I started quickly picking things up before I snatched it out of her hand. “Here, let me just—mmph—get this stuff put away and—ugh—we can talk!”
Dad grunted. “Yeah, looks like we need to.”
Mom placed her hand on my shoulder. “Is everything okay at work, sweetheart?”
I rolled my eyes. “Just give me a few minutes to clear the floor and then we can talk about how I’m a grown woman who’s completely capable of buying this stuff for myself.”
I threw everything into my closet before shoving it closed, and after I had cleared the living room of any toys that made my parents’ eyes pop out of their heads, I tried to meditate. I closed my eyes and leaned against the wall, trying to right my mind before I went out there and dealt with whatever tongue-lashing my parents thought was acceptable.
Then, I cleared my throat.
“Hey, guys. I’m really glad you’re here. Please, take a seat. You guys want some coffee? I can only imagine how long it took you to get here.”
Mom snapped her fingers and pointed to the couch. “Sit.”
I turned to face her politely. “While I appreciate the concern, this is my apartment and you’re in my territory. Those snaps that you used to use when I was five won’t work here.”
Dad leveled his eyes with me. “Don’t you speak to your mother like that. We traveled all this way to surprise you and spend a long weekend with you, and this is how you treat us?”
I shrugged. “You’re lucky you didn’t walk in on me entertaining someone. That would’ve been really mortifying.”
Mom gasped. “Are you dating someone? Can we meet him?”
Dad wrinkled his nose. “Since when are you a ‘sex before marriage’ kind of girl?”
I rolled my eyes as I made my way into the kitchen. “You guys are more than welcome to stay here, but if you’re going to judge whatever life you think I’m leading, I know of a great hotel you guys can stay at while you’re here.”
I hated the insecurities that started popping up. I felt my strength being chipped away, as if I were some young pre-teen who was in trouble for making out with a boy and getting caught. I wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of seeing my embarrassment, though. I wasn’t the one who had just walked in and ruined their weekend, so anything they caught an eyeful of was inherently their fault.
But that didn’t stop me from wondering if the purchases I’d made had been a mistake.
“So, who wants creamer?” I asked.
14
Rebecca
“Sweetheart, we really need to talk,”Mom said after she finished her coffee.
Dad nudged her. “Let’s at least get settled in before we talk to her about this.”
Mom scoffed. “What I think we need to do is check in on our daughter more than we do. I always tell you that just because she’s more stable than Maggie doesn’t mean she doesn’t need us.”
I held up my hands. “Can you two stop talking about me like I’m not in the room?”
Dad sighed. “We’re sorry, sweetheart. It’s just--.”
Mom shook her head. “All of those things, it’s unnatural, you know? You could really get yourself hurt.”
Dad nodded. “Yeah, we see the news headlines sometimes about people choking on things or getting things inserted into them that they can’t get out.”
“What if you have to go to the hospital because something breaks?”
“Or what if you have an allergic reaction to something?”
They went back and forth, talking about all the ways my new toys could kill me, and I was thankful when my phone vibrated. I quickly pulled it out and saw that I had a message from JoJo, and I answered it in the hopes that he was calling me into the office.
And finally, luck smiled upon me.
