Page 54 of Stat: Love In Scrubs
“Girlfriend?” Ron and Marissa said in unison.
“Yes. Yara, these are Veronica’s parents, Ron and Marissa.” I told Yara.
She smiled in their direction and spoke up. “It’s nice to meet you, Ron and Marissa. I’ve heard so many good things about you.”
Marissa gave a tight smile before correcting Yara. “That’s Mr. and Mrs. Harley to you, dear. We’re just meeting. Also, we’re your elders. Where did you meet her, Desmond?”
Yara’s smile dropped immediately, but she looked down at her plate and began to eat. Like the food was the only thing keeping her mouth closed. I reached for her hand and squeezed it, letting her know I understood. I was trying to give them some grace because this was all a shock to them. I knew I should have done this meet-up separately. I don’t know why I thought they would go from never seeing Esa to also being okay with me dating again.
The reason I hadn’t thought of that was because I was never looking for their approval. I had my own emotions and shit to cross to get to where I was now. I wasn’t going to wait longer for someone else’s problems to be resolved.
“She is the owner of Esa’s Academy, she attends, and no need to be rude. That was my fault for introducing you the way I did. Had she known your last names, trust me, she would have used them.”
“That I can stand by. The first moment she spoke to me, she used my last name.” My mom spoke up.
My dad was sitting at the end of the table, watching as everything happened. He continued to eat, waiting for anybody to get beside themselves.
“No problem. So do you usually date your students' parents?” Marissa asked.
Ron tapped her wrist as if to tell her to calm down. I was getting ready to speak again when Yara placed her hand on my wrist to stop me. I looked over in her direction, and she glared at me, letting me know she had it.
“Actually, no, Mrs. Harley, I don’t. Desmond was a special case, but I will tell you this. I am trying to be respectful, but if you make one more backhanded comment, the respectable woman you see before you will no longer be here. You can get to know me without being rude, as you just tried to school me on manners. I’m going to implore you to use some as well.”
Dezi laughed and then coughed to cover it up before picking up her glass of wine. My mom was even smiling at the end of the table while eating. Marissa looked like she wanted to cuss Yara the fuck out, but I hoped she didn’t. I wasn’t going to allow them to disrespect her a second longer. If they had a problem, they needed to pose that animosity towards me.
Esa tapped Marissa’s wrist to get her attention off Yara.
“Ms. Yara is the best. She is kind, and she plays dolls with me, colors with me, and we make breakfast together. She is nice. You don’t have to be mean to her.” She told her, shocking everyone at the table.
Marissa opened and closed her mouth, unsure of what to say. I’m sure she didn’t expect Esa to recognize she was being openly rude. Ron cleared his throat to get his wife's attention.
“Please excuse my wife, it’s not you, Yara. It’s just a shock. We hadn’t expected Desmond to move on from our daughter so quickly.”
I couldn’t hold my tongue a second longer. “Quickly? It’s been six years, Ron. How long was suitable for me to wait? If we’re talking about time.”
Ron’s jaw ticked as he placed his fork to the side.
“As much time as necessary to not replace my daughter like she meant nothing. When you took those vows, it meant forever. Yet you’ve just moved on with a piece of her like she never walked this earth.”
“Dezi, take Esa upstairs for a moment.” My mother said.
Dezi pushed her chair back from the table and waved Esa over. Esa looked at Ron and Marissa, then silently left with Dezi. Once she was out of the room, I dropped my calm demeanor. That was only in place for Esa’s benefit.
“You must have spoken a different set of vows or heard a different set. My love for your daughter didn’t vanish the moment Yara walked into my life. I only appreciated her more because when Yara came around, I knew how to identify this unique feeling I had only once felt with your daughter. I deserve to live a life of love, and so does Esa. Let’s talk about how I gave grace for the amount of time you took to leave behind a piece of your daughter, like she didn’t matter.”
Marissa cried and slammed her hands against the table.
“That’s not fair! Veronica was my baby, and I should have never had to bury her. It’s your fault! You should have saved her. You’re a doctor, for God’s sake! Why didn’t you see the signs? You were supposed to keep my baby safe.” She cried.
Tears slid down my cheeks at her words. If they thought I hadn’t heard those words more than I liked to admit, they were wrong. Yara was rubbing circles against my back when my mother stood from where she had been sitting.
“Enough! When we invited you into our home, it wasn’t to break down my son so that you could feel better. It was so you could get a chance to get to know the little angel your daughter left behind. Yet here you are wasting precious time that isn’t promised to any of us, pointing fingers. Especially when you know he isn’t the reason your daughter passed. It wasn’t anything anyone could have done. How was he supposed to know she had an underlying health condition that was dormant in her body until the stress of the labor brought it to the forefront? He couldn’t have!” My mom said.
Yara leaned in front of me to wipe away my tears with the sleeve of her shirt, then whispered in my ear.
“Don’t allow this moment to harden your heart, baby. I see it more now. They’re still broken, and they don’t want to make a change. It makes them feel closer to their daughter to stay in pain.” She spoke.
I glanced in her direction and nodded, then placed a kiss against her cheek.
