Through Chrissie's eyes

The girls' night

I rang the bell of the Deacon's apartment and waited for Veronica to come, trying to balance the bags I carried. It wasn't long before Mrs. Deacon opened the door.

"Hi!" Veronica greeted me and soon she was surprised by all the bags "so what's all this? You didn't need to bring anything ..."

I took the opportunity to deliver one of the bags to her.

"And abuse your hospitality?" I rebounded and went in "It's not my way."

"And can I know what this is all about?" Veronica crossed her arms, struggling to stay serious while she wanted to laugh.

"I remembered the sponge cake my mother used to make" I explained. "I've never been able to make one as good as hers, but mine can be good. And I wanted to vary our menu a little bit, a different thing from pizza."

"I shouldn't eat so much candy, you also scold me to not eat candy." Deacon reminded me.

"But today I want to make an exception just to spoil our baby Deacon!" I smiled and said in a lively voice, approaching my friend's belly to talk to her son "if you depend on Aunt Chrissie, you will be very spoiled!"

"No, no, this is bullshit" Veronica laughed. "You're so strict with the boys, imagine how you'll be with your nephew, or niece, or ..."

"Or what?" I knew what word she would complete with that phrase "do you wanna know? Let me start soon, so the sponge cake will be ready when Dom and Mary arrive."

I put my hand in the dough, literally, unwrapping everything I had brought, and being comfortable in the kitchen, while Veronica watched some soap opera on TV. Cooking my mother's recipe, and thinking about what Veronica was going to say, I began to think again about motherhood. I hadn't yet been married for a year, however maternal I was, I still didn't feel ready, and besides, there was something else that worried me. Wherever I went, if anyone knew Queen, it meant that they also knew my husband. Thinking about the size of it made me afraid. I had to learn to deal with it before I become a mother, I felt the need for it.

Mary and Dominique arrived as I spread the stuffing through the dough, and, drawn by the sweet scent of freshly out of the oven, they went straight into the kitchen.

"If I'd known you were going to cook, I'd come faster" Mary said, seeing what I was doing.

"Did you stay a little after your time today?" I asked.

"Yeah, you know how hard the work in a store can be sometimes" she said, looking tired.

"Well, it looks like we got a good reward for a busy day." Dominique smiled as she stared at the loaf.

"Here, folks, you can keep the stuffing bowl, until it's ready," I laughed and handed it to them.

The three of them tucked an unceremonious index finger into the bowl, and licked the dough. By the yummy faces, I knew It was goof, maybe even as good as my mother's. I put the form in the refrigerator, and decided to make tea to accompany. Both me and the girls liked chamomile, it was my favorite, although it didn1t always have the expected effect on me. Being anxious and worried were essential parts of me. But that was a night of calm and fun.

"I think I'm going to take some rest now," I sat down, and even stretched out my legs under the coffee table. "I think it was only Veronica who had a quiet day."

"Oh, I miss working sometimes" she said thoughtfully.

"The fatigue is part of it" I said "I know how it is. Running behind the children makes me exhausted."

"Still, I find it easier to deal with children than with certain adults who shouldn't behave like children, but they are real spoiled brats." Dominique referred to her work.

"Moody artists, isn't it?" Veronica deduced "must be really bad."

"A spoiled child you can fix, now an adult is actually a lot worse, especially if he's an artist," Beyrand agreed.

"But a child's temper tantrums are too bad" Mary mused. "I've seen children twisting their mothers' patience in the store. I'm always embarrassed and I try not to pay any attention to it."

"Anyway, if there's one thing we know is about dealing with grown kids," I laughed, reminding myself of the boys, fetching tea and the sponge cake.

"Oh yeah, they give us a hard work but I already miss my ungainly scarecrow ..." Dominique laughed, but daydreamed for a moment.

"Scarecrow?" I also laughed at what she called Roger, but I was pitying "You shouldn't call him that, that's how he looked like before you started dating."

"Really?" Beyrand was shocked.

"The poor guy changed so much because of you that he didn't even look like him." Mary confirmed what I said.

"We still don't know exactly how you got together until now" Veronica insisted.

"It was sudden, you left and suddenly, we were dating" completed Austin.

"Roger always did that, but in your case ..." I smiled, "it was really different and special."

"All right, girls" Dominique narrowed her eyes and folded her arms "I understand you want me to tell you what happened that night."

"Yes!" I, Mary and Veronica shouted at the same time.

"Okay, okay ..." Dominique laughed, "I'll tell you. Well, I think the beginning of this story is when the movie started, and Roger was paying attention to me, I felt him looking at me sideways, and he was talking to Freddie just to disguise. Then he said to me, "Come with me, please," and made those puppy eyes, how could I say no? I just nodded, he whispered to Brian, pointed to the door, and we all left.

"I didn't notice you leaving," I said.

"So," she resumed, "we walked a little in silence, until Roger seated near the fountain in the center of the neighborhood. Then I asked him what he had, he just told me to sit down, and then he started like this "I need to tell you something, if not, I can't live anymore."

"Dramatic as always," commented Mrs. Deacon.

"Right?" Dominique nodded "then I kept my guard up, I won't deny that I was already feeling the same as him, then I "Tell me Roger" and he "I never felt for anyone what I feel for you, I know it sounds sappy but Dominique, I don't know if you feel the same way about me, but I needed to tell you, I ... I fell in love with you, Dom, for real."

"Ow ..." we sigh together.

"Yes, I know, it melted my heart too," Dom commented on our reaction. "He even started crying because of that, so I held his hand so he could stop crying, and I was able to speak "since a little after my pranks I was charmed by you, just for showing me a little of who you really are, so thoughtful, loving, and I confess that the charm helps a little, then Mr. Taylor, did you know I fell in love with you too? And if you want me to be your girlfriend, I'll be very happy. "

"You asked him to date then?" Veronica brightened.

"Technically, yes, but that was all he was going to ask for." Dominique shrugged.

"So what? What did he do?" asked Mary.

"He spoke like this" "I don't believe it! Pinch me to see if I'm dreaming" "I took advantage of it and I said it" "I have an idea better than a pinch," "I smiled and kissed him, and I felt so ... " she returned to the passionate face "loved and important ..."

"I'm jaw-dropping!" I admitted "now I believe Roger can truly change."

"But of course he can, I'm officially in charge of putting some sense on him!" Beyrand made a serious face, but then laughed.

And after this real romance story but as sugary as a fairy tale, we continued our conversations, enjoying the sponge cake and the tea. The company of the girls brought me joy and calm, and it was good to know that we were real friends and we could count on each other, especially to share secrets from the heart.