But no matter how much I was dreading the conversation, I couldn’t avoid it forever. They would notice as I just kept mysteriously getting dressed in business clothes and disappearing for most of the day. There was only but so many errands I could possibly run.
Besides, I didn’t want to hide it from them. I wasn’t ashamed of it, and I also wanted to be very clear with them that I wasn’t going to let their ill opinions about my career of choice sway me. I was taking control of my life, and getting this internship was going to be a big part of that.
Knowing it was just going to get harder and more awkward if I continued to wait, I went into the living room after dinner. My mother sat with her needlecrafts as close as humanly possible to the lamp on the side table. My father sat in his recliner watching the news.
“Can I talk to you guys for a minute?” I asked.
They both looked up at me, and as I expected, concern flickered across their faces. We had gotten to the point where I could barely even speak without them being worried.
“What’s going on, honey? Is something wrong?” Mom asked.
“No, nothing’s wrong. In fact, things could be really good soon,” I said. “I applied for an internship today.”
“What kind of internship?” my father asked.
“It’s at a therapist’s office over in Lawrence,” I said.
My mother gasped as if I just told her I had applied for a job as a vulture target in the Badlands.
“Lawrence? If you can’t be serious. You can’t travel that far to work every day,” she said.
“It’s really not that far, Mom. It will take me maybe half an hour to get there. But even if it did take longer than that, this is what I have always wanted to do with my life. I was really lucky to find the internship, and I’m excited about it.”
“Who is this person you’re planning on working with?” Dad asked. “Are they reputable?”
I tried not to roll my eyes. “This is a real office with a well-known and respected therapist. I have done extensive research on her and what she’s done in the industry. Not only is she incredibly admired for her success and her ability to manage even difficult cases, but she is, by all accounts, a stand-up human. She is absolutely amazing and has no skeletons hidden in her closet,” I said. “Figuratively or literally.”
“How would you know that?” Dad asked. “They’re hidden. That’s the whole point of them being skeletons in your closet. She wouldn’t add them to her About Me page on her website.”
Mom shook her head, lowering her stitching to her lap. “Honey, everyone has skeletons. Just look at your ex.”
That officially pissed me off. She’d crossed a line.
“You know what? I’m done with this. I’m not going to argue with the two of you about what I do with my future because, frankly, you don’t have any say in it. I came to tell you about the application because I wanted you to know what was going on. And maybe because I’m excited about it and thought for a brief second there you might be able to get over yourselves long enough to be happy for me. But I guess not,” I said.
It was harsher than I wanted it to be, but I couldn’t stop the words. Without even waiting for a response, I stormed out of the house and headed directly for the bar. I called Melissa while I was on the way and asked if she wanted to meet up with me there. She sounded disappointed when she told me she was busy, and worried when I said I was still going.
“Are you alright?” she asked. “Did something happen?”
“Just my parents,” I said. “Don’t worry about it. Have fun on your date tonight, and I’ll tell you everything the next time we hang out.”
It was still early enough in the evening that the biggest crowds hadn’t yet streamed into the bar. I walked right in and went to the same seats where Melissa and I had sat on my first night there. Tyler was whisking back and forth between the kitchen and behind the bar, but when he noticed me, he came over and paused.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“I could use a drink,” I said.
He didn’t push but gave a nod and went over to the glassware to grab a rocks glass. He made me my drink and slid it across the bar to me. I picked it up and swigged it down quickly, sliding the glass back over to him. Tyler picked it up and looked down into it before filling it again. I downed that one just as quickly as the first. It burned, but I wanted the alcohol in me as fast as I could get it.