Mom walks out of the kitchen and notices me. Our last conversation was strained, but she manages a smile to welcome me.
“Come join me in the kitchen.” She motions for me to follow, which I do. Inside the kitchen, the burner is on and boiling something. The aroma is even stronger, but all I can think about is the fact that it’s been months since I saw her, nearly a year, and she hasn’t offered to embrace me.
I reach my arms out and move close to her, wrapping my arms around her like a little girl. Inside my embrace, I feel her relax, then let out a breath before she kisses me on the forehead and caresses my cheek with the back of her hand.
“Alexa,” she whispers. “You’re grown so much.”
“And you’ve not aged one bit.”
Mom laughs. “Eric thinks I should take the plunge and do Botox. He took a photo of my face and drew lines where he thought I needed it. Then, Kate got annoyed and took an all-body shot of him and pointed out where he needed Lipo.”
“Lipo? Eric? His body is toned to perfection.”
“It is, but she just wanted to make him paranoid and prove a point.”
“And?”
Mom cringes. “It didn’t end well. Eric cried and said he thought he had a thigh problem and had been in denial for years. It was so dramatic that we spent the rest of the day convincing him he had absolutely no thigh problem. It was a joke, or perhaps a lesson, which backfired.”
“Poor you and Kate.”
“So, I let him book in my Botox because I felt sorry for him.”
“Mom,” I shout with a grin. “You don’t need it.”
“I know, so when the appointment comes round, Adriana said she’ll go.”
“Thank God,” I say with relief. “Although, Aunt Adriana doesn’t need it either.”
Mom opens the oven and pulls out the lasagna, as I suspected. The cheese on the top is bubbling to perfection, making my stomach grumble from how mouthwatering it looks.
As she places it down on the countertop, she removes her oven mitts and then focuses back on me.
“Your father is not here,” she begins with, then continues. “So, I’m going to ask between us girls, how you are?”
I force a smile, then realize Mom’s not the one I’m angry at even though our last conversation didn’t end well. “I’m trying to adjust. It’s fun staying with April.”
“And what about money?”
“Mom,” I say, lowering my voice. “I’ll make do.”
“Alexa, I’m a mother. My job is to worry about my kids even though they may not be kids anymore.”
My head shakes in disagreement. “You shouldn’t worry, Mom. Be proud that you raised women who can make it on their own.”
Mom stills her movements, but her eyes continue to watch me. “I’m here to talk about anything.”
“I know Mo—” The engine of my father’s car interrupts as it pulls into the driveway and parks out back. I bow my head, close my eyes, and take a deep breath.It’s just dinner … two hours at best. I can do this.
The back door opens, and Dad walks in dressed in his usual suit. His eyes instantly gaze upon me, but he’s quick to distract himself by placing his keys and phone down on the bench before he kisses Mom hello.
“Alexa, it’s nice for you to join us.”
“Thank you, Dad.”
The conversation comes to a crashing halt until Dad excuses himself to freshen up before dinner. Before Mom can get a word in, another car pulls up. The loud music blaring a trending song is enough for me to know it’s Ava.
Minutes later, Ava walks in looking extra nice in a camel-colored maxi dress which she paired with matching wedges. Her hair is French braided, something I’m jealous of since Ava can braid her own hair, but I never could, no matter how much I tried.