“Are you sure you’re okay, honey?” My mom frowned.
I must have looked ridiculous to them. Here I was, some hotshot corporate partner of a prestigious firm who didn’t take crap from anyone, asking her parents for cookies and milk.
I felt needy.
I needed to suck it up.
I waved them off. “I’ll be fine.”
“What you went through was a traumatic experience, you know?” My mom rubbed my back. “Do you want to spend the night?”
I hadn’t spent the night with my parents since my freshman year at college, over twenty-five years ago. I had been lonely in the dorms during my very first week of school and ended up calling my parents to see if I could go home for the weekend. Back then, even one week was a long time to go without seeing them. Now, a whole year could go by, even though I lived close to them.
My dad came around to my side of the kitchen island and hopped on the stool next to me. “When was the last time you had a vacation or a day off?”
I laughed. “Two thousand and . . . hmmm, I can’t remember.”
“Life isn’t just about work, you know.”
“Don’t start, Dad.”
This is what he always said whenever I came over, one of the reasons why I probably didn’t visit often. Well, that, and the fact that he asked my mom to give up her career when I was born.
They did look happy, though, I’d give them that much.
Still, I was sure my mom had regrets, giving up on her dreams like that.
I had made a promise to myself that I would never let a man dictate how my life should be.
Not even if that man was my dad.
He wrapped his arm around my mom. “You need love in your life. Love is what makes people feel whole.”
“Stress goes down when your love goes up,” my mom chipped in.
“It’s only natural. And Lord knows you have too much stress in your life.”
I couldn’t argue with that.
“You need love!” My dad sounded like a cheerleader now.
I couldn’t believe my parents were trying to sell me on love.
“You work too much, honey,” my dad added. “You need to take a day off. Then you need to meet someone special.”
I crossed my arms and smiled. “I agree.”
My dad cocked his head to the side. “You do?”
I nodded.
“You’re going to take a day off?”
“That’s right.”
“You.”
I nodded again. “Yup. Me.”
