My mother sighed then wrapped her arms around me again. “When you called the other day…I don’t know. I felt like I should come see you.” Blinking back tears, I tightened my hold on her. Being the oldest, I was always in charge, the responsible one, I didn’t get babied. I needed this.
Drawing in a deep breath, I still couldn’t believe my mother was here…for me.
“I know I should have called but I wanted to surprise you and…it was a little last minute. I told your dad I needed to see our oldest baby girl.”
“I’m glad you’re here.” I squeezed her a little tighter while holding back the tidal wave of tears that wanted to spring from my eyes.
“I’m so sorry, I’ve been…distracted. I sometimes forget that my beautiful independent daughter still needs a mom.”
I did. Especially now.
“Do you want to talk about why you sounded so sad the last time I talked to you on the phone?”
I wished I could tell her everything, but I wasn’t so sure she would understand. My parents were conservative Christians who taught us kids that homosexuality was a sin. How could I explain to her that I had fallen for a woman? “Not right now. I’m just glad you’re here.”
She gave me soft smile. “Me too.”
“Where're my manners?” I asked as I slid past my mother and put the key in the lock of my front door. “Let’s get you inside.”
My mother followed me into my apartment. I watched for her reaction, stilling myself for any criticism. To my surprise, she didn’t say a word. But I did notice the way her eyes lingered on the pile of dirty dishes in the sink and the stack of mail on the counter.
I could practically see her fingers twitch with the need to clean up. She also might have been a little disappointed in me considering she taught us kids to always clean up after ourselves. But then again, she never had to live with my roommate.
“I wasn’t thinking about it being Memorial weekend when I decided to come. Were you out with friends?” She asked as she followed me into my bedroom.
While shoving my party dress into the trashcan, I desperately wanted to blurt out to my mother that I had spent the weekend in bed…with a woman. I refrained only because I didn’t want to give my mother a stroke.
In my family, having pre-marital sex was a big no-no and gay relationships were an abomination.
I had a feeling I would have to tell her eventually. Just because it didn’t work out with Jane, didn’t mean I wasn’t going to explore my interest in women.
“I stayed with a friend after a birthday party on Saturday,” I replied.
Once again, my heart felt like it was in a vice as I thought about Jane and our weekend together. Even though she broke my heart, I still wanted to be with her. What was wrong with me? I had never felt this way at the end of a relationship before.
My mother set her bag on my bed then glanced back and forth between me and the dress. Thankfully, she didn’t comment. Instead she glanced around the room. I cringed at the mountain of clothes on the end of my bed from when I was figuring out what to wear to the party. So, out of habit, I immediately picked up the pile and began hanging them back up. My mom took a seat on the edge of my bed and bounced as if she were testing out my mattress. That was when it hit me.
I would have to sleep on the couch.
The couch my roommate Becky had sex on with who knows how many guys and how many times. My body shivered at the thought.
“Hey, I’m home!” Becky yelled then slammed the front door.
Speak of the devil.
“We’re back here?” I yelled. My mother put on her church face just as my roommate stepped into my bedroom.
“We?” Becky asked.
“Yeah, Becky this is my mother, Eden.” I waved at my mother. “Mom this is my roommate Becky.”
With a fake grin, my mother eyed my roommate from head to toe. I cringed imagining what she thought of my roommates barely there shorts and bikini top.
“It’s nice to meet you,” Becky said cheerfully completely unaware of my mother’s judgmental stare. “I’m just home for a few minutes to pick up a change of clothes. I met a guy last night, and I’m going to hang out at his place tonight.”
Becky didn’t seem to notice the way my mother’s eyes widened. “It was nice to meet you, Eden. Maybe I’ll see you again before you leave.”
With that, Becky twirled around disappeared into her bedroom coming out a few minutes later holding an overnight bag.
Mom didn’t say a word until we heard the door close behind Becky. “Well, she seems…”
“Nice?” I finished for her knowing full well that wasn’t her impression.
“I’m sure she’s nice, but I have to say I’m glad you’ll be moving away from her. She doesn’t seem like a good influence.”
My mother had no idea, especially considering it was Becky who got me the job as a call-girl.
Since I didn’t want to talk about Becky, or anything else that had to do with my life, I said, “How about I take you out to dinner.”
My mother’s voice softened and her real smile returned. “Oh, that would be lovely.”
2
Instead of sitting down to eat, we stopped at a local food truck and grabbed some hotdogs and a drink. As a way to avoid talking about my personal life, I took my mother on a tour of campus.
More than once she got teary-eyed, put an arm around me and told me how proud she was of me. I hadn’t realized how much I needed to hear that. I was feeling pretty good at least until she said, “It’s a shame your dad will never get to see this.”
I stilled mid-bite and turned to her. “What do you mean? I thought you guys were coming for my graduation. Didn’t you already buy plane tickets?”
“Oh…” My mother pinched her eyes closed and shook her head. “I thought I told you.”
All the joy I had felt moments ago evaporated into thin air. My stomach knotted. “Tell me what? Is everything okay? Is Dad okay?” No longer hungry, I dropped the rest of my hot dog in the trash.
My mother took my hand and patted it like she was getting ready to tell me bad news. Which she proceeded to do. “Your dad is fine. It’s just that we can’t make it to your graduation. It was another reason why I decided to come see you.”
I shook my head trying to comprehend what she was saying. I worked my ass off for four years. Doing this all on my own, and they weren’t coming?
Seeming to finally notice that I was upset, she gave me her best church smile. The one that didn’t hold happiness but the fakeness that came with people who always made sure to look the part of a good Christian. “I thought it would be nice to see you before you move across the country.”
I pulled my hand away from her touch. “Wait. Why aren’t you and dad coming to my graduation?”
My mother’s smile wavered. “Well, you know how it is with the twins. So much stuff is happening that week for them. And you don’t need us.” She waved a hand out like she was showing off the school. “Look what you’ve done on your own. We didn’t think it would be that big of deal. I’m sorry, Angel. If I had known…”
It took everything I had not to angry cry. I was already too emotional to deal with this. So instead, I did exactly what was expected of me, the responsible daughter. I said, “It’s okay.” and forced a smile that I didn’t feel.
My mother’s smile returned. “I knew you would understand.”
After dinner and a quick trip to the grocery store to pick up some necessities, we went back to my apartment. Once I put the last of the groceries away, I announced, “I’m exhausted mom. I need to get to bed. I have school and work tomorrow.” And a broken heart to mend.
I didn’t wait for her to respond before I went to my bedroom to grab some pj’s and the extra set of sheets and blanket. When I returned, my mother was still sitting at the counter staring at her empty glass of water. Without looking at me, she said just above a whisper. “Angel… I…” she glanced up at me.
“Yeah?”
I asked wondering why she sounded and looked so vulnerable.
“I thought maybe tomorrow I could go to work with you. I’d like to meet your boss and the little boy you babysit.”
Considering I had no idea what to do with her, it sounded like a great idea. “Sure,” I replied between yawns.
“Good…good.” She replied as she slid off the stool. “Good night sweetheart.”
After my shower where I finally washed off that morning's sex with Jane, I tucked myself onto the couch making sure my skin didn’t touch the actual cushions.
While staring at the ceiling trying not to think of Jane and waiting for sleep to take me, I tried to picture my mother coming to work with me when I still worked as a call-girl.
A soft chuckled escaped my lips. “And I thought telling my mom I was into girls would be difficult,” I mumbled to myself.
3
After a restless night, I drowsily sat at the kitchen counter sipping coffee hoping the caffeine kicked in before my mother woke. Not a minute later a too cheerful voice said, “So, what do we have planned for today?”
Damn.
I put a smile on my face as I slipped off the stool to fill a cup for my mother. “I have school this morning.” I also planned to meet Jayla, but I didn’t share that part of my day with her. It was as much for Jayla’s sake as mine. “Once I’m finished, then I have work.”
My mother scrunched her face when I lifted a box of cereal. In a huff, she shoved me out of the way and began making breakfast. “None for me, Mom. I’m not hungry.”
She sighed as she cracked an egg against the side of the pan. “You should eat something.” As annoying as it was to have my mother here making breakfast, a part of me had missed it.
“I’m fine.” Before she could argue I asked, “You still want to come to work with me?”
Her face lit up. “As long as I won’t be a bother.” It took everything I had not to roll my eyes. Why couldn’t she just say ‘yes’?
“It’ll be fun.” I hoped. “Ethan will most likely want to spend the afternoon in the pool, so we can stop and get you a swimsuit before we head over there.”
“Sounds good. I'll have plenty to keep me busy here." My mother glanced around the apartment. I bit my tongue to keep from commenting. If she wanted to clean my apartment who was I to stop her? "Do you want me to meet you somewhere on campus?” she asked as I got up to get ready for class.
“Nope, I’ll pick you up here.” Then I escaped to the bathroom before she could argue.
After class, I rushed to the library where I planned to meet Jayla. The moment she saw me, she bounced on her toes and blurted out, “Oh. My. God! You and Missy!” then made a squealing noise.
It took me a few seconds to realize she was talking about Jane. Then, just like that, a weight settled over my heart.
Jayla’s excitement didn’t last. It probably had something to do with the tears that were pooling in my eyes. Wrapping her arms around me she asked, “What happened?”
Sniffing, I managed to say, “Let’s get food and I’ll tell you.”
Jayla patiently kept her mouth closed as I talked. I shared what happened from when Jane and I left the birthday party on Saturday to right up to this morning and dealing with my mother.
When I finished, I sat back, and Jayla set her fork down, and a sigh escaped her perfectly glossed lips. “That is… a lot. Damn girl!” After another sigh she leaned forward with her elbows on the table. “I swore Lisa said that Missy broke up with that asshole. It doesn’t make sense. Are you sure they are still together?”
“Oh yeah. He clearly said he was there for his fiancé and Ja...Melissa didn’t deny it.”
Jayla’s curly locks bounced as she shook her head. “I’m so sorry, Angel. I was so excited for you two.”
“I was excited for me too.” Excited wasn’t a big enough word for how I had felt. For the first time in a long time, it seemed like everything was falling into place. I should’ve known better than to think a relationship could happen between Jane and me considering how we met.
“Enough about me! How are the wedding plans going?” Jayla tilted her head and frowned but eventually let it go and allowed me to change the subject. There was no reason to keep rehashing what happened between me and Jane since I had been doing it every hour since I ran out of her condo.
When it was time for us to say goodbye, Jayla pulled me into another hug. “I’m going to talk to Lisa.” Before I could argue with her, she went on, “I know what you said, but there has to be more to the story.”
Bracing her hands on my shoulders, she gave me a kind smile. “It might be my desire to have everyone as happy as Lisa and me, but when I saw you with Missy…I don’t know. I could see the affection you have for each other. Don’t give up yet.”
I gave Jayla another squeeze. I loved her optimism, but Jane and I were a lost cause.
4
After leaving my last class for the day, I rushed home giving my mother and I just enough time to pick up a swimsuit for her before heading to Mark’s.
The moment Mark swung the door open with his bright smile, he welcomed us in. “Come in! Come in!” He looked back and forth between me and my mother. “Is this the mother of the best nanny in the world?” By the look on her face, I would guess my mother just became Mark’s biggest fan.
I could see it in her eyes. She was wondering why I made it sound like he was older when I described him. I also didn’t tell her how good looking or charming he was.
Mark stepped aside as he waved us in through the front door. For a moment, I was almost offended that he never got that excited when I arrived alone.
My mother glanced over her shoulder at me with a megawatt smile. I hoped it was her pride in me and not how taken she was with Mark that made her practically glow.
She should be taking part of the credit for my nanny skills since she is the reason I had so much experience and got this job.
“I am.” My mother’s voice rose with a slight giggle at the end. I swore, my mother blushed when Mark gave her a quick hug.
Mark sighed then gave us a pout. “I wish I could stay and talk but I have a million calls to make and some research to do.”
My mother waved him off. “Another time,” she threatened…err…replied.
He gave me a hug before letting me know he would be in his home office but available if Ethan needed him.
Once Mark closed himself in his office, I went in search of Ethan. My mother followed close behind as she whispered, “So is Mark single?”
I happily answered with the truth, “Nope. He’s seeing someone.”
Her smile fell. “That’s too bad.”
“Why? You planned to leave dad?” I teased.
“What?” she screeched drawing Ethan’s attention. “No.” She leaned into me as I dropped my bag onto the kitchen counter. “I meant for you,” she whispered under her breath to keep Ethan from hearing.
Before I could respond, Ethan was in my arms and pointing to my mother. “Hi! Who are you?”
My mother gave him a genuine smile and used her thumb to wipe the peanut butter and jelly smeared on the edge of his mouth. “I’m Angel’s mother. You can call me Eden.”
“Hi,” he said again. “I’m Ethan.” With the attention span of a three-year-old, he wiggled out of my hold and begged, “Can we go swimming now?”
“Yup. Go get your swim suit on.” He didn’t waste a moment running up the stairs to his bedroom.
“He’s a sweetheart,” my mother gushed as I showed her to the bathroom, so she could change into her swimsuit.
I thoroughly agreed.
A wave of sadness hit me as I thought about how I would be leaving for Grad school. Who knew how often I would get to see Ethan and Mark?
I tried to shove that thought away, along with all my other emotions concerning a certain beautiful woman who broke my heart.
It didn’t work.
At least I had Ethan and my mother to keep me distrac
ted today.
After changing into my bikini in the other bathroom, I met my mother in the kitchen.
Her cheerful smile fell when she took a good look at me. “Really Angel?” she asked with an exasperated sigh.
“What?” I asked even though I had a pretty good idea what her problem was.
“You couldn’t find a swimsuit that covered more skin? You are going to give Mark ideas.”
I was right.
“Ideas like, how I enjoy swimming? Or that I like my body and not ashamed of it?”
She never did try to hide her disappointment especially with me. “Your body is a temple that should be covered and something you only share with your husband.”
“My body is covered when I’m not swimming” Or fucking. “It’s comfortable, and I’ve never had an issue in all the times I’ve worn this bikini.
“Hmmph” was her only reply.
Thankfully, Ethan running downstairs in his swimsuit and dragging a towel behind him drew her attention.
My mother’s smile was back in place and she happily took his hand when he asked her if she would swim with him.
Glancing at my reflection in the sliding glass door, for a split second, I imagined Jane seeing me in this bikini.
As usual, my thoughts turned to her. I could imagine what she would look like. My body warmed at the thought of seeing her. Her lean strong body with a low riding bikini bottom barely covering the small patch of hair between her thighs. Her small breasts behind tiny triangles with her hard nipples poking out.
I felt myself getting wet at just the thought so when I heard Ethan call my name it was like cold water was thrown on me.
I had to shake my thoughts of her.
It was over.
I had to move on.
Whether I wanted to or not.
By dinner time, Ethan had officially worn out my mother. She hung out on one of the lounge chairs in the shade watching us and cheering on Ethan every time he did anything.
Her Client- The Complete Series Page 17