First Time

4ever

Chapter 21: 4ever

"Thank you for meeting me, Mary," Nicole Hexe greeted with a smile as Mary West joined her at a small table in a Starbucks café. She extended her hand but the gesture was met with cold eyes. Mary's lips formed into a frown like a defiant child meeting an unwanted part of the family for the first time. Nicole moved her extended hand to her lips and coughed awkwardly, feeling terribly uncomfortable. She wanted this woman to be her friend, so she offered to treat her to a drink.

"Why don't we skip the pleasantries and get to the point of why we're meeting here," Mary replied in a business like manner.

"Alright then," Nicole replied, grateful that they could speed this along. She didn't want to spend that much time with someone who was openly unpleasant. "I wanted to talk about Jenn and Wally."

Nicole crossed her arms and Nicole held her hands up peacefully. "Now, I know what they did was bad-"

"Bad?" Mary repeated. She poked the table with her index finger, her eyes locking with Nicole's. "Try horrendous. Despicable. They are too young to be doing such things."

"They're not as young as you think, Mary. They're teenagers. Young adults, even. This is apart of them growing up."

"Wally can't even do his own laundry! He should not be having," Mary paused and lowered her voice, her tone repulsive. "Sex."

"I know you think it's bad that they are intimate, but try to look on the bright side," Nicole suggested as she listed off her reasons on her finger. "They're both really smart and very good kids, they're in love, and they use protection every time."

"Even with protection that doesn't mean they're accident free. And being in love while being in high school is worth about a dime in the long run. These kids separate all the time. As for being smart and good... my Wallace used to be those things until he met your daughter."

Nicole's eyes narrowed a bit. "Wally is more than capable of making decisions for himself. My daughter has nothing to do with the choices he makes."

Mary looked away, her hand clenching around the straps of her purse. To her this conversation was pointless and the exit was calling her name. "Clearly you don't know anything about your daughter."

She moved to leave but Nicole leaned over the table and placed a hand on her shoulder, her grip somewhat tight. "Then please, enlighten me."

Mary turned her head to look at Nicole, scowling at her. It now seemed more like a challenge than conversation. Mary turned her legs so she could sit properly in her seat. "Very well. Your daughter is a delinquent. She has no respect for herself as evident by her appearance and clearly lacks respect for others. If it were up to me she would be put on a leash instead of sniffing around for promising young men like my son."

"Are you trying to insinuate that my kid is some kind of golddigger?" Nicole asked. She wanted to keep things civilized for Jenn and Wally's sake but her patience was considerably thin as her inner momma bear was begging to be released.

"I'm not insinuating. I'm telling you how it is."

"Clearly you haven't bothered to get to know my daughter at all like I have with Wally. I didn't just judge him without knowing him. Have you even bothered to have a conversation with her? To have a relationship with her?"

Mary rolled her eyes and Nicole could tell the answer to her questions were a no that damn bitch she thought. Mary had been put in her place, and in a flustered attempt to regain control of the conversation she turned the tables on Nicole. "I know enough to see that you are an unfit parent."