Well, but some warning signs arise (Dad’s perspective)

The hug lingered for too long. It was strange for several reasons. It couldn’t possibly be out of affection for a father figure, I was gone too long without contact. It couldn’t really be that she was happy to see me. She sank into the hug, and it warmed my body in a way I wasn’t expecting. Getting uncomfortable I put my hands on my shoulder to signify the end of the hug. She backed up and I took a look down at her.

She was tall for a woman, with an expensive designer sweatshirt and shorts. She must be a California princess, taken well care of, but crazy or stupid to be here in those clothes. I was no slouch financially and my house was particularly nice, but my clothes were practical. I felt like I was looking at somebody from another world.

I didn’t really know what to say so I took her to grab her bags and led her to my truck. We made small talk about the trip up but by time we hit the cold air she was chattering too hard to make conversation. I chuckled as I got her into the truck cab and got the heat going before grabbing a wool blanket from the back and offering it to her. Lacey looked up at me shivering. Clearly, she was unaccustomed to our weather. I let myself laugh a little bit before draping it across her and tucking it under her legs. The laughing cut the tension a bit.

She warmed up on the long drive and began to open up to me about herself a little. The drive was well over two hours and by time we rolled up to the house she was asleep. I carefully woke her up with a nudge and her eyes opened wide at the site of my house. My work had afforded me a three story cabin, lit up against the night time snow with a large three car garage. I carried her luggage into the house as she still clung to the blanket.

First, I showed her to her room. It was on the second story. It was a guest room I had done up with a queen sized bed and a desk with a bathroom attached equipped with its own shower and a walk in closet. She smiled and told me it would do just fine. We went back down stairs I pulled out a list of notes I had written and offered her a chair at the bar in the kitchen. I had been dreading this conversation. I had no idea really how to set boundaries with a teenage girl, let alone one that might harbor a grudge against me.

“Ok Lacey, time to set some ground rules,” I said looking at my prepared notes. She seemed attentive, and I hoped this indicated she was good natured. “We each have our own bedrooms on the second floor, we’ll respect each other’s space by only entering with permission. We also have our own bathrooms, so there’s really no reason for either of us to go in the other’s. That being said we get groceries and other supplies by delivery. They can come once a week or every other week depending on what we need. The internet is pretty good here so that shouldn’t be a problem, because for the most part we’ll be snowed in for the next six months or so and you could get stir crazy.

Her jaw dropped at the revelation. “What do you mean we’re stuck in here for six months? Like we can’t go anywhere?!” She asked with frustration. “Well I tried to explain it to you, but you seemed like you were in a rush so I figured I’d bring it up again.” I felt like I was doing a good job of explaining, but here my fears turned out. She stormed out and went up to her room and closed the door with a frustrated growl. I figured I’d let her stew on it and went to my own room for the night.