Bon Bons to Yoga Pants

Chapter 36-The Most Wonderful Thing

Bits of snow clung to my hair when I walked in the house the next week. My cheeks, pinched from the cold, prickled when a rush of heat blew across my face. Mom stood at the bottom of the stairs holding a handful of fake flowers in one hand and an empty vase in the other.

"Oh, hi Lexie. I didn't realize you were out. I thought you were in the basement."

"Bitsy challenged us to take more walks at our meeting yesterday," I said, unwinding the scarf and setting it on the coatrack. "Since Kenz and I didn't have Zumba tonight, I thought I'd stroll around the neighborhood."

Mom blinked a few times. "Really?"

"Yeah."

"That's . . . that's great. I've been meaning to tell you that you're looking really good."

I shrugged my coat off. "Oh, thanks."

"Are you feeling good too?"

"Yeah." If I admitted that being healthy felt better, would Mom rub it in my face? Would she say I told you so? "I actually . . . I don't think I've ever felt this good before."

She gave me a careful smile. "That's great."

Mom and I didn't speak much on a daily basis, outside the trivialities of who was going to go grocery shopping or do the chores. Kenzie had Mom wrapped up in wedding plans, and I avoided confrontation by hiding downstairs. It had been a while since the two of us had really been in the same room. Not to mention I had a history of being sensitive about anything regarding my weight, so I'd purposefully avoided talking to Mom about anything related to the Health and Happiness Society.

We stood in the awkward silence for an interminable minute.

"How are the wedding plans?" I asked.

"Fine." She shook the plastic flowers in her hand. "Just trying out a few possible arrangements. I'm not really sure how to organize flowers into a bouquet, but Kenzie's determined to save money on fake flowers."

"Do you want some help?"

Her eyebrows rose. "From you?"

"Sure."

"Uh . . . yes. I'd love some."

A plethora of fake flowers, crunchy green balls, a hot glue gun, and different vases littered the table in the dining room already. Most of the flowers were a light rosebud color, while others blazed hot pink. Springs of baby's breath and a few white roses sat on the counter as the only non-pink options.

"There's no rhyme or reason to it, really. I told Kenz that I'd put together a sample of bouquets, and she could pick which one she liked. Start putting something together, if you'd like."

I picked up a light pink tulip and paired it with baby's breath. Mom stood across from me on the other side of the table while we worked in silence.

"How are your classes going?"

Good, I thought of responding, the way I did whenever she asked in passing. But tonight I sensed a dropping of the walls and decided to be honest.

"Not bad, but I'm frustrated with my advisor, Miss Bliss."

Mom seemed to hold her breath. "Oh?"

"I'm applying for a competitive internship with Delta Publishing in New York City, and she wants me to submit to writing competitions. She thinks if I show I can write then I'll have a better chance of getting the job."

"New York? I had no idea you were looking at an internship."

A sheepish sense of shame crept over me. I hadn't exactly been open lately. "Yeah, just thinking about it."