AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Kim opened her pop. It snapped and hissed. "I cant wait to be done with all this application crap. "
Lauren closed her eyes. The conversation swirled around her, but she didnt join in.
She wasnt sure why, but suddenly she was on edge. Maybe it was the weather: cold and clear. Storms followed days like this, when the sky was scrubbed clean by clouds that raced from west to east. Or maybe it was the college talk. All she knew was that something was not right.
A FINE SILVER MIST CLUNG TO THE MORNING-WET grass. Angie sat on the back porch, drinking her coffee and staring out to sea. The rhythmic whoosh-whoosh of the waves seemed as familiar and constant as the beating of her own heart.
Here was the soundtrack of her youth. The rumbling roar of the tides, the sound of raindrops hitting rhododendron leaves, the creaking whine of her rocking chair on the weathered porch floor.
The only thing missing was the sound of voices; children yelling at one another and giggling. She turned to say something to her husband, realizing a second too late that she was alone.
She got up slowly, went back inside for more coffee. She was just reaching for the pot when there was a knock on the door.
"Coming. " She went to the door, answered it.
Her mother stood on the porch, wearing an ankle-length flannel nightgown and green rubber gardening clogs. "He wants me to go. "
Angie frowned, shook her head. It looked as if Mama had been crying. "Come in out of the rain, Mama. " She put an arm around her mother, led her to a place on the sofa. "Now, whats going on?"
Mama reached into her pocket, pulled out a rumpled white envelope. "He wants me to go. "
"Who?" Angie took the envelope.
"Papa. "
She opened it. Inside were two tickets to The Phantom of the Opera. Mama and Papa had always had seats at the Fifth Avenue Theater in downtown Seattle. It had been one of her fathers rare indulgences.
"I was going to just let the date go past. I missed The Producers in July. " Mama sighed, her shoulders caving downward. "But Papa thinks you and I should go. "
Angie closed her eyes for a moment, seeing her father dressed in his best black suit, heading for the door. Hed adored musicals most of all, had always come home from them singing. West Side Story had been his favorite, of course. Tony and Maria.
Thats your mama and me, he always said, except we love each other forever, eh, Maria?
She slowly opened her eyes; saw the same play of bittersweet memories on her mothers face.
"Its a good idea," Angie said. "Well make a night of it. Dinner at Palisades and a room at the Fairmont Olympic. Itll be good for us. "
"Thank you," Mama said, her voice cracking. "That is what your papa said. "
THE NEXT MORNING, LAUREN GOT UP EARLY AND MADE herself breakfast, but when she stared down at the eggs on her plate, the thought of eating that runny pile of yellow goo was more than she could bear. She pushed the plate away so fast the fork fell off and clanged on the Formica table. For a second, she thought she was going to throw up.
"Whats wrong with you?"
Startled, she looked up. Mom stood in the doorway, dressed in an obnoxiously short pink denim skirt and an old Black Sabbath T-shirt. The dark circles under her eyes were the size of Samsonites. She was smoking a cigarette.
"Gee, Mom. Its nice to see you again. I thought youd died in your bedroom. Wheres Prince Charming?"
Mom leaned against the doorway. There was a dreamy, self-satisfied smile on her face. "This one is different. "
Lauren wanted to say As in different species? But she held back. She was in a crappy, irritable mood. It wouldnt do any good to tangle with her mother. "You always say that. Jerry Eckstrand was different, all right. And that guy who drove the VW bus--what was his name? Dirk? He was definitely different. "
"Youre being a bitch. " Mom took a long drag on her cigarette. As she exhaled, she nibbled on her thumbnail. "Are you having your period?"
"No, but were behind in the rent again and you seem to have retired. "
"Not that its any of your business, but I might be falling in love. "
"The last time you said that, his name was Snake. God knows you can never go wrong with a guy named after a reptile. You pretty much know what youre getting. "
