“How was your meeting this morning?” she asks excitedly.
“It was… fine. I gave the marketing guy some feedback, so he’s going to make a few changes.”And he’s a douchebag cheater who was somehow oddly comforting to my nerves.
My mother scrunches her shoulders in delight. “I can’t wait to see your commercials. I saw your face on the side of the bus yesterday and just had to take a pic.”
I take the proffered phone and look at it. My face is indeed on the side of a Houston METRO bus in an advertisement for Gatorade. Neon purple sweat drips down my face, and I have to admit it’s pretty badass.
“Thanks. Can you send that to me?”
Mom retrieves her phone, and a second later, my own device pings in my small purse.
“What else have you been up to?” she asks, resting her chin on her hands, the study of an interested mother.
“We had our team photos done since the last time I saw you. My friend Carrie Broxton also got drafted by the Dragons, and so did Liz Weston. She’s an offensive lineperson, the best in this year’s draft class actually. And we got a quarterback named Zena Hernandez who has a phenomenal arm. She previously played in one of the other leagues.”
The so-calledtits and ass league, according to Willie. I’m relieved my mother didn’t bring her fiancé today. I’ve been meeting with her a few times a month, and she usually brings the creep along, though sometimes he has to work. I still haven’t shared with the rest of my family about being in touch with Delphine. I don’t need the drama in my life right now.
“That’s so awesome. I know you’re close with the Broxton girl,” Mom says.
A smile takes over my face. “She’s my best friend. We’re so excited we both got drafted by the Dragons.”
“I can’t wait to watch you play on TV.”
My heart squeezes in my chest. “You’re not coming to my games? I bought season tickets for you and Willie.”
Mom’s face falls, and emotions flutter her lashes with quick blinks. “I really want to, Jordie, but I’m afraid we may be moving soon.”
“Oh.” The disappointment crashing around me is more than I would have expected. “Why are you moving?”
A frustrated twist pulls her mouth to the side. “They cut Willie’s hours at the refinery since he was the most recent hire there, and we just can’t afford our apartment here in Houston any longer. They say he won’t be full-time again for another few months. There’s a job he can take in Oklahoma, but that’s about eight hours from here.” She reaches across the table and envelops my hand between her cool ones. “I’m so sorry, baby. I wish we could stay.”
My gut churns like a tropical storm across the sea. “But… I… we just started getting to know each other.”
I don’t know why it’s so important for me to have her in my life. I’ve gone this long without a mom, but this hurts. Bad.
Tears stream down her face, and she turns away, dabbing at hercheeks with her napkin when the server arrives. I order for both of us in a shaky voice, my brain struggling to come up with a solution.
I’d let hope grow in my belly over the last few months. Hope that maybe she’d stay this time. Hope that I was enough to keep her here.
“Mom, can I ask you a kind of personal question?”
She pauses with her club sandwich halfway to her mouth and regards me. “Sure, honey.”
“What kind of…” I attempt to gather my awkward words. “Have you ever used one of the hormonal IUDs as birth control?”
My mother takes a bite and chews thoughtfully. “No. I’ve used the regular ones, but not the ones that release hormones too. Why do you ask?”
Pretty sure my face is the color of the tomatoes on my caprese salad when I answer. “I’m thinking about taking things to the next level with Miles. We’ve—” I cut myself off before I overshare and say we’ve done a few things, like oral. I really, really like oral.
Mom’s eyebrows inch together in apparent confusion. “Why would you need birth control, Jordie?”
“Uhhh, so I don’t get pregnant,” I say with a half-chuckle.
“But why? Miles is an up-and-coming hotshot quarterback from what I’ve been reading, and I know the NFL pays way better than the WNFL. Which is bullshit, in my opinion,” she adds.
“I agree, but our league hasn’t even started, so we’re not profitable yet.” I wave my hand in dismissal because that’s not the point here. “Anyway, what does that have to do with birth control?”
She tuts like I should know this already. “Honey, Miles is a man that can take care of you,” she croons before bobbing her eyebrows up and down. “And a baby is a good way to make sure you hang onto him.”
