Eye of The Tiger

Chapter Two

Growing up, my parents were really strict with my brother and me. I think it’s because they both grew up in bad neighborhoods and my father saw his best friend get killed. They made sure to raise us in a nice neighborhood and meet all of our friends. My mother made sure to know where we going and who we were going with. I couldn’t date till I was 18.
     CJ didn’t take to these restrictions in a positive way, so he was always getting in trouble by my parents. He was always arguing about how dumb the rules were and how all of his friends got to do whatever they wanted. In reply, my parents said ‘well, your friends don’t live in this house. Abide by our rules or leave’ and then CJ would shut up. CJ actually moved out of the house before I did. He just likes his freedom; he’s what some people would call a free spirit.
     If I could describe my mom, I would say she is loving, has lots of energy, loud, outspoken, and very opinionated. My dad is the opposite. He’s quiet, strict; protective, and funny. If you didn’t know him, you’d think he was always serious, but my dad is one of the funniest people I know. But even though they are opposites, they go together better than peanut butter and jelly.
     My phone rang just then, snapping me out of my daydream. I reached over and grabbed it.
Mom was calling me.
     I hit ignore and turned the tv on. I put on Netflix and picked a movie to watch. I felt so lazy today, but I had to go to work in a few hours. I had three clients scheduled for today. My phone pinged and I looked at the message.
Mom: Hi, honey. Call me when you get a chance.
     I put my phone down and watched the movie. I still wasn’t ready to talk to mom yet. I must have dozed off during the movie because I woke up and the movie was over.
     Time to get up for work. I just put on a blazer over my shirt. My three clients were having their sessions via Zoom, so I didn’t have to leave the house.
***When I was done with work, my doorbell rang. For a second, I feared that it was mom. I opened it and found Emma standing on my step.
“Hey! I came over to bug you. I’m bored,” she said and I laughed and let her in.
“It’s cool. I just got done with work. I don’t have anything to do. Plus, aside from my brother, I don’t know anyone out here.... Except you,” I say and she smiles at me.
“Perfect... Let’s have a girl’s night then and order carbs,” she says and that’s exactly what we do.
     We ate pizza, did our nails, facial masks, and watched reality TV shows all night. Emma didn’t go home till like midnight.
     The next day, Emma came over again and we went to the mall together. It was really fun. I like Emma a lot. She’s definitely extroverted. Just based off of spending two days with her I can tell that she’s a lot of fun, confident, impulsive, and sensitive. When she talks about something she cares about, she is very passionate about it.
“You have to try this on... It would look so cute on you!” Emma says, holding up a mint green sequined top.
     If I was by myself, I would never have looked twice at that top but something inside me told me to try something new, so I tried it on. I expected to feel stupid when I looked in the mirror, but surprisingly the top looked really cute on me!
“See! I told you it would look cute on you. You should buy it,” she said and looked at the price tag. “And it’s fifty percent off! That’s a steal!” She said. I put the top in our basket.
“So tell me about your parents,” she said as we browsed the jeans section.
“They are polar opposites. My dad is stern, quiet, and funny. My mom is loud, outspoken, and very caring. You kind of remind me of her a little,” I tell her and she smiles.
“I know I’m loud. I wish my mom was still alive. She died from cancer 10 years ago. I miss her so much sometimes,” she said quietly.
“Man, I’m so sorry. I can’t imagine how awful that is,” I say, feeling guilty because I’ve been dodging my own mother’s phone calls. Emma would probably do anything to get a call from her mom again.
“I’d do anything just to hear her voice again. But at least I still have my dad. He keeps me going. I’m a daddy’s girl. Mom always said he spoiled me too much, but my dad would tell her that there is no such thing as spoiling your only daughter too much,” she said with a smile.
“What was your mom like?” I asked her, trying to keep the conversation positive.
“She was sweet, patient, and soft spoken. Sometimes you had to lean in close to hear what she was saying. But she was such a strong woman. And very stubborn too. When she said no, she meant it. I used to get mad at her when she wouldn’t buy me something at the toy store sometimes. I get my stubbornness from her for sure. I just wish she made more time to spend with me instead of always leaving me with her credit card,” she told me. She picked up a pair of jeans and held them out to me.
“These would go good with that top,” she said and I didn’t even think twice. How she picked out my size, I don’t know. I put the jeans in the basket.