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‘You’ve always been so strong-willed and sensible, Naomi; you show great maturity for your age.’ She slid towards me on the couch.
‘Thanks, Mum. I’ve been through a lot – we all have – and it has changed me. I can’t help but look at things differently.'
Mum nodded. ‘It takes a powerful mind to filter through those experiences and gain strength and humbleness like you have.’ I could see a flurry of tears forming again in her sparkly eyes.
‘Oh, Mum, stop. You’re going to make me cry again.’
I wrapped my arms around her waist and rested my cheek on her shoulder as she cuddled me back. There was nothing more comforting than a mother-daughter cuddle. Her maternal warmth sent my heart thumping and made me feel like a duckling, tucked under a mother duck’s wing, protected by her love, and then I recognised this is whattruelove is. An unbreakable bond between a mother and a daughter. No games, just pure loyalty.
She took a deep breath and moved to sit back up, tucking her hair behind her ears. Always her shorthand for‘okay, back to business’.
‘So, tell me what’s been happening in your life this past week?’
I let go of her. ‘Oh, same old. Work and hanging out with Deb.’
‘Is that all?’ Her damp eyes stared into mine with brows raised.
‘Yes, afraid so, and what about you?’
Mum grinned. ‘Actually, I’ve been working on a new painting! I think it will be done in the next few weeks.’
‘Can’t I see it now?’ I asked, thrilled to see Mum so passionate about something.
‘Hmmm, I would rather surprise you when it’s finished.’
I looked around the white lounge-room walls (Mum called them her blank canvas waiting to be decorated) and noticed she had swapped her tulip painting for a rainbow leopard. She certainly had unique taste. Dad taught me how to combine flavours, but Mum was also responsible for the creativity I loved in my cooking. One time I was asked to make a dessert pizza for a Valentine’s gift, and I created a heart-shaped pizza, with a biscuit base, filled with vanilla custard, topped with heart-shaped strawberries, and finished with a swirl of raspberry puree. That customer made an appearance in Mon Amour every fortnight after that.
I pointed to the picture on the wall. ‘I love your rainbow leopard so much. It’s beautiful. Look at its eyes.’ I stood and walked closer to it so I could get a better look. Flecks of smooth paint gave a three-dimensional effect to the painting. The orange-yellow eyes were truly hypnotic.
‘I finished it yesterday. I am really happy with it.’ She beamed as she stood beside me.
‘Well, you should be. You’re immensely talented. Why aren’t you selling these?’ I raised my brows and turned back to her.
‘Oh, I couldn’t. I love my paintings too much.’ You could see the attachment to them in her facial expression.
I imagined Mum’s art in a gallery and envisioned all the viewers’ mouths open with awe. Just the thought of it made my heart quicken with excitement.
‘I think people would paybigmoney for art like yours. It is so colourful and exuberant.’
Mum squinted her eyes with her finger on her lip, and I could tell she was considering it. Moments later, she headed back tothe kitchen, probably to start the dishes. I was about to follow her when my phone buzzed.Debra?
Carlos returned and busied himself with tidying the photo bags.
I slipped the phone from my pocket and looked at the screen.Nope, Seb.
Seb:Babe, how’s your family dinner going? I can’t stop thinking about you. What should we do tomorrow? Xo.
Me:Dinner was great, it’s so lovely to spend time with my family. What do you feel like doing?
Seb:Something special. Are you wearing your necklace?
Oh, the necklace. I thought about it sitting in its box on my dressing table and felt a sudden twinge of guilt for not wearing it, but then again, if I had, Mum would have just questioned me more about shopping. And come on – it’s not like opals are cheap, and if I told her I hadn’t bought it, she would ask where I got it from, and I sure wasn’t in the mood for that conversation.
Me:Yes, I am, it’s lovely, thank you again. See you tomorrow x
After I followed Mum into the kitchen, she insisted I just relax and hang with Carlos as she didn’t need any help washing up, but I shot back that I knew what a pain those trays were to clean. After a bit of our usual kitchen banter, we compromised. She did the washing, and I dried and put away the dishes.
It took just over an hour to comfort Carlos, and once I knew he was okay, I left and drove back home. As I walked inside, I noticed the lights were off and Deb wasn’t on the red couch. The only trace of her was the silhouette of two wine bottles neatly lined up on the coffee table.Hmm. Did she have an early night? It was only nine o’clock. I walked to her bedroom and knocked on the door. No answer.Weird.I walked into my room with my phone in hand and logged onto Facebook to see if anything was happening in the land of social media. As expected, therewere just countless news stories about all the horrific things happening around the world that I have no control over.Sigh.
