Page 36 of Salute, To Bravery
The phone only rang twice before she answered. “Odette! Where have you been? We’ve been worried sick. You weren’t at your apartment when your father showed up. We have so much to do and only a week to do it!” She wasn’t even attempting to give me a chance to answer or comment before moving on to the next question.
“Mom, take a breath.”
Finally, there was a pause at the other end of the line. “We’re just worried.”
“I understand that, but you have to give me a chance to talk if you actually want answers.” I forced a chuckle, trying to both hide my annoyance and lighten the mood.
I heard her sigh. “Okay, you’re right. Just tell me what’s going on, please.”
She did seem a little more relaxed, which I hoped would help the rest of the conversation.
“First of all, I called and left Dad a message not to come and get me. I had some stuff to take care of. I also sent him a text, so if he showed up anyway, that’s not really on me.”
“I told him to go ahead and get you, he could have helped you finish up with whatever you had going on there and bring you home.” Great. She was back to being annoyed.
“Again, I said not to come. That’s on you guys. And you guys threatening me with the police isn’t really appreciated either.” I was desperately trying to keep my tone in check.
“We were worried. You weren’t where you were supposed to be.”
“Mom, I’m an adult. An adult who told you I wouldn’t be there. An adult who has checked in letting you know I was fine. All the messages and calls are completely unnecessary. I’m allowed to have a little bit of time to myself and some privacy.”
“Odette, you’re not allowed to go off to God-knows-where when we have a huge engagement party to plan. Josh and his family will be here in less than a week, and we need to put our best foot forward.”
“Mom, did you ever stop to think that this whole ‘arranged marriage’ thing is a bit archaic?” I gritted my teeth, my patience finally running out.
“Excuse me? This is a great opportunity for you! Josh is a great kid with a great future. You’ll be well taken care of for the rest of your life. It’s just smart.” My mother huffed. This was a no-brainer to her.
“You ever think I have the skills to take care of myself? Did you ever think I would rather just take care of myself?” My voice rose.
“Is this what this is? Are you running to avoid this?”
I clamped my mouth shut. Shit.
“You realize if you don’t go through with this, you’re going to hurt your family? How would it look if we let you continue to live in that horrid little apartment in Chicago?” I could almost feel the anger seeping through the phone, and I could tell she was pacing by the sound of her heels on the marble floor.
I decided to just defuse the situation as best as I could. I didn’t have the energy for this today. “Mom, I just wanted to let you know that I was okay, and I’m almost finished up with what I needed to do, okay? I will call you later, but please let everyone know I’m fine.”
She sighed again. “Fine, I’ll let your father know. You had better be here soon, though. We still need to find you the perfect dress for the party.” Once again, her mood lifted, and the excitement was back in her voice. She was so easy to placate.
“Thanks, Mom, love you.”
“Love you too, Odette.”
I rolled my eyes as I clicked the button to end the call. I wasn’t sure why, but her insistence on always using my full name drove me insane. She always thought nicknames were only something poor people did.
“You’re getting married?”
I nearly dropped my phone as I spun around. Ian stood in the doorway of the bedroom, still shirtless and quite the distraction.
“I thought you were taking a nap?” I tossed my phone on the table, nothing bothering to hide my frustration.
“Kinda hard to when you’re yelling at your mom.” Ian crossed his arms and leaned against the frame.
“You heard all that then?”
“Again, kinda hard not to.” He gave me a small smile. I knew he was trying to be gentle.
I sighed and flopped down onto the couch. “Sorry about that. I didn’t realize how loud I was.”
