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When mom and dad arrived home early Sunday morning, I had breakfast waiting for them on the table. It was the least I could do for them since they've been gone all weekend long helping another family. I was setting the table when they came strolling through the door.
"Sissy!" Abel shouted as he came running right for me.
I scooped him up into my arms, giving him a big hug. Being alone for the weekend was nice. I missed my family very much. I gave him a kiss on the cheek before setting him down, telling him to sit at the table so I could serve him some breakfast before we headed to church.
"You didn't have to cook us breakfast." Mom smiled.
"I wanted to." I smiled back at her.
"How was your weekend with Robin?"
Dad was bringing their bags in from the weekend and after he finished doing that, he joined us at the table.
"It was really nice." I told them.
They didn't need to know everything we did this weekend. They'd disown me if they knew the truth. Though, I wanted to tell mom. I didn't know what to say. It was not possible to tell her without getting into trouble.
"I'm glad to hear that." Mom said.
I decided not to tell them about Eddie coming to church this morning. I didn't want to say anything after he stood me up two times. Just in case he didn't show again. I was hoping I was wrong.
That didn't stop me from feeling nervous the entire drive to church. My stomach was doing flips and got even worse when I spotted Robin waiting just outside the doors for me. When I climbed out of the car and waited for my family, I scanned the parking lot for Eddie's van.
There was no sign of it.
Please don't let me down again...
I met Robin on the steps, telling my family I would be in to join them in just a few minutes.
"Have you talked to him?" I asked Robin.
"I talked to him last night," Robin said. "Don't worry. He said he was going to come."
"What if he stands me up again?" I asked.
"Then Steve and I are going to beat him up."
"I didn't tell my parents that he was supposed to come. I don't need their annoying lectures about him anymore than I already have to deal with."
"Yeah, that was probably a good idea."
I fumbled with my fingers, my eyes continuously scanning the parking lot. Robin stood silently with me, hoping for the same thing I was. I was feeling more and more hopeless by the second. Robin could tell me the way I started slouching and sighing that he would not show.
I turned on my heels, prepared to go inside and deal with the shame of being stood up again, when Robin grabbed my arm and stopped me.
"Wait, look!" Robin pointed to the parking lot.
I looked to the main road that led into the parking lot, seeing that familiar beat-up van of Eddie's turning into the lot. A warm smile spread across my face as I watched him slowly park in the first available spot he could find. Robin had to stop me from running all the way over to him when he got out.
I couldn't help but admire the way he looked as he casually strolled over to us. He wore a plain black t-shirt that was faded with a pair of black jeans that didn't have a single rip in them like I had been used to seeing on him. His hair was in soft curls around his face and all of his hand, wrist, and neck jewelry was missing.
As he approached us, I could see the nervousness on his face. This was a big deal for the both of us. He had already expressed how uncomfortable coming here was to him, and I truly respected that. But that he still came for me meant the entire world to me.
"You came!" I had to not shriek when he reached us.
"I'm here." Eddie nervously swallowed.
"Good choice, Munson." Robin commented.
"I know, I know. Can we just go inside already so I can get all the staring over with?" Eddie asked.
I would not let a soul in that room stare at him. I trusted God was going to make this a peaceful morning for Eddie–going into something he wasn't familiar with was a scary experience and I didn't want him to feel out of place.
I knew there was going to be a lecture from my parents bound to happen after church when they saw me walk in with him. I took his hand, gripping it as we made our way inside. We took a seat in the back pew, with my parents sitting just a few in front of us. Abel was in another room with the bible study teachers.
My parents glanced back at me, both giving me an equally confused look before turning back around. I looked at Eddie sitting next to me, seeing his head hung low as he began bouncing his leg. I knew he was so nervous and I wanted to help him, but I didn't really know what to do.
I could see that he was fidgeting with his fingers where his rings normally sat, pretending like he was twisting them. But there was nothing there, so he was just rubbing his fingertips across his skin. So, I grabbed his hand and pulled it into my lap–intertwining our fingers and stroking my thumb across his hand.
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When church was over, Eddie walked me to my parents' car. Mom and Dad were already standing there waiting for me. This is when I got nervous because I had no clue how this interaction was going to go.
"Hi, dear." Mom smiled at him.
"Hello." Eddie slightly nodded.
"I see my daughter finally convinced you to join us." Dad said.
"I owed it to her," Eddie cleared his throat, "After standing her up..."
"Moral decision." Dad said.
"I was wondering," Eddie paused, "Can Eden come with me to work on some stuff for Hellfire?"
"Hellfire?" Dad and I questioned.
I remembered he had a shirt that said Hellfire, but I didn't know what it was. Regardless of what it was, Eddie was bold enough to ask my dad if we could be alone together. We both already knew that my dad didn't like him, and I highly doubted that he was going to let me go with him.
"It's the name of my Dungeons & Dragons group."
"That satanic game? No way. I do not want my daughter to be a part of that." Dad said.
"Sir, it's not satanic. It's just a fantasy game."
"I don't care. It promotes Satanic Worship, whether you realize that. Sorry, she's not going."
"But dad-"
"No, Eden. I don't care if he showed up at church today or not. I still don't like him and I don't want you around him."
I looked at Mom, who was just giving looking at me like she was sorry. I wanted her to say something to dad–even if it were telling him to just knock it off. I may not have known what this fantasy game was that Eddie had mentioned, but I didn't feel like my dad's answer was justifying his reasoning for saying no.
"How about you come over for lunch?" Mom interjected.
Dad looked at mom, giving her a slight glare.
"That's okay, Mrs. Tolliver. I can tell when I'm not wanted around. I don't want to get Eden into trouble or anything. Thank you for letting me come visit your church."
I really wanted Eddie to come over. My father's behavior towards him bothered me. He might not like him, but he doesn't have to. It's not like he was dating Eddie. I folded my arms across my chest and looked my dad right in the face.
"You either can let Eddie come over for lunch, where we can be under your supervision..." I thought about it, "Or I'm going with Eddie to help him work on his Hellfire stuff where we are unsupervised."
"Eden, it's okay. Don't get into trouble on my behalf."
"You should really listen to him." Dad glared down at me.
"You should really listen to me, dad. You can't keep treating me like this because you don't like Eddie. Well, I hate to tell you this.... But I really like him, and I don't think he's going anywhere soon. Stop treating me like I'm some little kid."
Dad matched my stance with my arms across his chest. I could tell he was mad and gritting his teeth. I could also tell that he knew I was right.
"Fine," Dad caved, "But you and I will be having a very long discussion after lunch."
"I look forward to it." I smiled.
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Eddie followed behind us all the way back to my house. Dad was utterly silent in the car, but there was a heavy awkwardness weighing down around us. I knew the discussion we were bound to have tonight would not go very well, but it was something that needed to be done.
When we arrived back home, Eddie and I went to my room. We left my bedroom door wide open as I sat down on my bed. Eddie sat across the room, sitting down at the desk I had in the room's corner. He stared at me and I couldn't quite figure out how he was feeling. I couldn't help but feel like I put him in an awkward position by coming here.
I wanted to spend the entire day with him and my dad needed to stop being so judgmental towards him. So what if he didn't like Eddie... He makes me happy, and that's all that should matter. Eddie has his own things going on, just like everyone else in the world. So what if he wasn't the type who went to church? Eddie has never once tried to turn the church against me, so what was the big deal?
I couldn't be his little girl forever.
"I'm really glad you came today." I told him.
I knew dad was sitting in the living room and probably listening to our entire conversation, so I knew to keep the topic to a minimum.
"Yeah, well, seeing the smile on your face was worth it." Eddie looked at me with those soft brown eyes of his. They were the prettiest shade of brown and I felt like I could melt looking into them every single time.
"I know it was very hard for you to come today, and it really means a lot to me, Eddie. I appreciate the gesture."
"I'd go again if I meant I got to see that smile again."
"Really?"
"Yeah," He nodded, "You have the prettiest smile."
"What did you think about the service?"
"It was interesting..."
"So, tell me about this Hellfire club of yours. I'm curious about it now."
"You mean the game that promotes satanic worship?"
Eddie had a devilish little grin on his face, and I loved it. We were both being bad. I brought the club up on purpose and I knew he responded with the same purpose. I leaned back against my headboard, pulling one of my pillows into my lap as I watched Eddie relaxing over in the corner.
"Yeah. That one. I want to know all the ways Satan has corrupted your fantasy game."
"Well, for starters, I am the Dungeon Master. I am the game organizer. I make up all the satanic quests that my players go through each session. Then, the rest of the crew tries to defeat whatever satanic quest I've concocted."
"So, what I'm hearing... the Devil takes over your mind and forces you to preach his worship to all your loyal little subjects?"
Eddie busted out laughing. He couldn't help it. I was being petty, and I would not stop. My dad really ticked me off today and he was going to know about it–even if it gets me into trouble.
"Eden Lydia!" I heard mom's voice chime down the hallway.
It wasn't very often that she threw my middle name into the mix. I knew to shut up when it was.
"Eden Lydia?" Eddie raised a brow.
"Eden Lydia Tolliver is my full name."
"It sounds very cute."
"What's yours?"
"That doesn't matter."
"Tell me!"
"Fine," He rolled his eyes, "But you can't make fun of me."
"Why would I make fun of your name?"
"Cuz it just sounds dumb."
"Tell me already."
"Edward Patrick Munson."
"Why would I make fun of that? It's cute."
"It's lame."
"So is Eden Lydia."
"Not at all."
We frowned at each other. Just then, mom informed us that lunch was ready. If they would have let me eat in my room, I would have–but it was a family rule that we ate every meal we could together.
Dad didn't even look at us when we joined him at the table, which was fine by me. I would not let him be rude to Eddie, either. Hopefully, lunch would just be a breeze and we'd silently sit through the entire meal. I sat between dad and Eddie to avoid anything from happening.
I knew they would never physically fight each other, but I was almost sure that there would be some sort of verbal argument. Those two would never get along. Nothing was ever going to change that. And that hurt... a lot because I don't know how to describe it just yet... but there was something about Eddie that I just loved. I loved being around him and enjoying these new experiences with him.
Mom passed around a bowl full of salad around the table. A light by delicious lunch. We quickly said grace and then I think we all collectively scarfed down our food to avoid all the awkwardness.
I thought we were going to have a clean getaway with no conversation until I went to stand and Mom asked me to sit back down. I watched her with curiosity as she cleared her throat, eyeing me and my dad.
This will not be good.
"Nobody is leaving this table until everyone has said their peace." Mom glanced between all of us.
"Eddie shouldn't be a part of this." I said.
"I agree with your daughter." Dad said.
"Your daughter? Grow up Allen. You're acting like a child." Mom furiously spat back.
It wasn't often that Mom got mad—but we knew she meant business when she was. I looked at Eddie, who was just sitting next to me with his hands folded in his lap. He looked awkward sitting there listening to my family banter.
"Eddie is very much a part of this," Mom said, "Which is why he's going to say his peace before you make up that mind of yours."
Dad and I were so much alike that we crossed our arms and glared at each other at the same moment. This is something that should we already should have discussed long before now. But, better late than never... right?
I wasn't so sure I wanted to talk about this because I don't think dad was ever going to change his mind about how he feels about Eddie. I don't blame him, because I think at one point... I felt the same way as dad did, but people can change their minds.
There was a time before where I would have never stepped foot near Eddie Munson. If it weren't for Chrissy bringing me along that night, things would have been totally different. But I was thankful I went along with her that night, because Eddie turned out to be someone that I really liked.
I don't know what Mom was thinking about doing this. Nothing good was going to come from it. I just know it... I swallowed hard, waiting for someone to say something. I knew that nothing I could say right now would be from a place of love. This entire situation made me angry, and I was always taught that I should say nothing out of anger.
"Allen, this has gone on long enough. Can't you see Eden has been trying everything she could think of to prove to you she can be responsible and date Eddie at the same time?" Mom said.
"I didn't know sneaking out to a party, going to a bar, and continuously lying to us was being responsible." Dad glared at Mom.
"I didn't know smacking your daughter across the face and harshly bashing her was being a father." Mom spat right back.
Oh shit.
Now, swearing was something that I never have done. But I wasn't expecting mom to hit dad with that curveball. My eyes went slightly wide as my face went red. I hadn't really admitted to Eddie that's what had happened, but he sure knew now. I couldn't even bring myself to look at Eddie. I let my gaze fall to the ground, where I stared at my foot anxiously tapping against the ground.
"You know, I didn't mean to do that. It was an accident! I don't know what point you are trying to make here, but this conversation will not get very far." Dad said.
"The point I'm trying to make here is that you need to stop being so harsh on Eden. I don't care if you don't like Eddie or not. It isn't about you. Maybe, for a second, if you stopped looking at Eddie like he's the devil walking on a stick, you'd see the smiles that he's putting on Eden's face. Or how she blushes when he just walks into the room. Or how she is actually coming out of her shell and trying to make friends?" Mom argued.
I gripped my hands together in a fist. My knuckles were as white as a ghost as I listened to the conversation boil over. Everything about this was frustrating, and I honestly wanted no part of it. I couldn't hear anymore because it was only going to be upsetting.
"Don't bother wasting your time, Mom. Dad's already decided about how he feels. Eddie, I'm sorry that you were involved in any of this. I think you should go home and that we shouldn't talk to each other anymore." My voice came out barely above a whisper.
"See, Allen. This is exactly what you're doing to your daughter. You're making her feel defeated. Is this how you're going to act towards all the boys who come into her life? All you're doing is pushing her away."
"I know this is a terrible time for me to even be saying anything," Eddie cleared his voice, "But I never had, nor do I plan to have, any intentions of hurting your daughter. The fact that she is sitting here next to me on the verge of tears is really upsetting me because all I want to do is comfort her while you continue to hurt her. She respects you just as much as she does God. I know I can't be that perfect church boy you want me to be, but I know I can be someone who treats your daughter with the respect that you want."
I hadn't expected Eddie to say a thing. Especially not to my dad. Yet, I still couldn't bring myself to look at him.
"Look, my entire life I watched my dad show me exactly the type of man I didn't want to be. I didn't have a mother to look out for me. I didn't have a family to show me what loving someone should look like, but I promise I will do nothing to hurt Eden." He said.
I couldn't stand to listen to any more of the conversation. I couldn't hear Eddie waste his time trying to convince my dad of anything else. I slid back in my chair, spinning on my heels just before the room could see the tears falling. Storming right out of the room, I went to the only place that I could. My bedroom.
I fell onto my bed, burying my face into my pillow, and quietly sobbed into the fabric.
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