She placed the cones down in a rectangle.
They shined a taunting green into my eyes.
"You just need to keep practicing," Mom said.
I got in her oversized car and tried.
Every time I moved, my Mom would shout out.
"Cut the wheel." "Straighten out." "Pull in slowly."
With each word, my fear heightened to alarm.
A cone went down underneath my right tire.
My mother made me back up and try twice.
Then a third, fourth, fifth, and infinite time.
It's like there was no life outside parking.
The cone continued to bend under me.
I started to enjoy getting it wrong.
She was putting so much pressure on me.
It felt good to give up and hit the cones.
I liked crushing those mean, green, laughing cones.
More than that, I liked seeing Mom get mad.
Her frustration gave me such great pleasure.
"That's right," I said in my head, "I failed you."
"I am who I am. Deal with it," I thought.
Suddenly a man walked up to my mom.
He started talking to her; She knew him.
"I've got some time if you need help," he said.
"She listens better to strangers," she said.
Mom stepped aside and he walked up to me.
"Mothers are hard on their daughters," he said.
He told me to circle around the block.
I drove around and came back to his wave.
He slowly guided me in, and I parked.
Mom threw her arms up exasperated.
The second time I only grazed the cone.
A few more times and I had mastered it.
Mom thanked him for taking the time to help.
I saw him gazing at my Mom strangely.
The creep probably just helped to score points.
He walked back to me. "You did good," he said.
I smiled politely and gave him my thanks.
"She's tough on you because she was young once."
I just nodded in agreement with him.
Mom got in and said I could use dad's car.
"His car is smaller," Mom explained to me.
I rolled my eyes because I was aware.
"So, what was up with that guy," I asked her.
"He is just a co-worker. Why?" She asked.
"Not a thing. Just seemed like you were flirting."
"I have no interest in that guy," Mom said.
"He was looking at you pretty funny."
"Don't talk to your mother like that!" She said.
There was a moment of total silence.
"Guys always look no matter what," she said.
"You can use it or get used," Mom explained.
You could say Mom taught me two things today.
