Chapter Twenty Seven #2
"Why are you two wasting my time?” he snapped. “You should have cleared this up before we got here."
I scoffed. "You thought my mom would bring me on a platter and drop me at your feet?"
His blank expression told me that it was exactly what he’d expected.
I was so rid of this man. Thank heavens I didn't get married to him. I had no idea what I'd ever seen in him or why I'd been with him for so long.
I stared him down until he got in his car. Only then did I turn to my mom.
"I made a terrible mistake by listening to him, dear,” she said quietly.
“Yes, you did.”
“But listen, my girl, we can still find a B&B."
I shook my head. "No, Mom. I'm sorry, but what I told you before wasn’t just because I was angry. It’s true.
I don’t think it’s in either of our best interests to open a business together.
Besides, that was your dream. I love you, and I respect you because you're my mom.
And I want you to be happy. But working together wouldn't work. "
"Honey, I'm sorry you're seeing things that way." Mom pressed her lips together. "So, when are you coming back to New Orleans?"
I knew what that meant. She thought that if I came back here, she would eventually convince me.
"I'm not," I said, holding my head high. "Coming here, today, actually sealed my decision. My life isn't in New Orleans anymore. It's in Boston."
I didn't even want to give her details about me and Leo. She would just start on me all over again. And frankly, I didn't care if she knew. I didn't need her approval. Not anymore.
Mom and I needed some time away from each other for us both to think through this situation: both Walter and the B&B.
“Are you serious?”
I could see she was hurt, but she needed to understand what happened here. What she did to me.
"Yes. Listen, Mom, this was all exhausting. I love you. Let’s just call it a day."
"We could go to dinner together." She was trying, and that was a step, but we needed a break from each other.
"Debbie is cooking for me at her home."
"I don't understand why you're staying with her instead of with me."
The honest answer was "Because we’d drive each other crazy.
” And because I just didn’t want to rehash this shit anymore, but I didn’t say it out loud.
Things between Mom and me were tense and probably always would be, but I knew she loved me.
Maybe in time, things would change. Maybe when I had a family of my own, she’d come to respect me and my decisions… but for now, this was how it had to be.
"I’ll stay with you another time, Mom."
"I can drop you off somewhere in the city."
"That would be great. I need to take the ferry."
"She's still living in Algiers?"
"Yes," I said defensively. "And it's a lovely place and neighborhood. I like it."
She rolled her eyes. "Taking that ferry is such a nuisance."
"I like that too," I said. Not because I was determined to be contrary with my mom, but because I actually did.
On the drive to the ferry, we were both silent.
My thoughts turned to Leo. God, I missed him so much.
I wondered how he’d take my news. He'd been too silent on the topic. I’d really tried to get his opinion, but it had been impossible.
Frankly, it was a bit infuriating, and I didn't know what to make of it.
Did he really not care, or was it that he simply didn't want to influence me?
I couldn't help but notice the glaring difference between him and Walter. Walter would have preferred to dictate every aspect of my life while I was an obedient wife to him. Thank heavens I got rid of him.
I couldn't wait to get back to Boston. But right now, I was excited for my evening with Debbie.
I kissed Mom goodbye when she dropped me off at the ferry terminal.
I knew we’d be okay. Looking at their clock, I noticed I only had a few minutes to catch the next one.
Dinner wasn’t for another two hours, but I wanted to help Debbie get things together and tell her all of the news.
She had such a calming way of looking at things. No wonder we were besties.
I was surprised that she’d offered to cook, actually. She typically loved going out for dinner in the Quarter or buying takeout.
But my friend wanted to take care of me, and I wasn't going to say no. She was the hostess, after all.
As I boarded, I realized the ferry was chock-full, but I finally found a seat. I kept looking up and down the river as we crossed it.
At one time, I’d toyed with the idea of moving here. The pace of the city slowed down considerably on this side of the river.
I put Debbie's address into my phone to check the route again. I hadn’t been here on my own too many times. Usually, we came together, and I never paid attention to the surroundings if I didn’t have to. It was twenty minutes on foot.
Perfect!
I enjoyed the pleasant evening air, and I still needed to cool off a bit. It had been impossible to calm down in the car even though Mom didn’t press the issue. But the silence between us was like a weight on my shoulders.
I listened to the birds chirping and watched as the sun started setting. Algiers had its own character, and it was charming me. I'd always loved Debbie's determination. She went out of her way to fulfill her goals. A few years ago, she'd been determined to buy a house on her own.
"I'm so tired of paying rent and lining someone else's pocket," she complained.
But buying a house on a single income wasn't a small feat—I should know that.
She'd been super clever. Algiers was quite a bit cheaper, and she'd bought an old house and slowly restored it.
It had two bedrooms and only one bath, but that didn't matter.
It was very cozy. She'd renovated most of it with her brother, and they'd done an amazing job.
When I stepped inside the house, I was surprised to smell jasmine incense in the air. It was my go-to when I wanted to wind down, but Debbie wasn't one to do such things. I wondered if she was doing it for my benefit, figuring my afternoon with Mom would have been stressful.
The kitchen was right next to the entrance, and it didn’t look as if she’d cooked or prepped anything. Maybe she’d changed her mind, and we’d go out to eat instead. That was more than fine by me.
"Debbie?" I asked loudly, but she didn’t answer.
Once I stepped toward the living room, I noticed candles on the floor.
Wait a second. One, two, three… that’s a lot of candles. How romantic!
A shadow moved in front of me.
"Debbie, what—"
I took a step back, smiling. Debbie wasn't here, but my amazing man was standing proudly before me.
"Am I dreaming?" The air smelled like jasmine, and I was surrounded by candles. It did feel like a dream.