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Heather rubbed at her temples. Why did she do this? She would not be her mother. She would not love that much to trust her heart to someone else.
After turning on her TV, Heather relaxed on her sofa, with the sounds in the background. She wasn't watching but stared at her potted plants in the corner of her living room. Was she overreacting?
What if Allen had an emergency, and he had to leave? He said he wasn’t feeling well. Was it the food? She chose the new Italian restaurant in town. Perhaps they should have kept it simple and ate at the Burger Joint.
She ran a hand down her face. Relationships were no joke. Could she do this? He said he saw her. She didn’t need a man to be happy, but deep down she desired to find love. Every relationship was different. She wasn’t her mother and Allen wasn’t her father.
What if they both threw caution to the wind and tried love? Love. Heather sat up on the sofa. Was she in love? What did it feel like? How could she tell if she was? She didn’t see an example with her parents and her own track record proved nothing.
Her stomach felt rock hard, but she yearned to hear Allen’s voice. She still wanted his touch. Is that how she would tell? Despite her reservations and fears, she still cared about him. She didn’t know when Allen became an important part of her life, but he did.
Then her cell rang. Was it him? What would she say? Sorry that she was falling for him? Sorry that she’d been missing him the last couple of days? Heather missed no one. She rushed to answer it as it rattled on her coffee table. To her disappointment, it was her mother.
“Well, you don’t sound too happy to talk to your mother,” she said.
Heather closed her eyes for a moment. “Sorry,
I thought you were someone else.”
“So tell me what’s wrong?”
Heather’s bottom lip quivered. “Mom, how did you know you were in love?”
“Aww, sweetie. I guess with your father, he was the only one I could imagine my life with. I wanted to be his safe haven. I knew I would care and support him no matter what. I would never make him feel like a failure.”
“So what happened?”
Her mother sighed. “I guess I never told you. Our finances got tight after Sonia was born. He was traveling back and forth as a salesman. I decided I wanted to go back to work. He took that as me not believing he could take care of me. I never said it, but I guess my actions did.”
“Sounds like a copout to me. If you wanted to help, he should have appreciated it.”
“It was different back then, Heather. Besides, I was young. I wasn’t honest with him about my feelings. We stopped talking and the next thing I knew, I lived with a stranger. The silence became too much to bear.”
“I don’t want that to happen to me.”
“But if you think you’ve found happiness, go for it. I didn’t raise you to live in fear,” her mother said.
“Is that what you’re doing with this new guy in your life? Going for it?”
“I don’t want you to make the same mistakes as me. I didn’t go after your father because of my pride. I want you and your sister to make better choices. Relationships are not about doing what’s best for you. You do what’s right for both of you.”
Heather’s doorbell rang and Tinsel barked as he dashed for the door. She wasn’t expecting anybody. “Did you send Sonia over here to check on me?”
“No.”
Heather walked to the door. Despite being off her crutch, Dr. Boyer still warned her to take it easy. When she opened the door, her phone slipped from her hand. She fumbled but caught it before it fell to the floor. Allen stood with two grocery bags. He came back?
“Mom, I have to go.” She hung up and stuffed her phone in her back pocket. She pointed to the bags in his hand. “What’s that for?”
“You said you would help me make dessert for your mother,” he said, his eyes gentle with affection.
“That’s not until tomorrow night.” She folded her arms over her chest.
“I thought we could start early.”
“What’s going on with you?”
“Can we talk about it inside?”
