Chapter 9
Gina
ONLY GOD KNEW WHY Ihadn't been smart enough to stick with my decision to spend tonight with Kofi and then see my family on Monday morning. The only relief from my torture was that Garth and Anna-Lise were also at my parents' house for dinner.
My father's calm, quiet presence centered me, but Mom was something else. She wasn't behaving as badly as she could have, but was also cold and polite which—in my book—equated to rude. I had a mind to leave when Kofi did, but she'd only use that as ammunition.
This minute, Kofi, Garth and my father sat in the living room watching cricket. Anna-Lise was with them, eating Garth's dessert. Instinctively, I knew she wouldn't appear in the kitchen any time soon. Although she'd known Mom half her life, Mom still gave her a bit of a hard time when she and Garth became a couple. I had plenty of respect for Anna-Lise. She was a strong woman to put up with my mother, who could be sneaky.
My mind stopped running in circles when Mom poured Ham Choy and Pork into a dish and handed it to me. I moved to the refrigerator and made a space inside for the leftovers. Another thing I had a challenge with was the way my mother used food to control us. She had a tendency to cook too many dishes and then turn up where we lived, carrying what she had prepared. How Anna-Lise would stop her from coming over with food every other day was something they'd have to work out.
At times like these, I thanked my lucky stars I lived so far away. The reality was that if I kept making excuses not to come home, I'd be living in America for the foreseeable future. The thought of coming home if Mom decided to retire and move to Florida had me grinning.
"What's so funny?" she asked.
"Personal joke," I said, waving one hand.
"So where did you meet him?" she asked, tipping her head toward the living room.
"At the gym."
"Obviously he spends a lot of time there.” She glanced at me. “He's your instructor or whatever they call themselves nowadays?"
"No."
I didn't see a need to discuss what Kofi did to earn his keep, especially since I hadn't said we were engaged, or getting married.
"So, what does he do for a living?" Her question carried a tinge of scorn.
"He's into sports medicine."
Mom arched one eyebrow and looked up at me. "Really?"
I mirrored her expression. "Is that so hard to believe?"
"I find half the things you do hard to believe." She turned away to fill another container with fried rice. "That sounds to me like you're making him out to be more than he is. I can bet you paid his fare to come here."
Mom didn’t understand how close we were to matricide. If she did, she’d have stopped with the questions. I kept my tone even, which was no easy feat. "Just so you know, he paid his way here and would have paid mine if I let him."
She raised one hand and looked to the heavens. "You were always prone to exaggeration. For all I know, he's just hanging around to see what he can get from you."
Breathing hard, I stepped in closer to her. "Why do you always do that?"
She faced me and folded her arms. Her mouth was pinched as she pierced me with her eyes. "What are you talking about?"
"Every time I come home, you pick my life apart as if I'm not entitled to live it how I please."
"That's your problem right there ... " With one finger, she jabbed the air.
"Don’t stop now. What exactly is my problem?"
"The fact that you live without any kind of plan.” She waved both hands toward me, not missing a beat. “You just exist from day to day. When are you coming home to settle down?"
"You're assuming things, as usual." I couldn't suppress my bitter tone, but looked over my shoulder to be sure we were still alone. "You don't give Chase a hard time, yet whenever you talk to me it's always the same thing."
"That's because Chase has a good head on his body."
