Chapter 7 - part 2 - Gen 2 - Tapestry

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I sit stewing for ages after Dad slams out of the room.

The possibility of Honey getting pregnant has never even crossed my mind .... I wander if it has crossed hers??   I really don't know how I am supposed to feel about it.  It's not like I've really had too much time to think about what we did or how stupid we were,  the shock of it even happening in the first place is yet to hit me.   Being dragged away straight after to the meadow, then I was locked up for the night,  I haven't had the time to think or the chance to speak to Honey since.

She could be on the pill for all I know ..... Dad could be making all this fuss for nothing!!  Oh Berry, he is Honey's doctor, so he would know if she is on the pill or not wouldn't he?! ..... and he wouldn't be acting like this if she was!!

It was just once ...... it's not likely is it?! ....... Dad's over reacting again isn't he!?  I really need to speak to Honey.

I try to phone Honey but her phone just keeps ringing and eventually goes onto answer machine without her answering it, which is very unusual.  I wander for a moment if she is avoiding my call, she wouldn't would she?  I wander if she is now upset by what we did - oh fudge I hope not!!!  I did kind of run out on her straight after to go to the meadow and I haven't spoken to her since.  I really hope I haven't upset her!!

I try again but my second call results in exactly the same - me not getting to speak to Honey.  I leave a message on her answer machine and tell her to phone me.   I wander if my Dad is round at Honey's already - I wouldn't put it past him to be round there stirring up the trouble!!

I'm grounded and I can't go out to find her, not that I normally listen to "your grounded", but I'm really too tired to do anything or worry about everything right now.

I strip off my T shirt and crawl into my bed, the minute my head hits the pillow I close my eyes and fall straight off to sleep.

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As soon as Sunny opened his front door, I think the look on my face worries him.  "What's up Mango, you look troubled, don't tell me there is more trouble with those Freeze kids?!"  he says as he shows me in.

"No it's our kids this time - Tapestry and Honey, we might have a problem."  he frowns at me, there is no point beating about the bush, I just have to tell him, even though I'm not looking forward to his reaction, it's one thing finding out your son is sexually active, but when it comes to your daughter, that is totally different.  "They have been having unprotected sex."  

"WHAT!?"  he looks stunned with shock for a moment before he starts to get angry  "I'm going to FADE him!!  Where is he wait till I get my hands on him!!"  he goes to walk past me in the direction of the front door and I have to put out my arm to stop him.  I should have guessed that he would just blame Tapestry for it, he's never been Tapestry's biggest fan and while the rest of us, including Ruby, have laughed at Honey's mad infatuation with Tapestry and his blindness too it, Sunny has never been very amused about his daughters feelings for him.

"Sunny calm down - it takes two - this is not just Tapestry's fault Honey was there too, she could have said no - but she didn't - she is just as much to blame for this!!"

"Don't you start to shift blame onto my daughter and make excuses for that boy of yours Mango, he's at the root of most of the problems we have and you know it -  you should have called him Trouble not Tapestry!! and here we go again!!!   Honey is a good girl, she only ever gets into any trouble when she is knocking about with that boy of yours!!!  I guarantee this is all down to him!!!"

 
His eyes widen and he starts to look very worried  "Hang on, you are her doctor - please tell me you are not here to tell me she's pregnant!!"

"No but you know there might be a possibility she could be, with them not using any precautions - hopefully she won't be, but I'm more worried right now about making sure they are properly protected from now on, just in case she isn't pregnant."

"Oh don't you worry, they won't be doing it again, I'll make sure of that!!!"  He looks at me in disbelief that I would even suggest that we would let them carry on sleeping together.  "I don't believe you would let them carry on doing it!!  You!!!  I remember the way you used to carry on to us at school - you was a right prude!!"

"Yes, and I was right wasn't I, the mess you and Ruby got yourselves into, you wouldn't stop or listen - maybe you should cast your mind back for a minute before you say anything else!!!  What they are doing is no different to what you and Ruby were doing!!!"  Sunny stood there running his hand through his hair looking stressed out and like he might be about to have a right go at me for the dig I just had.  "Do you think if we shout at them and tell them they can't do it - do you think they will listen - no they won't - they are going to carry on doing it whether we want them to or not, they are at that age, and don't pretend like all of our other kids aren't doing it because I'm sure you know they are - they just haven't been caught yet!!!"   I bite my tongue for a moment, I really shouldn't have said that, being most of their doctors I know which of Sunny's and Alpine's girls are on the pill and that includes my own daughter, but because of patient confidentiality I can not say anything. 

"So what are you saying exactly?"  

"You are right when you say Tapestry is trouble, he is, I don't worry about any of our other kids not being sensible, but Tapestry with all of his problems I do worry about.  He definitely hasn't listened to my 'don't do it and if you do make sure you take precautions' lectures, I've tried to drum it into him because of his problems and condition and he's ignored all my warnings.  So we need to speak to Honey, to make sure she is being sensible when they sleep together because I know Tapestry sure as hell won't be!!"

"So because your son is a disobedient idiot, you expect me to let my daughter think I'm giving her the green light to carry on sleeping with him  ...... you are off your head Mango!!"  he is now getting very angry

"Like I said they are doing it whether we like it or not even though they know they shouldn't be."  he rolls his eyes at me  "Tapestry can't be trusted to be sensible, but honey can be trusted and I sure as hell don't want to become a grandparent just yet!!"

"No I'm not having it Mango, you are too soft, I bet you've hardly said anything to that boy of yours, but when I've finished with them both they will be too scared to do it again!!"

"You reckon??!!  You should think back to when you were their age Sunny - you and Ruby  were the perfect examples of hormonal teenagers!!!  Just telling them NO is not going to work and you know it!!!"  he cut his eyes at me   "What would you rather - do nothing but shout at them, then a few months down the line we find out she's pregnant because they didn't listen, or would you rather make sure they are taking the right precautions so they don't get themselves into that situation until they are old enough to handle it?"

"I'd much rather we keep them apart and ban them from seeing each other from now on!!"  he says angrily  "They have crossed that line now and I never wanted them to get together in the first place!!"

"That's a little harsh don't you think!!"  I am slightly stunned, that's one thing I never expected him to say "Why would you want to keep them apart?"

"I've been quite happy that your son has been too stupid to see how Honey feels about him, but now I find this out, it is  time I step in to make sure they stop seeing each other, I've never wanted them to get together Mango."  he put his hand on my shoulder  "No disrespect to you or Lilly, because you know I love you both, if it was Mosaic that Honey was infatuated with you know I'd be over the moon, but Tapestry - he is trouble Mango, you have said it yourself, he is only ever going to drag Honey down with his problems and I definitely don't want that for my daughter!!  Tapestry is no good for her and I'm not having it!!"

I'm speechless and stare at him without saying a word 

"Honey is a bright girl, her school grades are good enough to get her into University, she is to the eye a pure berry so she has the opportunity to leave this town temporarily and go to Uni - she has the chance to do something with her life."  he starts to rub his neck nervously  "I am also hoping that when she goes to uni two or three years away from home will get Tapestry out of her system, that she will meet other people and she will get over this silly infatuation that she has with him, find herself a decent boyfriend who isn't going to be a burden - Berry help him if he has messed up her chances of going to uni - they are going to be locking me up!!"

"I didn't realize you felt this way!!"  we just stand there staring at each other, I'm pretty stunned knowing that he feels this way.  I don't understand how he can be so flippant about his daughters feelings,  "silly infatuation"  he wants to hope for his sake that is all it is.  I never dreamed he would look at Tapestry in the way he does either, especially after he can accept that Strawberry and Parsley are together, he can be happy and accept that his other daughter is dating Lime's son, but he can't accept Tapestry?!  That hurts a little, actually it hurt a lot!!  "Well I'm happy they are together, Honey is good for him, she understands him unlike most, they have been best friends since they were toddlers, he would be lost without her and I'm scared if you do split them up that will just push him over the edge and probably back towards Fern."

"That really isn't my problem is it Mango, you need to worry about your son and I'll do what I know is best for my daughter."

"I hate to say this, you know yourself how long this 'silly infactuation' as you call it has been going on with Honey, since they were about five or six, I'm sure if she was going to get it out of her system she would have done it by now, and don't even tell me she's not old enough to know her own mind - think back to us at her age you with ruby, me with Lilly, Alpine and Caramel - we knew didn't we!!!  you want to watch you are not about to break your daughter's heart and be the reason why she becomes a single parent - is that really doing the best thing for her?!"

"She'll get over it eventually!!! Just like Lilly got over Cosmic!!"  I nearly punched him, there really was no need for him to say that!!  "And of course I don't want her to become a single parent!!"  he snapped at me quite nastily  "Your son shouldn't have put her in this situation in the first place, he needs to learn to keep it in his trousers or put something on the end of it, and definitely keep it well away from my daughter!!!"   Hypocrite!! ......... Says he who got the school bike knocked up at about the same age!!  He is starting to make me very angry.


"You know you need to start remembering Honey played her part in this too, quit blaming Tapestry for everything, for Berry's sake you are making it sound like he raped her!!!   Your daughter she is not quite the angel you are trying to make her out to be, and Tapestry has an excuse for being an irresponsible idiot - what exactly is Honey's excuse?!"  I am finding it very hard to hold my tongue, he has really pushed my buttons  "Tapestry is not as mentally mature as the other kids his age, I never expected him to become sexually active until he was older ..... you know how your daughter feels about him, now she is mature for her age ..... and if she is anything like her mother, its more likely your daughter who has corrupted my son, not the other way round like you are trying to make out!!!!" 

Sunny gave me a really nasty filthy look, things are beginning to get a little nasty, we are starting to trade cheap digs, this I never expected,  I guessed he wouldn't be happy, fudge I'm not happy about it either,  but I really didn't think we would end up acting like this, and I'm not sure he even knows how much he's hurt me by what he has been saying about Tapestry.  "Okay, so I guess I have to wait at least until we find out - but be prepared - if she is not pregnant, I'm telling you now, I'm going to be doing everything in my power to split them up and keep them apart permanently!!"

"Fine if that's what you think you have to do, you do it, but don't expect me to help you .....  and until we find out, we are doing it my way!!!"  I'm now not in the mood to discuss this with him any longer so I start telling him  "You leave them alone until we know for sure, if I find out you've been having a go at my son you and me will be falling out, it takes two and whatever Tapestry has done Honey was doing it with him!!!"  he went to say something but I didn't give him a chance to speak.   "While your daughter is being very irresponsible she is in danger of putting my son into a situation that he really is not capable of coping with, so as I'm her doctor I am going to give her contraception and talk to her about being sensible to prevent the situation that you obviously NEVER want.   I'll do the necessary tests when I've worked out her dates and the minute I know I'll let you know, probably three weeks at the most - then you can do what the fudge you think you have to do and I suppose I'll have to be there to pick up the pieces when it all blows up your face!!!"

"Have you quite finished?!" he snapped at me

"Not really but I doubt you would want to hear about how much you have hurt my feelings!!"  he frowned at me and I was not going to say anything, but what the hell, he has wound me up!  "It baffles me how my son, who, if you had actually bothered to take the time to get to know is actually a really nice boy underneath all of his disabilities - his disabilities being obviously the only things you do see, unlike your daughter who actually does look past his problems.   My son is not good enough for your daughter, yet for your other daughter - Lime's son is!!"  he glares at me for a moment then his face seems to start softening as he starts to realize what I am getting at.

"Mango I ......"

"Forget it Sunny .... it's too late!!" 

There is a sudden awkwardness between us that has never been there before.  I am glad when I see Honey, she walks into the hallway carrying a load of dirty washing, I'm sure if me and Sunny had been left alone together for much longer one of us would have been saying something we would only regret later and the last thing I want to do is fall out with him.

"Honey leave that washing, Mango needs a word with you, its important."  Sunny didn't even look at her, I'm not sure he could bring himself too, he carries on looking at me.

I watch Honey look from Sunny to me then back again, both of us wearing sullen faces, she started to look worried as she drops the washing onto the floor.  "Is Tapestry okay, is something wrong?!"  she asks, this makes Sunny roll his eyes.

"Unfortunately he's fine, but there will be something wrong with him when I get my hands on him!!"  Sunny says sarcastically, I know this is aimed more towards me than Honey; as he never once takes his eyes off me.  "Mango take her into the kitchen, you're her doctor you sort it out, I need to speak to Ruby, that damn woman is out shopping again."

"You're not coming?!"  I ask him a little puzzled that he would leave me alone with his daughter after everything he has just said.

"No if I have to sit and listen to the details, I won't be able to help myself, I'll be tearing round to yours and swinging for your son!!"  He really is not taking this well, which kind of amuses me thinking back to how he used to be at school.

"When Mango's finished with you young lady, you and me are having words!!"  he says as he takes his phone out of his pocket and walks off into the living room.

Leaving a very confused Honey standing there staring at me.

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