Glued In Place
A short story. Will this lead to the end of his relationship?
Absolute terror had the young man glued in place. It was as if all else had ceased to move, to exist. He had been dating his girlfriend, Serena, for a couple of months, and things had been advancing at a steady pace. Their dynamic was wonderful; they were quite compatible. Everything was delightful, up until this very moment. Both of them had just wrapped up their master’s degrees in their respective fields and were looking to enjoy some time together that didn’t involve quick meals in between study sessions.
Serena had invited him to a family function, a first for their relationship. Robert had gone ahead and agreed to come, not too nervous about meeting her family for the first time, as he felt he didn’t have anything to hide. Handsome, an intellectual with a fine list of accolades to his resume. He felt genuinely prepared. He’d taken the time off from work, got a new haircut and a shave for the occasion, and had donned his crispest baby blue polo shirt and khakis to join her and her family for a day out on their yacht.
The weather was perfect for it. The sky was a pristine blue with no clouds, and there was a minimal breeze. He met Serena out on the dock where she playfully tugged at his collar, and they shared a kiss before hopping on board. Robert raised his brow at the yacht. It was a big one, and something about it seemed somewhat familiar. Maybe he had just seen the model before, as coastal Maine was known to attract the wealthy in droves. He knew she was from a well-off family, but he hadn’t expected a super yacht with a staff dressed all in white.
People buzzed around them, readying the vessel to set sail. There were others aboard, the men dressed similarly to him, and they loitered about the main deck. Serena stopped and introduced him to a couple of them. They were mainly cousins or aunts and uncles, she revealed. One of them looked familiar, an elderly great-uncle. The bald old man winked at him as they made their way along. He gave Robert an odd feeling.
Shaking it off, he followed his sweet Serena into the massive cabin area where he was brought before all her family, one member at a time, as each had their own set of rooms. He was assured that his introductions were a success as he smiled charmingly at her mother, managing a witty remark about the beauty of the sitting room they found her in. He shook hands respectfully with her two older brothers, one having paused his video game long enough to shake hands and nod before unpausing and getting back to his murderous tirade. Then he performed his best curtsey to her little sister, who was in her playroom, dressed in her elaborately detailed, couture little mermaid costume, her long curly hair an absolute rat’s nest despite her Nanny’s repeated attempts to brush it, they were told. He chalked it up to her being four with natural spiral curls in a humid environment.
All was going remarkably well till they ran into the last member of her immediate family. The moment when her father walked into view as he approached them from down the hallway, an invisible force grabbed Robert by the throat and held him still in recognition and profound fear.
Her father played it cool, showed zero sign of familiarity, that was if he remembered him at all. A man of that high a rank tended to forget the little guys he passed on the daily. No, he smiled indulgingly, shook Robert’s hand firmly, welcomed him, and then went off to bark commands at the staff, looking to see what was taking so long to set off. Serena turned to him and was gushing at how well the introduction to him had gone, but Robert struggled to catch up with reality. His brain struggled to process the horrifying realization. The yacht being seemingly familiar, the great uncle who seemed to recognize him… he was dating the daughter of the man who paid for his first two college degrees, his former Sugar Daddy.
Hehe, taken from a prompt from the writer’s group that I attend, not even I was sure where it was going, being just as surprised as you may have been at the end. Hope it gave you a giggle. If you enjoyed, please like, share and subscribe!