anyone over.”
So much for getting the hint. Couldn’t she see there was a gorgeous boy sitting across from me, and I was desperate to be alone with him?
“Ice cubes,” I suddenly said. “May I have some ice cubes for my drink?”
“They’re already plenty cold.”
“I know, but I always like ice,” I added, smiling apologetically.
She looked at me for a moment, and I almost thought she was going to say:
“No ice! They’re cold enough.”
But instead, she returned the smile. “Okay. Anything for Tran’s friends. Be right back.” She scurried from the room.
We were alone again. “Wow,” I said with a chuckle. “Guess we’re his best buddies.”
“Whose best buddies?” Tran was reentering the room with a fresh stack of math problems.
“Umm, nobody’s,” I said. I shot Guy an exasperated expression. He shrugged.
“Okay,” called Tran as he returned to his seat. “You guys ready to get to work?”
Sullenly, we both nodded.
#
Normally, I like surprises. Surprise birthday parties; surprise tickets to see my favorite pop star in concert. These were the kind of surprises I enjoyed. Unfortunately, that’s not the kind of surprise my mother dropped on me several days later.
“I think I’m going to start seeing Armando.”
It was a weekday morning. We were buzzing around. I was getting ready for school and she, for work. We were both in the bathroom jockeying for mirror space, doing our makeup, when she dropped the bomb.
I didn’t respond. I was applying eye-liner, which was new for me, so I pretended I needed to concentrate.
“You don’t approve? I thought you liked him.”
“Yeah, he’s nice.” I was finally able to choke a few words out. “I just thought you weren’t into the sports car types.”
She giggled, as if she was holding onto an enormous secret she couldn’t wait to unload. “I don’t like judging books by their covers, but I must admit I was pleased to discover the Porsche wasn’t his. It belongs to a friend. Mando drives an old Volvo,” she said happily.
“Sensible,” I said.
“Yes.” There was a brief silence. “So?”
“Are you asking for my permission?”
“Sort of.”
I guess I should have seen it coming. But I honestly couldn’t fathom why a man like Armando would want to go out with my mother. I’m not saying she’s a loser. My mother is far from a loser, but she’s also far from the Armando type.
“Just be careful,” is all I said, and I meant it. I couldn’t get the way she smiled at him that night at the gallery out of my mind. She really liked him. I didn’t want to stand in the way of that, but I didn’t want to see her hurt, either. Thoughts of Armando being a gigolo reentered my mind.
“You’re worried about me getting hurt, aren’t you?”
“No!” I lied. “Don’t be ridiculous.”
She stopped what she was doing and wrapped her arms around me. “You are so special, worrying about me. If it makes you feel any better, I’m worried about me, too.”
It didn’t.
“We’ll take our time. Okay?”
What could I say? My mother was about to start dating a handsome, cool guy who had great taste and lots of money. “Okay,” I said and forced a smile. I found myself wishing Miller was still in the picture.
#
Later, at school, I shared the dating news with Erin. We were at our lockers between classes when I told her.
“Con artist?” she said, and laughed. “You can’t seriously think the man is a con artist?”
I sighed resignedly. “No, I don’t. But it doesn’t make any sense. Nothing against my mother, but she just doesn’t seem to be Armando’s type.”
“It’s sort of like me and Matt, isn’t it? I mean, who’d a thunk it? But here we are.”
Lately, Erin had developed the annoying habit of turning every subject we talked about into a conversation about Matt and her. Chemistry, calculus, food, makeup, even the weather; no matter where we started, all roads led to Erin and Matt.
“Erin,
So much for getting the hint. Couldn’t she see there was a gorgeous boy sitting across from me, and I was desperate to be alone with him?
“Ice cubes,” I suddenly said. “May I have some ice cubes for my drink?”
“They’re already plenty cold.”
“I know, but I always like ice,” I added, smiling apologetically.
She looked at me for a moment, and I almost thought she was going to say:
“No ice! They’re cold enough.”
But instead, she returned the smile. “Okay. Anything for Tran’s friends. Be right back.” She scurried from the room.
We were alone again. “Wow,” I said with a chuckle. “Guess we’re his best buddies.”
“Whose best buddies?” Tran was reentering the room with a fresh stack of math problems.
“Umm, nobody’s,” I said. I shot Guy an exasperated expression. He shrugged.
“Okay,” called Tran as he returned to his seat. “You guys ready to get to work?”
Sullenly, we both nodded.
#
Normally, I like surprises. Surprise birthday parties; surprise tickets to see my favorite pop star in concert. These were the kind of surprises I enjoyed. Unfortunately, that’s not the kind of surprise my mother dropped on me several days later.
“I think I’m going to start seeing Armando.”
It was a weekday morning. We were buzzing around. I was getting ready for school and she, for work. We were both in the bathroom jockeying for mirror space, doing our makeup, when she dropped the bomb.
I didn’t respond. I was applying eye-liner, which was new for me, so I pretended I needed to concentrate.
“You don’t approve? I thought you liked him.”
“Yeah, he’s nice.” I was finally able to choke a few words out. “I just thought you weren’t into the sports car types.”
She giggled, as if she was holding onto an enormous secret she couldn’t wait to unload. “I don’t like judging books by their covers, but I must admit I was pleased to discover the Porsche wasn’t his. It belongs to a friend. Mando drives an old Volvo,” she said happily.
“Sensible,” I said.
“Yes.” There was a brief silence. “So?”
“Are you asking for my permission?”
“Sort of.”
I guess I should have seen it coming. But I honestly couldn’t fathom why a man like Armando would want to go out with my mother. I’m not saying she’s a loser. My mother is far from a loser, but she’s also far from the Armando type.
“Just be careful,” is all I said, and I meant it. I couldn’t get the way she smiled at him that night at the gallery out of my mind. She really liked him. I didn’t want to stand in the way of that, but I didn’t want to see her hurt, either. Thoughts of Armando being a gigolo reentered my mind.
“You’re worried about me getting hurt, aren’t you?”
“No!” I lied. “Don’t be ridiculous.”
She stopped what she was doing and wrapped her arms around me. “You are so special, worrying about me. If it makes you feel any better, I’m worried about me, too.”
It didn’t.
“We’ll take our time. Okay?”
What could I say? My mother was about to start dating a handsome, cool guy who had great taste and lots of money. “Okay,” I said and forced a smile. I found myself wishing Miller was still in the picture.
#
Later, at school, I shared the dating news with Erin. We were at our lockers between classes when I told her.
“Con artist?” she said, and laughed. “You can’t seriously think the man is a con artist?”
I sighed resignedly. “No, I don’t. But it doesn’t make any sense. Nothing against my mother, but she just doesn’t seem to be Armando’s type.”
“It’s sort of like me and Matt, isn’t it? I mean, who’d a thunk it? But here we are.”
Lately, Erin had developed the annoying habit of turning every subject we talked about into a conversation about Matt and her. Chemistry, calculus, food, makeup, even the weather; no matter where we started, all roads led to Erin and Matt.
“Erin,
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