Priscilla D’Ancanto peeked through the peep hole on the door and got a shock. Marie was home! And with a tall, mean-looking stranger, who was smiling at her daughter. She quickly tried to fix her hair in the mirror next to the door to look presentable and then she opened the door. There were no screams, only tears, and uncomfortable pauses until Marie broke the threshold.
“Hey mama, ah’m home,” she said before Priscilla suddenly found herself in a hug.
“Anna Marie, oh baby. It’s good ta have ya home. You’re all grown up.”
“Mama, this is Logan. Logan, this is mah mama, Priscilla.”
“Hello. This is for you,” he said as he handed her the wine he’d picked up, with the little red bow.
‘Oh Mah Gawd,’ she thought as she accepted the bottle. ‘That’s Anna Marie’s Logan?’
Poor Logan couldn’t help but see the shock in her face and smell the spike in her fear. He held on to the thought that he was doing this all for Marie. He gave her a quick hug as well; with a chaste kiss on her cheek.
“Well come on in then. We’ll go into the parlor. Daddy’s in the den with his model. You know how he is with his collection. He just got Blackbeard’s ship last week.”
Logan let Marie take the lead as she led him into the living room, otherwise known as the parlor. She sat down in the corner of the two seat couch, while her mother took her seat across from Marie, on the three seat couch.
“So, what brings ya’ll to Meridian?”
“Mama, we’re gettin’ married and Logan asked for mah hand from you and daddy. You told meh you’d work on him. Has he given you an answer?”
Logan sensed the spike in Marie’s and her mother’s fear. He got a sense that this wasn’t going to go well at all by Priscilla’s hesitation.
“Ah’m sorry Anna Marie, he hasn’t said a word to meh.”
“It’s Marie now, mama.”
“Ah’ll go get him. It won’t take but a second,” she said before she quickly jumped up from her seat and left the room in a hurry.
“Gee, that went well. Get ready for round two,” Logan whispered to Marie.
“Bah the way, mah maiden name is D’Ancanto. Ah changed it to Caldicott while ah was on the road so they couldn’t find meh. Because ah wanted to leave mah family behind. Caldicott was mah daddy’s mama’s maiden name.”
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
Marie shrugged her shoulders. “Ah duh-know nevah came up, ah guess.”
Priscilla went to the den and knocked on the door.
“What is it?” Her husband asked through the thin door.
“Owen, honey, its Marie and her man,” she said as she popped her head around the door.
Immediately, Owen D’Ancanto stopped working on gluing the mast to the hull.
“What’s he look lahk?”
“He’s a grown man, Owen. Ah don’t know if it’s gonna work.”
“A grown man? How old is he?”
“Ah have no clue, ah didn’t ask. Come on out heah and introduce yourself. She’s expecting an answer.”
“Ah know, ah know. I’m comin’. Go make our guests comfortable. I’ll be out in a minute.”
Priscilla went back to the parlor and reclaimed her seat. Then five seconds later she stood. She decided she wasn’t minding her southern manners and taking care of her guest’s needs. Her nervousness was written all over her body language but she didn’t know that.
“Logan, Marie, would you lahk somethin’ ta drink?”
“Mama, we’re fahn. Just come and sit.”
“So…” She spoke as she watched Marie hold hands with this strangely hairy man. “You can touch now?”
“Yeah mama, ah can. Ah went to a special school where ah found a way to control mah gift.”
“Good, good, ah’m glad. A guess you’re all grown up now so ah couldn’t ask ya when you’re comin’ back home.”
“Mama, ah’m over twenty-one,” Marie sweetly tried to turn her mother down.
‘What tha hell is takin’ Owen so long…?’ Prissy thought.
As if Owen was telepathic, he showed up at the entry to the parlor by the front door. He didn’t even take the time to look at his beautifully grown up daughter. Nope, his eyes set right on Logan. The shock was clearly evident on his face for an instant and then he covered it up as quickly as he possibly could. He decided he would hear the man out, what Marie had to say, and then he was gone. This man was not marrying his daughter…
“Owen, there ya are. Come and meet Marie’s man.”
Marie stood to make her introductions. Logan stood behind her.
“Daddy, this is Logan. Logan, this is mah daddy, Owen D’Ancanto.”
Logan stood and held out his hand in greeting.
“Sir,” he spoke.
Owen took his hand and shook it. He was quite surprised at the weight behind the grasp. He had no idea that Logan was lightly shaking his hand. If he had put his full weight behind the handshake, he would have broken Owen’s hand. Still, he did have a firm grip. He wondered how much it would take to get rid of Logan. Hell, what if it didn’t work and it backfired on him. They would run off and probably elope. Then nine months later he’d be getting introduced to his first mutie grandkid. No, no. He wanted pure blood grandchildren. If Marie married this man then they’d be pure mutie kids. If he could marry her off to someone else they stood a chance at getting pure children. At the very least, half breeds that the mutation could be bred out of. Owen moved to take his seat next to Prissy.
Logan thought Owen would want to hug his daughter, but when he didn’t, he waited for Marie to take her seat before he joined her. He laced his fingers with hers in support. It had to hurt that her father didn’t even want to try to touch her. At least her mother had been somewhat cool with Marie’s hug, although Marie didn’t really give her an explanation for the hug before she’d introduced him. He could feel her hand shaking within his. She sensed her fear spike when her father came into the room.
“Mama, daddy. Ah can touch now. Ah found a special school that helped meh learn ta control mah gift.”
Logan sensed confusion, anger, hurt coming from her parents. The animal wanted to growl but he kept him in check.
“So, does that mean you’re cured?” Her father asked. “Ah heard talk of that cure stuff ah while back.”
The animal roared back to life and a small growl escaped Logan’s mouth. Marie gripped his hand hard with one hand and with the other she drew a few lazy circles to calm him down… Fortunately, they weren’t arousing enough to create a different kind of problem.
“Excuse him, his tummy’s growlin’,” Marie covered for him.
Logan smirked and looked to her for guidance since he was allowing her to be the pack alpha female.
“No, daddy. Ah’m not cured. Ah don’t need ta be cured. Ah have complete control over mah gift. Ah can turn it on and off lahk a laht switch.”
“That means you’re still a mutant then,” he said with just a hint of sarcasm.
“Yes, daddy,” he saw that she was getting upset.
He gave her hand a little squeeze and began to make circles on her wrist to calm her down. The scent of her arousal was mixed with the metallic smell of blood.
Priscilla decided to step in before the situation became impossible.
“So, Logan tell us a little about yourself. Where do ya come from? How’d you meet our Anna Marie?”
“Canada.” And before he could answer the second query, Marie stepped in.
“Ah met him in Northern Alberta while ah was on mah way to Alaska.”
“Really? How’d ya get there?” Her father chimed in.
“Ah hitchhiked daddy, how’d ya think ah got there?” Marie snapped back.
“Marie, that’s no way to tahlk ta your daddy.”
“Sorry mama,” she apologized with her eyes downcast.
“How long have you been tagethah?” Prissy tried to move on.
“Five years, ain’t it babe?” Logan asked Marie because he wasn’t sure.
“Yeah, about five. Logan was givin’ meh a ride, keepin’ meh warm, and fed meh when we were attacked. Logan went to protect us and his truck caught on fire. There were people from the school ah went to that saved us. And then later on, a very bad mutant tried ta kill meh, and Logan saved mah life. Since that naht, mah lahf hasn’t been the same.”
Logan thought it was interesting how she left out so many details, but then he thought that they didn’t need to know everything. Like the fact that he stabbed her in the chest after she woke him from a nightmare.
“He nearly died. Ah stayed with him for days, until they made meh go eat and go to class,” Logan was surprised; he’d never heard that little morsel of information from her.
He held her hand again when he smelt a hint of salt water in the air.
“We’ve been datin’ for five years now. And we’re closer than evah.”
“Not that it’s any of mah bees wax but, ah take it you’re sleepin’ tagethah?”
“Yes, you’re raht mama, it’s non-ah your bees wax, but we’ve decided to abstain until aftah the weddin’ ta be moah traditional,” she gripped his hand hard as she could, a sign of strength and hopefully he got the necessary message to go along with her plan.
Logan wanted to ask for a beer and to go outside to go smoke a good cigar, but he didn’t dare with his every move being scrutinized. He needed to get away from the tension in the room before the animal exploded and he did something worse than growling in front of her parents.
“Have you folks eaten lunch yet?”
“No, not yet. Why?” Owen answered.
“Well, I was thinkin’ of goin’ to the store, pickin’ up lunch and somethin’ for dinner to go with that wine I brought you, my treat. Marie can catch up with you both while I’m gone. Whaddya say?”
Marie tried to hide her shock.
‘How could he think of abandoning her to her parents right now?’
“That would be lovely, Mister…” Her mother spoke, trying to get his last name.
“Just call me, Logan ma’am.”
“That would be lovely, Logan. Ah have ta finish hangin’ out the wash and ah don’t have tahm ta make lunch for us all.”
“Well fine, I will return shortly,” Logan stood to go.
“Ah’ll wahlk ya out, sugah,” Marie spoke up; she needed to clarify what the hell was in his head.
As soon as they were out the front door, Marie made him turn around to face her.
“What the hell, Logan? Why can’t ah go with you for a break too?”
“Because you’re not about to gut your parents for being insensitive racist bigots,” he said with a low growl. “I can see that there’s no way your ‘daddy’ is gonna give us permission to marry. But then, I don’t give a shit. I’ll marry you anyway.”
“True, but ah need you, here.”
“Marie, just give me twenty minutes to a half an hour. You can do this. Remember, you are an X-Woman. I know it’s hard to believe, but I’m doin’ all this for you,” he wrapped her in his arms.
“Ah know, ah know. Ah just thought that maybe they’d changed in the tahm ah’ve been gone.”
“Some people never change, Marie.”
Then Logan cupped her face and kissed her. It was a sweet kiss that lingered a bit before he broke it off.
“When I get back, we need to discuss this abstinence until the wedding idea…”
“Just go already. Then you’ll come back ta meh sooner.”
Marie turned and went back to the front door. She didn’t want to turn around and watch Logan leave. She repeated in her mind, ‘Ah’m an X-Woman. Ah can handle this,’ like a mantra as she opened the front door. When she went back to the parlor, her parents had disappeared. She figured that her daddy went to hide in his den and mama probably went to finish with the washing. Like an old hand, she went through the house and out to the backyard where her mother was hanging some of the wrung out clothing on the two rope lines strung across two T headed poles. Marie didn’t know how to open up the conversation until her mother opened it for her.
“Ah hope your Logan gets somethin’ good ‘cause ah’m starvin’.”
“Ah’m sure he will, mama. He’s been good at feedin’ meh when ah get hungry.”
“You’ll be sleepin’ in your old room. Ah haven’t changed a thing since ya left. Logan can sleep downstairs in the guest room.”
Marie wanted to object, but she knew better. It wouldn’t be so bad really. She was on her period anyway. Good thing she knew how to sneak out her window and down the lattice work on the back side of the house covered with night blooming jasmine.
“That’s fahn, mama. Ah couldn’t sneak around with Logan if ah wanted to anyway, ah am on mah tahm of the month.”
“You know your daddy’s not gonna approve.”
“Ah know, but ah wanna know what you think.”
“Truthfully Anna Marie, ah don’t know. We don’t know what he’s lahk. He’s obviously older than you. How old is he?”
“Ah don’t know. He doesn’t remember.”
“Well, there ya go. Why not?”
“Because someone from the government took his memories from him. The government has done some terrible things to him, all in the name of protecting humanity. As a matter of fact, the government has taken his half-brother and gawd only knows what they’ve done to him by now.”
“Baby, Logan is a dangerous man if he’s mixed up with the military. People tend ta end up dead when they associate with men lahk your Logan.”
‘If she only knew how raht she was…’ Marie thought.
“Look, mama. Ah found someone. Like you said would come along. Ah know he's a sight, so unlike any man ah've known. Ah was afraid to let him in when ah first met him. Because ah wasn’t the trustin’ kind, neither was he. Hitchhikin’ across country made meh a bit hard towards men. Ah’ve never told him that ya know. Ah know it wouldn’t kill him physically if ah told him, but ah don’t want him pullin’ away from meh.”
“Marie, ah don’t know what ta say.”
“He was afraid to let meh in too. Ah’m convinced that he's heaven sent and must be out of his mind to want meh.”
“But love don’t pay the bills, baby. Does he have a job? What does he do?” That was a loaded question…
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