Chapter 2 #2
“Magnolia Azalea! You will not speak that way at this table,” she scolds, and I roll my eyes. “You and Aaron have obviously had a cute flirtation since you were children, but it’s time to get serious about it. Neither of you is getting any younger, you know.”
I swear my jaw must be dragging the ground at this point. I look over at my dad, hoping he has some idea what in the world my mother is talking about. His furrowed brow tells me he’s just as clueless as I am.
“Come on, moo. You know I’ve always had a thing for you.” Aaron interjects, and I physically recoil in my chair.
“Excuse me? How exactly have you ever shown you had ‘a thing’ for me in the decades we’ve known each other, Aaron? By calling me a whale or constantly referring to me as moo like a fucking COW!” I shout across the table at him.
“What?! You called my daughter a what?!” my father bellows, shooting Aaron a murderous look.
I fold my arms over my chest, leaning back in my chair.
This is the most ridiculous conversation I’ve ever had in this house, and that’s really saying something.
Aaron holds his hands up in defense, and I wonder how he could possibly talk his way out of this.
“Oh, Magnolia. Honestly, you’re being very dramatic. You know, young boys always pick on the girls they like the most, dear.” My mother interjects, and I’m too disgusted by her defense of his actions to even speak.
“It doesn’t matter. I won’t be attending any events, now or ever, with you .” I spit back at him, tears already welling in my eyes. I wish my mother’s behavior surprised me, but it doesn’t. She has never come to my defense in a single one of my twenty-three years on this planet.
“Come on, Mags. It’s not like you’ve got prospects lining up down the block for your hand,” Aaron says, a disgusting cocky smirk on his face.
“Now wait just a-” my dad starts, but I cut him off.
“I’ll have you know, Aaron Montgomery, it wouldn’t matter if every man in Charleston dropped dead tomorrow. I’d rather dry up and die before I ever resorted to you.” I tell him, but he just scoffs.
“Look, let’s just calm down here.” My father, ever the mediator, says. I stand, wiping my mouth with my napkin and placing a kiss on my father’s cheek.
“Thank you for this incredible waste of time, mother. I’ll see you tomorrow, Dad.” I move to leave, but Aaron’s voice stops me in my tracks.
“If I don’t marry you, Magnolia, you’ll be alone.
Forever.” He sounds so certain, as if he knows anything at all about me and my life.
A vision of crystal blue eyes, tattoos, and a devilishly handsome smile flashes through my mind.
Before I can even stop the word vomit from escaping past my lips, I blurt out the first thing that comes to mind.
“I already have a boyfriend!” Immediately, I regret my outburst. I’ve never wished I could rewind time as much as I do right this moment. But it’s too late. I’ve already put it out into the universe, and my mother is worse than a dog with a bone.
“What!? Since when, Magnolia? You’ve never told me this,” she says, surprise obvious in her eyes. If I cared about her opinion at all, I’d probably be offended by her shock that someone would actually date me willingly.
“Well, you have never asked about a single thing in my life, mother. I’m not sure why you would think I would confide in you about anything important to me,” I sling barbs back at her, my heart squeezing in my chest at the lack of emotional attachment to my own mother, the woman who gave me life.
“Who is this boyfriend, Magnolia? Why haven’t we met him?” She asks, crossing her arms over her chest. She doesn’t believe me. I can see it all over her face.
“Why the hell would I ever bring somebody I actually cared about here to meet you ?” I ask, scowling back at her. She’s gonna have to try harder than that to burrow through the thick skin I’ve grown after years of her verbal abuse.
“Surely it isn’t someone you met in that town. I don’t know any families like ours who live anywhere near there,” she snaps, obviously becoming annoyed by my arguments.
“As a matter of fact, it is. And I thank God every day that he isn’t from a family like ours, mother. Maybe his mother actually loves her children.” With that, I walk out of the dining room, barely stopping to grab my purse from the front table before I’m out the door and climbing into my car.
“Magpie! Wait!” My dad’s voice catches me before I shut the door. My eyes focus straight ahead over the steering wheel. If I make eye contact with him right now, I know I will break. Emotion quivers through my bottom lip and I pull it between my teeth, fighting for control.
“I’m sorry, dad. I can’t… I won’t pretend I feel anything but absolute disdain for him,” I whisper, desperately hoping he understands.
“Honey, I don’t expect you to pretend for any reason at all. I wish I had known about this boyfriend, but I know your mother can be… difficult,” he says, sighing as he leans against my open door.
“Difficult, dad? Really?” Finally, my eyes meet his and he looks so tired. I don’t want to cause him any more stress than I already have tonight. “It’s fine, really. I’m going home.”
“I want to meet this boyfriend, Maggie. Would you consider bringing him to the Fourth of July party? Or maybe just dinner?” My dad asks, and suddenly I feel completely embarrassed about lying about having a boyfriend.
He almost looks hopeful, and I don’t have the energy to ruin that for him tonight.
“Sure, dad. I’ll see what he says. See you tomorrow, okay?” I say, and he nods, kissing my cheek and shutting the door. As I drive down the mile-long driveway, I let my tears fall. Surely I can think of something before I have to admit defeat.