mother tucked a stray piece of her graying, light brown hair carefully behind her right ear. “Are you sure you’ll be alright with her away, dear? You know, with Sean off at school, we have plenty of room for you here.”
“No!” The word was out before I could catch myself. “Uh, what I mean is, you and Dad just finally got the house to yourselves. You don’t want me moving back home, mooching off you.”
It was a flimsy excuse, but I’d had to come up with something. I loved my mother dearly, but I loved her that much more with an hour’s drive between us.
“Oh, honey, that’s the least of my worries.”
“Leave her be, Shirley Mae,” my father muttered in mid-chew.
She narrowed her eyes at him. I could practically see the gears in her head turning, trying to find a way to go around my father. Then a smile spread slowly across her face. She stood, and gathered a few dishes in her hands. “Jessica, dear, would you mind helping me with the dishes?”
Ah, the ole divide and conquer. It’d been several years since she’d used that technique. I looked to my father for a counter attack, but this time he just shrugged. I had no choice but to comply.
When I reached the kitchen, my mother had her hand under the running water, waiting for it to warm. I set my dishes on the counter and braced myself for the pending onslaught of questions and guilt-tripping.
“I worry about you, sweetheart. Being so far away and living downtown by yourself.” She cast a probing glance my way, then reached for the dish soap.
I avoided her gaze. Focused instead on a black plastic measuring cup bobbing in the rising water, helpless. Oh, how I could relate.
“I hardly live downtown , Mom.” I reached down and rescued the cup, wishing someone could do the same for me. Then I scrubbed it, rinsed, and handed it to my mother.
She reached for a towel. “Close enough. And the crime rates in that big city!”
I rolled my eyes. Fort Wayne, Indiana could hardly be called a big city. Around these parts, that designation was reserved for places like Indianapolis, Chicago, and Detroit.
“Don’t you roll your eyes at me. I read the paper. I know that crime is up down there.”
I handed my mother—aka Joe Friday’s little sister—another clean dish. “But I live in a good neighborhood, Mom. It’s not like we’re plagued with drive-by shootings or anything. Heck, the worst crime I’ve heard about anywhere near us was when the little old lady who lives across the street backed into her neighbor’s mailbox.”
“Thieves watch people come and go from their homes, Jessica. They’ve probably already noticed that Grace isn’t coming home with you anymore. Why, I wouldn’t be surprised if they were watching your place right now.”
“Oh, well in that case I sure as heck can’t move back home until Grace wakes up. If I did, they’d rob us blind before I’d even made it up to Angola!”
“Don’t use that tone with me, young lady.”
I sighed and added more dirty dishes to my sink full of soapy water. If only there was a way to keep her from worrying. Something foolproof.
Or better yet, bullet proof.
“Look, you don’t have to worry about me so much, Mom. I’m not always alone. I’m seeing someone now.” Though an outrageous lie, I couldn’t help but smile at how perfect it was. “I just didn’t want to say anything before because…well, it’s still early.” The lies were coming faster now. Easier.
And the twenty-questions will commence…now.
“You are? When did this happen? Who is he? Where did you meet? Wait.” She turned to me and put a hand on my shoulder. “I thought you were still hung up on Dan?”
Leave it to my mother to say the one name capable of puncturing a hole in my temporarily swollen ego. I stepped away from her touch to reach for a plate on the counter. “Hard to be hung up on someone when they’re several hours away.”
His decision to move to Nebraska had put a strain on our
“No!” The word was out before I could catch myself. “Uh, what I mean is, you and Dad just finally got the house to yourselves. You don’t want me moving back home, mooching off you.”
It was a flimsy excuse, but I’d had to come up with something. I loved my mother dearly, but I loved her that much more with an hour’s drive between us.
“Oh, honey, that’s the least of my worries.”
“Leave her be, Shirley Mae,” my father muttered in mid-chew.
She narrowed her eyes at him. I could practically see the gears in her head turning, trying to find a way to go around my father. Then a smile spread slowly across her face. She stood, and gathered a few dishes in her hands. “Jessica, dear, would you mind helping me with the dishes?”
Ah, the ole divide and conquer. It’d been several years since she’d used that technique. I looked to my father for a counter attack, but this time he just shrugged. I had no choice but to comply.
When I reached the kitchen, my mother had her hand under the running water, waiting for it to warm. I set my dishes on the counter and braced myself for the pending onslaught of questions and guilt-tripping.
“I worry about you, sweetheart. Being so far away and living downtown by yourself.” She cast a probing glance my way, then reached for the dish soap.
I avoided her gaze. Focused instead on a black plastic measuring cup bobbing in the rising water, helpless. Oh, how I could relate.
“I hardly live downtown , Mom.” I reached down and rescued the cup, wishing someone could do the same for me. Then I scrubbed it, rinsed, and handed it to my mother.
She reached for a towel. “Close enough. And the crime rates in that big city!”
I rolled my eyes. Fort Wayne, Indiana could hardly be called a big city. Around these parts, that designation was reserved for places like Indianapolis, Chicago, and Detroit.
“Don’t you roll your eyes at me. I read the paper. I know that crime is up down there.”
I handed my mother—aka Joe Friday’s little sister—another clean dish. “But I live in a good neighborhood, Mom. It’s not like we’re plagued with drive-by shootings or anything. Heck, the worst crime I’ve heard about anywhere near us was when the little old lady who lives across the street backed into her neighbor’s mailbox.”
“Thieves watch people come and go from their homes, Jessica. They’ve probably already noticed that Grace isn’t coming home with you anymore. Why, I wouldn’t be surprised if they were watching your place right now.”
“Oh, well in that case I sure as heck can’t move back home until Grace wakes up. If I did, they’d rob us blind before I’d even made it up to Angola!”
“Don’t use that tone with me, young lady.”
I sighed and added more dirty dishes to my sink full of soapy water. If only there was a way to keep her from worrying. Something foolproof.
Or better yet, bullet proof.
“Look, you don’t have to worry about me so much, Mom. I’m not always alone. I’m seeing someone now.” Though an outrageous lie, I couldn’t help but smile at how perfect it was. “I just didn’t want to say anything before because…well, it’s still early.” The lies were coming faster now. Easier.
And the twenty-questions will commence…now.
“You are? When did this happen? Who is he? Where did you meet? Wait.” She turned to me and put a hand on my shoulder. “I thought you were still hung up on Dan?”
Leave it to my mother to say the one name capable of puncturing a hole in my temporarily swollen ego. I stepped away from her touch to reach for a plate on the counter. “Hard to be hung up on someone when they’re several hours away.”
His decision to move to Nebraska had put a strain on our
Similar Books
