Summer with the Bertram Brothers

s e v e n t e e n - s u n d a y

Sunday morning is calm. I sit at the kitchen table alone with my bowl of frosted flakes. I know deep down this is more than just a summer fling. I'd play last night's event over and over in my head. What Trim and I have, I can't describe. It's as if we clicked since day 1. And now we can't let go of each other. Many times, since I got home, I'd look in the mirror and wonder if I look different or feel different. I'm still not sure. I crunch my food as the telephone starts to ring. Before I can get my butt off the stool, mother comes rushing through the hall and in the kitchen. She answers the phone quickly, getting tangled in the cord. I sit back down.

"Hello? Good morning," she says. She's still in her pyjamas. She listens to the phone carefully, "So... I won't be getting an extension... Uh huh, I see—Oh, uh... have a good day. You too. Bye."

She hangs up but doesn't let the phone go. I look at her. The only noise comes from me eating my cereal. I clear my throat.

"Everything all right, mom?" I ask. She sighs like it hurts.

"Last week, my boss called saying I'll get more vacation days... he changed his mind."

Oh, I thought, That's why she was in good spirits these past days...

"Can't someone just replace you?"

She shakes her head and puts on a small smile for me, "No, sweetheart."

I pout, "When are you leaving?"

"Friday night," she trails off. She slowly walks back to her room and murmurs, "I don't want to go to work..."

"Can Trim come over for dinner tomorrow?" I ask, trying to keep her in the kitchen.

"I'm just going to go lie down."

I look down at my cereal. It's soggy now.

"I don't know, I'd like for him to meet my mom."

Winnie laughs, "Isn't that a little too traditional, Ambi?"

I shrug.

"He's not going to want to meet your mother. He's a guy," she explains.

"Well, they've sort of met already," I say, "It's just that I want my mom to know him more, so that I don't have to feel bad sneaking out all the time."

"You're going to scare him away if you ask him to come for dinner," Winnie comments. She knows these things more than I do, "Besides, it's not like you're official, you know."

I raise my brows, "I have to say it's official?"

"You can't really. It's summer. People just hook up. It's not supposed to be a serious thing."

"Hook up?" I ask, "What if you hook up with Rico? How doesn't that make it official?"

"Unless he decides I'm his girlfriend and that we'll from then forth be exclusive, it's not official," Winnie shakes her head. I almost choke on my smoothie.

"He has to decide?" I almost yell, "Sexist much!"

"I mean the both of us. Like at the same time."

"I can't ask Trim to dinner unless he decides he wants to be 'official' with me," I summarize.

"Yeah, that's about it," Winnie lifts her shoulders, "But you can't be official when it's a summer fling. Summer fling and official are two different things."

"It isn't a summer fling," I say.

Winnie looks at me, "Yes it is."

"How would you know?" I roll my eyes.

"Actually, any type of relationship formed at L'Acadie is a summer fling. Some people are in relationships before summer starts. But the minute they hit summer vacation, their relationship status changes in an eye blink. And you can't expect a serious relationship with somebody for two and half months. When summer ends, everybody will go their separate ways."

"That's discouraging," I say, considering everyone is coupling.

"Unless you're into long distance relationship, you can't be Trim's girlfriend. And you can't invite him to dinner to meet your mom."

"Maybe he might not like that, but I'm sure my mother would. Eva never invited her boyfriend—I mean boyfriends—to meet my mom. I'm sure she'll like Trim. He's perfect."

"Maybe," Winnie agrees for a short time, "But don't bother asking. For all you know Trim might have a girlfriend back at his school."

Winnie is starting to get me angry. For a girl who is after the absolute player of the world, she knows how to bad mouth others.

"Trim is full on honest. I doubt he'd be like Rico. You know the guy who's known for screwing an entire cheerleading team," I remark sarcastically, "The same guy who fucks my sister."

Then, I get up from my seat and walk away from her. I stop in my tracks and turn right around and skid back to her.

"You've got some nerve, Winnie."

She gets up too and we end up walking together through town all the way to her summer house. Perhaps I wasn't being fair. She's just trying to look out for me, I guess, in her own way. Although, I can't do the same for her. She's set her mind on Rico. We walk inside and subside in her living room.

"You know what's your problem, Ambi? You always want to see the good in people."

"That's a problem?"

"Even though you think Trim is perfect, how can he not be a little like Rico? They live under the same roof. I'm sure Rico has an influence on him."

"I'm nothing like Eva, yet we share clothes," I say.

"Come on, I'm sure you guys are very similar but don't realize it," Winnie smirks with her straw.

"Similar?" I scoff, "Eva's only interest is sex and boys and not food. I happen to love eating and I only had sex one time—"

Winnie hits my shoulder, "When did you have sex? How did I never hear about this?!"

I freeze up, realizing what I just let slip out.

"I mean... uh—It just happened."

"What?" she screams. I blush tremendously.

"Yesterday," I say, biting my lip.

"You are telling me this now?!" she stretches her words.

"I was going to tell you!" I defend, "But the whole dinner thing came up..."

She shakes me. She's my best friend. I wanted to tell her, but didn't know how to.

"You crazy girl! You should have called me while it was happening!" Winnie laughs at her joke. She forces me to tell her everything.