Chapter 19 Heath #2
“Is she your…well, I don’t know how to say this word. I mean I haven’t even have the talk with you. And trust me, this is not how I want to find out that my son has sex with girls and I just talked to one—”
I slip off the stool. “No! Hope is not someone I have sex with. Geez, mom. Can you fucking think for a second?”
She freezes.
We both do.
I slowly realize what I’ve done.
“You just called me Mom,” she whispers.
I run a hand through my hair and sit back down. “It’s not like you are not.”
“I am your mother but you avoid using that word at all costs.”
I rake another hand through my hair. “Hope isn’t the girl I have sex with,” I tell her softly.
“She sounds important to you.”
I look up at her. “She is.”
Realization hits her. “Is she your girlfriend?”
“She is.”
“I met your girlfriend today. Why didn’t she tell me?”
I sigh. “I didn’t want her to meet you guys. She is special to me.”
“I see,” she mumbles then mix all the ingredients in a big bowl.
We stay quiet as she applies oil to the cupcake tray and then pours the batter into each hold. Once done, she slips the tray into the oven and sets the timer.
Moving around the island, she sits down beside me. “Do you want me to stay away from her? If that’s what you want, I’ll respect your decision.”
I peer up at her. “I don’t want you to bother her.”
She gapes at me. “I would never do that. She is such a sweet girl. I already like her.”
“I’d appreciate it.”
Mom goes silent for a minute then asks excitedly, “Can I ask you more about her?”
“What do you want to know?”
“How did you meet her?”
“She bumped into me.”
“Really?” She squeals. “That’s how I met your dad.”
I turn in the stool to face her. “What?”
She nods happily. “It was my first day at the new school and I was frantically searching for my first classroom when I bumped into him. He was a bit annoyed but helped me find my classroom. Turns out he had the same class, so we sat together.”
“What happened next?”
“We became friends and fell in love.”
I let out a dry chuckle. The irony isn’t lost on me that the same happened to me. I bumped into Rose and the next thing I know I was crazy about her. I still am.
“How long have you been dating?”
“A week,” I mumble.
“You should invite her over for dinner. I’d love to meet her.”
I quickly shake my head, rejecting the idea. “No.”
Disappointment fills her gaze and she says, “Whenever you feel like it.”
The oven time pings and we both slip off the stools.
“I’ll take those out,” I suggest and grab the mittens off the rack and put it on. Opening the over, I carefully take out the muffin tray and put it on the island.
“They look amazing, don’t you think?” Mom asks.
“Yeah,” I whisper.
“Would you like to eat one?”
“I don’t like sweet things.”
She smirks. “Then, how do you like Hope?”
I crack a smile. “She’s the only exception.”
Mom laughs and the sound of it bounces off the quiet walls of our house in a long time.
“This is delicious,” she says, taking a bite of the muffin.
I fold my arms across my chest and lean against the counter.
“Would you like to take some for Hope tomorrow?”
“She loves chocolate.”
“I can make chocolate chip cookies.”
“Sure—”
“We can start now.”
Before I can say another word, she starts gathering stuff and I rush to her and stop her.
“You need to sleep,” I tell her.
“But I’m not tired.”
“It doesn’t matter. Just go to your room and lie down.”
She nods. “Let me clean up.”
“I’ll do it.”
Despite me asking her to leave, she stays and eats her muffins while I clean up.
We don’t talk but the tension isn’t there. For years, we’ve walked on thin ice that shattered whenever we talked. We didn’t have a common ground, a place to stand on and get to know each other. They’re my parents but we stand so far apart that it seems impossible to erase this distance between us.
But tonight wasn’t as awful as I thought it’d be.
It was nice talking to mom.
I can’t fucking believe I’m saying that.
“Would you mind if I talk to her if I see her again?” Mom asks.
I glance at her from the sink where I’m drying the bowls.
“Don’t pester her. She is shy,” I say, then quickly add, “Also, don’t say anything that will hurt her. Just keep it to yourself.”
Horror flashes across her face. “I would never do that.” She sounds sincere.
Before I can say a word, Dad enters the room and his eyes go to Mom then me.
In a cautious tone he asks, “Everything good?”
“Yes,” I say.
Mom beams at him. “We were getting along.”
Dad watches her face and his features soften. “Have you eaten?”
She nods. “I ate six muffins and now I might be on a sugar rush.”
He smirks. “Don’t worry, I’ll tire you down.”
I make a gag noise and both of them look at me. “Get a fucking room.”
Mom laughs loud, as if it’s normal. Like the wall between us has finally broken down—it has.
I find it strange how I never knew what her laugh sounded like or how she looked when she smiled. I didn’t know Dad could look human and not a stone face. He had the ability to smoothen his facial muscles and not appear robotic. Fuck, I can’t believe he can say sexual innuendos.
I’m learning stuff about my parents. Getting to know them in a way I’ve never before. They have stayed over previously, but we didn’t talk like this. We didn’t talk, smile, laugh or hung out. We didn’t do anything that would bridge the gap between us.
The wall is down.
But we still have a thousand miles between us to get to each other.
Strangely, the distance doesn’t bother me.