Body Lines (JHS 18+)

A Little Help

The next morning, you were nervous. You were going to go visit your mom and ask for her to spot your trip to Korea. You weren't sure about how much to ask for, she was already funding your schooling. You called her after you showered to make sure she was home. "Yeah, I'm home, come see me!" She sounded so excited. You felt guilty at her excitement. Your visit had a purpose and you hated that.

You drove to her home; it was an hour drive. The distance was really the reason you didn't visit more. You pulled into her driveway and parked. Your mom's house was a large, lovely red brick home. The yard was littered with plants, trees, and flowers. Your mom had a green thumb.

She opened the door once she heard your car door slam. "My lovely daughter!" She went running in your direction and gave you the biggest hug. You couldn't breathe she was holding you so tight. You hugged her back, "hey mom!" You both walked into her house, and she made you sit at the kitchen table. "What would you like for lunch?" You shrugged, "I'm fine mom, you don't have to prepare anything for me." Your mom threw her hand at you in disbelief and started throwing together some lunch.

"How's school sweetie?" She asked casually as she prepared a stacked high sandwich for you. "It's going great! I'm doing really well." Your mom laid the plate in front of you, and you stared down at this ginormous sandwich. She had put 3 different kinds of meats on there, lettuce, tomato, bacon, cheese, and condiments. You felt it would be rude not to eat it, so you picked up the large sandwich and sank your teeth into it. "I'm glad." She replied after watching you take a bite.

The both of you caught up a little bit, she asked about Ashley and then she asked if you had a boyfriend yet. You told her Ashley was great and no you weren't dating anyone. There was someone you had your eye on, but you didn't think it'd go anywhere. 

She nodded thoughtfully as you responded to her questions. She then asked about your everyday life, making sure you were getting enough sleep, food, and water. You went through your normal schedule for her and then went on to tell her you have been practicing like a mad woman lately. She took the bait.

"Why are you practicing so heavily? Does the school require that?" She looked worried that you were pushing your limits. "No, it's not the school," you started, taking a deep breath. "I auditioned for a dancing role against other dancers. I was selected from 100 dancers to be in a music video. Do you remember me always talking about BTS?" Your mom nodded, remembering your incessant obsession. 

"Well, it was for one of their music videos. I'll be dancing along with them; I'll be eternalized in the video!" Your mom looked very excited with this news. "That's amazing! I knew you had talent, and this just proves it! Congratulations!"

Taking the last bite of your sandwich, you pushed your plate away. "Don't congratulate me just yet.." you said sadly. She looked confused at your change in emotion, "why not?" You looked down at your lap, honestly feeling pretty low. "I would have to fly to South I Korea in three months. I don't know how long I'll be there, and it will interfere with my finals at school."

"Ahh.." your mom said quietly, looking almost as disappointed as you felt. "I was going to ask my professors if there was any way I could take my finals early. I wanted to see if it was even possible. This is a dream come true for me, I have to a least give it a try." You said quietly, not wanting to guilt trip her but trying to explain just how much this meant to you. Your mom wrapped her arms around your head and hugged it to her chest. 

"If you can convince your professors to do that for you, I'll pay for the trip. But you'll owe me big time." You felt a jolt of hope and ambition. "Really mom?!" You stood up quickly, shouting in your excitement. She gave you a sweet little nod. "How can I not help you achieve one of your dreams?" 

You hugged her tightly, you had the best mom in the entire world. "Thank you so much mom," you said, and your voice caught in your throat. You had tears in your eyes, the gesture truly touched your heart. It wasn't going to be cheap, she didn't even ask a price, she just said she would.

Your mother hugged you tighter realizing you were crying. "I'll make it up to you mom, I promise!" She pushed herself back by holding onto your shoulders and looked at her daughter's happy tears. "You better," she teased, smiling warmly. You hugged her tightly once more.

Afterwards, it was your turn to ask her a ton of questions. How was her work, how was life, didn't she get lonely living by herself, was she seeing anyone? She answered all your questions patiently. Her job was fine, life was okay, and yeah, she did get lonely sometimes, then she pressured you to visit her more often. 

She wasn't seeing anyone; she gave up on that. You laughed when she said that last bit. "You don't give up though sweetie, there's a wonderful guy out there who's got his eye on you, I just know it." She gave you another warm smile.

You hugged her one last time and said your goodbyes. The sad look in her eye at you leaving broke your heart. "I'll come back in a few weeks!" You promised her, hoping it would stop the sadness in her eyes. "I'll hold you to that," she said teasingly again and waved to you as you walked out to your car and got in. Before you could even pull out of her driveway, there was two special people you needed to text the good news to.

"My mom offered to pay for my trip to Korea, now I only have to convince my professors!" You sent the exact same text to Ashley and J-Hope. Ashley was the first one to respond.

"Heck yeah! Your mom is the best! Now we have to talk to our teachers!"

You smiled at her enthusiasm. You put your car in drive and backed out of your mom's driveway. You didn't want to wait around on J-Hope's text, it could be a while. You couldn't help but feel so hopeful and smile the entire drive home.