"Me too," my mom says with the excitement of a giddy schoolgirl talking about her crush.
"Well, I should go," Chad says. "It was really great seeing you both. Let me know if you can make it to brunch on Sunday."
"We can't," I say.
My mom gives me a confused look. "We'll talk about it."
"Have a nice day."
He leaves and I slam the door shut.
"I'm only here for a few minutes," my mom says, oblivious to my anger as she rushes to the kitchen. "I forget my badge to get in the building." She looks for it in the drawer. "It's always in my purse but I switched purses for my date last night and didn't have time to switch everything back. I know I tossed it in here. Oh! Here it is!" She holds it up, then races back over to me. "Are you going to see Dean this morning?"
"Maybe. I need to find a ride. Could you drop me off on your way to work?"
"I would but I need to get back to the office. Go see if you can catch Chad before he leaves. I'm sure he'd be happy to give you a ride."
"Mom, Chad isn't the guy you think he is. He attacked me before you got here."
"Attacked you?" She laughs. "Brook, you're always so dramatic. I'm sure he was just happy to see you." She winks at me. "I think he still likes you."
I roll my eyes. "Mom, I've told you a million times I'm not getting back with him. I love Dean. And Chad is a jerk. You should've heard the stuff he was saying to me before you got here. He made fun of how I looked, said I was lazy for sleeping in, and then he forced me into his arms and kissed me!"
"Honey, that's just Chad. He's always been assertive, and he says those things to help you. Your father did the same to me."
"And you were okay with that?"
She shrugs. "It's a trait of successful men. They want what's best, including the best partner."
"I don't want Chad—or any guy—telling me how to dress or do my hair or how to act. That's not a partner. That's a dictator. It's cruel and demeaning. Some would even say it's abuse. I can't believe you think that's okay."
"I think you're overacting, honey." She smiles. "Why don't we go to lunch when I get home? And then maybe I could drop you off at the hospital while I go do some shopping."
"Grocery shopping? Because we're out of food."
"Shoe shopping. I need new heels for the dress I ordered."
"You ordered a dress? Mom, I thought we agreed not to spend money on clothes."
"I'm not paying for it. Canton is. He gave me a credit card to use. He has several formal events coming up and I can't be seen wearing the same dress." She gives me a hug. "I have to go. I'll see you soon!"
She has a bounce to her step as she walks out. Her energy is back because she knows she'll be quitting her job soon and going back to her life of luxury. Maybe she really was happy all those years and I just didn't see it. Maybe I only saw it from my perspective. To me, she was a woman stuck in a loveless marriage who spent her days trying to look good for her husband. But I guess she actually liked that life. She sees nothing wrong with having a man buy her things and praise her for her looks. That's why she'll never understand why I don't want to be with Chad. Even after I told her what he did, she didn't understand why it upset me.
When my mom gets home at noon, we go to lunch and then she drops me off at the hospital. I'm so excited to see Dean I almost run to his room, but then decide to walk so I don't accidentally knock over the people on crutches.
"Dean?" I peek in his room to make sure he's not sleeping. He's wide awake, sitting up in bed.
He sees me and smiles. "Brook."
I run over to him and hug him. "I'm really happy you're my boyfriend."
He chuckles. "Um, okay. Where'd that come from?"
I stand back. "I just wanted to say it. I know we've had our ups and downs but I'd still rather have you than anyone else."
He gives me that look that he knows something's up. "What happened?"
"It doesn't matter." I sit next to him on the bed. "How are you feeling today?"
