starting to get worried again. Why Monday? Why that day in particular? One glance at Kaila told me that her ruse was over, the concern all over her face.
“Mom, I’ve got Monday things too. Sonia can’t finish my briefs for me can she?” She paused contemplatively. For a moment, I thought she might actually be considering asking Sonia to take on some of her work.
“Please. I know that you are both very busy and successful, but this is important to me. Just give me this one day.”
“ All day?” Kaila and I spoke almost in tandem.
“Yes. That’s how long the move will take.”
“Move?” Now we were definitely in sync.
“Yes. I’m moving into his house on the North Shore. It’s gorgeous. I’m so excited.” She wasn’t kidding. I could tell from the way she clutched her Bellini with both hands that she was bursting with enthusiasm for this mystery architect. For a moment, she reminded me of a small child talking about the first day of school.
“You’ve seen it?” Kaila asked. All of her former enthusiasm was wiped clean.
“No. Just pictures that he’s shown me. Ever since I got back, it’s just been packing, packing, packing. In fact, if either of your are around this…”
“Hold up Mom.” I put a finger up, feeling like the real mother at the table. “Why? Why moving in so fast? How well do you really know this guy?”
“We spent nearly the entire trip together. I’d say well enough to know I love him.”
“What? Mom, please can we just start from the beginning?” I pressed my fingers to my temple, trying to not be a buzz kill and failing spectacularly.
“Ok. Well, we first met at baggage claim. We’d been on the same flight from Boston and were two of the only people traveling alone to Vegas. He made a joke about that and helped me get my bag off the belt. We parted ways and that might have been it, but we saw each other again that night. We were staying in the same hotel . Can you believe it?”
“No.” Kaila gazed dreamily at mom. She was sucking her in. It wasn’t going to work on me.
“So anyway, I go up to his Black Jack table and tell him to double down. I ended up winning him a pretty penny. He said he owed me a drink at least and that was it. From that moment on, it was the two of us.”
“A week’s worth of conversation and you’re convinced that you love this guy?”
“Well…yeah.”
Mom looked genuinely confused. For a brief moment, I felt bad for myself. Was I missing out on something essential? How could it be so easy for other people to fall in love? It was at moments like this that I felt defective. There’s a chemical or a muscle or something that makes the body love and I don’t have it. They probably just forgot mine and gave Kaila an extra one.
“Look honey,” Mom added, “sometimes you just click. Sometimes it just makes sense. This is one of those times.”
“And if it isn’t?”
“I’m not worried about if it isn’t. If it isn’t, we split sometime down the road and I move on. I’m more worried about if it is, and I do nothing.”
“You know there’s a happy medium between doing nothing and moving in with a guy a week after you’ve met him.”
“So? This is where it would be heading anyway. I’m almost 60, why waste my time?”
I had no response to that. I hated it when she played the age card. She love hiding behind her age, as if it gave her cart blanche to behave however she wanted.
“Besides,” she added, “it’ll be hard to be married if we don’t live together and there’s no way he’s fitting in my one bedroom apartment.”
Kaila spit mimosa all over the deviled eggs as they were coming out. She frantically began cleaning the dribble off her shirt.
“You’re getting married?” I asked for both of us. I tried to sound judgmental enough for both of us too.
“Oh, I don't know. It could happen, right?” Her smile was met with blank stares. “I mean, there's crazier things that could happen.”
Considering
“Mom, I’ve got Monday things too. Sonia can’t finish my briefs for me can she?” She paused contemplatively. For a moment, I thought she might actually be considering asking Sonia to take on some of her work.
“Please. I know that you are both very busy and successful, but this is important to me. Just give me this one day.”
“ All day?” Kaila and I spoke almost in tandem.
“Yes. That’s how long the move will take.”
“Move?” Now we were definitely in sync.
“Yes. I’m moving into his house on the North Shore. It’s gorgeous. I’m so excited.” She wasn’t kidding. I could tell from the way she clutched her Bellini with both hands that she was bursting with enthusiasm for this mystery architect. For a moment, she reminded me of a small child talking about the first day of school.
“You’ve seen it?” Kaila asked. All of her former enthusiasm was wiped clean.
“No. Just pictures that he’s shown me. Ever since I got back, it’s just been packing, packing, packing. In fact, if either of your are around this…”
“Hold up Mom.” I put a finger up, feeling like the real mother at the table. “Why? Why moving in so fast? How well do you really know this guy?”
“We spent nearly the entire trip together. I’d say well enough to know I love him.”
“What? Mom, please can we just start from the beginning?” I pressed my fingers to my temple, trying to not be a buzz kill and failing spectacularly.
“Ok. Well, we first met at baggage claim. We’d been on the same flight from Boston and were two of the only people traveling alone to Vegas. He made a joke about that and helped me get my bag off the belt. We parted ways and that might have been it, but we saw each other again that night. We were staying in the same hotel . Can you believe it?”
“No.” Kaila gazed dreamily at mom. She was sucking her in. It wasn’t going to work on me.
“So anyway, I go up to his Black Jack table and tell him to double down. I ended up winning him a pretty penny. He said he owed me a drink at least and that was it. From that moment on, it was the two of us.”
“A week’s worth of conversation and you’re convinced that you love this guy?”
“Well…yeah.”
Mom looked genuinely confused. For a brief moment, I felt bad for myself. Was I missing out on something essential? How could it be so easy for other people to fall in love? It was at moments like this that I felt defective. There’s a chemical or a muscle or something that makes the body love and I don’t have it. They probably just forgot mine and gave Kaila an extra one.
“Look honey,” Mom added, “sometimes you just click. Sometimes it just makes sense. This is one of those times.”
“And if it isn’t?”
“I’m not worried about if it isn’t. If it isn’t, we split sometime down the road and I move on. I’m more worried about if it is, and I do nothing.”
“You know there’s a happy medium between doing nothing and moving in with a guy a week after you’ve met him.”
“So? This is where it would be heading anyway. I’m almost 60, why waste my time?”
I had no response to that. I hated it when she played the age card. She love hiding behind her age, as if it gave her cart blanche to behave however she wanted.
“Besides,” she added, “it’ll be hard to be married if we don’t live together and there’s no way he’s fitting in my one bedroom apartment.”
Kaila spit mimosa all over the deviled eggs as they were coming out. She frantically began cleaning the dribble off her shirt.
“You’re getting married?” I asked for both of us. I tried to sound judgmental enough for both of us too.
“Oh, I don't know. It could happen, right?” Her smile was met with blank stares. “I mean, there's crazier things that could happen.”
Considering
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