“They’re diverting all the calls to Edina’s station.”
“Oh.” I stood awkwardly in between the kitchen and the living room, waiting for someone to tell me what was going on.
“What were you doing out so late?” Her voice lilted at the end, like she was taunting me.
“I don’t have school, and I don’t have a curfew,” I answered cautiously. In theory, I might’ve had a curfew, but we’d never even talked about it and she always worked nights. On weeknights, I usually tried to be in by midnight, but that was mostly because Milo would freak out on me and I’d be too tired to get up for school. The only thing Mom really kept track of was whether or not we went to school and were passing all our classes. As long as I did that, everything else seemed fine with her.
“So, you weren’t out with a guy?” Mom asked pointedly, and I saw Milo looking incredibly ashamed out of the corner of my eye.
“Well, yeah, I was.” I drew my shoulders back a little bit, telling myself that I hadn’t done anything. There was nothing for me to get in trouble for, no matter what my mother’s angry glare was saying. “Is that a problem?"
“Who is he?” She flicked an ash off the arm of the chair, looking down instead of at me.
“His name is Jack.” I shifted uneasily, and stole a glance at Milo. Suddenly, I felt very sorry for him. I had no idea how long he had been forced to stand here with my mother, and I couldn’t imagine the kind of interrogation she had put him through.
Let me be clear: she wasn’t a bad mother. She was just a tired, lonely woman that worked seventy hours a week and hardly ever saw her kids. There was very little left for her except to try and convince us not to make the same mistakes she did, and the only way she knew how to do that was to be rather vicious.
“I see.” Abruptly, my mother put her cigarette out and exhaled deeply. When she spoke again, her voice was sweet, much too sweet, and my skin wanted to crawl. “I think I should meet this boy.”
“How? When? You work all the time.”
“Well, he seems to be a night owl, much like yourself.” She looked up at me, batting her eyes exaggeratedly. “I’m sure that you could find a time within the next two days.”
A million different arguments ran through my head. The most obvious being that I wasn’t having sex or even dating Jack, but somehow, I thought that would make things worse. Trying to explain why someone in his situation would want to be friends with me sounded even harder than explaining why he would want to date me. Besides, I actually didn’t want to set her off further. I just nodded instead.
“Okay. I’ll figure it out.”
“You better.” She sounded a little surprised that I had complied so easily, and I wondered if I spent a lot of my time arguing with her just for the sake of arguing with her. I was probably a very bad daughter. Maybe even a very bad person. “And if I decide that I don’t want you to see this boy anymore, then that’s it. Do you understand?”
“Completely,” I nodded again. Of course I would see him anyway, but that wasn’t something I would tell her.
“Good.” Mom got up, grabbing her purse off of the table. She was apparently satisfied with the conversation, and she hadn’t even really screamed at me. It was actually a pretty good talk, as far as our talks go. “I’m going to go the casino now. I’ll see you sometime tomorrow.”
“Okay,” I replied lamely.
Mom brushed past me on her way to the door, smelling thickly of cigarettes and cheap brandy, but she paused at the door, turning slightly towards me. “I am glad that you’re home safe.”
“Thanks,” I said, unsure of how else to respond. Then she nodded once and walked out the door.
Milo apologized as soon as she left, but I assured him he had nothing to apologize for. He was always looking out for my best interest, and I knew that. Besides, I was too tired to really worry about anything else. I
“Oh.” I stood awkwardly in between the kitchen and the living room, waiting for someone to tell me what was going on.
“What were you doing out so late?” Her voice lilted at the end, like she was taunting me.
“I don’t have school, and I don’t have a curfew,” I answered cautiously. In theory, I might’ve had a curfew, but we’d never even talked about it and she always worked nights. On weeknights, I usually tried to be in by midnight, but that was mostly because Milo would freak out on me and I’d be too tired to get up for school. The only thing Mom really kept track of was whether or not we went to school and were passing all our classes. As long as I did that, everything else seemed fine with her.
“So, you weren’t out with a guy?” Mom asked pointedly, and I saw Milo looking incredibly ashamed out of the corner of my eye.
“Well, yeah, I was.” I drew my shoulders back a little bit, telling myself that I hadn’t done anything. There was nothing for me to get in trouble for, no matter what my mother’s angry glare was saying. “Is that a problem?"
“Who is he?” She flicked an ash off the arm of the chair, looking down instead of at me.
“His name is Jack.” I shifted uneasily, and stole a glance at Milo. Suddenly, I felt very sorry for him. I had no idea how long he had been forced to stand here with my mother, and I couldn’t imagine the kind of interrogation she had put him through.
Let me be clear: she wasn’t a bad mother. She was just a tired, lonely woman that worked seventy hours a week and hardly ever saw her kids. There was very little left for her except to try and convince us not to make the same mistakes she did, and the only way she knew how to do that was to be rather vicious.
“I see.” Abruptly, my mother put her cigarette out and exhaled deeply. When she spoke again, her voice was sweet, much too sweet, and my skin wanted to crawl. “I think I should meet this boy.”
“How? When? You work all the time.”
“Well, he seems to be a night owl, much like yourself.” She looked up at me, batting her eyes exaggeratedly. “I’m sure that you could find a time within the next two days.”
A million different arguments ran through my head. The most obvious being that I wasn’t having sex or even dating Jack, but somehow, I thought that would make things worse. Trying to explain why someone in his situation would want to be friends with me sounded even harder than explaining why he would want to date me. Besides, I actually didn’t want to set her off further. I just nodded instead.
“Okay. I’ll figure it out.”
“You better.” She sounded a little surprised that I had complied so easily, and I wondered if I spent a lot of my time arguing with her just for the sake of arguing with her. I was probably a very bad daughter. Maybe even a very bad person. “And if I decide that I don’t want you to see this boy anymore, then that’s it. Do you understand?”
“Completely,” I nodded again. Of course I would see him anyway, but that wasn’t something I would tell her.
“Good.” Mom got up, grabbing her purse off of the table. She was apparently satisfied with the conversation, and she hadn’t even really screamed at me. It was actually a pretty good talk, as far as our talks go. “I’m going to go the casino now. I’ll see you sometime tomorrow.”
“Okay,” I replied lamely.
Mom brushed past me on her way to the door, smelling thickly of cigarettes and cheap brandy, but she paused at the door, turning slightly towards me. “I am glad that you’re home safe.”
“Thanks,” I said, unsure of how else to respond. Then she nodded once and walked out the door.
Milo apologized as soon as she left, but I assured him he had nothing to apologize for. He was always looking out for my best interest, and I knew that. Besides, I was too tired to really worry about anything else. I
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