Lars drove while Christine and Olga sat in the back. The three of them made some small talk about Christine's health and what had happened at the hospital.
But it wasn't long before Lars and Olga got to what they were most interested in talking about. In fact, Olga had sat in the back seat precisely so she could look Christine in the eye while having this discussion. She started things off by commenting, "So... pretty interesting, don't you think? The way that Amy kissed Alan just before you two were carried away in the ambulance."
Lars chimed in from the front seat, "Yeah! What's up with THAT?! You've been on five or six dates with him, haven't you? I thought that was going well?"
Christine thought, Crap! But she'd seen that kiss too, so she'd known that a grilling was coming. She said, "Things ARE going well, but... it's complicated."
Olga said to Lars, "Christine already told me that Alan was dating another girl before she started dating him. Nobody is going steady yet, from what I understand, so I suppose nothing dishonest is happening here." She turned back to Christine. "Amy is that other girl, right?"
"Yes, she is."
Lars spoke while keeping his eyes on the road, "It may not be dishonest per se, but it's still pretty dubious in my book. Five or six dates - that's pretty serious in this day and age. And who knows how long he's been dating Amy already. How long does he plan on stringing you two along?"
Christine replied, "Actually, it's only been four dates. And he just started dating Amy around the same time as me. He's not being devious about this; it's just something that happened due to funny timing. But I get your point. Like I said, it's complicated. You've seen Amy; she's a real sweetheart. She couldn't be nicer. We're not clawing each other's eyes out or anything. In fact, we're kind of friends, despite the weird situation. It so happens that we're both spending time with Alan and kissing him and stuff. Is that really such a big deal?"
Lars asked, as protective fathers do, "'And stuff?' What does that mean exactly?!"
Olga waved a dismissive hand at him. "Don't ask. You don't want to know. Besides, it's really not our business."
She turned back to her daughter. "Alan seems like a very nice young man, and he comes from a good family." She spoke towards Lars, "You may not be aware of this, but Alan has been Christine's friend for about two years. I've heard a lot of good things about him, off and on, especially these past couple of months. He's not a player or a cad. In fact, from what Chrissy has told me, I don't think there's a better prospective boyfriend for her in school than him."
Christine rued Olga's comment, "He's not a player or a cad." How ironic is that?! Yet again, if they only knew! I don't know about a cad - I think he's well-meaning - but he's definitely a player. This is so humiliating. Here I am, one of the most beautiful and desirable girls in school, and the only guy I want is having sex with five or six other girls! At least! And Mom and Dad worry about him dating Amy. Sheesh! That should be the least of their worries. What about Heather? That shameless SLUT!
Lars said, "That's good to hear. But you can imagine that I'm not exactly thrilled to see the boy I know is dating my daughter make out with another girl in front of me, you, her, and everyone else!"
Olga gave Christine a harsh look. "Yes. That's not exactly... thrilling."
Christine sighed. "I know. Believe me, I'm not happy about it either! But it was a weird, weird circumstance, with the fight and the ambulance and everything."
Olga said, "I suppose I can see that."
Christine said, "Actually, this is mostly my fault. He asked me out not long after the school year started and I turned him down. I was taken by surprise, because I thought we were just friends. I started to have second thoughts. Then he started dating Amy. I knew I had to act fast or I'd lose him, so I asked him out on just a practice date. You know, like I was going through the motions with a friend so I'd be ready for the real thing. So that's how it started, but then the practice dating turned into real dating. However, he still feels for Amy, and she didn't do anything wrong, so now we're kind of stuck in this situation."
She thought, That's kind of true. Close enough for horseshoes! At least, it'll help a lot if they see it that way.
After a long pause, Olga said. "Well! My oh my. That's interesting. That certainly changes matters. We can't really blame him for that, can we?"
Lars added, "Yeah. I was really annoyed watching that kiss. I wanted to give Alan a piece of my mind, but I wasn't sure if I knew the full situation and it didn't seem right to have a confrontation in a hospital. Now I feel a lot better about him. I hate to say this, but it sounds like you created this mess."
Olga patted Christine's upper leg. "Maybe so, but I'm proud of you. You realized the one boy you wanted was getting away, and you had to act fast or lose him. So you did what you had to do. He's not going steady with her yet, so he's still fair game."
Christine thought unhappily, Actually, he IS going steady with her, kind of. Not that that stops him from having sex with all the other most desirable girls in school! Boy, this is so fucked up! And now they're going to think that he's practically blameless. But that's how I've got to play this if I'm going to diffuse the 'Amy kiss' problem.
Olga continued to talk. "That's the daughter I know and love: you know what you want, and you go for it! It took some time - admittedly, a lot of time - but you've finally found a boy who's worthy of you. Let's not worry about who's to blame for starting this mess. Instead, what I'd like to know is how we can change the situation. I'm sure Amy is a very lovely girl, but I don't care who she is; in my book, NO girl can compare to you! Honey, you have the whole package: looks, smarts, morals, personality, and more! That's why, although I wanted to clarify things, I'm not very concerned. We know Alan is a smart guy. So it's just a matter of time before he realizes you're the only girl he wants or needs."
She reached out and took Christine's hand and gave her a loving smile. "I feel in my heart that you two are meant to be. The truth is, I'm not at all worried about Amy."
Lars spoke from the front, "Amen to that! I'm not worried either. I saw she's pretty and cheerful, but he would have to be blind, deaf, and dumb not to choose you."
Christine thought, I am! I'm VERY worried! Good God! I feel bad, keeping them in the dark. Why should Alan give Amy up, ever? Why should he stop with any of his lovers? He's young, virile, and very, VERY horny! Of course he's going to have his cake and eat it too. If I have any smarts or pride, I should give him an ultimatum: "Hey! It's me or them!" But of course I can't do that because he'd choose them. I could compete if it were just Amy, but not with Amy and all the others!
Dammit, I want him! I want him so bad! Mom and Dad could never understand. I know the situation is kind of bizarre, but it's not nearly as bad as it would seem if I were to try to explain it fully to them. I've gotta do what I've gotta do. My heart is set on Alan!
Fearing that her parents still had unrealistically high expectations about the situation, she added, "I wish you were right, but you don't know the full story. For instance, remember seeing Amy run around in her cute cheerleader outfit earlier? She's a cheerleader! I think cheerleading is pretty sexist, stupid, and pointless, but the fact is, it's a big social status thing."
Lars replied, "Pshaw. Big deal. You're a star athlete AND an academic superstar. Doesn't that convey some status too?"
"Yeah, but it's different. To be honest, those things have brought me more envy and resentment than anything else. There are all kinds of social forces at school that end up working against me. It's complicated. But it's not just that. You know who Amy's best friend is? Katherine, Alan's SISTER! Do you know what a big advantage that is? In all kinds of ways. Of course Katherine wants her best friend to be happy, AND her brother to be happy, so she helps Amy understand Alan and Alan understand Amy. With Katherine helping things along, the two of them are getting on like a house on fire! How am I supposed to compete with that?"
She sighed heavily, with genuine frustration. Although she was hyping Amy to lower her parents' expectation that she should start going steady with Alan right away, these were real problems that did provide Amy with certain advantages. "You know that I'm not like most girls. I don't blubber on for hours about my feelings. I'm very guarded, very private about a lot of things. I have trouble making and keeping friends, period. Heck, I can be downright prickly and intimidating. Meanwhile, Alan and Amy might as well share some kind of Vulcan mind-meld, especially with Katherine helping them out."
Olga said brightly, "Look at it differently. Consider it a golden opportunity to better yourself. Now you have a strong incentive to be more open with Alan and really learn how to be in a serious relationship. It's a great learning opportunity, and a key part of growing up. I can help. Lars can too. We may be your 'stuffy old parents,' but we've been around the block a few times. We can give you a leg up with what we've learned about romance, and more."
"Thanks," Christine said glumly.
With that, the Anderssens reached their home, providing a good excuse to end the conversation. Christine was relieved. In her effort to convince her parents that they shouldn't expect Alan to break up with Amy soon, she'd wound up depressing herself as well.