Rating: G
Characters: Mick, Beth and an OC
A/N: Thanks go out as always to Lorig; she had to get out her protective suit this time for all the idea bouncing.
Many thanks also to Moonlighter for being my beta on this one. Hugs to you both! 
Memories IV - Milestones
Part 2
Mick also watched his daughter enter the gymnasium, carrying herself with an air of confidence. Her straight brown hair had been curled for the occasion and was tied at the nape of her neck in a simple bow that matched the color of her cap and gown. The gown ended at mid-calf, showing only a small portion of her long, suntanned legs. And that damned tattoo on her ankle, Mick thought. The year of the rebellion.
BJ had been gone all day at the beach with a group of friends.
“Hi, how was your day?” Beth asked when BJ came home.
“Fun,” she replied distractedly, giving her parents their expected kisses quicker than usual before she hurried off to her bedroom.
Mick and Beth looked at each other and Mick quirked his eyebrow. They had scented a little bit of pain, a lot of anxiety, and a whole lot of deception.
“BJ!” Mick called. No response. “BJ!” he tried again.
“What?” came the muffled reply through the bedroom door.
“Please come out here, we want to talk to you.”
“What for?”
“BJ!!”
They heard the door open and she stomped out, collapsing onto the sofa with her arms crossed. “Okay, I’m here. What is it?”
“What did you do today?” Beth asked.
“I went to the beach with my friends. That’s all.”
“BJ, we can tell something else went on. What happened?”
“I told you – nothing!” Her parents both stared at her.
“We can tell you’re lying. You need to tell us what happened,” Mick’s voice carried a warning in it.
“You can tell I’m lying? Of course you can. You can tell everything. Why can’t I just be a regular teenager? My whole life it’s been ‘watch what you say, BJ’ or ‘keep the secret, BJ’. Everything I do gets scrutinized. It’s like living in a fish bowl with a couple of mind readers. I never get any privacy!” She was up and storming around the living room.
Mick and Beth looked shocked at her outburst. “We can’t read…” Beth started to say before being cut off by BJ.
“Well, you might as well be able to. My friends don’t have to put up with this crap.”
“You watch your tone, young lady,” Mick growled. “Something happened today and we want to know what it was. Did that boy hurt you?”
BJ rolled her eyes. “His name is Tyler and no, he didn’t hurt me.”
“Then what put you in pain? We’re just concerned, that’s all,” Beth tried to defuse the situation.
BJ stopped pacing the room and turned to face her parents. “You want to know what I did today? Fine. I’ll tell you.” She pulled up the leg of her sweatpants, revealing a small rosebud on her ankle. “I got a tattoo,” she said defiantly.
The silence in the room was deafening. Mick looked at Beth and back at his daughter. “You got a tattoo? How could you get a tattoo? You have to be 18 to get a tattoo in California. You’re only 17!”
In a more reasonable voice BJ started to explain. “Well, see, Tyler’s older brother has a friend who owns a tattoo shop…”
“This was Tyler’s idea?” Mick turned to Beth. “I told you that boy was no good,” he growled.
“It wasn’t his idea, it was mine! He didn’t want to take me but I made him.”
“But why?” That was Beth, still trying to be the voice of reason.
“Why? Because I wanted to do something unexpected. I’m tired of everyone thinking I’m such a goody two-shoes. I’m not stupid enough to blow off my classes and ruin a chance of getting into college. I just wanted… I just needed to… I feel so…” she waved her arms as she ran out of words. Then in a soft, quivering voice, she asked, “Don’t you like it?”
Mick exploded. “NO, I don’t like it! Why did you have to go and do something permanent? If you wanted to rebel why not dye your hair bright pink or, or shave it all off or something like that? Something that won’t last forever!”
“Because I don’t HAVE forever!!” she shouted back at him with tears in her eyes. Her words hung in the air.
Mick and Beth were speechless.
In a calmer voice Mick said, “You are grounded for a month.”
BJ nodded, looking at her feet. “I figured I would be.”
“And you will tell me the name of the tattoo shop.”
She looked up, startled. “Oh no, daddy, please don’t close it down. I don’t want anyone to get into trouble because of me.”
“Then you should have thought of that before you asked them to do something illegal. All our actions have consequences; they affect others as well as ourselves. You will give me the name.”
BJ looked at the ground again. “Yes sir.”
Mick looked at his daughter now with tenderness as he reached out and stroked her hair. “I’m sorry you felt you needed to do something like this. I wish you had come and talked to us. We don’t mean to suffocate you. We love you and we only want what is best for you. You live under special circumstances and that’s just a part of your life you have to accept.”
“I know,” she wept. “I… I love you too.” She turned and walked back to her room. Beth got up and followed her.
When Beth returned Mick looked at her. “What brought all this on?” He was baffled. “She’s a good student and an excellent athlete… why would she do this?”
“She’s a teenager, Mick. Why do they do anything?” She sat down next to him and took his hand. “Did you see the tattoo?”
“I saw it. A pink rosebud.”
“I asked her why she chose it. Know what she said?” Mick shook his head. “She said it represented how her life is just beginning and that she has the whole world yet to open up before her. I think she put a lot of thought into it.”
Mick looked at Beth. “Well, at least it wasn’t a fleur-de-lis.”
***
The graduates and faculty were all seated and the program finally began. Beth only half listened to the principal and the school board president as they spoke. She was tickled pink that BJ wanted to major in journalism and thrilled that she had been accepted to UC-Berkeley, a top journalism school. BJ seemed so excited to be going away from home, but it made Beth sad to think how quiet the house would become. Her little girl, all grown up!
During the argument about the tattoo, Beth and Mick didn’t forget BJ’s comment about ‘not having forever’. They brought it up with her several months later, when the family dynamics had more or less returned to normal.
The three of them were walking on the beach at sunset.
“BJ?” Mick started the conversation. “Awhile back you told us you didn’t have ‘forever’. Do you think about being turned?”
“Sometimes I do, yeah. Sometimes I think it would be so cool! I wouldn’t have to be afraid about getting sick, or worry about you watching me grow old and dying.” She walked on for awhile before she continued. “But then I think about not ever eating hamburgers and ice cream again, and being out in the sun, and losing my friends, and well, I just get so confused.”
“Well, it is confusing. But you are way too young to be considering it yet. We want you to live and enjoy your life. We hope you’ll marry and be blessed with children of your own one day. We don’t want you thinking about turning for a long, long time.” They walked in silence listening to the waves. “But if you ever do want to talk about it, we hope you’ll come to us.”
BJ tucked her arms around Mick’s elbow. “I will, daddy. I promise.”
***
Mick nudged Beth and nodded towards the podium as BJ stepped up to the microphone and waited for the applause to die down.
“Thank you. I am very honored to stand before you today, representing the senior class. We walked through these school doors four years ago as freshmen - nervous, scared and hoping we didn’t look like geeks to the upperclassmen.” A titter of laughter passed around the gym.
“That first day seemed like it would never end. And suddenly, four years have flown by and we are about to walk out those very same doors for the last time as students.
“To our teachers: Thank you for willingly sharing your knowledge with us. You may not always believe it, but you are appreciated more than you will ever know. At some point in our lives each of us will find ourselves saying, ‘I know that because my high school teacher taught it to me’.
“To my teammates, THE DISTRICT CHAMPS!” Cheering erupted in the gymnasium as BJ smiled from ear to ear. “You taught me the meaning of teamwork and it is a lesson I will never forget. Everyone pulls together and you are confident in the knowledge that your teammate has your back. Never be afraid of hard work; it’s what makes the world go around. Good luck to next year’s team – I’m sure you can go all the way!” More applause.
“To my classmates: Most of us have known each other since elementary school. We have grown up together. Now it’s time to go our separate ways and see what this big world has to offer. Some of us are off to colleges and universities both near and far. Some of us are heading directly into the work force. And some of us are staying right here and starting families. Whatever path you take, and wherever it leads you, you’ll be sure to come across people who remind you of one of us in some small way. When that happens, think back to these days with a smile on your face and say to yourself, ‘I remember when’. Good luck to you all!
“Last but not least, to my parents: Your never-ending love and support means the world to me. Always there when I needed you, you encouraged me to keep trying until I reached my goals. You are my biggest cheerleaders, but I am your biggest fan.” BJ’s voice started to falter. “As it says in the Bette Midler song,
'Did you ever know that you’re my hero?
You’re everything I would like to be
I can fly higher than an eagle
For you are the wind beneath my wings.'
“Thank you mom and dad; I wouldn’t be standing here today without you. I love you both, forever.”
Her speech received a standing ovation. Beth had tears running down her face as Mick held her close to his side. They saw BJ smile up at them, quickly wiping a tear from her cheek.
The crowd quieted and sat back down. The principal stepped forward again to the podium.
“It is now time to present our graduating students with their diplomas. Will the first row please come forward.”
A hush fell over the gymnasium. Beth and Mick held hands tightly, afraid to let go, lest the spell be broken.
“Ladies and gentlemen, it is my honor to bestow the first diploma to our Valedictorian, Bethany Joy St. John.”
The end.
How beautiful.
Beth, Bethany Joy (I love her name!), and Mick are such a cute family. 
I look forward to reading your other stories about her. 
