From the Ashes

[14] Proposal

Roman's truck rumbles in reverse as he rolls out of my driveway, Of Mice and Men blaring from his open windows. He winks, giving me a lazy salute after shifting gears and starting to drive away as I wave from my front porch. Chuckling to myself, I open the screen door to my small home, and I'm instantly hit by the enticing smell of something cooking in the crock-pot my mother had prepared this morning. I plop my purse in its usual spot on the dining room/kitchen table on my way to the living room beyond.

"Mom?" I call as I pause to lean against the doorframe to kick off my flip-flops. Her voice floats from the side patio.

"Hey, Allie, I'm outside." My bare feet make soft slapping sounds as I pad across the wooden floor towards the glass door that leads outside.

"Hey, Mom," I greet with a smile as I stand next to her outdoor lounge chair, my warm feet relishing in the cold stone of the patio. My mother smiles up at me, placing her Better Homes and Gardens magazine down on her lap, against her crossed and propped up legs.

"How did finals go today?" she asks as I place a kiss on her cheek before taking the patio seat beside her, putting my own feet up. I sigh as I sink low into the lounge chair.

"They were alright, the English one was really easy. I had some trouble with the precalc, but I definitely passed. The others went well," I tell her. She nods before picking up a tall glass of iced tea with a slender, freckled hand and takes a small sip.

"I'm glad to hear that. I got your text, thank you for letting me know you were going to be a little late from school," she tells me graciously, "Was that your partner for the AP project?"

"Yeah," I confirm with a nod, absently messing with the ends of my hair out of habit. "He's not going to be here all summer, though, I'm not sure how we're planning on working it out yet." My mother gives me a sympathetic look, before staring at me for a good few seconds. A smile spreads over her thin lips slowly as the stare progresses.

"What?" I ask, sitting up slightly with curiosity at her amused look. A confused smile breaks out on my own face as she starts laughing softly.

"Your hair, Allie..." she chortles, rubbing her temple, "It's so bright. I haven't gotten used to it yet, I'm sorry," she laughs some more, and I cross my arms as I sink back into my chair with a glowering smile.

"I know," I mutter with a whine in my voice, covering my hair with my hands, "Blame Kaitlin. She has mind-controlling powers." My mother laughs more at that, before finishing her iced tea between stifled snickers.

"So when are we eating dinner?" I change the subject with a sigh and a smile, ignoring her mirth.

"5-ish. Pork chops will be ready by then," she answers simply as I stand.

"Alright," I say before giving her another quick peck on the cheek, "I'm gonna go veg in my room."

One minute I'm looking over a finals study guide diligently, sprawled across the creamy sheets that cover my bed, and the next I'm waking up drowsily with my face on the papers. Mumbling grumpy, jumbled words, I drag myself off the bed as I rub my eyes furiously.

"Geez," I mutter before kicking my way through the papers and clothes that litter the floor on my way to the hall. I pause in the doorway. A high laugh floats down the hall, from the direction of the living room, and my brows lower as I cannot identify the owner of the voice that mingles with my mother's in good humor. The mystery as well as the mouth-watering smell of din-din draws me down the hall. Just as I'm entering the living room in curiosity, my mother is saying goodbye at the front door to a woman I've never seen before. She looks a little younger than my mom, perhaps because she's dressed in nice clothes of the younger-generation persuasion. Her hair is an ash blond color, the straight strands pulled up into a wispy bun. I only catch a glimpse of her clear, smiling grey eyes before she says a final farewell, and disappears out the door. My mother waves a moment more as I hear a car start out front.

"Mom, who was that?" I ask, joining my mother at the door as I peer drowsily at the silver car that pulls out of our driveway. She smiles before brushing past me to go into the kitchen.

"That was Mrs. Hughes," floats her reply from inside the open cupboard of dishes she's digging through. I lean against the doorframe as I watch her bounce up on her tiptoes to grab some plates, while crossing my arms. "Can you get glasses out for you and me?" She chimes, busy with dishing out piles of creamy, steaming pork chops onto two plates from the old crock-pot.

"Yeah, but who is Mrs. Hughes?" I inquire as I pour milk for both of us. She slides both plates into place on the tall kitchen bar on the other side of the sink.

"Your partner's mother," she says simply, and I give her a taken-aback look as I climb into the swiveling bar stool.

"Why was she here? Talking to you?" I start shoveling the delicious, gravy-covered pork into my mouth as my mother joins me at the table, eating with more poise than I.

"That's something we're going to talk about, dear." My mind blanks on what the hell was going on right now. Roman's mom? I've never even heard him talk about her. And they don't even have the same last name. And she looked so young!

"Well, what is it?" I say with my mouth full, before taking big gulps of milk to wash the food down. My mother pats her thin lips with a napkin.

"I understand that Roman is going to be away with his and another family all summer," she starts, and I pause in eating to listen intently. "Roman talked to his mother, who just talked with me, and you have been invited to spend part of the vacation with them at their camp up at Alpine Mine."

Well.

Excuse me while I fish my jaw out of my mixed vegetables.

"I want to talk to you about it though, Allie," she continues on through my stunned, gaping silence, "I'm a little skeptical about it all." Shaking myself out of my shocked state, my heart lunges in desperation as it latches on to this glorious proposal.

"What are you skeptical about?" I ask, keeping my voice level as my breath quickens excitedly. The thought of going with Roman and Sage for the summer had never even occurred to me. Hitting me now with full force, I couldn't deny how thrilling the idea was. My heart pounds in my ear as I listen for her answer.

"Well... I don't know Roman very well. I don't know the family of the friend that is also going. His mother is a sweetheart, and I give him respect for having her ask my permission. And I don't want this to interfere with our trip out to Connecticut to see your father." My brain, having been irrationally and traitorously siding with my heart when it came to Roman lately, begins working at light-speed, thinking of all solutions to my mother's discomfort.

"We could have him over for dinner sometime he and his mom, so I can meet her," I suggest, almost forgetting to shrug like it's no big deal. "And, I'll most definitely come home before we leave to see Daddy," I say. She sits still, her eyes blank in deep thought, her elbow resting against the table beside her plate and her tanned cheek cupped in her slender hand. She had been thinking the entire time I was giving my suggestion, and a glint lights up her eyes now as the smallest of dreamy smiles curves at her lips from the word 'Daddy'.

"I would not want you to miss that trip, Allie," she says, with the smallest hint of that tone she always saves for my father.

"There's no way I would miss it, Momma," I assure her. She gives me a smile as she takes my hand to squeeze it gently.

"Alright. You talk to Roman sometime, and invite him and his mother over for dinner for me, so we can visit and discuss plans."