Читать книгу Indiscretion - M.G. Crisci - Страница 16

A single mom’s dilemma.

Alexandria stared into space. “I was thinking about Shanti.”

“Shanti?’

I was beginning to learn that Alexandria’s thought process could go any which way, and sometimes her most direct route connected two seemingly unconnected dots. This was one of those moments.

“Remember, I’m a single mom; I worry about my daughters all the time.” Alexandria explained that Melissa was straight, worked hard, paid her bills, was looking for a nice guy, and had decided, after graduating from Oregon State University, that she preferred the Pacific Northwest and its lifestyle. She was working as an assistant editor for an innovative boutique publisher, The Intelligent Press.

Her sister Shanti had declared she was gay about two years ago, had dropped out of college, and had held a string of low-paying, dead-end jobs as she traveled from town to town, seeing the United States.

“I’m not upset about the gay thing. That’s a lifestyle preference; Shanti’s a grown woman and has the right to make her own choices. I’ve always tried to balance being a caring mother with disciplined values, while at the same time allowing my daughters the freedom to grow through personal experience. But Shanti is very lazy. She figures I make good money and has no problem with me subsidizing her…regularly. She’s got a bit of her father and stepfather in her. Whenever she needs money, a thousand dollars here, two thousand dollars there, I give it to her. The other night I finally said enough is enough. I’m sending you one more check. That’s it.”

“What did she say?”

“I told her, ‘You’ve got to be like everybody else in this world. Go out, get a steady job, and stand on your own two feet. Just like your mom and sister do.”’

“Sound, practical advice. How did she respond?”

“Horribly. First, Shanti got irrational and vindictive, said I loved Melissa more — that I never wanted her in the first place. Then she became downright nasty, claiming my failed marriages to ‘two worthless younger husbands’ invalidated heterosexual relationships. She then explained the benefits of gay relationships: ‘Partners are carefully chosen for the right reasons — love and loyalty; they are less promiscuous and more faithful; they are better listeners and more sensitive to their partner’s needs.; Then she slammed the phone down and hasn’t returned a call since.”

~

I had no idea what had just happened. All she said was, “Just hold me.” We sat silently for a couple of minutes, then she said, “Thank you; time for this girl to get home.”

We walked to her car at the end of the parking lot. She looked up. The stars were twinkling brightly in the clear night sky. “My goodness, what a beautiful night.”

I put my arms around her waist. She put hers around mine. I hugged her. She hung on for dear life. “God, why is life so complicated?”

We kissed gently. Alexandria got into her car as I stood and watched. My cellphone started to ring. I didn’t want to answer. She rolled the window down and smiled, “Hey, come here, you.”

I did as she said. “Don’t you answer when Madam rings?” She got out of her car and kissed me again — this time a bit more intensely.