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“You learned nothing from me, huh? Are you really that stupid? After seeing how ruined my life was when I had a kid, you had to spread your legs like a bitch?” It shouldn’t have surprised me, but it still did, and it hurt.
“You mean whenIwas born and ruined your life?” I was proud of myself for holding back my sobs.
“Yes. Exactly that. Do you even know who the father is?” she sneered.
“Did you?” I snapped.
“You ungrateful bitch.” As she went on and on, finding every bad word in the book, I sensed my wall crumbling down. Was it too much to ask to have, for once, a loving mother who was happy for me?
Being done with the whole altercation, Mia pulled the phone from my hand totalkto Mother Dearest. “Shhh,grrrr. She’sgrrltunnel.Shhhnot hearing.Grrrlscrew you.” She then ended the call.
We were in silence for a moment. I couldn’t even look at her. I leaned on the counter, hiding my face in my hands when she stood up, balancing herself on the support between the legs of the stool, and laid her little frame over me in a weird yet comforting hug.
“Why does it hurt so much?” I wondered, with a broken voice.
Mia pondered my question. “Because for better or for worse, she’s your mother, and it’s only natural to expect her to love and cherish you. As she should.” She leaned back, sitting again, and tipped her face down, almost touching the counter, pretty child-like, so we could stare at each other. “She’s the one in the wrong here, not you.”
“I’m her only daughter. I’m having a baby. Her grandchild. Why can’t she be thrilled?”
She fished a few paper napkins from its case and handed them to me. “Some people aren’t wired to love another being other than themselves. It’s her loss, not yours. I can only imagine how hurtful it might be, I’m not making small of that. But you don’t have to ever worry about being alone or not being loved. You have a whole army of lovers now.” She squinted in thought. “That sounded weird. Benny wouldn’t like to hear that.” She ignored my watery giggle. “I can’t wait to tell him.”
Subsiding my chuckle, I took in a deep breath. I scanned my phone, gazing longingly at it. “I wish I could say it wasn’t always like this.”
“I’m no cactus expert, but I recognize a prick when I see one. And that, honey, was the poisonous kind. I wasn’t sure how you wanted to deal with it. If you wanna let her get closer again in the future. So, I chose not to be so emphatic when ending the call.”
“Right,” I said slowly. “That’s why you just told her to screw herself?”
“It seemed fitting.” Mia shrugged. She wasn’t wrong.
“Is it super ugly that I envy you for having the family you have?”
“Not ugly, but at this point, it’s kind of stupid.” I wondered if she ever learned how to mince words. “They’re your family as well. If you ever need an extra dose of momma and daddy, I’m okay with sharing mine. They’re kind of the bomb.”
How had I ever thought this little thing was a threat?
Needing to change the subject so I wouldn’t bawl at her sassy sweetness, I tried a different course. “Good thing you were here to babysit me. Did Ben put you up to that?”
“He’s a little worried as you get closer to labor. He thought it’d be safer if one of us was with you from here until the end. Wow, that was poetic.From here until the end.” Sometimes it was hard keeping up with her mind.
“I’m still weeks away from it. There’s no need for you guys to change your routine for me.”
“I’m not getting into that with him. Especially now that he’s been reading about what happens during labor. I know more about it than I planned on ever knowing.” I started laughing. “So now you’re stuck with one of us.”
“I can’t complain about the companion. It’s fun hanging out with you guys.” She tipped her chin in agreement, a small grin on her face. “And to be truthful, I kind of enjoy knowing how invested Ben is.”
“It’s endearing, actually. He’s so into your pregnancy and what happens after the baby is born. I can’t recall any other time he was so deeply focused on something.” She smiled proudly. “My boy is growing up.”
As we kept chatting about mundane stuff, April approached us from the kitchen. “I took the last batch out of the oven.”
“I’d totally forgotten! Thank you so much.”
“Don’t worry. I just wanted to let you know.” She gave me her big and sweet smile.
Before she could saunter to the next task, Mia called her. “Hey, April. Do you know of anyone who’d be willing to babysit? Someone trustworthy and responsible.”
“I sure do. Do you remember my friend Lisa? Lisa Specter. We graduated from college together, she’s from here as well. She’s my best friend, amazing with kids, and you’re gonna love her.” Her positive energy was invigorating.
“Yeah, I remember her and her parents. Do you mind giving her my contact? I have a friend in need of someone to care for his daughter while he’s working.”
