school.”
Mom opened a cooler. “Would you care for a soda?”
“Water would be fine. ”
Mom smiled. “Let me run in and get you a glass.”
Layla shook her head. “No, please don’t go to any trouble.”
Mom stepped into the house through the patio doors , and I let out a sigh. I leaned closer to whisper, “We should just go right now.”
“We can’t do that. She’d hate me forever.”
Mom came out with the glass of water. “Here you go. So Layla, tell me again how you and David met?”
Layla looked at me and smiled and then at my mom. “I met him a long time ago, actually, and then we ran into each other at the beach this week.”
“Ah, so you two hung out all week at the beach?” Mom looked at me for that question.
“Sorta.”
“If you don’t go to Chesnee, which high school do you attend?”
“I…I don’t attend anywhere. I’ve already graduated high school.”
“I see. I didn’t think you looked like a high school girl. Exactly how old are you, might I ask?”
“Mom!” I felt my ja w tighten. “That’s kind of rude.”
“Only to ask women of a certain age.” Mom smiled at La yla. “I’m pretty sure she isn’t over thirty.”
“I’m twenty-four.”
Dad gave me a thumbs-up and a wink before mom turned to look at him, and he turned his expression to a somber one.
“Twenty-four?” Mom swallowed.
“Is there an age limit on my friends now, Mom?”
“No, I’m just…What could she possibly have in common with a high school kid?”
“I’m not a kid, Mom. Today’s my birthday—I’m eighteen. I’m now a legal adult.”
Mom glared at me. “Being an adult is about more than a number.”
“Mom did you invite Layla here to insult us both or to celebrate my birthday?”
Dad stepped over to the table from the grill and placed a hand on Mom’s shoulder. “David’s right. This is a welcome home and a birthday party. We want to hear all about the beach and the band.” Dad looked at me and glanced over at Layla and gave me a look of approval. He was standing just behind Mom so she couldn’t see. Then he said to me, “Why don’t you show Layla the house while your mom and I talk?”
I stood and took Layla’s hand and helped her up. “Come on, Layla.”
I pulled her to the back door of the house and opened it for her and followed her inside, before pulling the door shut. Then I turned to face her. “I am so sorry for that. I thought she’d at least be a little subtle.”
Layla shook her head and smiled . “She’s just being a mom. Someday when I have a son…” She stopped at that, and her expression changed, and she looked away from me.
“What’s wrong?”
She wouldn’t turn back to face me, so I stepped around to look at her. She was holding back tears, swiping them from her eyes with her hand.
“What’s the matter?”
She shook her head and choked back a sob. “I’m just realizing… I know too much about us.”
“Too much?”
“I’m understanding the curse of it.”
“Curse, how can it be a curse? If you know about a problem already, you can do something about it. Fix it.”
She nodded and gave me a half-smile. “Maybe. I will be thinking about how or if I can.”
“You could tell me , and we could think about how to fix it together.”
Layla
I LOOKED INTO THOSE BLUE eyes glowing with the innocence of youth and grinned at him. His words were proof of his age and inexperience. He didn’t know what was ahead. He was eighteen with his whole future ahead of him. To him the future was paved in gold from the end of a rainbow. There was no way I would ever take that from him. I knew my job—it was to save everyone else.
I forced a smile as I lied . “Maybe I’ll tell you later, but not tonight.” I took his hand and looked him in the eye. “What I was going to say about your mom is, she wants the best for you. She’s older and lived longer and knows more. She’s just trying to guide you somewhere good. Somewhere safe.
Mom opened a cooler. “Would you care for a soda?”
“Water would be fine. ”
Mom smiled. “Let me run in and get you a glass.”
Layla shook her head. “No, please don’t go to any trouble.”
Mom stepped into the house through the patio doors , and I let out a sigh. I leaned closer to whisper, “We should just go right now.”
“We can’t do that. She’d hate me forever.”
Mom came out with the glass of water. “Here you go. So Layla, tell me again how you and David met?”
Layla looked at me and smiled and then at my mom. “I met him a long time ago, actually, and then we ran into each other at the beach this week.”
“Ah, so you two hung out all week at the beach?” Mom looked at me for that question.
“Sorta.”
“If you don’t go to Chesnee, which high school do you attend?”
“I…I don’t attend anywhere. I’ve already graduated high school.”
“I see. I didn’t think you looked like a high school girl. Exactly how old are you, might I ask?”
“Mom!” I felt my ja w tighten. “That’s kind of rude.”
“Only to ask women of a certain age.” Mom smiled at La yla. “I’m pretty sure she isn’t over thirty.”
“I’m twenty-four.”
Dad gave me a thumbs-up and a wink before mom turned to look at him, and he turned his expression to a somber one.
“Twenty-four?” Mom swallowed.
“Is there an age limit on my friends now, Mom?”
“No, I’m just…What could she possibly have in common with a high school kid?”
“I’m not a kid, Mom. Today’s my birthday—I’m eighteen. I’m now a legal adult.”
Mom glared at me. “Being an adult is about more than a number.”
“Mom did you invite Layla here to insult us both or to celebrate my birthday?”
Dad stepped over to the table from the grill and placed a hand on Mom’s shoulder. “David’s right. This is a welcome home and a birthday party. We want to hear all about the beach and the band.” Dad looked at me and glanced over at Layla and gave me a look of approval. He was standing just behind Mom so she couldn’t see. Then he said to me, “Why don’t you show Layla the house while your mom and I talk?”
I stood and took Layla’s hand and helped her up. “Come on, Layla.”
I pulled her to the back door of the house and opened it for her and followed her inside, before pulling the door shut. Then I turned to face her. “I am so sorry for that. I thought she’d at least be a little subtle.”
Layla shook her head and smiled . “She’s just being a mom. Someday when I have a son…” She stopped at that, and her expression changed, and she looked away from me.
“What’s wrong?”
She wouldn’t turn back to face me, so I stepped around to look at her. She was holding back tears, swiping them from her eyes with her hand.
“What’s the matter?”
She shook her head and choked back a sob. “I’m just realizing… I know too much about us.”
“Too much?”
“I’m understanding the curse of it.”
“Curse, how can it be a curse? If you know about a problem already, you can do something about it. Fix it.”
She nodded and gave me a half-smile. “Maybe. I will be thinking about how or if I can.”
“You could tell me , and we could think about how to fix it together.”
Layla
I LOOKED INTO THOSE BLUE eyes glowing with the innocence of youth and grinned at him. His words were proof of his age and inexperience. He didn’t know what was ahead. He was eighteen with his whole future ahead of him. To him the future was paved in gold from the end of a rainbow. There was no way I would ever take that from him. I knew my job—it was to save everyone else.
I forced a smile as I lied . “Maybe I’ll tell you later, but not tonight.” I took his hand and looked him in the eye. “What I was going to say about your mom is, she wants the best for you. She’s older and lived longer and knows more. She’s just trying to guide you somewhere good. Somewhere safe.
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