Once in a lifetime.

11

The words are out of my mouth before I have a second to grab the, "What is going on between you and dad?"
She blinks at me, straightens herself. "We're figuring things out."
How can you figure things out if you're not talking to the person in the first place?

I wonder what they looked like before all of this, they had to have been in love once before right? I try and imagine them walking down the street together, holding hands. Did they even hold hands? Maybe they were that type of couple who didn't touch in public.

I should have just taken the ugly navy dress and shut my mouth. I thought we were here for me, but we were here so she could dress me up in what she wanted. "It doesn't feel like you're figuring it out."

She sighs, "Juliet this is between your father and I and doesn't concern you."

"But it does! I feel like I'm living in a battle zone where either side could attack at any time! You might not want me involved but I'm your child and that makes me involved."

"What is this all about?"

I feel deflated all of a sudden. I don't really wanna know what's going on between her and my dad. "Juliet, girls need to talk to their mothers so please talk to me." My mom pulls me out of the way from a groupie trying to exit the store.
I put my hand on my head. "I'm sorry mom, a lot has happened recently, I just need a second to think. I have a lot of stuff to sort through."

She scoffs at me. "You're a child, what could have happened that you need to 'sort through'?"

"More than you know I think to myself. "At dinner, Dad told me a little about your past." I cross my arms and I see my mom staying silent but she stands up a little straighter. This isn't what she was expecting and I can feel that now I have the upper hand. "Did you know he blames himself for all of this?" I felt like I was being a tad bit dramatic but I was hoping to maybe get her to understand what he was feeling so that they could try and fix it.

She huffs and then takes off down the hall. Am I suppose to follow her? Of course, I am, she's my ride home. I begin taking giant steps to catch up with her. Dang, for a woman in heels she sure can walk fast. She walks to a bench against the wall and sits, I follow. Neither one of us speak and I wonder if she expects me to say something first.

"Juliet....your father and I are no longer the people in that story that he told, we have both changed a lot, and a lot has happened."

"Like what? Aaron? Me?"

"No."

"Then tell me! I've never seen you guys happy, I don't even know how you two ended up together. I want to know what happened, why did you two fall apart? You tell me so often to not make the same mistakes as you, but I don't know what those mistakes are!"

My mother was looking straight ahead and I saw a tear leave her eye and run down her cheek.
"We were in love once yes, but I think our love was both shown and described differently from both perspectives." What the heck does that mean? "However either way this isn't something that a parent needs to talk about with their child."
I bunch my hands into fists grabbing the bottom of my shirt and pull it down.

"But I want to know."

"Do you now?" Her voice was horse.

I nodded. Then she's up again, and just like that, I'm following again.

She stomps into Barns and Noble and up to the young man at the information desk.
"Hello yes." My mother smiled. "I was wondering if you had an issue of pointe magazine from the year 1990?"

"One moment ma'am." The person behind the desk typed a few things into the computer, "Right this way." then took off in the direction of the store. My mother followed him and I followed her. I was getting tired of following people. He dug into a box and grabbed a magazine handing it to her.