Alternative

September 25, 2008 at 8:03PM

Alex's mom, Ruth, is driving me home. She smokes like a chimney and is playing Creedence Clearwater Revival ridiculously loud. The car's manual and rumbles every time she changes gears, which is frequent. After asking about what Alex and I were working on, she grills me with a bunch of different questions about my parents: where they work, what my relationship with each of them is like, what their relationship with each other is like. Why is every mom so inquisitive? Some of the questions feel a little invasive, but for whatever reason I just keep answering. Being on my phone doesn't seem to deter her even a little bit and I'm stuck in a literal death trap. To be polite, I return with a few questions about their family. She tells me that Alex's dad left her for someone else a few years ago. I say I'm sorry. I wish she didn't tell me that.

"It's Jerry who should be sorry. The prick. But he doesn't care, he only ever thought about himself. He couldn't have realized he was attracted to men before marrying me?"

I have no idea how to respond to this.

She turns left at an intersection, narrowly avoiding a bus coming right at us, and honks her horn repeatedly at the driver, screaming obscenities at him over my shoulder.

I wonder if the conversation has gotten too personal, how Alex would feel about me knowing the information about his dad. He hadn't volunteered it to me, so I assumed he wasn't ready for me to know. I decide to keep it to myself. Though having a gay dad sounded kind of cool, honestly. I guess the relevant point is that he left. Sensitive stuff. I won't mention that she told me.

When Ruth finally pulls over in front of my house, she turns to me.

"Alex needs a nice friend like you. I think you'll be good for him."

"Oh cool," I reply, feeling awkward af.

"It's great that you're helping him with essays because he does not know how to write. School in general is very hard for him with his learning disability. I thought things would improve when he switched to Harvest but I don't know how much those teachers are actually doing. They seem like a bunch of morons, to me."

A learning disability: more information Alex hadn't volunteered, something else I probably shouldn't know. I had to get out of there, so I blurted, "Gotta run. Homework!"

She smiled big and said, "Bye, honey!"

I hurry out of the car.

Mom opens the front door just as I'm heading towards it and comes out with a full recycling bag. She notices Ruth and offers a friendly wave.

"Hey," she says to me. "Who's this?"

"Uh, just my friend's mom."

Mom approaches the car and puts on a big smile for Ruth.

"Hi, there!"

I walk into the house as the two of them speak. I wonder what Mom is telling Ruth about me, whether it'll change her perception of me, how much will get back to Alex.

Later. I hear Ruth's car drive away. Mom comes inside.

"She seems nice. I'd love to meet Alex sometime."

"Yeah." I reply.

She stares at me, expecting me to say something else. I don't know what.

"Dinner's on the stove if you're hungry," she says.

"Thanks."

I sit alone at the kitchen table, eating vegetable stew and toast.

Upstairs. Bed.  

Just lying here, on my phone, trying to fall asleep. I hope I can dream about something fun tonight. Maybe something involving Beth. It doesn't have to be a sex dream; it'd just be cool if she were a part of the narrative.