My Daughter’s Perfect Boyfriend Showed His True Colors — Now He’s Drinking Through A Straw
Part 1
Everyone thought my daughter’s new boyfriend was a miracle sent straight from heaven.
He wore the varsity lacrosse captain badge like a gold medal.
The local newspaper had already written a feature on his early acceptance to an top-tier school.
Mothers at the grocery store would stop Brenda to congratulate her on our daughter’s incredible luck.
Fathers at the hardware store clapped my shoulder.
They told me I would not have to worry about college tuition with a future son-in-law like him.
Tyler possessed a smile that could melt the hinges off a bank vault.
He shook my hand with the perfect amount of pressure during our first introduction.
His eye contact never wavered.
The boy complimented my wife on her dry pot roast without batting an eye.
Detailed questions about my contracting business flowed easily from him.
Clearing the dining table was his immediate priority before I could even stand up.
Brenda practically floated around the kitchen that night.
We definitely won the lottery with this boy, she whispered over the running sink water.
I dried a ceramic plate and nodded.
He certainly knew his audience.
The first two months unfolded like a script from a romantic comedy.
Tyler jogged around his car to open the door for Ashley every single time.
He brought my wife fresh bread from the local bakery on Sunday mornings.
He sent Ashley elaborate good morning paragraphs before the streetlights turned off.
A massive bouquet of expensive lilies arrived on their one-month anniversary.
Brenda constantly joked that I needed to take notes from the teenager.
Tyler just prefers having me around on his weekends.
Her shoulders pulled inward like she was trying to shrink.
It is really not a big deal, Dad.
Kelly completely stopped walking over to our house.
Ashley never used to care where her cellular device lived.
Suddenly it functioned like a medical lifeline attached to her palm.
She did not open social media apps or watch funny videos.
She just gripped the plastic case and stared at the dark glass.
Her thumb hovered over the screen like a soldier waiting for an ambush.
We were eating a quiet Tuesday dinner when the device vibrated aggressively against the wood table.
Ashley physically launched herself out of the chair.
Every drop of blood drained from her face.
She snatched the phone and plastered on a wide, terrifyingly empty smile.
Is everything alright over there?
I kept my tone perfectly level.
Fine.
She shoved the device deep into her pocket.
Tyler just knows we are eating and wanted to say hello.
He really likes keeping track of my schedule.
Her voice cracked on the last word.
The following Sunday was my niece’s tenth birthday party.
Ashley had never missed a single family gathering in her seventeen years on earth.
She shuffled into the kitchen that morning with dark circles under her eyes.
She kept her gaze pinned to the floor tiles.
She asked if she could stay home.
I set my coffee mug down hard enough to rattle the spoon.
Tyler made surprise plans for us today.
Her voice barely reached across the kitchen island.
I told her family obligations come first.
Her breathing suddenly hitched, her hand flying instinctively to cover the phone in her pocket.
You do not understand how he gets.
She swallowed the rest of her sentence.
She grabbed her winter coat and practically sprinted out the front door.
I found her phone sitting unattended on the kitchen counter three days later.
The screen illuminated with a rapid barrage of notifications.
I never intended to violate my kid’s privacy.
The preview texts stacked up so fast they blurred together into a block of rage.
Fourteen messages delivered in under two hours.
Where the hell are you?
Why are you ignoring me?
You better not be talking to another guy.
I am driving over right now.
Answer me immediately or else.
A cold sweat broke out on my neck.
I set the device down exactly where I found it.
Ashley crept downstairs for a glass of water an hour later.
I leaned against the sink.
Does Tyler ever make you feel frightened?
The question dropped like a lead weight in the quiet room.
She let out a high, frantic laugh.
Dad, of course not.
She gripped her glass until her knuckles turned bone white.
He is literally the sweetest guy at our school.
Her eyes darted frantically toward the dark hallway.
Everyone says so.
I stepped closer.
That was not my question.
The fake smile evaporated into thin air.
I am completely fine.
She backed slowly out of the kitchen.
Just let me be happy, please.
Saturday morning arrived with clear skies.
I was washing my heavy work truck in the driveway.
The thick soapy sponge muffled the sound of my movement.
Tyler’s sleek sedan pulled up to the curb to drop Ashley off from a study session.
He parked directly beside the dense row of privacy hedges.
Neither of them could see me crouching by the front tire with a bucket.
The passenger window was rolled down to let the breeze in.
I waited to hear a sweet teenage goodbye.
Instead, his voice drifted out as a low, venomous hiss.
If you ever embarrass me in front of my friends again, I swear to God.
Ashley’s voice shook like a dry leaf.
I am sorry.
I was just trying to be polite to my lab partner.
Do not lie to my face.
The leather seat creaked as Tyler shifted his weight toward her.
You know exactly what happens when you lie to me.
I stood up slowly from my crouch.
I looked directly through the open window.
Ashley flinched violently before the boy even moved a muscle.
He clamped his large hand tightly around her narrow wrist.
Say it like you mean it.
I am sorry, Tyler.
Tears spilled freely down her cheeks.
It will not happen again.
I dropped the soapy sponge onto the wet concrete.
