." She reached for her messenger bag, halfway to the door before she had to shrug her father's hand off her shoulder. "I'm not coming back next week."
'Mari! I just want you to be settled. Not even settled. Happy."
"I'm happy enough," she mumbled, the door swinging shut behind her.
She hardly minded. Maris adored her father and grandfather above all others. Not to mention they didn't seem to mind when she raided their fridge for leftovers. After letting herself in with her key, she immediately started poking around in it, nudging her grandfather's beloved Cokes out of the way with her fingertip when the sound of her father clearing his throat caused her to jump.
"Daddy, you scared me," she scolded, hand over her chest.
"Did you really think I wasn't going to find out?"
Her father's tone was twinged with something she wasn't used to hearing: disappointment.
She wrinkled her nose, inadvertently drawing more attention to the thing she thought she was getting a scolding for. "Is this about my nose ring because..."
"No, this isn't about your..." Her father visibly paled, taking a few brisk steps forward to close the space between them. "You got a nose ring?!" he sputtered, lifting up her chin for a better look.
"It's just a stud," she mumbled, unaware that in about two months, she'd catch a cold, take it out and not bother to get it redone once the hole closed up.
"I'm talking about Caroline Muller," her father said once he let her go, the deep lines on his forehead only intensifying.
Maris felt a wave of relief. "Oh. Yeah. You know she's my professor."
"Apparently she's a little more than that."
She bit her lip, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear before nudging the refrigerator door shut with her hip. "Yeah, so..."
"She's twice your age, Maris!"
"Yeah, and I'm of age so what's the problem?" Maris said haughtily, plopping down in a chair at the kitchen table. "I also fail to see how this is any of your business."
"We're colleagues, Maris! Do you have any idea how embarrassing this is for me?!"
"Oh come on, you're not colleagues. You see her at a historical society thing like once a year. She told me."
"She knew you were my daughter!?" John looked aghast as he sat down next to her.
Maris scooted away. "No! Well, not at first. Eventually she was like, Forrester, are you related to John? So I told her yes. It's not some grand conspiracy, dad. And why the hell are you embarrassed? Are you afraid someone might find out you have a lesbian daughter and-"
"It's not about that and you know it, Mari. I'm proud of you. So proud. Which is why I can't believe you're sleeping with your teacher and-"
"And who I sleep with is none of your business!" she spat back. "For God's sake dad, I'm twenty years old!"
"Everybody knows. You realize that right? Don told me. It's all around campus and people are saying-"
"I know what everyone's saying," Maris grumbled, not quite meeting his eyes.
"And that doesn't bother you? People thinking you're only getting the grades you get because-"
"You know what? I don't have to be here," Maris announced, abruptly pushing her chair away from the table.
"Maris," John started softly. "I know you don't want to hear this, but I know Caroline and you're not the first. I know you think you're special and that she thinks you're mature but she's dated plenty of students and-"
"Oh fuck you, dad. I'm not some schoolgirl with a crush!"
The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them and her father looked like he'd been slapped. For a moment, she didn't want to take them back because his had hurt her too.
"It's not serious," she said with a bit of a snort. "We're not dating."
"I know you're not. Don says you're getting a bit of a reputation."
Maris let out a bitter laugh, astonished that her father's friend and her former American history professor was such a narc. "Oh, Don knows everything doesn't he? This really isn't any of your business, dad. And it definitely isn't Don's." Uncomfortable, she took a look around the room for her grandfather. "Where's Pop? I want to go say hi."
"He's not here. I wanted to talk to you alone." John softened, reaching for her hand. "Don't you want better for yourself? A nice girl, someone your own age who-"
"Sounds boring," she sneered, pushing his hand away. "You know what I really want? I want to leave." She reached for her messenger bag, halfway to the door before she had to shrug her father's hand off her shoulder. "I'm not coming back next week."
'Mari! I just want you to be settled. Not even settled. Happy."
"I'm happy enough," she mumbled, the door swinging shut behind her.