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My brow furrows. “Well, that’s just how Mom is.”
She shakes her head. “No, that’s how our mom was. And right now, listening to my sister say the things she said to you in front of all of her friends? It was like seeing my mother reincarnated right before my eyes.”
My face falls. “What?”
“Our mother was the exact same way, Charlotte,” she continues. “Always reminding us to mind our place and find a husband by a certain age so we wouldn’t end up alone. Keep in mind, that was a long time ago when the world was very different, but the memories and feelings her words are sparking are all still the same.”
I stand there, flabbergasted. “You’re telling me that your mom did the same thing to you?”
“Yup. And guess who told her off and didn’t speak to her for years until she got very sick?”
I vaguely remember when my grandmother fell ill, diagnosed with cancer when I was about four. I don’t have many memories of her, so I can’t connect the similarity between her and my mother. But Aunt Gigi would know.
“How long did you go without speaking?”
“Ten years,” she replies. “But even on her deathbed, my mother told me how I wasted my life by never marrying, never finding a man, and having children. And there are days that I regret waiting until that moment to tell her off, because maybe if I’d done it sooner, we could have had a relationship for the last part of her life.”
I swallow down the emotion in my throat. “You told her off on her deathbed?”
“Yup. I didn’t want to live with that regret, and now I’m telling you that you don’t have to either.” She grabs both of my shoulders, standing square in front of me. “I’m begging you, Charlotte—don’t wait. Tell her now how she makes you feel, get her to see that her words have an effect on you.”
“I mean…”
“They do, honey. I can see it in your eyes, in the clench of your jaw when she makes those comments. Hell, whenever she and I speak, all she says to me is how she’s worried that you’ll end up like me.” She rolls her eyes and then places her hands on her hips. “But between you and me, there are far worse people to end up like.”
A chuckle escapes my lips as my brain struggles to process this information. But instead of thinking, I just blurt out the first thought that comes to mind.
“My relationship with Damien is fake.”
Her face drops. “What?”
Nodding, I clear my throat. “We made a deal. He needed me to be his fake girlfriend for this work thing, and I thought that maybe bringing him as my boyfriend would get my mom off my back about my single status. But God was I wrong, Aunt Gigi. It’s only gotten worse. Every conversation or comment since then has been about when we’re getting married or having kids. She just won’t stop.”
My aunt studies me with a perplexed look on her face, leaving my confession to travel in the air between us as if I set it free by rubbing a lamp. “Well, either you and Damien are the best actors I know, or your fake relationship isn’t so fake anymore, sweetheart.”
I sigh in admittance. “I’m falling for him, which makes her comments even worse because he and I haven’t even talked about what happens after this is all over, and the last thing I want is for him to freak out. But then part of me wants to end it just to spite my mother and not give her the satisfaction of knowing I fell in love with someone trying to appease her.”
She laughs. “Let me tell you this. Don’t give up a man you care about because of her. Your issues with your mom are an entirely different thing, Charlotte. But you need to talk to Damien about how you’re feeling if that’s what you want.”
I look around me, locating the nearest chair before sinking down into it and letting out a loud breath. “You just blew my mind right now.”
“Good to know I’m still full of surprises, but it seems you’re full of a few of your own.” Walking toward me, I see her face soften. “Look, I’m not trying to tell you how to live your life, honey, because you know damn well that I love the way I live mine. But life is too short to be unhappy, to put up with toxic people just because they’re family. Boundaries are healthy, and your mother is wrecking any and all of them that need to be put up.”
“I just don’t get it, Aunt Gigi. I have no problem standing up for myself in any other area of my life. But with her? I just…” I trail off, looking to the side of the room.
“She’s your mom. I get it, Char.”
“Did you regret speaking up to your mom?”
“Yes and no. I regret the time we missed together, but I also know that I was happier not listening to her degrade my life every time we were together. It was a double-edged sword. However, I know our mother was much more stubborn than your mom is, so maybe she’ll be more willing to listen.” She shrugs. “You’ll just never know if you don’t say anything.”
Standing from the chair, I bob my head up and down in agreement. “Thank you, Aunt Gigi…for saying something.”
“Anytime, Charlotte. And you know I’m here for you always. I’m only just a phone call away.” Hugging me from the side, she leads me back to the main part of the waiting room where our massage therapists are waiting, leaning down to whisper in my ear as we walk. “But just so you know, in my experience, a man doesn’t really care what kind of hair situation you have going on down there. As long as there’s a hole to stick his dick in, he’s happy.”
“Oh God, no more pubic hair talk, please.”
Gigi throws her head back in laughter. “Sorry, had to get my two cents in too.”
“Well, I will gladly give everybody their pennies back to erase that conversation from my brain.”
“Oh, come on, Char. What’s a family get-together without a little emotional and mental scarring?”
* * *
