“What a terrible day,” Linda babbled on her cell phone as she walked up the sidewalk to her house, “I mean it’s not like I didn’t study for the test and I still only get a B.”
She fumbled in her purse for the key to the house.
“I know it’s a B but you don’t understand my parents. If I don’t get an A I get punished,” she slid the key into the door and slowly slid it open.
“Alright I have to go. I’m home,” she clicked off the phone.
“Mommy? I’m home,” she called out but didn’t hear any response.
She dropped her books off at the door and walked up the stairs, unsure how she was going to break it to her parents that she only got a B on her midterms. She wondered how she would be punished this time, curfew, grounding, car privileges. She was the only one she knew who was 18 and still getting grounded and it was starting to embarrass her.
Click!
She paused on the stairs, “What was that?” she whispered though nobody was there to hear her.
“Mom?” she asked, “Is that you?”
“In here honey,” the sweet voice of her mother rang out from her parent’s bedroom and Linda’s body almost suddenly relaxed.
She walked to the bedroom door and slowly opened it, still nervous about how to explain her poor test score.
Linda let out a shrill shriek seeing her father mounted on top of her mother. She quickly turned her head, “Mom, I didn’t know!” she started. “I mean I didn’t know that Daddy was in here,” she moved her hands over her eyes and fumbled for the doorway. “I’m so sorry,” she blathered.
“It’s okay,” her father answered. “It was your mother’s fault, she should have told you, I took the day off. Oh you feel so good Caroline,” he moaned and then looked up at Linda “How did you do on your big test?”
Linda paused, almost paralyzed.
“Ok,” she stammered, “I mean, well, I…” her words trailed off.
“What?” her dad asked forcefully.
“I got a B.” Linda collapsed her head into her hands. “I don’t know what happened. I studied and everything. I tried to hard.” She heard her mother’s moans as the bed creaked underneath her.
“You know what this means don’t you?” her father asked. “You do know.”
Linda started to sob but was unable to leave the room. “Yes, I’m so sorry I let you down. Please I’m 18 now, can’t I just feel bad and not be punished?” she continued sobbing.
“Come here,” her father commanded. “Right now.”
Linda didn’t know what to do. She was so scared that she got the B but she was frightened at her father.
“You’re naked, please daddy, what are you doing? You’re scaring me,” she cried out.
“Get over here right now,” he again commanded, sliding off his wife.
Caroline sat up and moved in closer to John.
“We talked about this honey. John, I’m sorry, your father, and I decided that you weren’t spending enough time working at school and too much time socializing,” Linda’s mother scolded her young daughter. “We want you to devote all of your time to school. No more boys. No more late nights. Do you understand?”
Linda slowly moved towards the bed, looking away from her nude parents. “I am 18 mother. Please, I should be able to do what I want.”
“Not well you’re living in my house,” her father said sternly. “You live by our rules.”
