Ever since I've made it to college, my mother has made it her mission to call me at least a hundred times a day. God forbid I miss a call too, she'll start calling my school under the assumption that I've somehow managed to die between organic chemistry and social psychology. It may not be that far of a stretch, however the volume of calls still must end for my sanity.
The current call that was causing me a headache, had been all about the impending holiday.
"Are you coming home for your birthday?" She inquires.
"Probably not mommy, I have labs still I won't have enough time," the reality is a bit saddening. The school I attend is not considerably far from home. It's about a four hour drive depending on who was behind the wheel, but it's long enough to make things a bit difficult. When going home, I try to stay for a couple of days before returning to campus. Between classes and work, the chances of that happening are slim, so I have decided against making the trip for now.
"Well that's okay. Are you gonna do something with Nora?" She says it's okay but her tone sounds slightly disappointed. My mom likes to pretend as though getting her child out the house has finally allowed her peace, but she seems to miss me more than she lets on. That's if the amount of calls she makes are anything to go by.
"We might have a dinner that's it," I inform her. After a lot of pushing, Nora convinced me to do at least that much on my 'special day'. I was content rewatching my favorite shows but I guess that wasn't enough.
"Aww, make sure you take photos for me Junie. Is your boyfriend coming?" I don't know where my mom gets her rhetoric about me from, but it never fails to amaze me.
"I don't have a boyfriend mom," I know who she probably meant, but I've never given her the impression we were dating. Just that we hang out, sometimes, and he's not that into me.
"What about that little white boy you liked," I clearly get my transparency from her.
"Mom we aren't dating and I don't like any boy."
"June."
"Yes momma,"I say exasperated.
"I know it's easy to get caught up, but be careful, don't let no boy make you lose who you are," I'm practically invisible. Moms always seem to know something even when they aren't told. It was creepy.
And still my heart beat with the memory of adoration I held for my mother. Her creepy superpowers always allowed her to know the right things to say.
Her intuition may not have gotten her that far though, because this time was different.
This time was better.
In the days leading up to my birthday, I had improved upon my excuses to stay away from the man who filled my heart with sorrow. He, himself, had seemed a bit busy, I'm not sure with what, but it allowed the hounding to be kept to a minimum. I was able to avoid him easily, finally.
I appreciated his absence, and life felt much lighter without him around.
Two years ago, I never thought I would want to avoid him at all. In fact, his presence would be the highlight of my day whenever he graced me with his time.
He was Nora's cute brother, he served as great eye candy, and I vied to be in his vicinity. I may have been over indulgent with my sweet tooth, because now, all I had was a mouth full of cavities. In the moment, I was blissfully unaware of the potential dangers of a quick sweet treat. Or maybe my sugar high could be better attributed to a willful ignorance. The facade of being a young girl with a crush on a boy allowed me to bask in the giddiness of juvenile emotions.
