Ch.9—Being Reasonable a.k.a. the Showdown at OK Corral
The wind caught the door and slammed it shut behind me upon my return home, making me jump. I waited for my heart rate to return to normal as the scent of fresh-baked cookies made my stomach grumble. I poked my head in the kitchen to find my mother moving cookies onto a plate. She smiles as she caught my eye. “Hi, honey. Want to pour some milk for us?” I nodded and walked out to the screened-in porch with two, cold, towering glasses. I sat down across from my mother and bit into a chocolate chip cookie, still warm and gooey. I took in my mother’s appearance as I relished the sweet mouthful. Her dark hair fell in soft waves around her face, her cheeks rosy. Her eyes were sparkling for the first time in a long time. As I chewed, Old Jim’s words came back to me. Maybe he was right. Mom definitely looked better than she had in months. I definitely didn’t want the stranger, Jekyll/Hyde mom anymore. Maybe my mom would come back if I could move forward and meet her part way.
“Good cookies. What’s the occasion?” I cautiously asked.
My mother grinned. “I needed chocolate. What better way to get it—you’ve got sugar, chocolate and mmmm-goodness.”
I finished my cookies and milk before I finally dredged up enough courage to speak about the subject we’d been avoiding for days. “Mom, I’ve been thinking about what you said about marrying John and,” I swallowed hard. “I’ll try my best to be good about it. I know I overreacted the other day. You just took me by surprise.”
My mother reached out and hugged me, quivering with excitement. “Oh, Christy, thank you so much. It will make John so happy to know you’ve accepted this. Now we can move forward.”
“When do you plan on getting married?” I asked as I drank my milk, crossing my fingers and toes in anticipation of her answer. I hoped it wouldn’t be for…oh, another decade or so.
“In August,” she answered in a matter of fact tone as she walked off to the kitchen.
I choked on my milk, coughing and sputtering. It was as if a rocket launched me out of my chair as I burst in close behind her. “Next month?! Isn’t that a bit soon? I thought you were giving me some time to get used to this. My voice rose in an unbecoming whine.
My hope that Dr. Jekyll/Mrs.Hyde was killed as my mother flung our dishes into the sink and whirled to face me. Her eyes were on fire, hands glued to her hips. “I told you that because I hoped you’d be reasonable but I can see you are not! I am not putting my life on hold forever. This is not just about you. I have a life to live and this is what I want. You will just have to deal with it. I will do this with or without your support and understanding!”
With that, she marched out of the kitchen. She blew into her bedroom and slammed the door. I slid down against the counter, wrapped my arms around my knees, and set my head down. How could this be happening? I didn’t even have time to lick my wounds before my mother appeared again, hair standing on end in a way that would give Medusa competition. I prayed for the floor to open up and swallow me whole before my mother’s next rampage began. Hyde…she was definitely Mrs. Hyde right now.
“John would like to take us all out to dinner to celebrate. I expect you to join us and behave like a young lady. As for the rest of the wedding discussions and preparations, I do not want to hear one complaint. This is for the best for all of us and you need to remember that.” She turned on her heal and returned to her room with a teeth-chattering crash of the door.
I dragged myself to my room and turned on my radio, just loud enough to drown out noise but not loud enough to be yelled at. I turned on the shower and climbed in. Only when I was sure that the water was loud enough, pounding all around me, did I let the sobs. Come. When I had finally cried myself out, I lied down on my bed in exhaustion. I started to drift off, promising myself there would be no more tears.
That night, when John took us out, I imagined that my clone went to dinner while I stayed home. It was the only way that made it bearable. My hair was brushed until it shone and pulled into a neat ponytail. My sundress was clean and ironed. I even put fresh nail polish on my fingernails and toenails. I smiled. I nodded. I was polite. I spoke when spoken to and courteously allowed the grown ups to talk. I ate all my dinner, complimented the food, and sincerely thanked John.
Upon my return home. I went straight to my room, unwilling to hang around while they were all lovey dovey. Only a short while later, I heard footsteps on the stairs and John’s car pulling out of the driveway. My mother came in and gave me a big hug, her smile bright. Jekyll was back. “Thank you so much for tonight. You’ve made us both so happy. I know it’s hard for you right now but you’re going to be happy too.”
Once again, I smiled. I nodded. I hugged her back and said good night. I turned off my lights and fell back on my pillows after she left, thinking about the evening. Magic lesson learned: pretending can pull
off wonders, proving magic was all an act. If I put on the best show ever, things would go smoothly for me. No one would ever know how much I hated everything about it!