10
Hello Kalen
Sweet creature, sweet creature
Wherever I go, you bring me home
Sweet creature, sweet creature
When I run out of road, you bring me home
—Sweet Creature
Harry Styles
WE BOTH stood in front of the doors of my mother's house. I tilted my head at Ray.
"If you want to bail, now is the time." I put a hand on his shoulder and raise my eyebrows with a serious look in my eyes.
"Shut up and ring the bell." Ray shook his head.
"Fine. You said it." I shrugged and moved my hand to ring the bell.
"What are you gonna introduce me as?" Ray asked as I rang the bell.
"Ray?"
"Yeah right, didn't think of that." Ray said dryly and gave me a look.
"Well, then what do you want to me to say? The guy I met a few days ago?"
"Never mind." Ray sighed as we heard sounds from behind the door.
"Yeah, well you're paid for this!" My mother's faint voice is heard from behind as we both look at each other.
The doors opened revealing my mother in a navy blue jumpsuit with a navy blue belt at the waist.
My mother is one of those people who seem as if they would never wear pyjamas even to bed just because one can't simply imagine her with them. She's always well dressed, not a hair out of place.
My mother smiled at Ray politely and glanced at me as she opened the doors wide for Ray.
"Hello, Kalen." Ray smiled.
"Welcome, dear." She motioned us to come inside and we followed suit.
My mother's house is entirely contemporary and perfect just like her. Well, she designed it, so it demonstrates every bit of her. She's an architect. A surely incredible one at that. She's constantly working with the state on their latest projects and has her own company full of flourishing architects like her.
I admire her to a great extent except when she pesters me with founding my firm like her. She can't seem to wrap her head around the fact that not everyone wishes to work twelve hours per day. Some people like to just exist. Thank you very much.
I bit my lip as we made our way to the dining room, the familiar room was the same, a grey wooden mellow table with black abstract plush chairs. The walls were black except the white ceiling and had intricate details on each of them. There was a glass wall window looking over the vast lawn she had that was, obviously, well preserved.
I felt uneasy as I looked around the place. It was unduly perfect.
"Would you like a drink, Ray?" She asked as she opened the sliding window and we followed her.
"Sure." Ray shrugged.
She gestured some man in all white who nodded and disappeared to probably to get the booze.
We finally seated at the patio sofas and I put my purse on the glass table in front of me.
"So, Mily, how are you?" She settled and tilted her body to face me.
She was seated on the couch in front of us and we were sitting in our seaters.
"I am fine, mom, thanks for asking." I racked my brain to come with an explanation for this whole thing.
Naturally, I came up with nothing.
But well when the matters concern my mother, nothing is comprehensible. Everything is a guessing game and full of surprises.
"Ray, what would you like?" She asked as the guy arrived with a bar storage cabinet on wheels and started working with some glasses.
"I'll have a Martini, shaken nor stirred." He said certainly.
I raised an eyebrow.
"Classic." I murmured as I smiled.
"Yeah." He smiled back.
"Yeah, a standard gentlemen drink indeed." She raised an eyebrow as she murmured the instructions to the guy wearing all white in German.
"You couldn't find someone who spoke the same language?" I smirked.
"Nah, I just want to brush up on my German. He knows English but I have told him to speak in German with me." She smiled as if she was proud of the fact.
"So do you want a drink?" She raised her eyebrows.
I shook my head.
My mother was something. Out of the world.
"That's a great idea." Ray said as he put a hand on his chin and nodded.
"I know right!" My mom smiled, happy that someone associated with me, agreed with her.
"That's just stupid." I rolled my eyes.
My mum just shook her head at me and then turned at the coffee table behind her to fetch her huge iPad.
"This is my latest design, I need to get it approved by the official first, but that's just a formality." She shrugged as she excitedly moved over towards us and sat between us.
She can be a kid.
In a millisecond.
My eyes widened with awe as I looked at the intricate design, it was a white building with cultural carvings on it. It was breathtaking.
"Mom, it's amazing." I said, still looking at the screen.
"Yeah, you're very talented Kalen." Ray whispered as he too seemed mesmerised by the design.
"Thank you, thank you." She nodded at both of us and moved back to her seat grinning like she was pleased with herself.
"I had been working on this for months, the longest one I had in a while." She put the iPad back at the table and sat back at the sofa and put her hands on her lap.
"So, how are things with Zach." She asked in a grave tone, with sympathy in her eyes.
I know she tries to stay away as much as she can but eventually, her mother wings just can't hold themselves.
"I don't know, mom. He called but—"
"He did?" Her eyes widened and she put a hand on her necklace, an oval sapphire stone pendant engraved on the silver string. It had been her favourite ever since I gifted that to her. I smiled at the memory when she practically jumped at me out of happiness. I had gifted her that when I had gotten my first salary and told her that she was the best thing that had happened to me.
She had cried for three hours straight.
My lips curved upwards as I nodded.
"He did. But I haven't answered him yet." I pouted, not wanting to talk about it.
Ray was watching the exchange with the face of a clueless little kid he had a little raise at his eyebrow and a bit of pout which made me smile.
"Oh well." My mum sighed. She knew I didn't want to talk about it, but I'll tell her eventually. I smiled at her with that promise and she smiled back.
On second thought, I need a drink.
I stood up and went to the bar cabinet and poured myself some bourbon.
I worshipped bourbon, have had since forever. I poured a glass for mom too, because I knew she would like one too as well.
She had been happy for Zach and me, and as much as she was a bit apprehensive for the guy, he had all the crucial qualities that a mother expects in her son in law and he possessed them, so she approved. But I knew she wasn't exactly in love with him either. She only did it for me.
My mother, ladies and gentlemen.
"Yeah, you didn't know? That's what the real one was." She laughed.
"What was the real one?" I gave one glass to mum and went back to my seat.
"Your name, Emily." My mum smiled.
Oh no.
"You didn't tell me your name was Emily, Emily." Ray smirked at me.
Mom laughed.
"Why, of course, Emily was the doctor's name who birthed 'Mily and she is a dear friend of mine." My mum smiled compassionately.
"Yeah and so not the name for me." I groaned.
"Si. You made that very clear, hence I offered Emilia. Right when she was thirteen, one day she came to me, stomped her foot in my office and said 'Why would you name me Emily? Did you not have any other name?' With her face all red and pouty." My mum shook her head and laughed and Ray joined her.
I folded my arms and glared at the two of them.
"Just like that." My mum laughed harder.
When I realised I was pouting I grimaced.
"Oh Emily, I think the name suits you." Ray managed to say between his fits of laugher.
"Oh shut up." I smacked on the hand.
A few minutes later when the laughter died down and my face had adopted an ugly shade of red, the man in all white came in and said dinner was ready.
"Alright kids, Ray you like Indian? Cause we're going Indian today." She clapped her hands together. Back in her zone.
I laughed and Ray smiled. "I love Indian food." Ray nodded as he stood up along with me and mom.
She muttered something in German and moved with the all-white guy towards the kitchen as Ray and I seated ourselves.
"You have never had Indian food, have you?" I looked at him knowingly.
"Please, don't tell your mom she looked so happy." Ray gave me a worried look.
I rolled my eyes. He was taking this too seriously.
"Well if you die from the spices, don't come to me."
Ray laughed a little. And I shook my head at him.
"What are you two kids talking about?" Mum entered with the guy whose name I assume was Ben because she said the name after brot und saft after which he nodded and went back to the kitchen after putting a casserole on the table.
I looked behind me and found the same picture of mine and my mother's from when I was about 12 years old. Both of us were looking at the camera and laughing our hearts off, I didn't realize how important little moments of life can be.
I moved my gaze away from the picture and smiled at mom. She knew why that picture was so special and I was glad that she had kept it with her like me.
My mum smiled back at me and Ray was busy talking to Ben asking him the recipe for the dish that he was eating. My mum looked at that exchange and then locked eyes with me she raised an eyebrow.
I pursed my lips and shook my head. But I didn't verbally deny it. My mum smirked and I blushed.
I racked my brain to find something to talk about wanting to get out of this situation as soon as possible.
"Danke." Ray nodded at Ben and smiled. Ben raised his eyebrows and muttered something to him in German, I bet he wasn't expecting that.
Neither was I.
"You speak German?" My mum asked, incredulous.
"Nur ein bisshen." He smiled.
"That's great, we can tease Mily together in German and she won't even know!" My mum laughed and Ray joined.
I rolled my eyes at the two and took a bite of the naan that tasted like heaven dipped in Dal Makhani.
My mother's mother, Aka my grandmother, is Indian so thanks to her I get to eat A LOT of food, mouthwatering and delicious, yes, but a lot nonetheless.
"Your mother's amazing!" Ray said after they exchanged numbers and mum even gave him some books to read.
She did not give me those books.
But she gave him.
I feel jealous.
Regardless I would never read those. Because they were boring.
But still...
I looked at Mum and raised an eyebrow she looked at me and smiled.
Well, at least she hasn't teased the guy. I guess she is not sure whether he is worth teasing yet.
I guess even I don't know the answer to that.
Was he worth it?
I guess he was.
And he is going to get a lot from me.
That sounded like an innuendo.
My dirty, filthy mind.
I shook my head. And looked at mum and Ray laughing at a joke I missed.
Great, now they are laughing without me.
I smiled in my pathetic attempt to not stand like a jealous loon.
But I was a jealous loon.
Ray left to let me say goodbye and took the books and some imported chocolates that mum had given for me because I loved those.
Those were the only things that kept me upstanding tonight.
"I see you like him already." I narrowed my eyes at her.
She sniggered and I frowned.
"Is that a bad thing?" She tilted her head and glanced at me with her ever calculating eyes.
"I don't know, seems like you have a new son." I grimaced.
Mum laughed.
"Maybe I have." She winked and my eyes widened.
"Mum, no, Ray's just a friend." I bit my lip.
"Yeah well at least he didn't have a 'meeting' to cancel the dinner, or 'prefer movies over books' or 'No job, but I gamble!' I could go on." She looked at me in disbelief.
"Yeah, fine." I looked at the floor and suddenly found her designs pretty appealing.
I wasn't kidding when I said I didn't have much luck with men.
"In case you decide to give it a go, you have my blessing." She looked at me with her motherly smile and I melted.
I adored my mother.
"I love you mom, I am sorry I dodged your calls, I just needed some time to think." I threw my arms around her.
"I understand, baby, just take care of yourself, yeah?" I nodded as I wiped the couple of tears that had managed to escape.
***
A/n: Fun Fact - James Bond likes his martinis shaken, not stirred.
~Ria
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