I hid the little disc behind me, a small grin playing on my lips. “I found something in your old suitcase last week.”
Mom’s lips moved in a smile of her own, although her eyes were curiously peering into mine. “Really? What did you find?”
“Oh well,” I drawled, enjoying this a little more than I should.
Mom, though, suddenly broke into a small gasp. “Oh god, please don't tell me it’s my mermaid costume from when I was eighteen. I knew I should have gotten rid of that fu…”
I raised a brow, feasting on the look on her face when she realized what she was about to say. And like the sweet daughter that I was, I said, “come on, mom, you can say it.”
“That freaking costume,” she finished, staring at me with a victorious smirk, and leaving me to roll my eyes in frustration.
Yeah, since she turned all churchy, my mom decided against the use of cuss words – especially in front of one's kids.
Although it’s not like that’d take away the memories of when she’d let out: “fucking dickheads,” when we drove past some crazy drivers during our trips to the mall. Or the one too many times when she'd slipped: “shit” after ruining another attempt at making dinner.
But that was then, and now, my mom's tongue was as sweet as caramel mixed with honey. No matter how much I tried, she wouldn’t let even a teeny tiny cuss word slip. Hence, I wasn't surprised that she was able to hold herself back this time as well.
Maybe she was right; maybe the Lord really did capture her soul.
But even in my head, that sounded really doubtful. Why would the Lord want to capture her soul? Capturing a person’s soul sounded like something Hades would do, right?
I knew voicing that question would result in one of her unending speeches about Christ's love, so I kept the thought to myself. No kidding, my mom could spend hours talking about that stuff.
So, for my sake, I settled for simply enjoying the look on her face as I teased her.
“Well, it's not your mermaid costume. Although I'd like to see just how ridiculous that looks.”
“Meanie,” she huffed, making me chuckle.
“Actually, it’s something better. Lemme give you a hint.” I cleared my throat, leaving my mom to stare questioningly at me through the screen.
Sucking in a deep breath, I started a tune which I was certain didn’t sound as melodious in reality, as it did in my head. “And oh baby, I'd make love to you all night. And oh baby, come give me…”
“Brooke!” She cried. “Oh my god, this is so embarrassing. Please tell me you didn’t watch that video?”
Chortling, I pulled out the disc from behind me. “I didn't watch it.”
“Brooke,” she started, assuming that ‘don’t-lie-to-mommy’ tone which she pulled off so well.
“But you told me to tell you I didn't watch it,” I mused oh-so-innocently. Mom, on her part, shot me a playful glare in response.
“Fine, I watched it – I even watched it three times,” I admitted between giggles. “Come on, you can't blame me. I mean, it’s not everyday you see your mom doing a sexy pole dance right after dancing with a hot male stripper. That's basically every daughter's dream. Too bad I can't see you do a live action remake of it though.” I finished with a wink, to which she made a face.
“No, I don't know missy. And that video was from my past; from when I was still high on the world and not on Jesus.”
High on Jesus? I thought Jesus was a spirit being and not a drug. So, how could she be high on him? Sometimes, I really wanted to tell mom to tone down the exaggerations a bit. But again, I kept the thought to myself and let her continue.
“Yeah, it was fun then. But it’s definitely not one of my best moments now that I think about it. Compared to what I have now, it doesn’t seem even half as interesting as it did then,” she remarked, face thoughtful.
“Well, I don't know about that. But I did love the video, and I loved how happy and free you looked there. And you know that’s all I want for you. I want you to be happy, to have fun, to get laid.”
“Oh, swee…” But that was how far she got before the realization of my last three words dawned on her. And now, a disapproving look had replaced her earlier smile from when I gave my little speech.
And of course, what followed was an explosion of: “Brooke! You can't say things like that to your mother.”
Was it just me, or was that reddened face of hers more from embarrassment than anger?
But trust me to feign confusion. “Why?”
“It’s so...well it’s…it's inappropriate.”
Yeah, it was definitely from embarrassment. Hence, my saying, “oh, come on, mom, it's not a big deal. Besides, dad has been oiling his engine regularly. Two nights ago, I'm certain I saw a bra at the edge of his bed while we were having a video call.”
“Brooke,” she started, but I was way too invested in spilling my findings, to pay heed to whatever chiding she was readying to give.
“And from my calculations, it's about the same size as his new assistant’s boobs. You see?”
By the time I was done, mom was doing that blinking rapidly thing she did when she was out of words. But she’d find it soon. The words were building up inside her and would soon explode in…
Four.
Three.
Two.
One.
“The only thing I'm seeing, is that my daughter has been spending way too much time analyzing some woman's bra size! Gosh, that sounds even weirder when I say it out loud. Now, listen up, young lady – there shall be no comparing bra sizes, or worrying about your dad's or my…engine.”
She made a face at that last word, leaving me struggling to bite back a chuckle. I knew from experience that chuckling now would equal a forever speech. So, I just kept quiet and let her do her thing.
“Your dad and I are two single adults, and our sexual life is our problem. We can choose to have multiple partners, stay celibate, get married to a zebra or do whatever. And you honey, don't have to worry about any of that, okay?"
“But…” However, her ‘mommy knows best’ look caused the rest of my protests to die in my throat. So, I instead found myself giving a resigned sigh of: “fine.”
“Great! Now that's more like it, sweetie,” she beamed. “Anyway, forget all that. Tell me about you; how's school coming along?”
What was I supposed to say to that? Maybe: “school's just great. And hey guess what? I'm dating someone else now. But don't worry, I'm not attracted to him or anything. We’re just dating so he’d help me learn to become a romantic, and then I can get back with Jason.”
I could imagine my mom staring at me as though I was a kid who’d taken way too much bath salt. And of course, I wouldn't blame her.
So, choosing to keep my weird life to myself for now, I gave a small shrug. “Well, school is school. It's just the usual stuff; nothing new.”
“And how are Shay, Beck and Sunny doing?”
The mention of their names brought memories of their messages from earlier. I still had no idea what to say to them that could possibly explain how my ‘relationship’ with Hawk came about. And I was certain they were not the only ones interested in finding out.
I didn't need to check my phone to know that by now, our school group chats would be filled with pictures of my hallway adventures with Hawk.
When I accepted Hawk's offer, I didn't realize how much of an effect dating him would have on me. Brooke Allen, head cheerleader of Ravens High, dating Hawk Moose, head geek of Raven’s High. That's just giving those schoolmates of mine the opportunity they've been hoping for all along – to destroy me.
Alright, maybe I was being over dramatic, but you get the point. How would I deal with everyone tomorrow? And what if they…
“Brooke.” I was returned to the present by mom’s voice. I returned to facing her, only to find small lines of worry already forming on her face. “Are you okay, honey?”
“I'm fine, mom,” I answered, managing a smile. “And they are all fine.” I wanted to add that they were also waiting to bombard me with questions tomorrow, but decided against it.
Despite my answer, she still seemed a bit skeptical. And for a second, I thought she’d question me further. Mom was really good at that – seeing through my lies. So, I wouldn't be surprised if she did the same this time as well.
Hence, imagine my relief when she relaxed instead, a gentle smile playing across her beautiful 43-year-old face.
“Well, I'm glad to hear that,” she mused, to which I offered a small “yeah” in response.
“Alright then, honey. I guess we'll talk some—”
“No, mom, wait!” I called out, startling her, and honestly, myself too.
What the hell was I doing?
Well, it was too late to think of that now. My mom was already staring expectantly at me. “What is it, honey?”
“Uhm, I was wondering, you know, just out of curiosity. When you decided to become all chur...I mean, to let the Lord capture your soul, weren't you worried about how people would react to your new way of life? Your friends, colleagues, weren't you bothered about what they’d think of you?”
A chuckle eased off her lips at that. “Of course I thought about that. You know how I was before I decided to accept the call of the Lord, right?”
She didn't have to tell me; I knew it all too well.
My mom was a successful model before getting married to my dad. Even after marriage, she still continued with her career, but decided to quit and open up her own modeling agency after giving birth to me.
For as long as I could remember, my mom was the envy of many women her age, and even younger. Standing at 5'9, she was tall, yet curvy. Her olive skin never lost its shine. And with a face which never seemed to age, she was the kind of mom who seemed more like she was my sister who was just older by ten years.
Even at school functions, my mum was always ‘the mum.’ Beautiful, elegant, the envy of her peers – that was the definition of Brianna Allen. And being married to one of the city's richest men, she had her fair share of grand social events.
I still remembered her parties. She threw the most exquisite parties, she wore the most expensive designs; if there was anything close to perfection, then that was her life. But that was before the incident.
I was thirteen when it happened.
Everything seemed perfect one day, but the next, it all came crashing down in my face. Like parents who’d call their child to announce that they were moving, or that they were going on a business trip, my parents called me too.
I knew there was a problem when I saw my mom making feeble attempts to stop her tears, and I should have known the problem was bigger than designer dresses when I saw my dad’s glossy eyes. But nothing could have prepared me for the news of divorce they threw at me.
I still remember sitting emotionlessly on the sofa after hearing the words from my mom’s mouth.
It made absolutely no sense to me. My parents loved each other more than anything else; all you needed was a few seconds in a room with them to figure it out.
Despite their busy schedules, they always made time for each other; for me. For as long as I could remember, our family was always a happy one. Hence, I just couldn’t understand their reason for wanting a divorce.
I should have just silently taken the news and went up to my room. But me being me, I had to ask why. And cue my dad admitting he cheated on mom, and then mom adding some explanation about how being together was unhealthy for the both of them and even for me – whatever that meant.
Long story short, mom headed to Louisiana after the divorce; she said she got a call or something like that. Honestly, I still don't get it. She joined a church there, and since then, has been working actively to help people find their way to a ‘truly satisfying life with their creator.’
So, now, hearing her question, I didn't bother to give a reply. How could I not know how she was before her call? She must have realized too that the question needed no answer, because she simply continued with what she was saying.
“Yes, I thought a lot about what people would think. In fact, at first, I didn’t feel comfortable sharing my achievements in the church online. But as time went by, I got more comfortable. I realized that this was good work, and it was nothing to be ashamed of. And most importantly, I realized that I shouldn't let what people think about me get to me.”
Her words resonated with me — echoes of what I’d said to myself at some point in time.
Mom, on her part, was now saying, “sometimes, you just have to do what works for you. The people who really love you would understand, and whoever doesn't, then to hell with them!”
I cocked an amused brow at her last statement, making her chuckle – something I soon joined in.
When the throaty sounds died down though, I found myself saying, “thanks, mom.”
“For what?”
“For being awesome,” I quipped.
And that made her chuckle.
Her words were really what I needed to deal with the drama which tomorrow would bring. And now thanks to her, I knew just what to do.
“So,” she chirped. “Since I'm so awesome, I'm sure it won't be a problem if we talked about that picture you posted with Shay and Sunny.”
Uh oh.
“What?” I echoed, laughing shakily. “What picture?”
Though there was a hint of a smile on her face, she shot me a pointed look. “Brooke, your tongues were practically touching. And that caption was..."
I knew if I didn't find a way to stop her now, I'd end up with a speech. So, I quickly cut in before she could go any further.
“Oops, I just remembered, I have lots of homework to do. You know I don't take my education lightly.”
“Brooke Racheal Al—”
“Love you too, mom. Bye.”
She huffed in protest, but it wasn't long before a smile crept in. “You really are one sneaky daughter. Love you, baby. Bye.”
And a second later, I was ending the call.
As I shut my laptop, I felt a lot more at ease than I did earlier. I was no longer worried about how tomorrow would turn out. However it turned out, I knew just how to deal with it.
And for the first time since getting back from school today, I really was looking forward to tomorrow.