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However, I don’t need to look at the words written on the screen. Paula. My mother. This is insane. Maybe I’m the mentally unstable one.
Or my mother is.
“That’s my mother.” Everything’s clicking together in my mind, but it still doesn’t stop the woman from acting like she can boot me out of my house.
“So, you see, I’ve booked this place for the week. You’re going to have to find somewhere else to stay.” Her voice rings with a finality tone, and I can’t help but laugh at her.
Hard.
“Find somewhere else? What are you talking about, sweetheart? This is my home.” What can she possibly not get? I pull out my own phone, scrolling until I see my mother’s information on the screen. I don’t care if it’s one in the morning. I push the button and press the phone to my ear. “I’m not leaving. You are,” I say right as my mother picks up.
“Ry, is everything okay?” her voice is groggy with sleep. I know I’ve woken her up, but at this point, I don’t care.
“Mom, did you rent out my place?”
“Well…” she starts, but I’m no longer listening.
“Mom,” I cut in. “How could you rent out my place? I’m not looking for a roommate.”
My mother’s tripping over her words as she tries to explain something about needing somebody around to look after me. What the hell is she talking about? I’m not doing this in the middle of the night.
“Mother,” I say with my most stern voice. “We’re not done talking about this. Go back to bed. I’ll talk to you in the morning.”
She sighs into the phone. “At least she’s pretty, right?”
I don’t answer.
I hang up the phone.
Has my mother even fully vetted this woman standing in the middle of my kitchen?
“So…” her word draws out. “I’m Julia, and it appears your mother rented your place out. I guess she didn’t know you’d be in town.”
“In town? I live here.” I don’t know how much more clear I can make this. “I never leave. I don’t rent this place out.”
“Well, your mother does.”
Is she for real? “Okay, it’s time for you to go.”
She balks at me. “Are you kidding?”
I cross my arms over my broad chest. “I never joke past midnight.”
She looks taken aback by my statement. “Joke or not, I’m not going anywhere.”
“Um, well, you’re not staying here, sweetheart.”
“Will you stop calling me that?” She puts her hands on her hips. “Where am I supposed to go?” She twists her face in a pretty little way, and stands defiantly. “I’m not leaving.”
“Yes, you are.”
“My mother put a deposit down.” She places a thumb to her bottom lip. “At least, I think she did. Is your mother in need of money? Did she rent out your place because she’s desperate?”
I laugh at this. “My mother is fine. And I assure you she didn’t take any money for this.” Mom doesn’t need to work. I’ve made sure of that. It still makes me wonder where she got this insane idea to rent my place, and how she found this woman. “You say your mother booked this place?”
She nods. “Yes, she booked it all this morning.”
I shake my head. “This doesn’t make sense.”
