Page 27 of Big Bad Wolf: B.B.W
I giggled at her question.
“You know I do.” I turned my body to face her. “Mommy, I even figured out how to make it a leave-in, and it smells so good. I have some in my suitcase. You want to smell it?”
She gave me her beautiful soft smile. “Of course, I do. Bring a comb and brush too. I’ll braid your hair.”
“Okay, Mommy.”
It was childish how quickly I jumped up to get my conditioner and what she needed. We had been making our own haircare products since I was five years old.
I wasn’t sure if she still sold her products, but they were definitely worth the buy if she did. I loved fishtail and butterfly braids. Mary Summerville was the only one that could do them properly, and you couldn’t tell me differently. Once I had everything that I needed, I returned back to the den. My mother sat in the position that I remembered. Both of her hands patted her knees.
“Come on, lil girl.”
I sat between my mother’s legs, crossed my legs in front of me, and settled in to get my hair braided. These were the times that I loved during my childhood.
“Thank you, Mommy.”
She lightly pinched the top of my ear. That was her silent way of telling me that she loved me. My father and her hadways to tell me that they loved me, but I rarely heard them say it with words.
“Oh, this smells amazing, Elodie,” she said after she sprayed the conditioner into my hair. There was a still silence until she broke it. “Tell me when I can expect my first grandchild. I want to make sure I have enough time to do all of my knitting.”
“Mommy, we haven’t even been together long enough to talk about having children. Can we at least get to a year? He might not want forever with me.” I talked out of the side of my neck because I knew more than anyone that Orion wanted forever with me. It was a scary thing to think about, but I wanted that with him.
My mother popped me on the shoulder. “No man that charters a jet to get you to your parents is not going to want forever with you. I saw how he looks at you. I know you see it because he’s looking at you.”
Although I sighed, she could probably see my smile from where she sat behind me.
“You don’t think it’s too soon to talk about babies and all that stuff? We just said I love you to each other.”
“Elodie, you two have shared one of the deepest secrets and connections with each other. Once you two have gotten past that, there is nothing that is too soon. All I’ve ever wanted for you was to be happy and loved.” Her hands stopped moving in my hair. “I know you struggled when you were here to find what you were looking for, and I know me and your father didn’t make it easier.”
I shook my head. “No, Mommy. You and Daddy didn’t do anything. I was just?—”
She cut me off. “Young lady, did you forget that your father reads minds? Your mind has been talking since you got here. It’s alright, Elodie. We don’t have to go deep into it if that’s not what you want.” She tapped my shoulder, then pulled it back sothat my body would shift so we faced each other. “I want you to know that we love you more than life itself, and we’re sorry if we didn’t show it right all the time.
“We’ve missed out on your life because of things that we couldn’t say. I’m so proud of you, Elodie. I’m an old woman, and they say closer to the end of your life, you recognize the mistakes you made near the beginning. I don’t want to make any more mistakes when it comes to being your mother if I can help it.”
Tears freely flowed down her cheeks. My tears were a twin to hers.
“Mommy, I love you too. I’m sorry for staying away so long. I promise it won’t happen ever again.”
She leaned down and kissed my forehead. “You have nothing to be sorry for, child.”
We sat there and talked about Orion, the pack that he was a member of, and my promotion. That conversation included telling her about Sherrie’s stupid ass. After a while, Orion and my father came in. When he told me that he loved me in front of my parents, I was surprised, because for some reason, that action told me that this was real, and we were locked in, locked in. This was my forever. He was my forever.
Back to the Present…
I woke up early this morning to help my mother with breakfast. My mother reminded me of the chick on social media who made everything from scratch. We were up super early to make surethe dough rose in time. She loved making things with organic, unprocessed ingredients if possible.
One thing that I was surprised by when I arrived at my parents’ home was the chicken coop that was now in the back section of the backyard. She told me that when the egg prices skyrocketed and she had to pay almost twenty dollars for organic eggs to the person that she purchased them from, she bought some chickens instead.
Now, it was time for us all to sit down and eat. Orion always made me feel amazing in the morning with his sneaky hugs from behind. My mother gushed when he did it this morning. My father, of course, scoffed jokingly.
Orion was surprised by the breakfast menu. My father was used to it, but he was still appreciative. My mother and I made steak, bacon, sausage, fried chicken, eggs, hashbrown casserole, my mother’s infamous cinnamon rolls, and a platter of fruit.
“Wow, this is a spread. Thank you, Mrs. Summerville and Mrs. Leventis.”
I didn’t mean to. I swear I didn’t. The way my drink flew out of my mouth, thank God I had the foresight to turn my head. Everyone laughed at the table.
