Cantrell: The Early Years, Part Two
The Shaking of Foundations, a Cantrell: The Early Years, Part Two Update The call came in the dead of night. Joseph grabbed his cellphone. “This is Joseph Cantrell,” he said. The voice on the ot...
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Busted, a Cantrell: The Early Years, Part Two Update
Carina Golden did her best to stash the copy of Image Magazine well out-of-sight," Girls, I told you to get and keep, this rag magazine out of here and do something with it. If you father sees it, you know he’s simply going to blow a gasket.” With that she snatched it off of the coffee table and when one of her five daughters entered the room, she pitched it at her. Hayleigh caught it. “Hayleigh, for God’s sake what have you done to your hair? Besides being remarkably short, it’s red with streaks, is that purple? What were you thinking, girl? You know your father doesn’t approve.”
Picture of Hayleigh’s new do Regina’s new do.
“Well, if he would stop seeing his daughters as floozies. Everybody is doing this to their hair. Oh, and Regina changed her hair, too.” was Hayleigh’s defense. Standing on the staircase hearing the conversation, Regina smirked.
“At least I didn’t get myself on the front cover of Image. I feel for Kayleigh when she gets back.”
“Gets back?” Carina said, blanching. “When did she leave and where did she go? And none of your clever we’re triplets and we bond together against the enemy nonsense. First off, I’m not the enemy, and secondly, I merely need to be able to answer your father as to her whereabouts. You know how he is.”
“He runs his family as he runs his military unit. Sir, yes sir!” Hayleigh saluted. “Authoritative, overprotective. I can’t continue in this bubble he’s trying to keep me in. Mom, when is Daddy deploying again? I like it much better when he’s not around. We girls can handle family business.”
“We can handle our own lives,” Regina chimed in.
“Yes, I know and he’s been gone for much of you three’s lives. I know he’s difficult, but he’s your father and he loves all of you so much. If you could just see him the way I see him. He just wants what’s best for each and every one of you. He wants you to succeed. His prime directive is to keep you safe, above all else. He suffers knowing he’s sometimes too strict. He’s just so afraid you’ll get so hurt that he won’t be able to fix it.”
“Only sometimes?” Mercedes said, coming in from the back yard. “Why does Daddy treat us as if we’re all bad people just looking to embarrass him?”
“Honey, I don’t know. Father James does tell us to be patient with him. He’s trying very hard to take a more distant role.”
“Huh, I don’t call scolding little Lorelei for not wanting to sit on the potty chair, being distant. He got right into her face,” Six-year-old Mercedes groused. “She’s just a toddler. We’re not perfect. I’m so tired of trying to be perfect. Why does he need us to be perfect?”
“I‘m going to guess he sees your behavior as a reflection on him.”
“Ah, so it’s an ego thing. I get it. The man is simply psychologically impaired,” Regina said. “I hated Psychology when I first started the class, but I now see its benefits.”
“Well, it could be that I suppose — and with your grandfather, too. Just keep Daddy in your prayers. We could all use the strength. And he’s hinted at a possible deployment, too.”
Carina’s phone went off. “This could be it,” She lifted a finger to still her daughter’s coming diatribe and answered her cell quickly. “Drake, hello. No, we’re all fine. Homework’s done and the girls are busy setting the dining room table for dinner.” she said, directing her children with hand-signals. “Okay, dear. Do you think you’ll be long? Oh, I see. Okay, I’ll keep yours warm for you. I love you, too.” Turning to look at her teen daughters she said, “we have a general reprieve for a little while. You father has to make a stop before he comes home. Get that table set, you two and Hayleigh, stir the pot on the stove, please.”
*~~*~~*~~*~~*
A knock came to the front door of the Cantrell House. “Hm,” Louise said, “wonder who that could be at this hour. I was just planning on going up to bed, get some sleep in before the baby wakes.”
Joey pulled the door open. “Are you Erik?” the uniformed man said, gruffly.
“No, sir. Erik isn’t in at the moment. He’s at a photo shoot, I believe. He should be back, shortly, would you care to come in and wait?”
"Yes,” Captain Drake Golden said, all but pushing his way into the house. Taking a cursory look around, he said, “Huh, I always wondered what this place looked like on the inside. Very nice.”
“Thank you,” Joey and Aaron said in unison.
“Hello,” Louise said, offering her hand, coming from the Dining Room. “I’m Louise Cantrell, this is my son Joey, my eldest son, Aaron, and my husband Professor Joseph Cantrell, Sr is right here in the dining room,” she said, taking him by the arm leading him through the archway. “Please, have a seat. Would you like a cup of coffee?”
Joseph smiled, coming to his feet. “You must be Kayleigh’s father. She’s a lovely girl. I appreciate getting a chance to meet you.” He held out his hand, troubled when the man didn’t meet him halfway. Instead, Drake pulled at the hem of his uniform jacket, hands at his sides and sat down abruptly. Placing his cap, held under his arm, on the tabletop.
“Yes, she is a sweet girl,” Drake Golden said, “and I’m certain your son is a fine boy, too. But have you seen this? This is my thanks for letting them go on a ‘date’.” The captain placed the copy of Image Magazine on the table. Joseph bent to have a look.
“Yes, I believe between my wife and kids, the magazine stacks have been cleared out. It’s a charming photo of the two, don’t you think? They make such a cute couple.”
Louise came back from the kitchen with cups of coffee she placed on the table, glancing at the magazine in the center of her table. “Sugar, cream?”
“Black, please.”
“We think the world of your daughter,” she went said.
“Funny, I haven’t even met your boy. Then I see this glaring at me while I’m standing in line at the commissary. ‘Is he taken?’ Now what do you suppose that means? She’s fifteen. Your boy is how old?”
“Sixteen, almost seventeen,” Joseph said, clearing his throat. “I’m afraid he’s suffering from his first crush.”
“Global Superstar, Rock Star at sixteen, eh? What other things is he into? Drinking, drugs, woohoo? Not with my daughter.”
Joseph straightened up. “Captain, I must say I don’t like your tone. As far as I know Kayleigh and Erik are just friends. Sweethearts, at most. He’s a good, faithful Christian boy who attends church every week. I don’t much care for your insinuations. I’ve talked with all three of my older sons. They know what I expect from them regarding their behavior. No woohoo before marriage. To not even get themselves into a position where it's likely to happen.”
“Huh,” Drake shook his head. “He certainly wouldn’t be the first good Christian boy to be a hypocrite. She came home all dreamy eyed after their date the other night. I knew I should have said no, but she’s got those big blue eyes . . .I’m really trying so hard to not stifle her emotional growth. Which includes not limiting her social life as much as I’d like. It’s just so difficult. So much danger out there.”
Erik came through the front door at that moment. “Erik,” Louise called, “is that you? Come to the dining room, there’s somebody here you have to meet.”
"Mom, Dad,” Erik said as he came into the dining room. “Captain Golden, is it? I’m very pleased to meet you.” Erik properly extended his hand. Drake was out of his chair in a flash causing Erik to take two quick steps back.
“You,” he said, all but stabbing his long forefinger into Erik’s chest. “You made my daughter defy me.”
“What? How? Oh, I knew I should have insisted on meeting you. Please forgive the oversight on my part. I even asked Kay-Kay if you gave your consent to our going out. She told me her sisters would mob me and that’s why we had to leave right then and there. I’m truly sorry, sir. It won’t happen again.”
“Dern straight, it won’t happen again. I forbid you to see her again.”
“What? Kayleigh said you would have her head, I just didn’t expect you’d have mine, too. This isn’t even close to fair We haven’t done anything wrong, that either of our parents would disapprove of. I even had her back a good five minutes before her curfew. Please, reconsider, sir. We’re just starting to get to know each other.”
Louise Cantrell shot out of her chair. “Now, see here, Captain, being the daughter of an Admiral, I am neither intimidated by your uniform, nor your rank. You will not barge into our home and start accusing my son of some undisclosed misdeed like this. What is it, precisely, that he did? That they did?”
“She’s not allowed to go steady. She’s only fifteen!” the man raged.
“Steady? As in not seeing others, steady? I asked her to be my girlfriend. I said nothing about going steady, as in for keeps, sir. I promise you I didn’t. We just caught up with each other again. I don’t really know her. That’s what dating is for.”
“How could you be so careless as to let something like this happen?” Again, the man used his index finger to jab at the magazine cover. “I don’t want my daughter tainted by your fame. I despise the industry. And now, we won’t have any privacy, either. You didn’t stop to think about that, did you.”
“We took a Selfie together, but I swear we were alone on the street. I have no clue as to how or why it ended up on the cover of a magazine.”
“You’re a star and you can say that with a straight face? You should know by now the Paparazzi are predators, they’ll suck the very being out of your personal life. See this? The article implies you two are a definite item. Just how far have you gone with my little girl?”
“I kissed her once. But only once and I asked her permission first.”
Drake narrowed his gray eyes, took his hat and headed for the front door. “You are clearly a bad influence on her. I forbid you to see her again. Ever.”
Erik sidled onto a dining room chair, head bowed, shielding his eyes with this hand. After all of this time of pining over the girl who shouted at him, now he was forbidden to see her again? One week. He’d known who she was for a week. Tears stung his eyes and Louise put a hand on his shoulder, patted it.
“I wonder what he’ll do when he finds out we’re all dorming in Wyvern Hall?” Erik whispered. I can’t believe this is happening. That I blew it.
Louise was quick on Drake’s heels, “Now wait just one minute, Captain,” Louise said, following after him. “You have charge over your child, not mine. Who are you to say what he’s allowed to do and not do. He’s not one of your soldiers. He’s your daughter’s boyfriend, barely. They’ve known each other a whole week. They hardly know each other. Were you aware that she attacked him years ago?”
“Attacked? What did he do to her?”
Louise frowned, straightened her shoulders and said, “He said ‘hello,’ and she went off on him.”
Drake shook his head. “That doesn’t sound like my Kayleigh. She’s a sweet, kind-hearted girl.”
“I was a military brat growing up, I know how hard it is to move all the time. She told Erik she wasn’t allowed to have friends. Well, she has a friend, now. Just what are you afraid of, sir?”
“I was a young man once. I know what boys are like. I don’t trust them with any of my daughters.”
“You do realize, do you not, that you’re setting these kids up for failure, right? The more you push, the more they will rebel. That’s normal teen behavior.”
“Stay out of my personal business. Good evening.” Taking him by the upper arm, Louise tugged at him until he turned to glare at her.
“What are you going to do,” she said, “send your daughters off to a Monastery?” Louise said, just as he broke free and then slammed the door behind him.
Taking out his phone Erik immediately texted Kayleigh. Red Alert. Raise your Shields. Your father just left my house.
All for now. Thanks for reading.
Yikes, Drake is out of control!
In a past iteration of my story, Drake and Erik had a great deal of tension between them. I had to show just what got Erik on Drake's wrong side. LOL And, yes, being a helicopter parent makes Drake a bit on the crazy out-of-control side. Thanks for reading and commenting!
