P.S. I Lime You

Chapter 28- Mariah

August 1, 2013

I was reading through the list of clubs that Shane had texted me. None of them sounded appealing.

"What time is your interview today?"

"Mac, come here look at these clubs. Rubik's cube club, lumberjack club, chess club, larping club, I wonder what that involves."

My mom cleared her throat and said "It's not Mac, it's me. And may I ask what you're reading?"

"Mom! When did you get back?" I asked excitedly. I jumped up and ran over to give her a big hug.

"Early," she laughed. She kissed my forehead, and pushed me off of her so she could see what the sun had done to my skin all summer long.

"What happened to your skin?" She had that look of regret again.

"What's wrong?" I asked. My mom immediately starting crying. She walked over and grabbed a tissue and sat on my bed.

"I miss you," she said.

I consoled my mother, letting her know I was doing fine, even with her gone. Yeah, I missed her, she knew that, but she had to do what she had to do to keep a roof over our head and food on the table. After our argument when she kicked my sister and me out of the house temporarily because we both announced that we were "pregnant" she sat us down and told us what horrible, promiscuous daughters we were. Mac and I resented the fact that she put a label on her own children, but the more we thought about it, and the more we worked together, we came up with a solution. Mac's solution was to stay out of the house as much as possible when our mom was home, and mine was to prove to my mom that we were more than what she thought of us.

"So Mac is at work, and my interview is in an hour. Why don't you rest while you have a quiet house," I suggested.

"How's Mac?" My mom asked.

I nodded my head obnoxiously. "She's fine," I said. My mom looked worried. "Mom, she's twenty years old, she's a big girl, and she'll come around when she's ready."

"I just wish she was ready before I have to pay her college tuition, it would make it a lot easier on my part knowing she was actively pursuing a career field she loved." My mom rambled.

"I'll see you later tonight mom, love you."

"I love you too babe."

I drove with optimism that I was going to nail this interview. If what Mrs. Parr said was true about this internship being exclusive, then my chances were good. I was a few miles away from Dr. Burns's office building when I was stopped by the red light. I looked around looking at all the cute shops that Bricker Street had to offer. I noticed a cute couple a few feet away from me. They looked like a fun couple. The woman was immaculate, and the guy she was with seemed like the perfect gentlemen. He was holding her bags, and opened the door for her. It made me miss Wesley. He always held my bags, and opened doors for me. The guy came out of the coffee shop to take a phone call, and when his face turned towards me, my heart sunk. It was Wesley.

I drove as soon as the light turned green. I found myself fifteen minutes early for my interview. My mind was cluttered with thoughts of Wes and that girl. Who was that girl he was with? How could he have moved on so fast? I was starting to get overwhelmed. I put my head down and closed my eyes. I tried to take my mind off of what I had just seen, but my technique wasn't working. I started crying. I couldn't look myself in the mirror to fix my makeup. Then I heard a knock on my car window, and I jumped unexpectedly. It was a nice, well put together man in a dress shirt and tie. I rolled my window down slowly.

"Are you Mariah?" He asked

"Yes," I said.

"Hi, I'm Dr. Burns, I thought I'd welcome you with our curbside assistance," he said. I pulled away. "No? Are you not the joking type? That's okay, we have a special office for our boring employees. Lucky you, if you get the internship, the office is available!" Dr. Burns was even more flamboyant in person than he was on the phone.