dressed herself flashes in my mind and I have to get up. A few weeks
back, Bella decided to be a big girl and dress herself in a pink tutu, placed
over bright green tights and coordinated with an Elmo t-shirt and tap shoes. I
don’t want to give people any more ammunition than necessary to snicker about
our family.
Coffee is waiting for me in the kitchen. The
smell is intoxicating as it filters in steaming curls, lulling me forward. I
grab a mug before the girls race down the stairs. I have the girls eat cereal—their
choice—and make toasted bread with butter for myself.
Tess strolls into the kitchen by the time I finish
with my first mug and pour myself a second. She is dressed in a cream suit and
shock orange pumps, looking radiant as ever. She always says cultivating her
appearance is part of her job. Her makeup is flawless and her hair flows in a
light, shimmering cascade down her back. She could have been a model or an
actress—or so I’ve been told time and time again by the many men who’ve shared
her bed—but she is instead a successful real estate agent.
She catches the glint from the gold chain that
hangs possessively around my neck when I hand her a mug of coffee.
Taking a sip, Tess casually says, “What’s
that?”
“Huh? What are you talking about?” I totally
forgot about the necklace, yet I still manage to sound defensive.
Tess takes another sip of coffee and lifts a
single brow, eyeing the section below my neck and around my collarbone.
Registering the look, my face heats and my hand rises instinctively to cover
the knobby ring, trying unsuccessfully to hide it. “It’s nothing.”
“Nothing, huh? Let me see.”
“No.” I pull away from Tess’s teasing grip, but
the ring has already peeked over my v-neck shirt. The chain glimmers brightly
under the fluorescent lights.
I sulk while she examines the necklace and its
gaudy charm. I cannot believe how stupid I am to wear a v-neck. I’ve been so
good about hiding it over the past week and somehow it slipped my mind. I
forgot it was there.
Suppressing a smirk, Tess says, “Hmmm, isn’t
that something? A guy’s class ring? You never told me you and Mike were an
item.”
I shrug defensively. “You never asked. Besides,
I’m thinking about breaking up with him once the school year is over.”
“Really? And why would you do that? He’s a
doll.”
I frown and mumble, “Exactly.”
“Really, Loral. Sometimes, I wonder if you are
really my child. Having a boy fawn all over you is a good thing. Trust me.”
“You should know,” I retort. Tess goes through
men like candy.
“You know, when I first met Brett, it wasn’t
all fireworks right off the bat. It took work. But those first few
moments…those were the best.” Tess sighs as her eyes glaze, deep in reverie.
“Yup, got it. You don’t have to rehash how the
two of you hooked up. We know.” I motion toward the girls.
“Really Loral, sometimes you’re a little too
brash. Young love isn’t something to sneeze at, it’s something to cherish.
You’re only young once. Take advantage. Don’t settle, but by all means don’t
wait until one day you wake up and your skin just hangs and you have too many
gray hairs to know what to do with.”
Tess has a way of making every topic about her.
She starts retelling the story of how she and
Brett met and I drown her out. It isn’t the first time I’ve heard the story,
and it won’t be the last. It’s like she’s set on living in the past—as if the
present isn’t as glamorous as she had hoped—and ran out of time for a redo. At
times I wonder if the girls and I are just a crimp in her style.
There is no doubt in my mind that Tess
originally went to the Onyx Room, not for its vibrant and eclectic lounge
filled with strong colors, textures, and cool lighting, but for its alcohol.
Vodka tonics are Tess’s go-to drink and I’m sure she had her fair share before
meeting the love of her life.
I’ve never been to the Onyx
back, Bella decided to be a big girl and dress herself in a pink tutu, placed
over bright green tights and coordinated with an Elmo t-shirt and tap shoes. I
don’t want to give people any more ammunition than necessary to snicker about
our family.
Coffee is waiting for me in the kitchen. The
smell is intoxicating as it filters in steaming curls, lulling me forward. I
grab a mug before the girls race down the stairs. I have the girls eat cereal—their
choice—and make toasted bread with butter for myself.
Tess strolls into the kitchen by the time I finish
with my first mug and pour myself a second. She is dressed in a cream suit and
shock orange pumps, looking radiant as ever. She always says cultivating her
appearance is part of her job. Her makeup is flawless and her hair flows in a
light, shimmering cascade down her back. She could have been a model or an
actress—or so I’ve been told time and time again by the many men who’ve shared
her bed—but she is instead a successful real estate agent.
She catches the glint from the gold chain that
hangs possessively around my neck when I hand her a mug of coffee.
Taking a sip, Tess casually says, “What’s
that?”
“Huh? What are you talking about?” I totally
forgot about the necklace, yet I still manage to sound defensive.
Tess takes another sip of coffee and lifts a
single brow, eyeing the section below my neck and around my collarbone.
Registering the look, my face heats and my hand rises instinctively to cover
the knobby ring, trying unsuccessfully to hide it. “It’s nothing.”
“Nothing, huh? Let me see.”
“No.” I pull away from Tess’s teasing grip, but
the ring has already peeked over my v-neck shirt. The chain glimmers brightly
under the fluorescent lights.
I sulk while she examines the necklace and its
gaudy charm. I cannot believe how stupid I am to wear a v-neck. I’ve been so
good about hiding it over the past week and somehow it slipped my mind. I
forgot it was there.
Suppressing a smirk, Tess says, “Hmmm, isn’t
that something? A guy’s class ring? You never told me you and Mike were an
item.”
I shrug defensively. “You never asked. Besides,
I’m thinking about breaking up with him once the school year is over.”
“Really? And why would you do that? He’s a
doll.”
I frown and mumble, “Exactly.”
“Really, Loral. Sometimes, I wonder if you are
really my child. Having a boy fawn all over you is a good thing. Trust me.”
“You should know,” I retort. Tess goes through
men like candy.
“You know, when I first met Brett, it wasn’t
all fireworks right off the bat. It took work. But those first few
moments…those were the best.” Tess sighs as her eyes glaze, deep in reverie.
“Yup, got it. You don’t have to rehash how the
two of you hooked up. We know.” I motion toward the girls.
“Really Loral, sometimes you’re a little too
brash. Young love isn’t something to sneeze at, it’s something to cherish.
You’re only young once. Take advantage. Don’t settle, but by all means don’t
wait until one day you wake up and your skin just hangs and you have too many
gray hairs to know what to do with.”
Tess has a way of making every topic about her.
She starts retelling the story of how she and
Brett met and I drown her out. It isn’t the first time I’ve heard the story,
and it won’t be the last. It’s like she’s set on living in the past—as if the
present isn’t as glamorous as she had hoped—and ran out of time for a redo. At
times I wonder if the girls and I are just a crimp in her style.
There is no doubt in my mind that Tess
originally went to the Onyx Room, not for its vibrant and eclectic lounge
filled with strong colors, textures, and cool lighting, but for its alcohol.
Vodka tonics are Tess’s go-to drink and I’m sure she had her fair share before
meeting the love of her life.
I’ve never been to the Onyx
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