Deaf & Dumb

Peter Meets Her Father

Dark hair. Short. Dark eyes. Gazing into Peter's soul.
The man never said a word. He simply moved his hands to make sure Rosemary knew how absolutely upset he was that he wasn't invited to the wedding.
There wasn't a wedding.
Did he rape you?
No?
Did he promise to marry you?
You don't want to marry him?
Young lady you don't have much of a choice now.
You're not going to marry him?
You will marry him or I will disown you.

Disown me.

Peter stared at this conversation completely lost. Rosemary's father looked thoroughly upset. He was giving Rosemary this cold look. He turned to Peter with a frown on his face.
"What do you do for a living?" He asked.
Peter was silent for a moment. "I'm a musician. I work at Colgem records," He said.
Rosemary's father scoffed. "How in the world did my daughter fall for someone so worthless," He mumbled.
Peter looked away towards a crack on the wall. He hadn't made a very good impression at all. How could he have known her father would be there?
"Do your folks know that you've got my daughter pregnant, boy?" Mr. Brior asked.
Peter looked at him and shook his head. "My parents wouldn't approve," He said.
Peter stared at Mr. Brior's long dark coat. He counted the buttons on it to keep his mind off of the judgement in the man's eyes.
"I'm part of a pretty popular band," Peter said trying to make Mr. Brior hate him less.
"That's the worst kind. You'll be gone all the time touring and picking up strangers," Mr. Brior said angrily.
Peter held his tongue. His eyes darted to Rosemary who was now sitting up. She reached as far as she could and took a hold of her father's coat and tugged on it.
Rosemary signed to him that she wanted him to leave.
"Young lady, you know better than to order me around," Mr. Brior said.
She once again told him to leave.
"Sir, she's asking you to leave," Peter said standing up in front of Mr. Brior.
Rosemary's father looked down at Peter and then left the room. Peter took the seat beside the bed. Rosemary took his hand and started to cry. Peter leaned down and kissed her hand softly. He drew her towards him and kissed the top of her head.
Rosemary's sobs broke Peter's heart. He resented her father, but he knew how much she loved him. He couldn't hate the man. As much as it hurt him to know how Mr. Brior wouldn't accept him or Casey, he couldn't hate Rosemary's father.
Peter tried to brighten Rosemary's mood. He pushed her off his chest and smiled.
"When can I take you and Casey home?" He asked.
Rosemary wiped her eyes then asked him to repeat himself.
"When can I take you and Casey home?" Peter asked again.
Rosemary smiled. She signed and told him that she could leave today with Casey. They had her under observation for one reason or another, but they said she could leave.
Peter smiled and kissed her forehead. "I'll go sign you out and take you home and all that," He said.
Peter stood up and left the room. He wandered back to the lobby and asked to have Rosemary brought home with him.
"I can't do that sir, she's already been released to her father," A nurse replied.
Peter turned around to see the older man standing there very sternly.
"I'm taking her home with me," He said.
"No, Rosemary is an adult. You can't control her life anymore," Peter said surprised at his own courage.
"And neither can you," Mr. Brior said. "Do you think what I've done is so different than what you're doing now? I'm trying to protect her."
"She doesn't need protecting!" Peter shouted.
Mr. Brior was taken aback by Peter. So was everyone else in the lobby.
"She isn't yours anymore. She's her own person," Peter said softer now.
"Her own person? It seems to me that you're controlling her now!" Mr. Brior exclaimed.
"I've never tried to control her, but you are!" Peter said. "She's an adult now. Let her make her own decisions."
Rosemary was wheeled out into the lobby with Casey in her arms. The nurse wheeled her towards her father. She let out a rather loud cry and looked over at Peter. Casey began to cry, and Rosemary rocked him gently still looking over at Peter in utter confusion. Peter walked towards her and looked at the nurse. "She wants me to take her home," He said.
The nurse stared at Peter. "But..."
"I'm taking my daughter back with me," Mr. Brior said.
Rosemary shook her head as she stared up at her father. "No!" She managed to say much too loud. Tears were forming in her eyes as she tried her best to get everyone to understand that she didn't want to go with him.
"No..." She repeated softly.
Peter was standing behind Mr. Brior. "She'll hate you if you do this," He said quietly. "I don't want her to hate you."
Mr. Brior looked at his daughter and her scared face. The prospect of being taken from Peter, from her home, scared her so much that she defied her father.
"I'll drive you two to your apartment," Mr. Brior said slowly, the resentment was heavy in the tone of his voice.
Peter smiled. "Thank you," He said.
Mr. Brior looked away from Peter. "I don't like you, but for some reason Rosemary does," He said.
Peter wheeled Rosemary out of the hospital to Mr. Brior's car with a nurse walking along with them with this puzzled look on her face. Rosemary got in the back seat while holding Casey. Peter took a step into the backseat.
"No, you're sitting up here where I can keep an eye on you," Mr. Brior barked.
Peter closed the door of the car and got up in the front beside Mr. Brior. The older man started the car and drove them to Peter's apartment.
Peter got out of the car and opened the door for Rosemary. Mr. Brior didn't get out of the car.
Rosemary was already heading towards the apartment so Peter stopped and walked to the window by Mr. Brior. He leaned towards it as it was half open.
"Thank you," Peter said before hurrying after Rosemary.
When Peter opened the door of the apartment the phone was ringing. He ran to it and picked it up.
"Hello?"
"Peter, this Mike. You've gotta get to the studio like right now."
"I just brought Casey and Rosemary home from the hospital," Peter said.
"We gotta record right now," Mike said.
Peter let out a sigh. "I'll tell Rosemary," Peter said softly as he hung up the phone.
Rosemary was sitting on the couch rocking Casey in her arms. Peter walked in front of her and kneeled down. He leaned forward and kissed her. "I've got to go to a recording session," He said quietly. He looked ashamed of himself.
Rosemary nodded her head and touched his hand softly. Peter stood up and headed out the door. He felt terrible that he had to leave Rosemary and Casey alone. He just wanted to be with Rosemary and his infant son.