Temporary Boyfriend Ch. 03

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Taylor had bandages on both eyes when I bought her home. I had an Uber waiting for us. I got her situated on my sofa and suggested that she try to take a nap before dinner. She was supposed to keep her eyes closed and the bandages on until morning. She relaxed, although I wasn't sure that she slept. I made dinner for us. I kept it simple so she could eat without seeing her plate: grilled cheese sandwiches and French fries.

As we ate, I asked Taylor about her parents and her sibling -- a sister that she adored that still lives near her parent's home. Taylor regaled me with descriptions and stories about Faye, her mother; Don -- her father; and Charlotte -- who she described as her younger sister. For some reason, I thought of Charlotte as a late teenager.

Her father was a mechanic and had never had further aspirations. Despite his modest career aims, he was the go-to man for anything wrong with a car or truck. He'd seen it all. He had been in the Army and then mustered out after his tour, but with the skills that he'd learned. He met Faye, who was waitressing, and after a courtship they got married and started a family.

The family had a small three-bedroom house that Don had personally expanded with additional rooms as the two daughters got older. They'd been in the same house for thirty years and had no plans to move or downsize now that Taylor and Charlotte had moved out.

Faye had continued to waitress except when she had to be home when the girls were younger. She was the strong disciplinarian of the family, and demanded excellence from the girls in terms of behavior and academics. She wanted something better for her kids than she'd had.

Charlotte had gone to the University of Rochester on an academic scholarship, I learned. That kind of blew up my teenager image. Taylor laughed and said, "We fought with each other right up until I left home, and since then we've been best friends when we're with each other or even on the phone. We talk often. She's the main person that I'm trying to impress with my 'boyfriend', although Mom and Dad are right up there on the list."

I told her, "I'm still worried about the other side of that coin; specifically, how disappointed they'll be when they find out that our relationship is a bit of a sham."

Taylor gently shook her head. "Everyone knows that initial relationships don't always last, so I'm not worried. I'll just wait a few months and tell them that we broke up."

"But what will you do after that happens?"

"Maybe get another temporary boyfriend, if I need one."

For some reason, Taylor's quick answer kind of struck me in the gut. I realized that I didn't want her to have another temporary boyfriend. That was my job.

"Hey, don't take my job away from me before I've completed the task."

Taylor just smiled.