"Hey, your dad can be too." The two women laughed, and Katie wiped away a few tears. "But seriously, I'm okay. I know we're getting older, even if we're only 40, and we're worried about sickness and shit happening to us and our friends. But if anything was going south with me, I'd tell you. And I know you'd tell me too. We wouldn't do that to each other. I'm not going anywhere. I'm here and I'm here to stay. I'm in good health, even my mental health is doing pretty good these days. I'm all good, love."
Katie smiled. "I know that. Just an irrational fear I have. Something happening to you or the kids."
"I getcha. My biggest fear is something happening to ye. You, Max, Brook, El, ye are everything to me."
"Aw, that's so sweet!"
The two women jerked their heads toward the door, hearing the voice from outside of it. Zoë and Katie looked at each other and rolled their eyes, knowing it was their daughter outside.
"El! Come in, please!"
Their teenage daughter walked in after slowly opening the door, with her hands slightly up in the air. "I wasn't eavesdropping, I swear. Just heard Ma yelling and had to take about 5 minutes to make sure I wasn't hearing things."
Zoë rolled her eyes,. "It's ok, kid. Couldn't sleep?"
Elsie nodded. "Are you ok, Ma? Mam isn't an axe murderer or anything?"
"I dunno. I'm still skeptical of her, honestly."
Zoë slapped Katie in the arm, making the three of them laugh.
"Nah, kid. Just a bad dream. It's all okay though. Probably watching too much horror with ye two."
Elsie chuckled at her mother, and walked over and sat down on the bed. She pursed her lips before speaking. "Bella kissed me."
Both women's eyebrows went up in surprise.
"Wow.", Zoë exclaimed, trying to hide her pride a bit. "Do you like her?"
Elsie sighed. "I don't know. She's my best friend, and it kind of just happened. We won a badminton game in PE and she just did it. Probably meant nothing, she just does things like that."
"I think if it was nothing for either of you, you wouldn't be up at this hour thinking about it, love.", Katie said with a nod.
Elsie gulped. "I don't know, Ma. She's my best friend. I don't even know if I like girls, or guys. Anyone, really."
"Hey, you don't have to know anything, kid. Don't have to label anything, your orientation, your feelings towards Bella. It is hard not knowing things exactly, but you're young. You'll figure it out in time, could be tomorrow, next month, next year. Take your time."
The young girl smiled. "Thanks, Ma."
"And, hey," Zoë began. "Don't feel pressured to feel any way because of peers, Bella or even us. This is your own thing, your own journey. There's no right or wrong way to do this. Just go with what you want and what you feel is best for you. If you want us to help in any way, we're obviously there. But we can also step back if you want."
"You? Step back? Let's be for real, Mam."
Katie snickered, and Zoë gasped. "What, now?"
"Remember when you chaperoned the back to school disco and death glared anyone who came too close to me outside of the friend group? Poor Evelyn Williams and Troy O'Keefe get scared whenever they walk past your car now."
"Oh, shit. Sorry, kid."
Elsie laughed. "I'm just fucking with you. It's not that bad. And those two are kind of morons anyway."
