concern.
“Yeah, I go there. Toby is going to crash here. Is that a problem, Claire? Because this is my house too. It’s not like Mom left it to you when she axed herself. Tell me if we are going to have a problem, because if you have a problem, I have a problem.”
“Hey man, it’s cool. No big deal,” said Toby. He got up to leave.
I sighed and put Rose in her playpen. The fact that he was willing to leave after Regan’s outburst made me less worried about him.
“It’s fine. I’ll make dinner. Are you guys hungry?”
“Won’t pass up a home-cooked meal,” he said.
Regan rolled her eyes at me and gave me a devil’s glare. What? I’d offered to make her and her friend dinner. What the hell could possibly be wrong with that? After two years of that kind of thing, I’d learned to let it roll off my back. I couldn’t understand why she did the things she did, and I never would.
I pulled Rose’s playpen into the kitchen and started peeling potatoes. I’d bought steaks and wanted to cook them tonight for Zoe. I looked at the clock and hoped she would be home soon. I didn’t want to cook steak for Regan and her new homeless boyfriend.
I dumped the potatoes in the sink while Rose chattered in baby talk. She’d said doggie, mommy, Zoe, and a few other words, but most of the time she babbled very cute gibberish. The phone rang. Regan was talking her head off in the living room, so I wiped my hands and answered the phone.
“Hey, Claire, I’m not going to make it home for dinner tonight. I’m going out with some friends. Don’t wait up,” said Zoe with a giggle.
“Oh, I was making steak.”
“Don’t worry about me, I ate at work.”
“Regan is here with some guy,” I whispered into the phone. “She’s in one of her talky moods.”
“I’ll make it up to you.”
“It’s fine. I just wanted to make this steak for you. But I had my heart set on eating it tonight, sorry.”
Zoe laughed. “Claire, you’re such an old lady. Don’t worry about it.”
I laughed back and told her to have fun. I wanted her to have fun. She deserved to have fun. I glanced into the living room, and Toby and Regan were sucking face on the couch. Gross. Regan had her leg over his, and it looked like things were about to get nasty. I rolled my eyes and went back to turn on the broiler.
I sat with Rose while the potatoes boiled, trying to avoid looking into the living room. I heard undisguised moans from behind me. Kill me now. I considered making some cereal and hiding in my bedroom for the rest of the night with Rose.
The potatoes were done boiling, so I mashed them up and put the steaks in the broiler. After a few minutes, everything was done. I put it all on the table with a loaf of French bread and a stick of soft butter.
“Hey, guys,” I called into the living room, still not looking. “Dinner is ready if you want to eat. Steak and mashed potatoes. Come and get it.”
I heard giggling. Then they came into the dining room and sat on the other side of the table. They managed to control themselves through dinner. From the look on Regan’s face, Toby was probably grabbing her crotch. Rose squished her mashed potatoes into her mouth with her messy little hands. My appetite was ruined. Even though my steak had come out well, it tasted like ash in my mouth. Regan wasn’t being that bad, but every time she brought one of her “friends” over, it never ended well.
After dinner, they went up to her room and left me to clean up. They didn’t even say thank you. As I washed the dishes, I heard loud music pulsating from Regan’s bedroom. Great, it was going to be one of those nights.
I looked out the kitchen window over the sink. It had started to rain. When I finished the dishes, I put Rose in her playpen and made myself a cup of tea. With my fragrant herbal tea in hand, I opened the front door and stood on the porch, smelling the rain. Rose babbled and screeched at Bradly as he panted and woofed at her,
“Yeah, I go there. Toby is going to crash here. Is that a problem, Claire? Because this is my house too. It’s not like Mom left it to you when she axed herself. Tell me if we are going to have a problem, because if you have a problem, I have a problem.”
“Hey man, it’s cool. No big deal,” said Toby. He got up to leave.
I sighed and put Rose in her playpen. The fact that he was willing to leave after Regan’s outburst made me less worried about him.
“It’s fine. I’ll make dinner. Are you guys hungry?”
“Won’t pass up a home-cooked meal,” he said.
Regan rolled her eyes at me and gave me a devil’s glare. What? I’d offered to make her and her friend dinner. What the hell could possibly be wrong with that? After two years of that kind of thing, I’d learned to let it roll off my back. I couldn’t understand why she did the things she did, and I never would.
I pulled Rose’s playpen into the kitchen and started peeling potatoes. I’d bought steaks and wanted to cook them tonight for Zoe. I looked at the clock and hoped she would be home soon. I didn’t want to cook steak for Regan and her new homeless boyfriend.
I dumped the potatoes in the sink while Rose chattered in baby talk. She’d said doggie, mommy, Zoe, and a few other words, but most of the time she babbled very cute gibberish. The phone rang. Regan was talking her head off in the living room, so I wiped my hands and answered the phone.
“Hey, Claire, I’m not going to make it home for dinner tonight. I’m going out with some friends. Don’t wait up,” said Zoe with a giggle.
“Oh, I was making steak.”
“Don’t worry about me, I ate at work.”
“Regan is here with some guy,” I whispered into the phone. “She’s in one of her talky moods.”
“I’ll make it up to you.”
“It’s fine. I just wanted to make this steak for you. But I had my heart set on eating it tonight, sorry.”
Zoe laughed. “Claire, you’re such an old lady. Don’t worry about it.”
I laughed back and told her to have fun. I wanted her to have fun. She deserved to have fun. I glanced into the living room, and Toby and Regan were sucking face on the couch. Gross. Regan had her leg over his, and it looked like things were about to get nasty. I rolled my eyes and went back to turn on the broiler.
I sat with Rose while the potatoes boiled, trying to avoid looking into the living room. I heard undisguised moans from behind me. Kill me now. I considered making some cereal and hiding in my bedroom for the rest of the night with Rose.
The potatoes were done boiling, so I mashed them up and put the steaks in the broiler. After a few minutes, everything was done. I put it all on the table with a loaf of French bread and a stick of soft butter.
“Hey, guys,” I called into the living room, still not looking. “Dinner is ready if you want to eat. Steak and mashed potatoes. Come and get it.”
I heard giggling. Then they came into the dining room and sat on the other side of the table. They managed to control themselves through dinner. From the look on Regan’s face, Toby was probably grabbing her crotch. Rose squished her mashed potatoes into her mouth with her messy little hands. My appetite was ruined. Even though my steak had come out well, it tasted like ash in my mouth. Regan wasn’t being that bad, but every time she brought one of her “friends” over, it never ended well.
After dinner, they went up to her room and left me to clean up. They didn’t even say thank you. As I washed the dishes, I heard loud music pulsating from Regan’s bedroom. Great, it was going to be one of those nights.
I looked out the kitchen window over the sink. It had started to rain. When I finished the dishes, I put Rose in her playpen and made myself a cup of tea. With my fragrant herbal tea in hand, I opened the front door and stood on the porch, smelling the rain. Rose babbled and screeched at Bradly as he panted and woofed at her,
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