Page 39 of The Disasters of Dating
“So will I,” I grin.
I’m sure she is being facetious, but I’m not. If I didn’t think I’d look like a stalker or something, I would text her on my car ride to Lehi. But as I’m taking the non-creepy approach to my dating life right now, I will instead count down the minutes until it’s socially acceptable to text her tomorrow.
CHAPTER 13
POPPY
Hey Pisces, randomness is the way of it for you right now. But instead of grumbling about it like others will, embrace whatever fate sends your way. Seize the best from it. If you look at it right, you will breeze along with a smile on your face.
I liftthe wooden spoon to my lips as I belt out the lyrics to “Hold Me Now”by the Thompson Twins. I do a little dance around the dishwasher before putting the spoon in. Yeah, it’s a little gross to be putting a dirty spoon that close to my face. I won’t be doing that again. I sing along to the music in my ear as I finish loading the dishwasher and start it running.
“You seem to be in a good mood,” my mom says as she walks to the fridge and grabs a yogurt. She shuts the door and leans back against it as she peels off the aluminum top. Running her tongue over it, she licks off every fleck of yogurt and then flicks the top into the garbage can next to the counter. “What’s on your schedule today?”
I pull my earbud out and lean my hip against the counter, resting the ball of one foot on top of the other. “You want to have a movie night tonight? Or maybe go bowling? We haven’t done that in forever.”
A look passes over my mom’s face—it almost looks like guilt, but I can’t imagine what she has to feel guilty about. She shakes her head and smiles sadly. “Oh, Pops, I’d love to. But I can’t tonight. I totally forgot you had the night off work.”
She forgot? I’ve had Mondays off for over a year. How does one suddenly forget something like that?
“You have other plans?” I know it sounds slightly accusatory, but my mom hasn’t had ‘plans’ for years. Not since my dad died. She decided she needed to be home with us kids every night. When your mom is home every night for twelve years—except for book club, which started two years ago and is apparently multiple times a month now—you kind of get used to it, and it’s weird when she’s not there.
“Yeah, I decided that now that you kids are older and out of the house, I should start developing some hobbies and maybe doing some charitable work.”
I blink at her. Does she think that answered my question?
Her brows pull down. “I’m helping to plan a…a food drive with…” She pauses and looks to the ceiling like she’s trying to think of a name. Is she lying to me right now? Because that totally looks like a lie face. I never believed her when she told me I had one growing up, but now I’m starting to suspect she was right.
“Margo Conway.” She gives me a satisfied look.
“Margo Conway?” I ask. I haven’t heard that name in probably a decade. “I didn’t know you were still in contact with her. It’s been, like, forever since they moved.”
My mom nods. “It’s been twelve years, actually. She moved from the neighborhood just before your father died.” My mom swallows. “She sent a card after the funeral, but I wasn’t in a place then to act on it.”
I nod. Anyone who can’t understand that has never lost someone they love. “How did you reconnect?”
Her brow furrows. “What?”
“How did you guys reconnect?” Why is she acting so weird? It’s like she’s a teenager and was caught hanging out with the bad boy. Not Mrs. Conway. Unless Mrs. Conway has changed A LOT from what I remember of her. I guess it’s possible she’s become a bad girl…Never mind. I don’t want to go down that path.
“Oh,” my mom says, finally snapping out of whatever weirdness she is lost in. “We bumped into each other at…the…grocery store.”
I smile. “That’s fabulous. I know you guys were pretty close before they moved. I think it’s great that the universe has put you back in each other’s lives after all this time.”
My mom smiles, but it doesn’t quite reach her eyes. I’m sure she doesn’t think the universe had anything to do with it.
I give her a quick hug. It might have been to hide the tears forming in my eyes. They’re only there because I’m happy my mom is moving on with her life. “Then I won’t count on you for hanging out tonight.Does that mean we can on Thursday?” I’m proud that my voice sounds normal.
Her brow furrows again. “Isn’t that usually your night to hang out with Paisleigh?” If I didn’t know better, I’d think that she was trying to avoid hanging out with me. I’m starting to develop a complex.
I shake my head. “She is watching her niece. Her brother and sister-in-law are going on a babymoon before the baby comes.” Paisleigh thinks it’s kind of weird to go on a vacation when you’re that big and pregnant. But I think it’s a great idea. What better time to have both parents focus and align themselves to not only their new role as parents of two but also to have a special time with the baby before it comes into the world and gets bombarded with sensory overload. I plan to take babymoons with my husband when I get to that point in my life.
My mom grimaces. “I’m sorry, sweetie. I didn’t realize that was this week, and I’ve already made plans for Thursday night.”
I fold my arms across my chest. I know it closes me off and makes me seem more combative, but I’m kind of feeling a little combative right now. She’s dogging me twice this week? And she did last week also. What is going on? Is Mercury in retrograde again? Mercury and I are obviously not friends. “Okay, well, I’ve been wanting to clean out my closet.” I sigh with disinterest. “I guess there’s no time like the present.”
My mom’s shoulders drop. “Oh, Soda. I’m sorry.” She frowns and then shakes her head. “I’ll cancel my plans. I’m sure Margo can work on it without me this time.”
My phone vibrates, and I grab it from my back pocket. Maybe it’s one of my cousins asking to do something—a rather unlikely scenario in light of the fact that Lucy, Dani, Sadie, and Chloe are all in relationships. (Rude) And I’m not seeing Avery and me hanging out together. I love her, don’t get me wrong. But we don’t have a ‘hanging out’ kind of relationship.
