Page 56 of Takedown

“Maybe my actions showed that, but I’d really like to change that.” She takes a small step closer to me, slowly closing the distance.

“Here’s the thing. You can’t change it. Like I said, I’m not trying to hurt you. I did that for years to you and Jason and that only made me feel worse. And let’s be honest. It’s been ten years, Mother, and you’ve never once shown any interest in fixing things between us. I don’t buy your sudden interest in having a relationship with me. You’re not here for me. You’ve never been there for me because you never wanted me.”

She looks down, but I don’t miss the unshed tears in her eyes.

“That’s unfair. All I’ve ever wanted was the best for you both. I’m sorry about the way I went about it. I’d really like—”

Whatever she was going to say gets interrupted by the sounds of Adam’s heavy footsteps..

“Mel! Ma wants to talk to you about wedding dress shopping next Saturday.” He comes to a full stop when he sees my mother standing there. The phone dangles in his hand.

I open the front door again and walk away, take the phone from Adam’s hand, sit on the couch, and say hello.

Realizing she’s been dismissed, my mom walks out and quietly closes the door behind her.

29

“What about mermaid?” Ananda asks Adam while she shoves a chip in her mouth.

“I’m picturing a Halloween costume, and I hope it’s slutty. Is it slutty, Mel? Maybe you can get along, blue wig to go with it. And your torso’s gotta be exposed.”

Everyone erupts in laughter. Even Molly, but she walks over and gently whacks him in the back of the head.

“A-line?” I ask.

“Modified A-line?” Molly says.

“What about sheath?” Ananda throws in.

“No idea what any of that means, but if it—”

“If you say slutty one more time, I’m gonna whack you in the mouth.” Molly makes a fist to prove her point.

Adam closes his mouth and pretends to zip his lips.

“Leave Adam alone.” Alex waddles over and puts a hand on his arm. “He is way too manly to know about dress styles. Just know that Mellie is going to look gorgeous.”

“Alex is right. I’m too much man for this conversation. Look at this.” He shows us his bicep and all the women pretend to swoon. All the women except Molly who only rolls her eyes at her son.

“Wedding dress and bridesmaid dresses are done. I still need to coordinate with Mel’s mom about our colors, but I think we should match the bridesmaid dresses. Maybe a darker shade of blue. Too bad she was sick and couldn’t come with us.” Molly wrings her hands. All laughter and humor cease. Alex looks down and lays a hand on her lower back. I walk over to her and help her to Lola.

All week there was talk about whether I was going to invite my mother with us. All week I thought about it. Hell, I had a couple of sleepless nights over it.

Jason hinted several times about asking her, but my need to have a stress-free day without any tinge of judgment or disapproval won out in the end, and my mother was left out. Besides, the last conversation with her left me completely drained. But today didn’t go as planned. My heart felt heavy despite having the best group of women with me. And as much fun as we had, the feeling of guilt lingered.

Almost as if Ananda can sense my change of mood, she comes over and rests her chin on my shoulder while Adam intertwines my fingers with his.

“I’ll ask her about that when she’s feeling better, Molly,” I say quickly. “We have flowers on Wednesday, but Alex, we’ll FaceTime you. Jason only let you go today because you wouldn’t be on your feet.”

“Let me?” Alex snorts. “Oh, please. Your brother can take several seats.” Ananda walks over and gives her a high five. “But I agree to do flowers remotely. This baby is wreaking havoc on my back.”

“Are you coming with us?” Ananda asks Adam.

“Do you need me there, Mel?” I can tell from his tone that he’d rather be anywhere else.

“I’ll call you if I do. At this point, I’ll just tell you when and where to show up. I can’t even trust you to pick out your own tux.”

“Thanks, love.” He smiles at me without an ounce of shame. “I’ll give you my measurements.”

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