Page 36 of A Bookish Story

“Oh. Right. That was very…um, considerate of you.”

“And when you told me about you and Chris, well, I wanted to tell you right then and there. But I knew you’d be hurting, too, over your own breakup.” She pats my hand as if to show her motherly concern.

It falls flat. There must be another reason she didn’t turn up the drama earlier. She wants me to believe she’s put my feelings above her own. It doesn’t seem likely, and I won’t fall for her machinations. She wants to be mother of the year now, and I can’t let her get away with it. I’ll be nice, but I won’t embrace her second act. Or believe it.

“I’m doing great, actually.”

“You’ve always been stronger than me.” She sniffles.

“I’m not stronger than you, but I don’t let a relationship status define me.”

I threw the dart and it hit the target. But if I’ve hurt her, I haven’t penetrated the outer shell.

“You’re young, mi amor. Wait until you’re my age. The parts dry up, or they all go to Meryl Streep. The men want someone twenty years younger and they always get what they want. It doesn’t matter how much work a woman gets done.”

“Not all men want someone twenty years younger.”

“Just the best ones,” she says.

No. The worst ones.

Mami and I still see the world in opposite ways. Maybe if my father hadn’t died she wouldn’t be in this position. Everyone in the family says my father truly loved her, the way I remember, and I doubt he would have judged her for having the audacity to get older.

“What I had with Seb fizzled. So, I had to let him go.” She moves her fingers as if shaking off dust.

“You divorced him?” I want to believe that my mother has finally set an example I can follow of choosing to be with the right man or choosing to be alone.

“You better believe I did. But let’s not talk about me anymore.” She shifts in her seat. “I want to know all the news. Give me the latest updates. Are you still writing your little books?”

My little books, she calls them, still not in touch. The dialogue she memorized for her soap opera was written by talented writers. Years ago, Eddie shared a rumor Mami lost her job when she attempted to rewrite her dialogue to something more “believable.”

“There’s something I have to tell you.” I clear my throat. “You might hear about this at some point, but I was recently on a morning show with my new book.”

“Querida! I’m so happy for you. It’s what you’ve always wanted. You finally wrote the book!”

I finally wrote the book?

She’s forgetting all the ghostwriting I’ve done. A little pride in what her daughter has accomplished would be appreciated.

Although not the worst moment of my life, I believe it will surely be in the top ten when I tell her about Ryan, the real talent behind the curtain. Hang on a second. I can’t tell her. It’s in the NDA and pretty sure it includes mothers. Anyway, she won’t be here long and will need to go back to LA and the endless cycle of auditions.

“I wrote it under a pen name. Elizabeth Brogan.”

There. The words are out. I’ve just lied to my own mother and the ground didn’t open up and swallow me whole.

She gasps. “What a beautiful name. Great choice! I wanted to name you Elizabeth, after Elizabeth Taylor, but your father wouldn’t allow it. He wanted something Spanish. Sometimes a name really matters and can mean something. The name Geneva has suited me well all these years.”

“Anyway, just in case you want to look up the book. It won’t be under Lucia.”

“I’ll go and get your book right away. I’ll buy five of them and send them to all my friends.”

“That’s not necessary. Not to brag, but it’s already sold a lot of copies.”

It’s odd to boast about something that is not my accomplishment, but…that’s what Ryan wants me to do. He hired me for this purpose. I refuse to feel guilty about any of this.

Besides, looks like I’ve finally made my mother proud.

The next morning, I’m up earlier than normal for my shower.