“She’s still nursing her broken heart,” Oliver explained as he slid his chair over to make room for Sara at the table.
“Sorry, I know it’s rough getting over someone,” Sara said as she sat down.
“It’s not that.” I sighed. “I think Amelia might have been right about me.”
“Jess, you’re amazing, and you deserve to be happy. None of what she said about you was true,” Sara said.
“Except it was true,” I pressed. “I am a phony. I never do anything without considering how it will affect my image.”
“That’s just part of the job. We all do it.” Oliver shrugged and popped a bite of scrambled eggs into his mouth. I got the feeling he didn’t understand. Sometimes people in the business lost sight of what normal life was.
“I get what you’re saying,” Sara broke in. “You want to be your authentic self, and you don’t know how to balance that with your work life.”
“Yes!” I practically leapt up. “How are you always better at describing my thoughts than I am?”
Sara laughed. “I’ve known you too long. Trust me, knowing what’s on your mind is a curse more than a blessing.”
Oliver snorted a laugh into his orange juice, nearly choking on it.
“Actually, I wanted to ask you something. I was wondering if you’d like to be my date for the first screening of Real Love at IndieFest this weekend.” I picked at my napkin. “I mean, I made the movie for you. Only seems right that I invite you to the premiere.”
“Are you asking me on a date?” Sara stifled a giggle. “Sorry, but how many times do I have to tell you you’re not my type?”
“Fuck off.” I reached over the table to punch her in the arm, knocking over a jar of table syrup, which Oliver caught just in time before it spilled all over the table.
“Jesus, you two.” He shook his head.
The moment of chaos was suddenly interrupted by my ringing phone. I checked the caller ID. My mom. Anxiety rolled through my gut.
I hadn’t spoken to her since Amelia had cussed her out. In all honesty, it’d been a huge relief to have a few months free from her guilt and criticism. She’d even stopped bothering me for money, though I still covered her household bills. I looked at the number on my phone again. Even if my parents were shitty sometimes, they were the only parents I’d ever have.
“Sorry, I have to take this,” I said, standing from the table.
Outside the cafe, I answered the phone, bracing myself for the conversation to go in a direction I wouldn’t like. There was a long silence after my initial hello and then my mom finally spoke.
“I’ve been doing some thinking.” Another long silence. “About what you said the last time I was at your house.”
“Yeah?” I rubbed the back of my neck, still unsure of where this conversation would go.
“I want to apologize.” Her voice softened, but it sounded like she was struggling with each word. “I understand I’ve gotten a bit… ambitious with your career in the past, and perhaps I haven’t respected your boundaries as much as I should have. You’re an adult now and I should treat you that way.”
That’s only what I’ve been saying for the past five years, I thought, but instead said, “I appreciate that you finally realize that.”
A small part of me wondered if she was just saying what I wanted to hear, but I knew what a struggle it was for my mom to apologize. There was no way she’d bring herself to do it unless she truly believed she was in the wrong.
As if she hadn’t shocked me enough, she went on, “I would be deeply honored if you’d allow me to attend the premiere of Real Love. I know this is important to you and I want to be there to support you.”
“I—wow, umm, yes. I’d love if you could make it.”
“Jessica?”
“Yeah?”
“I love you.” She said it so quickly it caught me off guard. “Even when I’m not being the mother you wish I was, I still love you.”
“Love you too, Mom.”
I said goodbye, feeling more content than I had in months. I’d been working through years of counseling to try to get to that conversation from my mom. To think, all it actually took was Amelia calling her a bitch.