Ask Me Anything

Chapter 12

"No, Mom, my liver is fine, thank you very much."

It was 8:00 in the morning, and my mother thought that meant it was a good time to call me. I was exhausted from working late all week, and last night was the only night I got off in time to actually do something. It would figure that I'd get my first day off in a bit, and she decided that was the day to wake me up early. Five minutes into the conversation and she was already grilling me to make sure I hadn't become an alcoholic.

"I'm just doing my due diligence as a mother," she defended herself on the other end of the phone. Classic mother line. 

I rubbed my eyes, threw the blankets off, and shuffled out into the kitchen. Abby and I were the only ones in the house for the morning, as the other girls were off at work, and since she was upstairs, I figured I wouldn't be waking her up.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," I muttered, opening the fridge and grabbing the bottle of orange juice.

"So how's work?" she asked, changing the subject so she didn't get more of my morning attitude.

I shrugged as I held the phone between my cheek and shoulder so I could pour some juice into a mug. "It's alright, I guess," I told her. "I preferred where I was stationed before, but there's really not much I can do about it now, is there?"

She sighed on the other end. "No, that's true. Is that when you were working with that gay guy?"

I laughed, imagining what it would be like if Greg and my mother ever met. She wasn't homophobic or anything, she was just a sheltered child. She was very accepting of everyone, but when she was younger, her parents denied to her that being gay, lesbian, bi, or transgender was a thing, so when she got to college, it was a whole new experience to her to meet her first gay person... well that she knew of. And seeing as how progressive of a generation mine was, she was fascinated by the whole thing. To the point that if there was a Pride parade, she would go just to interview everyone there about how they lived their lives. She was nuts.

"Yes, Mom, his name is Greg," I chuckled. "He was great, and working at the carousel was fun. I liked working with the younger kids that wanted to go on those rides, and there wasn't much maintenance for me to do." I sighed nostalgically. "Now I've got a lunkhead partner who keeps checking me out every shift."

I grabbed my mug and walked out through the sliding glass door onto the deck, settling myself into one of the lounge chairs.

"Oh my God, seriously?" she asked. "Is he attractive?"

I sighed. "Yes, he's attractive, Mom, but I'm not looking for that right now."

I hadn't told her about Christian, because, to be honest, I'd been having second thoughts about it. Especially with the events that transpired the past evening. I had had fun with him until I saw how primal the hostility became between he and Lucas. It was concerning, and I didn't want to have to be putting up with that all summer. And like I told you, there were times when Christian said things that I just didn't... appreciate.

"Why?" she asked. "Look, I'm not saying go hopping from bedroom to bedroom with a bunch of strange guys, but I AM saying don't be a prude. After all, it is the summer, sweetheart, and no matter what your father says, you're not getting any younger. This is the time to go crazy, if you feel like it."

My mother has a way with words, doesn't she? I know she didn't mean any harm by it, but my mom is a talker and sometimes she kind of bulldozes into things without realizing what she's said. I mean, aren't mothers supposed to wait to use the "you're not getting any younger" line until you're 30 and still unmarried, or don't have kids? Well, not my mother. She unknowingly goes right for the jugular and I wasn't even 25 yet.