too, and shrugged.
"He knows the score, honey. He knew when we got married."
"And that makes it all right? I..." She'd never actually told her mother how she felt about everything, but for some reason it was like she just couldn't keep her mouth shut anymore. "Mike should leave you. It would make his life better, in the long run." She wanted to wince, knowing that the words would almost certainly start a giant battle.
For once her mother surprised her, just looking at her coldly and eating a single buttery round. After she swallowed, she nodded gently.
"I know. I think he's just waiting for you to leave home, so he won't be abandoning you with me. That's sad, isn't it? He really loves you though. Not me." She ate another cracker, before going on. "Um, so... are you two sleeping together?"
The very first thing that she thought of to do was deny it. With a lot of vigor, possibly yelling about it, or at least whispering darkly, so that Mike wouldn't have to hear about it. After the initial shock and feeling her face start to tingle as the blood rushed away, she just shook her head.
"No. That's a weird question. Why would you even think that?" It really was, and Becky didn't have a clue as to what was going on in the woman's mind.
"Oh... It's just that he's sticking around, for you . I was just thinking that might explain it. Not that you aren't great, but if it isn't that, then why would he bother? You aren't his kid."
"I don't know either. Maybe... Really I don't know. But he's never even said anything to me like that, or suggested anything about, you know, at all."
"Oh. Well, damn. That probably means he's just a better person than I am." There was a pause, and the slow munching of food for a while. Finally Maggie broke the silence again. "So, I noticed that you weren't here this weekend? What are you getting up to these days?"
That was nearly as shocking as being asked if she was sleeping with her step-dad. Her mother had actually noticed that she wasn't around? It was something to write on a calendar as a red-letter day, wasn't it? Instead of being a pain about it, Becky just shrugged.
"I went over to Keeley's house. Worked out with Darla Gibson, and totally failed at getting the boy I liked to notice me. Then I ended up having dinner at La Circe last night with the Chief of Police and his wife. They're nice people." It sounded like she was joking, almost and it was clear that her mother was taking it that way, at first.
"La Circe? How did you pay for that? Did you blow the guy or something?" The casual way she said it sounded off. Not just because she was talking to her own kid, either. There was more to it, somehow. Something that resonated in the simple words.
" Darla paid for all of us. Her grandmother owns Cortechs. Before you ask, Chief Benson is my friend Eve's dad, and I was just there at church when he and Karen, his wife, asked everyone if they wanted to go out for dinner. That was all." She fixed her mother with a half glare, ready to turn up the heat on it, if she asked if she was sleeping with Darla.
The woman just blinked for a bit.
"Wait... You're serious? You went to dinner with Roy and Karen? I..." Then she nodded, her face set. "You... might want to avoid them. The Bensons. I mean, socially. They're swingers, and you're good enough looking that it will have occurred to them that you might be down for a good time."
"What? They're swingers ?" Becky had a rough idea what that was, wife swapping and group sex parties, that kind of thing. The police Chief and his wife though? Poor Eve. That...
"I know, it seems unlikely, but we've been at the same parties, more than a few times. They're well known in the scene around here. So, you should be a bit careful there. They're good people, but... Not the ones I'd want watching my girl at a sleep over." Then she grinned, a bit wickedly, her hooded eyes seeming heavy and tired. "Unless you're in to that sort of thing?"
That got her to make a face at her
"He knows the score, honey. He knew when we got married."
"And that makes it all right? I..." She'd never actually told her mother how she felt about everything, but for some reason it was like she just couldn't keep her mouth shut anymore. "Mike should leave you. It would make his life better, in the long run." She wanted to wince, knowing that the words would almost certainly start a giant battle.
For once her mother surprised her, just looking at her coldly and eating a single buttery round. After she swallowed, she nodded gently.
"I know. I think he's just waiting for you to leave home, so he won't be abandoning you with me. That's sad, isn't it? He really loves you though. Not me." She ate another cracker, before going on. "Um, so... are you two sleeping together?"
The very first thing that she thought of to do was deny it. With a lot of vigor, possibly yelling about it, or at least whispering darkly, so that Mike wouldn't have to hear about it. After the initial shock and feeling her face start to tingle as the blood rushed away, she just shook her head.
"No. That's a weird question. Why would you even think that?" It really was, and Becky didn't have a clue as to what was going on in the woman's mind.
"Oh... It's just that he's sticking around, for you . I was just thinking that might explain it. Not that you aren't great, but if it isn't that, then why would he bother? You aren't his kid."
"I don't know either. Maybe... Really I don't know. But he's never even said anything to me like that, or suggested anything about, you know, at all."
"Oh. Well, damn. That probably means he's just a better person than I am." There was a pause, and the slow munching of food for a while. Finally Maggie broke the silence again. "So, I noticed that you weren't here this weekend? What are you getting up to these days?"
That was nearly as shocking as being asked if she was sleeping with her step-dad. Her mother had actually noticed that she wasn't around? It was something to write on a calendar as a red-letter day, wasn't it? Instead of being a pain about it, Becky just shrugged.
"I went over to Keeley's house. Worked out with Darla Gibson, and totally failed at getting the boy I liked to notice me. Then I ended up having dinner at La Circe last night with the Chief of Police and his wife. They're nice people." It sounded like she was joking, almost and it was clear that her mother was taking it that way, at first.
"La Circe? How did you pay for that? Did you blow the guy or something?" The casual way she said it sounded off. Not just because she was talking to her own kid, either. There was more to it, somehow. Something that resonated in the simple words.
" Darla paid for all of us. Her grandmother owns Cortechs. Before you ask, Chief Benson is my friend Eve's dad, and I was just there at church when he and Karen, his wife, asked everyone if they wanted to go out for dinner. That was all." She fixed her mother with a half glare, ready to turn up the heat on it, if she asked if she was sleeping with Darla.
The woman just blinked for a bit.
"Wait... You're serious? You went to dinner with Roy and Karen? I..." Then she nodded, her face set. "You... might want to avoid them. The Bensons. I mean, socially. They're swingers, and you're good enough looking that it will have occurred to them that you might be down for a good time."
"What? They're swingers ?" Becky had a rough idea what that was, wife swapping and group sex parties, that kind of thing. The police Chief and his wife though? Poor Eve. That...
"I know, it seems unlikely, but we've been at the same parties, more than a few times. They're well known in the scene around here. So, you should be a bit careful there. They're good people, but... Not the ones I'd want watching my girl at a sleep over." Then she grinned, a bit wickedly, her hooded eyes seeming heavy and tired. "Unless you're in to that sort of thing?"
That got her to make a face at her
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