To All The Mothers: A Gift
Hey everyone! In honor of Mother's Day, my little present to you: a 500 word flash fiction I entered once in a contest. My first, and last, attempt at mastering the Chick-lit voice. It didn't win. But it may give you a chuckle while you make your plans for your own mom, or prepare yourself for whatever adventure your kids have planned for you. Have a great weekend.
The Scariest Mother's Day Present Ever
Even before I had my little bundles of joy, I dreamed about Mother’s Day. Homemade cards with torn construction paper hearts, and burnt toast and weak coffee served to me in bed. That had happened, more than once. But this year, my teenagers got me the most unusual present I’d ever had.
A date.
My friend Karen applauded. “Mike’s been gone for two years, Angie. Men have been interested in you. Get out there and have a life.”
“I do have a life. I have the bills to prove it.”
Karen snorted as she helped herself to my coffee pot. “Bills from the grocery store don’t count. When was the last time you spent money on just you?”
“Two days ago. I spent two hundred dollars on myself in thirty minutes.”
“That was for your root canal.”
I glared at her. “You’re making me feel better about serving you decaf.”
“Come on, Angie. You were a tower of strength for the kids after Mike died, but you’ve done your job. It’s okay to think about yourself now.”
“You don’t understand. It’s one thing to date when you’re young. With Mike I was twenty and tight and my hormones were working for me. Now I’m fat, forty, and the only places I don’t have stretch marks are my nostrils and my earlobes.”
“For heaven’s sake, it’s Scott Adams, not George Clooney. You’ve known him since the second grade. In fact, you beat him up in second grade, didn’t you?”
“Weekly. He never knew it was because I liked him.”
Karen’s eyes became serious. “You still do, don’t you? I know the kids do. That’s why they picked him for you.”
Here was the question I’d run from ever since my little darlings informed me I was meeting Scott for dinner at seven. I’d looked into those eyes, waiting for me to gush over their surprise. And although they were sixteen, not six, I didn’t have the heart to refuse them.
And so, tonight I was going on a date, and I was scared out of my mind. It wasn’t dating I was afraid of. I wasn’t pining for Mike, though I’d loved him tremendously. No, it was something else.
I was a mature woman, and I'd made a good life for my family. But a nervous little voice inside me kept asking, “What if he doesn’t like me?”
Apparently, mentally I was still in the second grade.
I looked at my friend. “You understand, don’t you, Karen?”
She just smiled at me.
“Okay, you’re right. I can do this. It’s just dinner.” I grabbed my purse, ready to shop for a new dress. “With a guy I used to beat up every week.”
The Scariest Mother's Day Present Ever
Even before I had my little bundles of joy, I dreamed about Mother’s Day. Homemade cards with torn construction paper hearts, and burnt toast and weak coffee served to me in bed. That had happened, more than once. But this year, my teenagers got me the most unusual present I’d ever had.
A date.
My friend Karen applauded. “Mike’s been gone for two years, Angie. Men have been interested in you. Get out there and have a life.”
“I do have a life. I have the bills to prove it.”
Karen snorted as she helped herself to my coffee pot. “Bills from the grocery store don’t count. When was the last time you spent money on just you?”
“Two days ago. I spent two hundred dollars on myself in thirty minutes.”
“That was for your root canal.”
I glared at her. “You’re making me feel better about serving you decaf.”
“Come on, Angie. You were a tower of strength for the kids after Mike died, but you’ve done your job. It’s okay to think about yourself now.”
“You don’t understand. It’s one thing to date when you’re young. With Mike I was twenty and tight and my hormones were working for me. Now I’m fat, forty, and the only places I don’t have stretch marks are my nostrils and my earlobes.”
“For heaven’s sake, it’s Scott Adams, not George Clooney. You’ve known him since the second grade. In fact, you beat him up in second grade, didn’t you?”
“Weekly. He never knew it was because I liked him.”
Karen’s eyes became serious. “You still do, don’t you? I know the kids do. That’s why they picked him for you.”
Here was the question I’d run from ever since my little darlings informed me I was meeting Scott for dinner at seven. I’d looked into those eyes, waiting for me to gush over their surprise. And although they were sixteen, not six, I didn’t have the heart to refuse them.
And so, tonight I was going on a date, and I was scared out of my mind. It wasn’t dating I was afraid of. I wasn’t pining for Mike, though I’d loved him tremendously. No, it was something else.
I was a mature woman, and I'd made a good life for my family. But a nervous little voice inside me kept asking, “What if he doesn’t like me?”
Apparently, mentally I was still in the second grade.
I looked at my friend. “You understand, don’t you, Karen?”
She just smiled at me.
“Okay, you’re right. I can do this. It’s just dinner.” I grabbed my purse, ready to shop for a new dress. “With a guy I used to beat up every week.”
posted by Robyn | 6:34 AM
8 Comments:
I think it's sweet.
Makes me feel good about the world.
Thank you. I liked it too, even if I wrote it.;)
It is nice, I liked it. It's only flaw is that it's too short. Make it a short story, not a flash fiction, I wanna read more!
:-)
I agree with QC, I want to know if they hit it off or if she just hits him.
Isn't Robyn so talented, y'all? When she gets published and famous and can fill the swimming pool with champagne, we can say we knew her when she was just a blogging peon. ;) Of course, she will be flying us to come swim with her in the champagne, so maybe we'll say something nicer...
But am I the only mom out there for whom the idea of going back out into the dating pool makes me want to take a baseball bat to my own head? I told my hub nothing better ever happen to him, not just because I love him and would miss him and so would the kids and yada yada yada, but if he makes me ever face the world of dating again? I would come find him in the afterlife and beat the snot out of him. It's because of my way with words that he loves me so much. ;)
Robyn: So? What happened? Do they end up together, or is the twist that Scott just got out of jail for laundering money? :)
In all seriousness, it's a good story, and I only wish it were longer.
Geez, you guys are good for my ego. I'll think about it.
And megan, money laundering? You're my kind of girl...
I like the writing voice. I'd read on! :)
Yeah! Yeah!
More!
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