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Disclaimer: Terri Mason is my character. Gene Simmons and KISS are real
persons, but this
story is a work of fiction, not intended to harm or demean the parties
mentioned. All other
characters are property of the author, or else used with the permission
of the authors
consulted. This story rated PG-13 for adult situations and some language.
All throughout the drive home she said little, and Gene kept trying
to find the right time to say something, but bit his tongue as soon as
he was about to speak. Some things were better left unsaid. He felt awful,
and knew Terri felt far worse. This wasn't what she or he could have wanted,
but both knew it wouldn't be easy.
"Where are you going?" Gene asked casually.
"Away," she answered, tears seeping down her cheeks. She angrily sniffed them aside.
"Aren't you sure you don't want to…"
"Do what Gene? Go back there on my hands and knees begging? I know I lied, Gene, but I knew this would happen! I just knew it! And now they're going to hate me!"
"Now you know that's not true!" Gene reprimanded her. "They're just shocked that's all…"
"Right, and donkeys are going to fly out of my nose!" Terri yelled back, slamming the steering wheel.
"Terri, aren't you getting a little bit more upset then you have to about this…"
"How can I not? For twenty-eight years I did what they said, I was a good girl, but to what end? And now that I've finally found some place in my life where I’m happy, and loved, they can't be happy for me! I knew it was going to happen! What good was it telling them?"
"Are you angry at them or at yourself?" Gene demanded.
"Them…" she started, then shook her head. "No. I'm pissed at me. For not telling them the whole story up front…"
"Well maybe that's why they're angry at you," Gene said slowly. "Because they felt that you hid something from them…"
"I told them what I needed them to know," Terri gritted. "Sometimes when you grow up with a close knit family… there are things you tell them and things you don't unless they ask. I'm sure you didn't go telling your mother about all the women you bedded!"
"She would have found out anyway," Gene laughed.
"That's what I figured with Mom and Dad. They would have figured it out. My brother did… now you're mad at me too, aren't you?"
"No," Gene admitted. "I just feel like shit that this happened this way… I wish there were something I could have done to make it easier…"
"Nothing we could have done would have," Terri sobbed, tears blurring her vision now. It was becoming difficult to see to drive.
"Terri, you are an adult. As much as it must hurt, they have to realize that. And it didn't sound like it to me that they were. You have to stop apologizing to yourself for who you are. So, you made a mistake! You apologized, and brought me to meet them, right? So big fucking deal! It's your life…"
"That doesn't make it easier…" Terri sniffed, glancing out into the long ribbon of I-95 stretching past Philadelphia. Lights flickered into life as the city reached its nocturnal phase.
"Life sucks sometimes, I know," Gene said, reaching across to rest his arm across her shoulders. "But they'll either get over it and realize that it's not worth losing a daughter over… or they'll just leave you alone…"
"I love them…"
"They still love you," Gene said. "So give them time. They want what's best, and maybe they'll realize that you know what's best for you…"
"I hope so…" she sighed.
Gene's best efforts to cheer her up all failed miserably. He hated to see her so sad. She hadn't even felt like making love that night, and simply cried on and off while he held her close in his arms. He hated seeing her like this, and there was little he could say or do to help her feel better, except be with her.
Together they lay in bed that Saturday night, and Terri huddled on the bed, hugging her knees. From behind she felt Gene lifting the covers and slide in after her, kissing the back of her neck. Arms slipped over and under her, hugging her across her chest through the silk nightgown she wore. From behind, she felt his warm body pressed close, hugging her tightly. There was no need for words now, and both knew it. All she required now was the comforting presence of his proximity to her.
Terri was glad to feel him there, and drifted gently off to sleep. In her ear, she heard his slow steady breathing, and gentle snoring better then most lullabies.
That next morning she awakened a little bit refreshed, but the events of yesterday still played through her head. She didn't want to get up and go anywhere, for it was Sunday, and she knew that sooner or later Gene would have to leave.
"Baby, you all right?" he asked her as they sat down for a late breakfast.
"I'll survive. When do you have to be dropped off at the airport?"
"Well… I could just…"
"Nonsense. I'll go with you, and take you there myself. What time?"
"Later this afternoon," Gene said. "I have to get back to LA. We finished the recording at Electric Lady Studios… and I'm due back for some other demos for a group called Soul Cracker…"
"And I have to get to work on Monday," Terri sighed, sipping a hot draught of Chock Full o' Nuts coffee. Gene sipped his black, nibbling on a piece of bagel slathered in cream cheese and grape jelly.
"I wish…" Gene muttered slowly, then reached across to take her hand. "I just hate leaving you here like this… after what happened… can't you…"
"I know. I can't," Terri suddenly sighed deeply. "I wanted to try this…"
"It's not easy sweetheart, but its what you want," Gene nodded, squeezing her hand in his tightly. "Right?"
"Yes," Terri nodded, trying not to let the tears come. "I'll be okay Gene. Don't worry. Please…"
"I'll try not to, but I don't think it's something I'll be too damn good at," Gene grumbled, getting up and taking her dirty plates. He shoved them into the dishwasher with a clank.
Terri sighed and moved off after him as he went upstairs to pack. Both knew what they wanted to do at that moment, but neither felt in a good mood to follow through.
He was finally ready by noon, leather duffel bag and hanging case in hand, his backpack all secured. Terri still drew in her breath sharply at how sexy he looked in that leather duster coat. From him she took the hanging bag and slipped it over her shoulder, then grabbed her purse. They walked out to the parking lot where the rental car Gene had taken from New York City was stowed.
"You okay with turning this in?" he asked her.
"Not a problem. Crystal and I can turn it back in tomorrow. Don’t' worry Gene. It's no problem…"
"I just wanna be sure," he said. She shoed him to the passenger seat after he stowed his luggage.
They climbed in the car quietly and Terri pulled out of the private lot. Her apartment complex was large and gated, needing a special access code to get in and out. It gladdened Gene to see her in such a secure place.
Out onto I-95 south they eventually trekked, neither saying much. She had the stereo system blaring a Guns and Roses CD she had gotten from her brother, and Gene didn't seem to mind at all. Both sensed if the other would say something, it might make their eventual parting more difficult. They lost themselves in Axle and Slash's caterwauling over Paradise City.
"I remember when that video debuted on MTV," Terri joked. "That was one of my first intros to 'hair bands' and hard rock…"
"Yeah," Gene laughed, trying to be as aloof and good-natured for her sake as much of his own. "Damn kids kicked ass, and now they're back just like me and the guys…"
Take me down to the Paradise City
Where the grass is green and the girls are pretty
Oh won't you please take me ho-om…
Take… mee hooome!"
She pulled up into the short-term parking, up a spiral inclined ramp to the upper parking bays. They grabbed Gene's things and Terri led him to where the First Class VIP lounge would be. So many times, she had left from Philadelphia International it had been the usual tourist class, fighting with redcaps and other passengers to get her baggage checked in. Together they undertook a ritual that had become all too familiar for the two of them, but this time they were not travelling together. One would but this time they were not travelling together. One would stay behind.
"Gene," she whispered, when the loudspeaker announced it was time for first class passengers to board.
"I know, it's time," he sighed. Gene hated good-byes, but hugged her close to him for as long as he dared.
"I hate this," Terri got out.
"So do I. Close your eyes baby," Gene whispered. They pressed lips,
all the while Gene imploring her to keep her eyes shut. Till he was gone,
and her arms held empty air. As cheesy as it sounded, it seemed to be worse
if she actually watched the plane fly away. She turned away, heading back
without a backward glance to the parking garage.
Chapter 10
That next week flew by in a flurry of lab data reviews and personnel meetings. Being lab supervisor left Teri little time to get acquainted with the lab again. Usually it was wrangling with managers and Analytical chemists analyzing the results of her research groups.
"Terri, glad to catch you. We've been wondering when we can get that new HPLC by Agilent in," someone said.
"Oh, well I've been looking over the budget and trying to sell it to the manager…but you know how he gets."
"Yeah but we're running only five instruments here. And one's on its last leg. Uh column…"
"Yeah Scott, I'll just try a little more chutzpah and we'll see," Terri smiled up at him. She looked back down at her emails, which were piling up since Friday. Still that stack of chromatography data awaited her review. Plus a few notebooks were piling up for her perusal. Another fine day at Orphan, she realized. All around her, the shelves were piled with binders of data and technical manuals. Before her the desk wrapped around with the computer to her left, keyboard under one hand with the pile of work at her right hand. They had painted her name on the glass panel of her window beside the wooden door. It afforded her a view of the lab, only ten feet away. She had only been inside about a total of two hours with all the paperwork she had to do.
Again she considered the lab, and put down her pencil to stare through the glass panes at the chemists toiling away. It might as well be another planet for all the time she was able to spend in the actual lab. What was it she had really missed? The lab or working as a scientist? Was she really a scientist or a desktop chemist? Crystal assured her it was a good thing to get out of the lab into an office where she called the shots instead of being a worker bee. However, having to direct people in addition to being interrupted every ten minutes was wearing thin.
Her parents had not called for the past week, and she was adamant she didn’t' want to talk to them anyway. She had not gone out of her way to initiate contact, although she had spent several evenings staring at the phone. It urged her, challenged her to pick up and call.
Was this what she wanted? Yes, she would someday get back in there and run one or two experimental assays, but as for hands on in the lab, that was no longer her job. She missed manipulating chemicals and running in a little grove that brought her so much pleasure. Not to be interrupted and to be able to get something done without ten people demanding things of her. When she was at Gene's home she could sit and type for hours straight, only to feel a soft kiss on the back of her neck, or a soda that appeared by her elbow. Gene knew her habits and moods, and he would leave her alone when she was on a roll.
"No, I wanted this job, I'm gonna make it work," she scolded herself.
The phone rang just as she sipped at her cup of morning coffee. "Hello?" she muttered, not feeling like putting on her cheerful company voice.
"Oh it's me, Crystal," chirped her friend. "Got those CoA's done yet?"
"No, and it's almost eleven," Terri sighed.
"Well the manager called and he wants to know when you'll possibly…"
"I know I know," Terri grumbled irritably.
"It's no big deal, just have…"
"I'll get back to you, ok?" Terri asked, and then hung up the phone. Getting up from her desk, she closed the door and locked it to banish any possibility of anyone else slipping in with more work.
**************************************************
Lunchtime came, and Terri pulled out a sandwich from the mini fridge. She had barely moved except to go to the bathroom or get another cup of coffee. In the monitor screen she glimpsed her reflection, and sighed as she pushed back a tuft of hair behind her one ear. Again, she bit her lip, glancing at the office phone on her desk. Should she or shouldn't she try calling home? Surely, mom would be home and…
"No. They can call me," Terri nodded firmly. "But I can check my messages…"
Like many people, she had an answering service that picked up any phone calls on her cellular. Terri reached into her purse and pulled out her cellphone, fingering the small slender Nokia. Gene had given it to her, and she couldn’t bear to part with it even now. Flicking it on she saw she had five new messages. Intrigued, Terri depressed keys to see what they were.
A California phone number caught her eye. It wasn't Gene's, but the area code was still for Los Angeles. She pressed the review key, and listened to a voice that she had remembered from Gene's birthday party.
"Hi, this is Molly… Terri, I got your script here, and my boss is very interested in speaking with you. Please give me a call as soon as you can! Ciao!"
Again she depressed the review, and saw a second and a third messages. It was Molly the second time, and the third time there was a new voice, of a gentleman, which said, "Terri Mason? This is Brad Polasky from Paramount. I have a script here that you submitted for Enterprise? Well we're rather interested in some of the alien races that you suggested, and I was wondering if you would like to call to discuss a possible revision in this script…"
"Oh man…" Terri gasped. The other message was from Molly, and she gasped when she heard the voice excitedly announcing, "Terri, you have got to call me back! They want to buy one of your scripts for the Practice! God Girl, get back to me! Are you on Mars or something?"
Terri's heart pounded in her throat when she reviewed it again. Her breath heaved in and out when the reality hit. She had sold a script. Sold a script! Never in her wildest dreams did she actually think she would, and now here she was half a country away with a sale! She quickly punched in the number for Molly.
"Hello, this is Terri," she said.
"Terri, where on Earth have you been girl? Why didn’t' you call back?"
"I'm at work… didn't Gene tell you I had taken a job out East?"
"Are you nuts? You've just sold a script! They want to talk to you about possible revisions!"
"Can't they do it over the phone?" Terri asked.
"Well yes… but…"
"I'm at work now… but I'm on a lunch break…"
"Well what time do you get off? The producer of the Practice really wants to talk to you! Congratulations!"
"Oh God," Terri gasped, leaning back in her chair. Within her breast, her heart pitter-pattered to a fast pace. The adrenaline ran high, crackling through her system. Suddenly her life in California was reaching back with a vengeance.
************************************************
An urgent knock interrupted Terri's conversation, and she apologized to Molly thirty minutes later with a promise to call back later. When she glanced up, she saw Crystal through the glass window, urgently waving.
"It's open," Terri grumbled. Crystal poked her head in, looking rather piqued.
"Terri, where were you! We were supposed to meet for lunch…"
"I'm sorry I had work to do," Terri said firmly.
"But I was going to introduce you to the new VP for corporate science…" she pouted. "And we were going to do Chinese at Yang Ming… he's got a really good spot for golfing next weekend. You know the offsite meetings…"
"I don't play golf," Terri sighed. "You know that."
"Well you could learn. Offsite meetings aren't all that bad… and well you could use a day out…"
"I'm really busy. Is this work related or did I miss some opportunity…"
"Don't be such a workaholic!" Crystal clicked her tongue. "It was just to introduce you to some of the management you'd be working with…"
"So I didn't actually miss anything earth shattering…"
"Well no, but it would have been nice to have you there since you're new…"
"Crystal, why don't you just go without me."
"Terri you have got to get out and meet people. It's part of your job as supervisor to get to know other supervisors and managers. Especially if you want to be part of a proper production team, and a valued research professional… look, I was gonna tell Valerie that I'm going for an of site meeting…"
"Where?"
"Timberlakes…"
"The golf course?" Terri raised an eyebrow. "But I need to get these Coa's done!"
"C'mon Ill sign you up for lessons… it'll be good… and then you can…"
"You want me to play golf? For crying out lout there is work to be done!" Terri slammed her hand down on the desk impatiently. "How can I get anything done if I'm in meetings and lunch dates?"
"What has gotten into you?" Crystal asked her, hand on her hip with a look of shock. "Lighten up, geez!"
"I want ten minutes of uninterrupted time to finish this work, and I get people up my butt all day. Then you tell me these Co'as need to be done, and now you're asking me to run off and play golf! How stupid is that?"
"Terri, we're supervisors now. I'm in the lab, you're Research supervisor and I'm your assistant. We can relax, and let others do the work. And we need to learn to play the game... and that means playing golf and going to meetings. You have to schmooze…"
"I schmoozed in Hollywood," Terri sighed with disgust. "Kiss kiss, nice nice and ciao! I can do that there!"
"Then you should know what I'm talking about! In fact, you should be an expert! Why is there a problem…"
"Forget I said anything," Terri sighed, and got up. "If you want me I'll be in a private conference in my other office…"
"Where?"
"The ladies room," Terri shot back, and rushed off down the hall. Suddenly the urge to get far away rose in her, and would no longer be denied.
Chapter 11
Two days later she finally had gotten the work reviewed and sent out. That weekend came and went uneventful, and Terri turned off her phone so she wouldn't be disturbed. One of the scripts from the Practice needed multiple revisions, emailed to her by the producer. It took the best part of Saturday and Sunday to get it right, but it was a welcome distraction.
Come Monday, she felt much better, and Tuesday and Wendesday were even more improved. Early thursday morning, Terri slipped into the lab to see who was doing what, just to get away from Crystal and the others. She had gone from the occasional fifteen-minute visits to stretches of an hour or so. There was a problem with one of the HPLC units that had inexplicably shut down and started to beep uncontrollably.
Terri moved over the instrument visually while several technicians and chemists looked on. Mobile phase slowly dripped down the front, and she noticed the cause of the shutdown. "It's a leak detector that's been tripped," she said to a flustered Scott, who had held the others back to let her work. Various pieces of the instrument panel had been removed and placed to the side of the large electronics box.
"I went over that again and again, and I tightened the column… I just don't get why the line keeps popping off!"
"Was the pressure above 2000 PSI?" Terri asked, wiping away leaking mobile phase with a Chem-wipe.
"Yes…"
"How soon has the filter been changed…"
"Well I…"
"It's supposed to be documented… can I see the instrument log?"
"The vendor changed it," Scott ran a hand through is hair, and pointed to the sticker on the side of the filter cartridge.
"Well, let me check," Terri muttered, and reached behind the machine to a small two inch by half inch cylinder at the back of the instrument, where the large bottle of mobile phase lead in. She unscrewed it, and pulled out a cartridge. Flaky bits of salt had crystallized on it, and feel to the floor.
"There you go," Terri pointed. She hunted through the drawer filled with wrenches and spare parts, then pulled out a package. Immediately she popped the new filter cartridge in, and screwed it into place in the line. Stabbing keys on the electronic pad, she set the flow rate for 0.2 ml/min, and slowly stepped the pump volume up. The column she left off, screwing the line together and bypassing it. Before long the baseline leveled out, and she screwed the column back inline. Scott breathed a sigh of relief.
"It was just a filter!" he groaned. "I should have known…"
"Salt crystallizes if you don't flush the HPLC fluid lines out when changing your mobile phase," Terri said, wiping the remainder of the spilled liquid off the front of the machine. "Then it backs up, and clogs the line, which could clog your pump, and then the pressure blows the lines out… that's why it kept popping off the column…"
"Thanks. I should have thought of that…"
"No problem…" Terri smiled. "Now… you set up your sequence after this thing cranks a while to flush it out. Come find me if you have any more problems. See those trip wires here and here? Those are leak detectors. If they get wet, they shut off the pump and the instrument…"
"I'm new to this new equipment…" he sighed sheepishly.
"Please tell me if you have any questions. I'm here to help you, not bite you in the ass for a simple mistake…" Terri told him.
"Thanks," he nodded, and she moved onto some of the other instruments. A sense of the old familiarity was returning, and it felt comfortable. In fact, it felt so right, as if she had regained a missing piece of her past. Far from the 'offsite meetings' and the piles of paper, she had to contend with.
There came a vibration at her belt, and she peered down to her labcoat pocket to see the number on her pocket pager. It was the producer from the Practice. Quickly Terri rushed off to the lab phone to call. There was no answer at first, so she left a message.
"Terri, there you are! We've been wondering where you'd disappeared to," Crystal said, tapping her on the shoulder.
"I'm just returning a call to a friend. And one of the instruments didn't have a filter changed for at least three months…"
"Well that was Scott's responsibility… I saw the spent cartridge…"
"Were you aware he didn't know about the leak detector feature?" Terri asked Crystal.
"Well no I though he was familiar with the instrument… he assured me…"
"Well he was afraid he'd look stupid if he told you he had questions," Terri said.
"Why didn't he come to me?"
"He's nervous because this is his first job out of school," Terri said. "This is a fast paced environment, and he feels if he shows that he has a lot of questions, he'll be judged as being unsuitable or stupid."
"I had no idea…"
"Have you gotten to know the technicians and chemists…"
"I've been rather busy being the acting supervisor you know…"
"Not so busy you can't get to know your co workers, have you?" Terri asked.
"Now wait a minute! Are you implying that I don't…"
"I'm just noticing that you're hardly ever in the lab anymore when you're responsible for the workings of it. If you would rather take over the CoA's I'd be happy to switch to Assistant Supervisor. You can have the office…"
"You were hired to be Supervisor, because of your experience, Terri. You're the only one who knows the ins and outs of this project," Crystal sighed. "And that means you're the expert who's best suited to review the data…"
"Crystal, I have been here three weeks, and I have barely had time to see the lab. Being a supervisor to me means spending time inside the lab, and getting to know the employees…"
"But they are supposed to be able to troubleshoot and come to you when they have problems…"
"That's your job. To make sure that the lab is running smoothly, from what you initially told me. But from what I can see you seem more interested in getting to know other supervisors and management. If you'd rather do that, then please, you sit in my office and I'll take yours…"
"Terri, I can't believe you… you and I were coworkers! We paid our dues! Let someone else be the workers! It's our job to delegate, and I don't think that you need to waste your time solving problems that the chemists can themselves! The last week or so you've been in the lab more then outside it!"
"I miss the lab," Terri said.
"So do I. But you can't go back Terri. You're a supervisor. You're the authority, and it's time you started taking charge!"
"Then maybe you should be the Supervisor, not me," Terri said slowly, as she pulled off her labcoat and tossed it down. "You're good at hobnobbing and delegating. If that's what is wanted, then I can't do it…"
"Terri… wait a minute…" Crystal said, grabbing her arm before Terri could leave. Terri pulled her arm out of her grasp, and exited the lab, putting her lab notebook into Crystal's empty hand.
"Why?"
"Look, I know it can take time to get settled in. But do you realize that if you can't learn to get out of the trenches and delegate responsibility, you aren't going to hack it here! This is a prestigious job! I don't want you to lose this chance to…"
"Perhaps I'm not the right woman for this job then," Terri said.
"That's not what I'm talking about! All you have to do is get your priorities straight and play the game right! There are so many opportunities to…"
"I am a chemist, a scientist. And I also remember what it was like when I felt scared and vulnerable because my supervisor was never around or clear about what they expected of me…"
"You can't be in their laps! Remember how bad you felt when Gloria was looking over your shoulder every five minutes! Do you want them to think you're a watchdog?"
"That's not what I'm doing at all. Leadership is about knowing what your workers are doing and what their needs are, not just offsite meetings and hobnobbing. AT least that is what I think of when I think of leadership. You don't forget the people that make your job possible… you should be honored to be their leader… not the other way around…"
"I'm not forgetting what it was like!"
"Then you be Supervisor. Go do what you do well. Delegate," Terri said angrily.
"Where are you going!" Crystal called behind her.
"For an offsite meeting," Terri answered, crossing the hallway and grabbing her purse and briefcase. She marched right out the door, and down the hall.
Crystal chased after her, throwing her labcoat aside. Anxiously she called after Terri, "You can't just walk out… you have responsibilities!"
"I can under your definition of supervisor…. And I'm doing the same thing you did yesterday!" Came Terri's reply, the distance between the two co-workers and friends widening. It might as well have been a distance of three thousand miles instead of a few yards they had changed so much.
Chapter 12
At home, she was relaxing before her laptop computer, typing on a new script idea for the Practice. She hardly cared if the phone rang or not, because she knew the answering machine would get it. Halfway through the script she heard the jangling ring, but let it go. Her machine answered it with the usual message, but the voice on the other end made her heart pound. It wasn't Gene, but her father.
"Terri, please pick up if you're there. We really need to talk to you… we haven't heard from you in over 2 weeks. We're really, really worried… please…"
Sighing, Terri picked up the phone, "Hello Dad. I'm sorry I haven't called, but I was sure that you and Mom didn’t' want to talk to me… considering what we went through at Saturday Diner…"
"That's why we need to talk, Terri," came his voice. "I have to admit I'm not crazy about Gene, and I am not crazy about the fact you're living with a man, unmarried… but I don't want you to shut us out of your life… or to let us shut you out…"
"I didn't think you wanted to talk… considering how you seem to think Gene's some person who's corrupted your little girl…"
"Terri, that's not fair. Your mother and I…"
"Dad, I am sorry I didn't tell you that it was Gene Simmons. But don't you think I considered that when I was in this relationship?"
"Terri we want you to be happy, but not at the risk of compromising yourself…"
"Gene has done nothing but love me for who I am. I can't keep apologizing for who I am either. I don't want to shut you out of my life, but I can't have you making me feel guilty for my own choices. I love you and mom very much, but I can't walk away from one of the best things in my life just because you and mom don't approve of Gene."
There came a sigh and a long pause. Terri continued to listen, waiting for her father to continue. Finally he cleared his throat and slowly spoke, "Terri, I love you. Your mother loves you. We all do. We want you to be safe and happy. I… suppose if Gene is the man you have chosen, then there is little we can do but accept him…"
"Dad, look at the way he conducted himself at dinner. Did he once do anything to embarrass you or me? Think hard before you answer…"
"No."
"Then that's how Gene is. He tried to convince me to tell you the truth. The whole truth, but he wanted to leave the decision to me. I suppose that should count for something. He didn't want me to feel awkward or embarrassed in front of my family…"
"I have to admit he did present himself well. But he's still old enough to be your father…"
"True. But no relationship is free of problems. And as for other women, he knows better then that. He is no longer on the road with KISS, and that was part of that lifestyle. He is a good father and very attentive to his family…"
"No doubt. But I still… don't want my little girl to get hurt…"
"I'm not a little girl. That's how you will always see me, if you choose to see me that way. I need to be allowed to make mistakes, especially when I'm a woman now, and have been for some time."
"I know. It's just we miss you so much…"
"Truth is I miss you, but I miss my life in California…"
"If Gene is the man you love, why aren't you with him?" Terri's father asked. "Why are you here?"
"Good question," Terri sighed.
"I would think you should be with him, not here…" he answered. "If he's the man you love…"
She sighed, and nodded slowly. "Is mom still angry?"
"She's sad you haven't called her. In fact, we had a rather interesting call from a woman named Florence. She said she was Gene's mother. In fact, we had a long conversation with her regarding how Gene was so happy when you and he had come into each other's lives. We exchanged a lot of stories… and well, I think your mother was actually laughing at the end of it…"
"Oh…"
"Well let's just say, Gene's not our first choice, but we both agree that he's not the Demon that we have come to believe… I don't care much for his ego… but if he has a mother like Florence, then he can't be all-bad. Especially if he visits her as much as she says he does…"
"Yeah…" Terri laughed, hearing the smile in her father's voice. "So, can you and mom live with Gene…"
"We still don’t agree with you living with him out of wedlock, but we can't exactly lock you in your room…"
"No, that would be hard…"
"Terri, please, if Gene Simmons is so important, be with him. Don't run after a job if it's a man and a life you're after…"
"Dad that sounds very Victorian," Terri groaned.
"No, but it's the truth. I have seen how you defended him. And you made us realize that you're serious. More serious then I have seen in a long time, since you decided to become a scientist…"
"Yes to that, but honestly Dad, leaving a job for a man?" Terri reproved him.
"Well, I didn't mean it to sound unaffirming of woman's rights. But I did want to be clear that what you're doing now is what you want to…" He apologized.
"Well I'm getting tired of being a supervisor…"
"Are you?" came the even reply. Terri proceeded to tell him a capsulated report of the events of the past two weeks. A few affirming sounds informed her that her father was listening. When she finally finished, he cleared his throat again. "Terri, what made you decide to take the job in the first place?"
"It was a chance to prove I could make it back in the world of science…" she answered. "It offered prestige…"
"Doesn't this… writing offer as much prestige? I remember that you always did enjoy writing most of all… and now you have a chance to do what you wanted… aren't you running away from what makes you happy?" he asked.
"Being a scientist makes me happy, Dad…"
"You don't sound happy to me…"
"I never could put it past you," she grumbled. "Or Mom."
"Then decide what's important…" he announced. "I… we… well trust you to make your own decisions…"
"Thank you," Terri sighed, a knot of tension released after two weeks. Finally, the bands across her chest loosened so she could breath easier. "That's all I wanted to hear…"