Free The People in the Mirror by Thea Thomas Page A

everything.”
      “Thanks,” I said to him as I left the kitchen. Well, what else do you say to a boy you like who has just done your chores?
      In my room I decided that the whole thing was a little too weird. Just entirely toooo much parent-presence. But I had to make the best of it. I pulled on a pair of jeans, then tried on half-a-dozen tops. Too casual, too ragged-old, ugly color, too dressy. There was no hope for it. I went back to “too casual,” the pale blue tee-shirt that sort of matched my eyes. Well, this was me most of the time. Mitch might as well know the real me, casual tee-shirts, shrink sessions, and all.
      Dinner was not quite the disaster I’d braced myself for. Mitch, with his adult manner, carried on intelligent, interesting conversation with my parents, but he didn’t miss an opportunity to give me the occasional side-long glance. We both seemed to understand that conversation between just the two of us was a lost cause, and besides, what I was learning about him through my parents’ curiosity was more than I’d ever ask him on my own. I couldn’t imagine asking him all these questions about his experiences, his family and his ambitions for the future.
      By the time Mom had brought out the cheesecake – which reminded me that I still wanted to talk with Mr. Zingas about why he didn’t like Mitch – Dad had offered to see what he could do to help Mitch get into college when the time came, or what he needed to do to test out, as he hadn’t had an institutional education. 
      “If you think you could pass college prep exams, I’m willing to go to bat for you,” Dad said.
      “I’ve been preparing for them on my own. I have more than one reference book and a bunch of sample tests. I believe I’ll do all right.”
      “Great! Of course, I wouldn’t want to go behind your uncle’s back, or have him think that I had, if he’s your legal guardian.”
      “Well, he’s not.” There was passion in Mitch’s voice. I looked at him quickly, it was the first thing like anger I’d seen cross his features. I could tell that Mom and Dad picked up on it too, but Dad just continued.
      “Fine. I’ll see what I can do. Your ambitions are admirable, and you’re obviously very bright, as well as mature. It doesn’t seem right that you be held back when in some ways you have it all over most college freshmen.”
      Mitch got shy. “Well, thanks. It’d mean more to me than I can express. It could make the difference for the whole path of my life.”
      After the dishes were cleared away and Mitch went down the hall to his home, I felt Dad looking at me.
      “What?” I finally said.
      “I can see why you find that young man attractive,” Dad answered.
      “Oh, Da-a-a-d!”
      “Your mom is right about him. The little boys you’ve been interested in up until this point have been, well, boys. But Mitch is an attractive, intelligent, poised young man.”
      “Are you telling me you don’t want me to go out with him?”
      “No, I’m not telling you that. I might as well chain you to your bedpost and never let you out of my sight ever again, as to say that. What I’m saying is... I’m saying that tonight I’ve had to take another look at my baby girl, and here I see she’s become a young woman. I don’t know why you have to grow up so fast Bunny Love, but my job is to be aware, and to remind you that I’m here if you need me.”
      Dad reached out and took Mom’s hand, “that we’re here, and you can ask us anything. Okay?”
      My telephone, laying on the entry table rang, which almost never happens, and with gratitude for the interruption, I leapt up to answer it.
      “Hi,” Mitch said.
      “Oh, hi.” He must have forgotten something. I looked around to see if there was anything that might be his.
      “I forgot to ask you something,” he said. “No, that’s not true, I didn’t forget, I just couldn’t ask you with your parents hanging onto