Free Unbroken Connection by Angela Morrison

their pictures yet.” She reads serious in my eyes, sits back, and folds her arms. “My twenty-year-old daughter is living with her boyfriend. Can’t blame her. I did the same thing. But—as a mother—I wish they’d get married. He’s a nice enough guy, but my maternal instinct is to throttle him and tell him not to touch my daughter again. He could dump her. She could get pregnant. Who knows?”
    “Moms.” I chew on my lower lip.
    She smiles. “Yeah.”
    “Fathers are worse.”
    “Her father? The girl you want to marry.”
    “Yeah. Scares the hell out of me. He comes off friendly—calm. Actually, kind. Calls me, ‘son’, and all that. But, under the surface, the guy’s a steel trap. Touch my daughter and you die.”
    “A bit old-fashioned?”
    “Major religious.”
    “Well, there are other girls.”
    I manage a smile. “Not after this one.”
    Karen taps a rhythm on the table with her wallet. “So—she’s pushing marriage?”
    “I am.”
    “She’s—” Karen’s eyebrows go up.
    “Major religious, too. Wants me to join up.”
    “Now, that’s unreasonable. You should meet my youngest.” She flips open the wallet and flashes a picture of a pretty blonde girl, good body, showing it off. “Maybe it’s time she learned to scuba dive.”
    I laugh—so does she, and we go get dinner.
    LEESIE HUNT / CHATSPOT LOG / 10/29 11:18 PM
     
     
Kimbo69 says:
   
Where’ve you been? You haven’t been online much.
Leesie327 says:
   
Michael’s out of reach, and I’m so tired. I’ve been catching up on everything—especially sleep. I called you three times, though. You never picked up.
Kimbo69 says:
   
My cell’s back in my dorm room.
Leesie327 says:
   
Oh, yuck. You still haven’t been back? How are you dealing?
Kimbo69 says:
   
You’ll love my new man.
Leesie327 says:
   
Shower guy?
Kimbo69 says:
   
Next to him Mark’s a little boy with his itsy, bitsy, dinky, winky… oops, forgot myself…no anatomy jokes with Leesie.
Leesie327 says:
   
So now you’re putting out for Shower Guy?
Kimbo69 says:
   
Actually, this guy is good…he puts out for me.
Leesie327 says:
   
Don’t you get sick of doing it with guys you don’t care about?
Kimbo69 says:
   
Sick of sex? Are you kidding? Be careful, your virginity is showing…sex is life—it’s how normal people live.
Leesie327 says:
   
But you’re just using each other. Don’t you think about love?
Kimbo69 says:
   
I did that with Mark…not making that mistake again.
Leesie327 says:
   
That’s so sad.
Kimbo69 says:
   
No it’s not…what’s sad is a frigid know-it-all who won’t look after the guy she says she loves.
Leesie327 says:
   
Whoa. Where’d that come from?
Kimbo69 says:
   
You’re such a fool to believe he hasn’t slept with anybody since he fell for you.
Leesie327 says:
   
That’s none of your business.
Kimbo69 says:
   
And my life is none of yours.
Leesie327 says:
   
You really mean that?
Kimbo69 says:
   
Why shouldn’t I?
Leesie327 says:
   
I care about you. I don’t want to see you get hurt again. I don’t want something nasty to happen to you.
Kimbo69 says:
   
Nasty? Don’t be stupid…I’m bouncing back…you should read all the great poems I’ve milked out of this. Well, maybe you shouldn’t…definitely erotica.
Leesie327 says:
   
Good therapy?
Kimbo69 says:
   
I thought you weren’t into psych any more…don’t try to analyze me.
Leesie327 says:
   
Ouch.
Kimbo69 says:
   
Toughen up, chick…you won’t be able to stay in that lollipop paradise of yours forever.
Leesie327 says:
   
You seeing into my future?
Kimbo69 says:
   
Not hard to do. The whole Michael thing is an easy call…you’re going to have to get down to my level or give him up.
Leesie327 says:
   
That’s not what I see. He wants to marry me. If he loves me enough, he’ll take becoming a Mormon seriously. And then the Lord will do the