I laugh, picturing his mother with her red hair, pounding on my door.“I like your family.”
“Well,” he says, brushing the hair away from my face, “they like you too.”
He moves in for a kiss, but I squeeze my lips together tightly because I haven’t brushed my teeth and I’ve already consumed a half a pot of coffee.
“I’ll call you later.”
I nod, still holding my lips together, and smile.
He’s gone a few minutes later, and I’m left with my words and my characters who are just at the point in the novel where they realize they can’t live without each other.
The hours breeze by as page after page pours out of me.I'm so engrossed in the story, I almost forget about my mother.When the one-hour notification pops up on my screen, I tear off my headphones and run to the shower.The meal is already going to be trying, but if I show up late, she’ll have a frown on her face and chide me like I’m a little girl again.
My mother looks downat the menu, sitting with the most perfect posture.“I had Uncle Mateo do a little digging,” she says nonchalantly.“He found some interesting things.”
I drop the menu on top of my bread plate, not giving a single fuck about the clatter as the silverware bounces underneath.“I never asked you to do alittle digging,and I certainly don’t care about theinteresting thingshe found.”
My mother’s lips pinch together like she’s sucking on something sour.“He’s not the man for you, Bianca.”
There’s no man on the planet, besides a chosen few, who my mother would deem good enough for me.Not one of them interests me even a little bit.They’re stuffed suits who snub their noses at my career.That’s a hard limit for me.My words are my lifeline, keeping me sane and happy since I was a little girl making up fairy tales.
I lean back with my hands flat on the fancy ivory tablecloth, trying to keep my voice low and not draw the attention of those nearby.“It’s not your call.”
“You’re still my daughter.”
“I’m completely happy for the first time in a long time, and you’re going to shit all over everything.”
Her smile tightens, always wanting to put on a good face in case anyone else is watching.“Watch your language, young lady, and your tone.”
I laugh, but there’s nothing happy about the way I sound.“I thought we were going to have a nice lunch.I guess you had other plans.”
“His father is a felon and a mobster, Bianca.Is that the type of people you want to associate with?”
I narrow my eyes.“Do we really want to compare families?”
Although my mother likes to think we’re a fine, upstanding family, we have some pretty shady people in our tree.She’s no one to talk or make judgments about a man because of the sins of his father.
“If I recall, your father wasn’t the most honorable citizen,” I tell her, reminding her she doesn’t come from the well-to-do side of the family like she claims.
“My father made dumb mistakes when he was young.He paid for his crimes and turned his life around.”
“Imagine if Daddy didn’t want to be with you because of your father’s illustrious past.How would you feel?”
I refuse to allow her to punish Vinnie because of something his father did in his past.It’s not fair.No matter how upset my mother is about our relationship, she has no say in my future.
“His parents didn’t like me.”
“So, you’re into repeating the pattern?We’re not very close to Daddy’s side because his mother never accepted you, given your family’s history.”
My mother places her menu down in front of her and shoos away the waiter when he approaches.“There were other reasons I never got along with his side of the family.”
“Is that how you want it to be with me?You want to push me away because I’ve fallen in love with someone you don’t feel is good enough?”
“You’ve only known him for a short time.Don’t be dramatic.He’s not good for you or your career.”
“He’s perfect for me and my career, Mom.He understands the long hours I need to work.He doesn’t whine about me not spending enough time with him.He’s the first man I’ve ever been with who doesn’t pressure me to put my work aside to spend time with him.”
“You barely know each other.”
