To Eddie Munson: My Knight in Shining Leather

Dinner time

Waking up in your own room felt different, somehow. Maybe it was how bright it looked when the sun filled it, maybe it was the breeze blowing in through your window, or maybe it was just because Eddie isn't here. You touched the far side of your pillow, imagining it was his sleeping face.

You ran through your usual morning routine: taking a shower, brushing your teeth and hair, changing out of your pajamas into clean clothes, and, since it was Sunday, stripping your bedsheets to put them in the washer. Your hair dripped onto your fresh t-shirt, the small wet spots gave you chills. You thought it was weird that you didn't hear the usual sounds of your mom cleaning. It was like a ritual of hers. "Mom?" Silence. You wandered into the kitchen, seeing a note set on the table:

Good morning, I have some errands to run this morning but I wanted to let you sleep. I should be back around midday. You know what's expected of you. Love you!

You set it back on the table and began to work on your chores. You were responsible for the dishes, vacuuming, and your laundry. Since you were in a bit of hot water with her, you decided to sweep and mop the kitchen, too, to get on her good side. She walked through the front door shortly after 1 o'clock. You heard laughter as she entered, and went to see what was so funny. She was by herself, shaking her head and setting bags on the table.

"I have the funniest story for you," she said, shutting the front door before turning to look at you. "I just ran into your friend, Nancy. She gave me a very different story than you did as to where you were Thursday, after school. So I'm going to ask you one more time, where were you Thursday night?" You sighed, knowing you had been caught.

"We did have a Hellfire meeting-"

"Yes, she told me that part." She placed her hands on her hips, growing impatient. "She also told me you did not go to her house after it was over." She waited to hear where you were.

"I went back to Eddie's house that night. To go over my character sheet, and that's all. I wound up falling asleep on his couch."

"So why did you lie?"

You shuffled your feet, looking down at the floor. "I thought if I had told you I'd already stayed the night with him, you wouldn't let me do it again." She crossed her arms and looked around, as if searching for a reply. "I really want you to like him, mom. He does, too."

She cleared her throat, her eyes finally resting on a bag on the table. "I can see that. He seems like a..." she opened the bag and began to pull out the groceries. "He seems like he likes you, a lot." She looked at you pointedly. "Which is why," she moved her stack of items to the kitchen counter, admiring the cleanliness around her. "I called the doctor today. You have an appointment tomorrow."

"For what? When?"

"To discuss birth control. I'll wait in the lobby, so you can be honest. It's at 11, I'll come pick you up from school."

You sank into a chair at the table and rested your forehead on the tabletop. "Mom, I don't know how transparent I need to be with you, so I'm just going to tell you everything that happened since Thursday night."

She moved slowly now, listening to you tell her your brief sexual history with Eddie, emphasizing the gas station story so she fully understood how safe you were being, and skipping over sleeping with him on Thursday night. "I didn't need to know all of that," her face had turned red, "but thank you. I'm glad to hear you're being-"

"Responsible, I know. We had the exact same talk with Eddie's uncle. We get it."

She threw a dirty dish towel into the hamper. "Eddie's uncle talked to you, too?"