Page 71 of British Daddy to Go

To her credit, Maggie doesn’t seem to find my mother as annoying as I do. I suppose she’s not used to the praise. I doubt her parents were quick to call her talented. She told me her parents wanted her to give up her dreams to be a good homemaker for her husband. I would never ask her to do that. My mother is right. Maggie has way too much talent to keep her away from sewing.

Which reminds me, I need to get her sewing room set up. Maggie is afraid to ask for her job back at Havisham’s because she’s worried her parents will show up or sabotage her in some way. We’ve agreed that it’s probably best for her to lie low for a while. She’ll need something to do, and with my mother asking for a design, Maggie will be able to keep busy sewing.

“Why didn’t you go to college to expand your talents?” Mum asks when she’s gotten over her shock. “You would be a shoe-in for one of the incredible fashion schools here in New York!”

I squeeze Maggie’s knee again so that she knows she doesn’t have to answer, but she shakes her head so slightly, I barely notice.

“In the interest of full disclosure, it wasn’t my choice,” Maggie begins. “My parents are… controlling, to put it mildly. They wouldn’t let me go to school. It didn’t matter that I’d be in the city and could live at home. They wanted me to work at their store and obey their rules. In fact, my parents literally locked me in my bedroom after I spent the night at Sean’s apartment.”

My parents blink a few times, trying to understand what they just heard. Leave it to Maggie to drop a truth bomb casually into the conversation. I admire her courage!

Mum is the first to grasp the situation, as I expected she’d be. She reaches across the table and takes Maggie’s hand into her own.

“Darling, I am so sorry. Is there anything we can do?”

Maggie shakes her head. “Your son rescued me, thanks to a tip from my best friend. I’m in good hands here.”

I swear, my mother wipes away a tear. This one time, I don’t think I can blame her. Maggie’s story is heartbreaking. I’d cried a bit myself, though I’d hidden in the shower last night to do so. I didn’t want Maggie to see me upset. She had enough to deal with on her own without having to worry about comforting me, too.

“I just can’t imagine a parent treating their child so awfully,” my father finally adds. “You should know that not all parents are like that.”

Maggie smiles warmly. “I’ve been lucky enough to see good parenting from my friend Jenna’s family, and of course, the two of you raised an incredible son.”

“So incredible he never comes to visit us!” Mum teases.

“I’ll force him to visit you soon because I would love to see England. In fact, he has promised to take me someday.”

I did promise that, and I intend to keep it. Now that Maggie is out from under her parents’ thumb, it will be quite easy to take the trip. We should start the passport process as soon as possible. Then, Maggie will be ready to go with me overseas. I’m thinking a Christmas trip would be lovely. Winter is my favorite time to visit home.

“We would love to have you!” Dad exclaims. “You’ll love England, I’m sure of it. Maybe you can convince our son to visit more often!”

I laugh. “Let’s stick with one trip for now, Dad. What do you say to Christmastime as a family?”

Mum and Dad both beam like they’ve won the lottery. “That sounds lovely, Sean.”

To Maggie, Mum says, “Thank you, Maggie. You’ve made our boy happier than we’ve ever seen him, and you’ve gotten him to plan a trip home! Add that to your beautiful dress, and I might be falling in love with you!”

That makes the whole table laugh. “That’s very sweet, ma’am. Thank you for saying that!”

We continue to chat until our food arrives. I find myself sitting back to listen to the conversation more than join in. Maggie gets along so well with my parents! I knew they’d love her because I love her, but this is even better than I thought it would be.

After we’ve eaten our delicious meal, my parents have to leave for a Broadway show they’ve been very excited about.

“We’ll see you tomorrow, Maggie!” Mum calls out as they climb into their cab.

Maggie and I wait by the curb for Stefan to pick us up. I offered my parents a ride, but they respectfully declined since Broadway is in the opposite direction from our apartment.

“What was my mum talking about?” I ask Maggie while we wait. “You’ll see her tomorrow?”

She giggles. “You weren’t paying much attention to the conversation, were you?”

“I was listening!”

“Obviously not,” she teases. “If you were, you’d know I’m showing your parents around Madison Avenue tomorrow.”

“That’s great! I’m sorry I have to work.”

She shrugs. “That’s okay. I really like your parents. They’re so sweet. Your mom wants to talk to me about the dress I’m to make her, too.”