Chapter Six #2
“You’re here. You’re cooking breakfast. You look way too chirpy.” Violet tilted her head to the side. “What did you do?”
“I didn’t do anything.”
“She didn’t come home at two. In fact, I didn’t even hear her sneak in. So, I’m guessing Bernice was sound asleep, you felt guilty, and decided to stay the night,” Hazel said, entering the kitchen.
Ava looked toward her mom. “Are you upset?”
“I’m upset that you didn’t call to let me know. I was tired last night and a phone call would have sufficed.”
“I know. I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”
Violet tutted. “Not thinking—that can only mean one thing. There is a boy involved.”
She glared at her sister, and she didn’t find it funny at all.
“Shut up, Violet.”
“And with that kind of attitude, I’m going to guess it is a certain biker.” Violet pursed her lips. “I just have to wonder who that could be.”
There was no point in fighting with her sister.
“You were out with a Chaos and Carnage member last night?” Hazel asked.
There was a tone her mother had used, one Ava had never heard before. She wasn’t sure if she was angry, disappointed, frustrated, or a mixture of all three. All she knew was she didn’t like it.
“We just went for a ride. That’s all. It wasn’t anything long.” She didn’t tell her mother or her sister about the kiss they shared. “And I made eggs and bacon.”
“Guilt breakfast,” Violet said.
She glared at her sister. This was not funny. She wasn’t used to feeling this way. Boys never made her do stupid things.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes, of course. Of course I’m okay.” She forced a smile to her face. The truth was, last night she had loved every second of her time with Pat, and she didn’t want it to end. The fact it had to, sucked.
Hazel looked at her for several moments.
Ava waited.
Violet, the meddling older sister, seemed content that her work was done, and then went back to drinking her coffee and looking rough.
“I worry about you,” Hazel said. “You’re my little girl, and I guess I’m not used to boys even registering what they are to you.”
She could have vocally sighed in relief as her mother came toward her, wrapped those protective arms around her, and simply hugged her. It felt good. Better than good.
“I won’t do anything stupid.”
“Please, you’ve never been googly-eyed by a guy before,” Violet said. “Trust me, you may not want to do anything stupid, but the fact is, you probably will.”
“Mom?”
“No, your sister is right, unfortunately.” Hazel pulled away. “However, I don’t think I mind you feeling this guilt, because this smells amazing.” She peered over her shoulder. “And make sure I get some extra bacon. You know, after feeling tired all night from staying up late.”
There was that guilt, even though she knew her mother was just teasing her.
“You don’t play fair,” Ava said.
“It’s a mother’s role.” Hazel kissed her cheek. “So, are you going to tell us who the lucky biker is?”
Ava didn’t know if she wanted to tell her mother or her sister. Well, technically, Violet already knew seeing as he was the one who forced them into her car not too long ago for her to take them home. She was surprised Violet wasn’t screaming the name.
“It’s Pat.”
“Really?” Hazel asked.
“Yeah, is that a problem?” She nibbled her lip, wondering if her mother was going to change her mind.
“No, of course not. I’m just surprised.” Hazel frowned. “You know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him around town with a girl. He’s a hard worker. Actually, scrap that, he’s not had a girl recently. There was a time he was a real wild animal, or at least rumor had it.”
Violet sat up. “A wild animal? Seriously? He’s quiet and soft-spoken. I don’t see anything wild about him.”
“Trust me, back in the day, he was responsible for making a lot of married women stray.”
“Back in the day, Mom?” Ava said. “You make him sound old.”
“Honey, he is a little younger than me, but not by much.”
“Ooh, Ava likes the older man. Now this is funny,” Violet said.
“Will you shut up?” Ava said. “He’s not old. He’s like late thirties, early forties. You drool over actors who are older than that.”
“True, true, but there is a point—they’re actors.”
“It still counts, so you can enjoy older men, just like guys can enjoy younger women,” Ava said.
Her mother and sister chuckled. Ava decided to ignore their teasing and just plated up their breakfast and carried it through to the dining room.
Their mother sat in her usual place, and once again, Ava felt so sad at seeing the empty spot that once belonged to her father. She took a deep breath and knew it was going to be all right. The pain would go away. They had a lot of memories with her father here, and without.
However, they had made it a bit of a tradition where Christmas dinner was no longer eaten at the table, but in front of the television watching a festive movie. It was a lot of fun, but they were all avoiding the truth. Their father or husband was no longer with them.
“Do you have any kind of protection?” Hazel asked.
Ava was about to bite into a piece of bacon, and she felt her cheeks go hot. “Mom, seriously? I’m twenty-four years old.”
“It doesn’t matter how old you are. You don’t go around believing a guy who says he can’t fit into one, or he can’t afford one. You always make sure you have protection on you. You have no idea what these men have, or dealing with their babies when they are done with you.”
Violet winced. “You’re getting the serious talk.”
She wanted to slap her sister. Ava was not prone to violence. She didn’t even have violent tendencies, but it would seem right now, they were developing at an alarmingly fast rate. It sucked.
“Did you get the serious talk?” Ava asked.
Violet snorted. “Girlfriend, I had this talk during prom, and trust me, most girls get some money to go to prom. I got a stack of condoms I didn’t even use.”
“Seriously?” Ava asked.
“Seriously. This girl did not become a prom V-card loser. No, this girl discovered her boyfriend was cheating on her with her best friend.” Violet shrugged. “Remember Mandy and Ryan, happily married, three kids?”
Ava’s mouth dropped open, but thankfully, she didn’t have any food inside, so it was all good.
“I had no idea they cheated?”
“Yep, well, I can’t exactly hold it against them. Even after all this time, they’re going strong. They’re happy, and he’s not strayed once. All is good.”
She looked at her sister, and Violet didn’t seem at all concerned. “Wow.”
Violet laughed. “I can be reasonable.”
Ava had no doubt that her sister could be.