WHAT HAPPENS TO THE HEART

THEN.V

THEN. V

Him

"You want some sugar with that?"

I had my mouth full of cookies. I nodded.

Mom looked back at me with satisfaction. She loved having me at her place and serve me food.

"You could come over more often, you know," she added. "It does get lonely from time to time."

"Mom, we talk on the phone all the time," I try to say. But since my mouth was full, it came out more like "Mmm, we talk on the phfn all the tam." She got the message. She rolled her eyes:

"I get it, I'm not as interesting as these young ladies you're seeing. But I never said you should come over alone. Bring them along. Bring them all at the same time, for all I care. Up to you how you sell the story."

I finally managed to swallow with a noisy gulp.

"Mom, it's just Natalie. I'm not seeing anyone else. We're together now."

"Are you sure?"

"Very sure."

She liked to make fun of me, saying that I brought too many girls at home to meet her and that she couldn't keep up when a new one entered the equation. It was a recurrent joke of hers. She probably only met three or four of my girlfriends.

"Ok. Then is it okay for me to say that I'm glad Christine is gone?"

I looked up at her, curious. This wasn't the first time she'd say something like that to me. It was, however, the first time she had something to say about Christine. She'd usually wait for them to get out of the picture before starting to complain about whatever she didn't like.

"I guess it's okay," I said cautiously.

"Great, because she was an odd one. She never seemed right to me. Very arrogant, maybe? Yeah, I don't know. She was also dressing too skimpy for my taste, as if she had something to prove. I bet she only kept you with her for so long with sex!"

She looked back at me, waiting for a reaction. I had pulled my phone and I was scrolling bored.

"What, are you done?" I asked.

"Am I wrong?"

"I don't know, are you? I never heard you say this before."

"I didn't want you to think I'm disapproving of her, or anything..."

"Right, how could I ever get that idea?"

"...but really, Jamie, what was with all that cleavage? I mean, we get it, you have boobs. Good for you! But there's no need to shove them into our faces all the time!"

"Didn't you 'Like' a photo of hers on Facebook the other day?"

"It was a good photo. A very nice bathing suit, too," she added while grabbing her breasts, trying to imitate Christine's size.

"She didn't shove them into anyone's face. Except maybe mine."

That wasn't entirely true.

"Oh, please. Remember that Thanksgiving dinner? Your uncle Steve could barely get through the first course, what with his eyes almost popping out of his sockets."

"Maybe that was more of an uncle Steve problem?"

She laughed, poured herself some coffee and sat down.

"Ah, maybe you're right. You know, your dad was like Steve in that regard. Couldn't keep his eyes off beautiful women. It's what got him killed, in the end, I think."