Page 74 of Cocky Nerd
But Idon’t.
Because I’m a fuckingstud.
But my eyes may be a bit damp and my lower lip may be quivering. I’ll have to learn how to controlthat.
She smiles, her lovely warm smile and rests her chin in her hands, her elbows on thetabletop.
“Johnny. It’ll be okay. You know, all I’ve ever wished for my girl is that she find someone who loves and adores and is as dedicated to her as she is to dancing. And guess what. She met you even before she took her first balletclass.”
I nod. I try to swallow a bit of the bread but there’s a lump in my throat and my mouth is dry. I start choking. It’s not a good look. Mrs. Montgomery gets me a glass of water and waits for me to get control of my fucking body, which apparently doesn’t work anymore if Olivia isn’t nearit.
“Better?”
“Better.”
She is excited to get back to her train of thought. She is as excited to talk about Olivia as I am. “I’ve always been worried that because she loves dance so much that she’ll never look for someone that she could love as much. She’s had some real d-bag asshat boyfriends, I don’t know if you knowthat?”
I nearly spit out mycoffee.
“I had an idea,yes.”
“Ever since she was a teenager. I mean, they were barely even boyfriends, really. Boys who made her cry. Boys who made hermad.”
I may be one ofthose.
“And then she’d just get bored of them and throw herself into dancingagain.”
“Bored,huh?”
“Oh she could never get bored of you. You’ll be so good for her. You already are, I can tell. You’ve always had a good head on yourshoulders.”
“I can’t think straight anymore, when it comes to yourdaughter.”
“Then don’t think straight. Think in circles. Think in swerves. Or don’t think atall.”
Think in circles, think in swerves. That last thing isimpossible.
“I think she’s really mad at me. I think I really fucked up.Sorry.”
“You didn’t treat her badly, didyou?”
“No. I don’t thinkso.”
“I’m sure you didn’t. I’m sure it’s a misunderstanding. That’s usually what all fights are, in thebeginning.”
“I hope it’s just thebeginning.”
“I’m sure of it. She’ll get over it, whatever it is. I don’t have to tell you how stubborn our girl is, Johnny. Sharp as a tack, but her mind is the last part of her that’s invited to the party, if you know what I mean. She’s a dancer, through and through. It’s music and emotion and passion that moves her. Which is why it’s been nearly impossible for Alan or I to reason with her over theyears.”
“Did you give up? Trying to reason withher?”
“I think we just finally decided to trust her instincts the way she does. They haven’t led her very far astray so far. I don’t think they’ll lead her away fromyou.”
This is my chance to ask Steph Montgomery what I could never ask my own parents, or at least I’d never expect an answer from myparents.
“How do you do it? How does marriagework?”
“Well. Every marriage is different. But I think what makes marriage work is you’re forced to try to work things out. It’s amazing what can happen if you give ittime.”
