The Trench

Chapter 40 - Tatted Up

"You know, it's not too late to turn around." I sulk from the passenger seat of Austins car, picking at my fingernails absentmindedly. He chuckles as he breaks for a red light and turns to grab my hand.

"First off, stop picking at your nails. You told me not to let you destroy them, and I'm just trying to follow the rules. Second, I'm beginning to think you don't want me to meet your family." He grimaces at me from the drivers seat and turns back towards the road where the light has turned green.

Instead of picking my nails I revert back to tapping my thumb against my fingertips. Frustrated at my constant jitters I tuck my hands underneath my legs on the seat as I stare out the windshield. Since I wasn't able to go home for Christmas, and my parents flew to Maine instead, we decided to all go out to dinner. It's now two days after Christmas day, after saying goodbye to Hallow I didn't have it in me to go socialize so I stayed in with Aimee and Taylor for the most part.

"It's not that I don't want you to meet them, I think my dad would love you." I say with a smile and hesitate.

"Buuutttt...." Austin draws out, knowing full well I wasn't done talking.

"But my mom can be kind of, well, judgy. Their friends too, mainly my mothers friends. I don't like being in a group where I don't know people. Also, I mean come on we are halfway across the country HOW does she know people here?!" I shout exasperatedly.

Austin pretends to cough to cover up a laugh and I look at him menacingly.

"Speaking of your parents, what do they do exactly? You've never told me anything about them and I'd like a bit of information before I go in blind." He parks the car in the lot. Turning off the engine he checks his phone, we're about fifteen minutes early.

"My fathers name is Mitchel, he's a welder full time and a farmer part time. We don't have a big farm, just some beef cattle and chickens. My mothers name is Linda and she is an architect, she travels for work a lot so I'm assuming that's why she knows people here. Dad is super laid back, doesn't judge a book by it's cover, he loves being outside and he's also the one who taught me everything. How to rope calves, how to hunt and fish, change my oil, bale hay, you name it he's taught me. Mom however, taught me how to do taxes, look presentable in church, and she wanted me inside doing school work all evening but dad would sneak me out and we would go on a ride together. He told me school was important too, but he also taught me that there's more to life than just existing."

I smile at the memories as we wait, being with dad was one of the best moments I had as a child. When we went hunting, it wasn't just hunting. He taught me how to tell time by the sun, how to find shelter and survive if I got lost, which wild mushroom you could or couldn't eat.

When we went horseback riding he would tell me stories of his childhood, point out animal tracks in the dirt, or challenge me to who can make it to that tree the fastest.

"You're a daddy's girl, I can tell." Austin breaks me from my thoughts and I smile as I nod. I catch a couple getting out of a car parked a few spots down and I nod towards them, Austin following my gaze. I let out a heavy sigh and open my door.

They came over to greet us, my mom smothering me in a perfume laced hug and my dad smacking me on the back playfully. Austin introduced himself and shook my dads hand, to which dad raised his eyebrows and gave me a thumbs up when Austin's back was turned. I give him a lopsided smile as we walk inside.

-

It's been over half an hour of my mother yacking on about buildings, and blueprints, and watching my father pretend to be interested. Thirty minutes of watching the husband of the couple in front of me check out our waitress when his wife wasn't looking. Thirty minutes of Austin walking his fingers up my leg in a teasing fashion and stifling a chuckle when I pushed his hand away flustered.

Once there was a break in the conversation my father cleared his throat, my mother smiled and placed her hands in her lap looking at him.

"So, Austin, Riley tells me you're a professor." My dad started, folding his hands in front of him like he's at an interview. Austin finishes his drink of water before answering.

"Yes, sir. I've been a physics teacher at the university for two years now. It's a wonderful job." He says politely and confidently and I'm amazed at his composure. I've only seen Austin nervous once, at that was the night of the fire. If I were to meet his parents I would be a nervous wreck.

They continue to talk about politics, which unsurprisingly my father and Austin agree upon, and countless other topics. Austin is seemingly charming the table as he speaks and I feel my heart flutter.

They love him! I think happily to myself, Austin catches my smile and he gives me a wink and squeezes my hand under the table.

At that time a different waiter comes by and helps our waitress deliver the food ordered, he's setting down plates and I see my mother glance at his wrist which had a tattoo on the inside. She didn't say anything but I saw the change in her demeanor, the slight snarl of her lip otherwise unseen to anyone else but my father and I.

Vaguely she raises an eyebrow to the lady across her who also sneers at the poor waiter. Unknowingly he smiles and asks everyone if their dinners look okay before leaving. As soon as he's gone my mother and her friend erupt in hushed conversation. The whole table hears and I'm blown away at the criticism.

"Why would anyone hire someone with ink on them?" My mother said quietly to the table, several of them shaking their head in disbelief.

"It's just downright obscene, only criminals have tattoos. I didn't peg this place to hire that kind." One woman muses as she cuts up her grilled asparagus. At her comment I almost spit out my drink, I choke slightly and glance at Austin who has a mischievous look in his eye. He starts tugging at the zipper of his brown leather jacket.

Oh sweet Jesus. Realization dawns on me and I slide a little lower on my seat, anticipating the madness this was going to cause. Part of me was giddy, unable to wait to see the horror of my mothers face once she realizes the man she was showering with compliments moments before was in fact the "criminal" they were discussing. The other part of me hates conflict and just wants to disappear.

"Boy, it's a bit warm in here." Austin stands up and pushes his chair back, grabbing the hem of his zipper on the verge of taking it off.

"It is a bit on the warm side." The older lady on the other side of him coos. She pushes her glasses up her nose as she looks sideways at Austin, she looks down her nose and her glasses slide down again.

Austin shrugged off his jacket, revealing a plain grey v-neck tshirt. Quietly, with a small smile on his lips he slowly folds his leather jacket over the back of his chair and takes a seat again. Once he sits down, he folds his hands on top of the table and looks around. Faces are muddled between shock and embarrassment as they take a glance at his arms. Covered in lines and designs in different shades of grey, one cross on the inside of his forearm and numbers and words on his bicep.

"Now I understand it might come as a shock that a well mannered scholar, such as myself, with a great job and outstanding intellect would have such terrible taste in body art. However, I don't believe my body influences my abilities to teach my students, just as much as I don't believe it has any influence on our waiters abilities to care for us tonight." Austin states in a mild tone, a serious look on his face. He pauses for what I assume is a dramatic effect and then he smiles.

"Is anyone else getting dessert?" Austin picks up the dessert menu as if nothing had happened, I glance towards the end of the table where my mother is stewing in her seat, obviously irritated at being stood up to.

My father, however, is leaning back in his chair staring at Austin with admiration. He catches my eye and before I could look away he gives me a lopsided smile and a wink.