dinner," I explain.
"Why are you going to New York?"
"I got a call from the Center for Global Research and Education regarding my procedure. They want me to present it to the Board."
"Matthew, that's huge, son. I'm so proud of you. Of course we’ll meet you, even if it's just for dinner and a show. When are you going?" he asks with excitement clear in his voice.
"In three weeks. I’ll have Krista email you the information," I say. "How's Mom doing? You two slowing down at all?"
"Oh, hell no. Your mother would take every single child as a patient if there were enough hours in the day. You know how she has a soft spot for her babies," he chuckles, speaking affectionately of my mother.
"You two are coming for the Ball again this year, right? It's on the fifteenth. I really would like you to come this year in particular." I pause and say, "There's someone I want you to meet."
"Are you serious? You've met someone?" He sounds nearly as excited as I know my mother will be. "LILLIAN," he yells into the phone. "Matthew … he's met someone."
I laugh when I hear my mother's heals click on the tiles as she runs to the phone.
"Matthew?" Mom says, stealing the phone from Dad.
"Hi, Mom. Don't get excited, but yes. It's new, so don't be picking out china patterns or anything," I laugh.
"But you are bringing her to the Ball?"
"Yep. I asked her yesterday morning and she said yes."
"Yesterday morning?" she giggles at my dad, whispering that I spent the night with her.
"No, Mom. Now stop this," I laugh in between her conversation with dad and me. "We met for coffee. We have daily coffee dates."
"Oh. Well, we are excited to meet her. Here's your father. Love you."
"Love you too, Mom," I say back.
"I guess I shouldn't have said anything. Sorry, Matthew. I just know how she wants grandchildren," he laughs.
"DAD! Okay, that's it. I'm not telling you anything else about her," I say, laughing, and I’m shocked at his mention of grandchildren. "Besides, you have Maddie for the baby department."
"WHAT? Maddie’s pregnant?" I hear him yell. Then I hear my mother’s heels on the tiles again and a struggle as she tries to grab his phone.
“Give me that phone, Leland!”
"Lillian, now stop that." I hear him yell at her affectionately.
'Maddie, are you pregnant?' I hear my mother shouting in the background on her own cell phone.
My phone indicates an incoming call … it's Maddie. I ignore it.
"Dad, I'm going to go. I'll see you in a few weeks. Tell mom that Jessie’s coming too. I know he misses her. I'll let you know when I'll be there. Love you."
"Love you too, son," he says before he hangs up. My phone is still ringing, and it's still Maddie.
Since I won’t answer her call, she decides to text. I can't help the moan that escapes me.
What the hell Matthew ~ Maddie
Well, you should have taken the pill, Maddie ~ Matthew
I am going to call Joy to tell her about the time you got caught in the locker room ~ Maddie
DON'T YOU DARE~ Matthew
I am and I'm calling her right now. ~ Maddie
Shit. I dial her number.
"Yes, Matthew?" My sister responds in her fake sweetie voice she gives only to me.
"Don't you call her, Maddie. I mean it. We aren't exactly 'solid', if you know what I mean," I say, recalling my pissing match with Brian. "And now she has this guy at work after her, too."
"Oh, really? She likes you, Brother, so you don't have anything to worry about."
"I know, but until she knows how I feel about her, I don't need any outside interference," I counter.
"She already knows," Maddie announces. "She heard you say 'she's mine'."
"And how do you know that, Nosetta?" I laugh, totally embarrassed that Joy would have heard me say that.
"Well, we have a grapevine now, you know. You see, Joy told Laura, she told Brian, who then told me, and now I'm telling you," she giggles. "Nothing is sacred anymore." I think I’m totally humiliated that she overheard that discussion.
"Perfect," I exhale into the phone.
"So, what did
"Why are you going to New York?"
"I got a call from the Center for Global Research and Education regarding my procedure. They want me to present it to the Board."
"Matthew, that's huge, son. I'm so proud of you. Of course we’ll meet you, even if it's just for dinner and a show. When are you going?" he asks with excitement clear in his voice.
"In three weeks. I’ll have Krista email you the information," I say. "How's Mom doing? You two slowing down at all?"
"Oh, hell no. Your mother would take every single child as a patient if there were enough hours in the day. You know how she has a soft spot for her babies," he chuckles, speaking affectionately of my mother.
"You two are coming for the Ball again this year, right? It's on the fifteenth. I really would like you to come this year in particular." I pause and say, "There's someone I want you to meet."
"Are you serious? You've met someone?" He sounds nearly as excited as I know my mother will be. "LILLIAN," he yells into the phone. "Matthew … he's met someone."
I laugh when I hear my mother's heals click on the tiles as she runs to the phone.
"Matthew?" Mom says, stealing the phone from Dad.
"Hi, Mom. Don't get excited, but yes. It's new, so don't be picking out china patterns or anything," I laugh.
"But you are bringing her to the Ball?"
"Yep. I asked her yesterday morning and she said yes."
"Yesterday morning?" she giggles at my dad, whispering that I spent the night with her.
"No, Mom. Now stop this," I laugh in between her conversation with dad and me. "We met for coffee. We have daily coffee dates."
"Oh. Well, we are excited to meet her. Here's your father. Love you."
"Love you too, Mom," I say back.
"I guess I shouldn't have said anything. Sorry, Matthew. I just know how she wants grandchildren," he laughs.
"DAD! Okay, that's it. I'm not telling you anything else about her," I say, laughing, and I’m shocked at his mention of grandchildren. "Besides, you have Maddie for the baby department."
"WHAT? Maddie’s pregnant?" I hear him yell. Then I hear my mother’s heels on the tiles again and a struggle as she tries to grab his phone.
“Give me that phone, Leland!”
"Lillian, now stop that." I hear him yell at her affectionately.
'Maddie, are you pregnant?' I hear my mother shouting in the background on her own cell phone.
My phone indicates an incoming call … it's Maddie. I ignore it.
"Dad, I'm going to go. I'll see you in a few weeks. Tell mom that Jessie’s coming too. I know he misses her. I'll let you know when I'll be there. Love you."
"Love you too, son," he says before he hangs up. My phone is still ringing, and it's still Maddie.
Since I won’t answer her call, she decides to text. I can't help the moan that escapes me.
What the hell Matthew ~ Maddie
Well, you should have taken the pill, Maddie ~ Matthew
I am going to call Joy to tell her about the time you got caught in the locker room ~ Maddie
DON'T YOU DARE~ Matthew
I am and I'm calling her right now. ~ Maddie
Shit. I dial her number.
"Yes, Matthew?" My sister responds in her fake sweetie voice she gives only to me.
"Don't you call her, Maddie. I mean it. We aren't exactly 'solid', if you know what I mean," I say, recalling my pissing match with Brian. "And now she has this guy at work after her, too."
"Oh, really? She likes you, Brother, so you don't have anything to worry about."
"I know, but until she knows how I feel about her, I don't need any outside interference," I counter.
"She already knows," Maddie announces. "She heard you say 'she's mine'."
"And how do you know that, Nosetta?" I laugh, totally embarrassed that Joy would have heard me say that.
"Well, we have a grapevine now, you know. You see, Joy told Laura, she told Brian, who then told me, and now I'm telling you," she giggles. "Nothing is sacred anymore." I think I’m totally humiliated that she overheard that discussion.
"Perfect," I exhale into the phone.
"So, what did
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