“Yeah.Yeah, I do.Okay, I’ll call her a bit later.I’m heading to campus now to finish getting ready for the new semester.”
“Okay, just don’t put it off much longer.I think she has every intention of barging in on you tonight after work; that’s how done she is.”
Ross winced.“Warning taken.Thanks.”
“Good luck.Call me if you need me.Bye.”
Sighing, Ross mentally planned on calling Levonn in.Because backup, always helpful to have on hand.
He went through the motions of getting showered, dressed, something simple for breakfast—lunch?Brunch?Who the hell knew at this point.As he went through the motions, his mind fixated on the possible responses of his mother when he dropped the two bombs of “I’m gay” and “I have a sexy boyfriend.”But he honestly didn’t know how to predict this.
Ross’s mother was the epitome of a strong woman.She’d had two husbands walk out on her, and she’d still raised three ambitious kids who’d made something of themselves.Ross loved her, he did, but she didn’t always sit and talk about things with him.She never talked about anything that didn’t immediately pertain to her family.And because she thought all her kids were straight, her views on anything LGBTQA+ were never voiced.
On the one hand, Ross honestly believed his mother would love him through anything because her kids were the number one priority and everything else could burn.On the other, he’d seen her temper when she got mad about something.
All he could do was be honest with her.And wait to see where the chips fell.
He went to campus, as that really was the priority today.Because of the odd hour of him walking in right after lunch, he had the admin office more or less to himself and was able to sit down and get his new campus ID.Then they insisted he meet with an advisor, discuss what classes he needed to take in order to catch back up.Apparently, he hadn’t entirely signed up for the right courses.
Ross came back out three hours later, happy with his progress.He should be able to start classes in January without a hitch.The advisor had even signed him up, so he didn’t need to register for classes.Hooray!All he had left was buying the textbooks, which—ouch.Good thing his job paid so well; he was about to spend a thousand dollars on books.
Workwise, he had to prepare for the remaining holiday parties.Trying to do so was proving to be something of a challenge.The clan was a mismatch of various cultures, religions, and traditions.They were in the habit of celebrating them all, which basically meant a two-week party that never really ended.He now had to go buy candles, a yule log (where the hell should he get one?), about a dozen Christmas trees and wreaths, two dozen cakes, put in an order for many buckets of fried chicken, bundles of sage, prawns for Keane, and enough liquor to sink a ship.
Not to mention a gift for Glenn.Which, erk.What did you even buy a man who was a multi-millionaire?
Alright, one problem at a time.Glenn’s present he had time to think about.His mother was likely at the end of her patience.As he walked back to his car, he thought about it, but decided to preempt his mother just showing up at his place.That seemed a bad idea all around.Hoping to deter her, he sent a text offering to take her out to dinner tonight.It had the added bonus of her being less likely to yell at him in a public place.
The response was almost immediate:Fish and chips?
It was a favorite of hers.Ross smiled and shook his head even as he typed back,Sure.I’ll meet you at 6.
Ok
Alright, that gave him about three hours.Maybe Ross should head back, do a little work, maybe get some laundry going.He’d been so wrapped up in Glenn recently that household chores had suffered for it.He was down to one set of clean boxers, and that wasn’t a good state to be in.He’d finalize the shopping list from everyone, too.
Nine days until Christmas.It was fine.Ross had this totally under control.
What with all the shopping, Ross lost time quickly.He barely got back, unloaded the car, and had time to throw in a load of laundry before he had to race back out again to meet his mother for dinner.He did steal a second to text Levonn the plan and invite him to join.Levonn, bless him, immediately texted back an ok.
Ross had absolutely no intention of inviting his sister.Drama queen that she was, she’d stir the pot just to make things worse.Just, no.
Yorkshire House was one of those small hole-in-the-walls that smelled like heaven.Ross’s mother went there once a week, and he knew when she asked for fish and chips, that was the restaurant she meant.He drove the fifteen minutes across town to reach it, found a good spot, and parked.As he did, his car made a funny, stuttering lurch with a grinding metal sound.Ross stared down at the steering wheel in dismay.That…had sounded like drama and a headache.
He sat and debated for a second on what to do, but he was already barely on time as it was.And his mother believed in punctuality like it was a creed.He’d better sit and have dinner with her first, worry about the car later.
One thing for sure, problems never went magically away.It would still be waiting on him later.
Just for grins and giggles, he tried turning the engine over.Nada.It made a grinding noise, a click, and nothing else.Shit, had his car really chosen this moment to die and make a get-away without him?
Hopefully this wasn’t a sign of things to come.
Ross felt like he had a dark cloud hanging over his head as he exited the vehicle, the cold sending a shiver over his skin after fifteen minutes of sitting in heat.He slammed the door shut behind him as he quickly crossed the narrow parking lot and slipped inside.
His mother was already seated, and they waved at each other as he went to the front counter and placed his order.The restaurant had a nice enough crowd in its small dining area.They produced a low chattering of background noise, creating a pleasant sort of atmosphere.
Ross went to the soda machine, getting some Dr.Pepper, as he both needed the caffeine hit and something to help dislodge the knot in his throat.It felt as big as a melon right now.Nerves tangled up in his chest, and he hoped he knew the words to say this right.
His mother stood up from the table as he approached and gave him a hearty hug.Imani prided herself on keeping her figure even after having three children, and she was certainly attractive at fifty years old.After working a full shift at the hospital, she was obviously tired, and still in scrubs, but she looked at her youngest child with a bright smile.Her Louisiana roots showed strongly in her words.“Long time no see, child.”
