Post by Crystal on May 27, 2008 11:26:39 GMT -5
((Morning after 'the kiss'))
Rosalyn stood in the doorway to her parents’ room, watching her mother sit at the dresser and brush her hair. She loved seeing her mom up and doing normal things as if she was not sick. The new medications the doctors were prescribing were making her so tired sometimes that she was too weak to get out of bed. They were helping, but had their effects. Days like this, where her mother was able to be herself and have some energy were only happening a few days a week. Those were the days Rosalyn looked forward to the most. And on this day specifically, she knew the only person she could go to for advice was standing in front of her. After moistening her lips, she cleared her throat. “Mom?”
Sophia looked at herself in the mirror for a moment before turning her head towards the door. A smile spread across her face. “Rosalyn.” She motioned for her daughter to come in. “Don’t you need to be getting to school?”
“I’m going to leave soon. I—“
“Did you have breakfast? It’s very important to have breakfast.”
“I know, Mom. I had some cereal.”
“Good.’ She rubbed her back softly and went back to brushing her hair.
Rosalyn watched her, remembering when she was a younger and she would watch her mother getting ready for a dinner with her dad when he had returned from military duty. She sat on the edge of the bed and waited to see if she would say anything else before speaking. “Mom? Can I ask you a question?”
“Of course. It’s not about homework is it?”
She smiled slightly. “No. It’s…well, it’s about life. Boys, I guess.”
Sophia put the brush down and turned around in her chair. She had never expected her only daughter to come to her about advice on the male gender. She had thought about it while she was pregnant—the many mother-daughter talks that might occur. But Rosalyn was a daddy’s girl from the start, preferring to play in the backyard with her dad than having conversations about dating. “Boys?”
“Well, maybe not boys in particular. Feelings. Have you ever been around a guy and your stomach does little flips? Not like you’re going to hurl or anything, but a good flip. It doesn’t mean anything, right?”
Her mother smiled. “Well, in my experience, that usually means you care a great deal about the boy. You get nervous, start hoping everything is going okay, that your hair isn’t messed up. You get butterflies in your stomach when you’re around him.”
“Well, I don’t know if I get nervous around him and he’s seen me with my hair messed up plenty of times.”
Sophia watched her for a moment and smiled. “Have you always worn your hair like this? Half of it up?”
She blushed a little, embarrassed that it had been noticed. She immediately reached back and pulled the ponytail holder out of her hair. “It’s nothing.”
“This boy is in one of your classes at school?”
“Yeah, but he’s seeing someone else.” She thought for a moment before deciding to go on. “Mom, if a boy kisses you, does that really mean he likes you? Or do you think it could have been a mistake or an accident?”
“He kissed you?”
“Well, kind of. Okay, not kind of. I don’t know if you can ‘kind of’ kiss someone. I mean, it’s not like it was planned. It was very-“ she stopped when she felt her mother’s hand cover her own.
“Rosalyn, a boy cannot accidentally kiss you. Falling down can be an accident. He’s seeing someone else?”
“Yeah, but he still kissed me. And this other girl, she’s wrong for him. Whether he had kissed me or not, she would still be wrong for him. She’s an Untouchable and that—"
“I’m sorry, she’s a what?”
“An Untouchable. Popular. She’s a cheerleader and that means the only person she cares about is herself. And she doesn’t even like him hanging out with us! She’s a snob.”
“You shouldn’t judge people you don’t know, Rosalyn. She might be very nice.” Sophia watched her daughter’s reaction to that, the look of disgust, and smiled. “You’re jealous of her.”
“I’m not jealous.”
Sophia smiled and stood up. She took Rosalyn’s arm and ushered her into the seat in front of the dresser. Picking up the brush, she began softly brushing Rosalyn’s hair, pulling it back behind her ears.
“How do I act around him now at school? I don’t want to mention it because he said it shouldn’t have happened. Should I just act like it didn’t happen?”
“If you think that is the easiest option. Maybe you can wait and see if he says anything about it to you.”
“Maybe,” she sighed. “I just don’t know if I should act like I normally do or what.”
She pulled Rosalyn’s hair back into a ponytail and kissed the top of her head. Grabbing her shoulders gently, she leaned her head down next to her daughter’s and smiled into the mirror at her. “You act just like you always do. Act like yourself and everyone will love you. He obviously likes you just the way you are.”
Rosalyn looked at herself in the mirror. Just the way she was. Act like she always did. That was easier said than done. The kiss happened, and although she might not admit it, she wasn’t ready to forget it happened. She already had a feeling this was going to be an awkward day.
Rosalyn stood in the doorway to her parents’ room, watching her mother sit at the dresser and brush her hair. She loved seeing her mom up and doing normal things as if she was not sick. The new medications the doctors were prescribing were making her so tired sometimes that she was too weak to get out of bed. They were helping, but had their effects. Days like this, where her mother was able to be herself and have some energy were only happening a few days a week. Those were the days Rosalyn looked forward to the most. And on this day specifically, she knew the only person she could go to for advice was standing in front of her. After moistening her lips, she cleared her throat. “Mom?”
Sophia looked at herself in the mirror for a moment before turning her head towards the door. A smile spread across her face. “Rosalyn.” She motioned for her daughter to come in. “Don’t you need to be getting to school?”
“I’m going to leave soon. I—“
“Did you have breakfast? It’s very important to have breakfast.”
“I know, Mom. I had some cereal.”
“Good.’ She rubbed her back softly and went back to brushing her hair.
Rosalyn watched her, remembering when she was a younger and she would watch her mother getting ready for a dinner with her dad when he had returned from military duty. She sat on the edge of the bed and waited to see if she would say anything else before speaking. “Mom? Can I ask you a question?”
“Of course. It’s not about homework is it?”
She smiled slightly. “No. It’s…well, it’s about life. Boys, I guess.”
Sophia put the brush down and turned around in her chair. She had never expected her only daughter to come to her about advice on the male gender. She had thought about it while she was pregnant—the many mother-daughter talks that might occur. But Rosalyn was a daddy’s girl from the start, preferring to play in the backyard with her dad than having conversations about dating. “Boys?”
“Well, maybe not boys in particular. Feelings. Have you ever been around a guy and your stomach does little flips? Not like you’re going to hurl or anything, but a good flip. It doesn’t mean anything, right?”
Her mother smiled. “Well, in my experience, that usually means you care a great deal about the boy. You get nervous, start hoping everything is going okay, that your hair isn’t messed up. You get butterflies in your stomach when you’re around him.”
“Well, I don’t know if I get nervous around him and he’s seen me with my hair messed up plenty of times.”
Sophia watched her for a moment and smiled. “Have you always worn your hair like this? Half of it up?”
She blushed a little, embarrassed that it had been noticed. She immediately reached back and pulled the ponytail holder out of her hair. “It’s nothing.”
“This boy is in one of your classes at school?”
“Yeah, but he’s seeing someone else.” She thought for a moment before deciding to go on. “Mom, if a boy kisses you, does that really mean he likes you? Or do you think it could have been a mistake or an accident?”
“He kissed you?”
“Well, kind of. Okay, not kind of. I don’t know if you can ‘kind of’ kiss someone. I mean, it’s not like it was planned. It was very-“ she stopped when she felt her mother’s hand cover her own.
“Rosalyn, a boy cannot accidentally kiss you. Falling down can be an accident. He’s seeing someone else?”
“Yeah, but he still kissed me. And this other girl, she’s wrong for him. Whether he had kissed me or not, she would still be wrong for him. She’s an Untouchable and that—"
“I’m sorry, she’s a what?”
“An Untouchable. Popular. She’s a cheerleader and that means the only person she cares about is herself. And she doesn’t even like him hanging out with us! She’s a snob.”
“You shouldn’t judge people you don’t know, Rosalyn. She might be very nice.” Sophia watched her daughter’s reaction to that, the look of disgust, and smiled. “You’re jealous of her.”
“I’m not jealous.”
Sophia smiled and stood up. She took Rosalyn’s arm and ushered her into the seat in front of the dresser. Picking up the brush, she began softly brushing Rosalyn’s hair, pulling it back behind her ears.
“How do I act around him now at school? I don’t want to mention it because he said it shouldn’t have happened. Should I just act like it didn’t happen?”
“If you think that is the easiest option. Maybe you can wait and see if he says anything about it to you.”
“Maybe,” she sighed. “I just don’t know if I should act like I normally do or what.”
She pulled Rosalyn’s hair back into a ponytail and kissed the top of her head. Grabbing her shoulders gently, she leaned her head down next to her daughter’s and smiled into the mirror at her. “You act just like you always do. Act like yourself and everyone will love you. He obviously likes you just the way you are.”
Rosalyn looked at herself in the mirror. Just the way she was. Act like she always did. That was easier said than done. The kiss happened, and although she might not admit it, she wasn’t ready to forget it happened. She already had a feeling this was going to be an awkward day.