Mother

Angel

Damian pulls into my parking lot, stopping a few feet away from where I’m standing. He was cryptic about where we’re going, only telling me to dress in comfortable clothing.

I slide into the leather seat, leaning over to greet him with a kiss. Tuesday was the last day I went into the office, and since then, we’ve both been so busy, we’ve barely seen each other. Our nighttime phone calls aren’t as enjoyable as his physical presence.

He pulls my head toward him, taking full advantage of the proximity a phone call can never offer. “Hey.”

“Where are you taking me?”

The corners of his mouth drop, which tells me he’s not taking me to Wonderland. “It’s about an hour-long drive. Just… trust me, okay?”

I squeeze his hand and lean back to buckle my seatbelt. “Okay.”

He pulls onto Euclid Avenue with a smile, and we fall into casual conversation as we travel north out of the city. I stopped trying to guess where we were headed as soon as we got on the highway, because I haven’t been outside of city limits for years. A downfall of not having a car at my disposal. Or a license.

Forty minutes later, we take an exit off of Highway 400 that looks like it leads to an outlet mall in one direction and nowhere in the other. He turns left toward nowhere. I soon discover there are a couple of little towns along this road, so instead of questioning Damian for answers, I soak in the scenery and study each adorable storefront we pass.

It’s another twenty minutes before we pull onto a residential street, and Damian slows in front of an orange brick house. It’s a cute suburban neighbourhood. There’s a short man being pulled down the sidewalk at a forty-five-degree angle by his Dogue de Bordeaux, making me giggle. Kids are playing in the front yard of another house, while an old lady with curly white hair glares at them from the end of her driveway. I’ve lived in the city my entire life, but this is almost exactly how I would have pictured suburbia.

“Why are we here?”

Damian blows out a breath as he shuts off his car. “I want you to meet my family.”

“What? Damian! A little warning would have been nice. I would have tried to look presentable. I thought we were going mini-golfing or something.”

“Your outfit doesn’t make a difference, Angel. This is a casual visit; you being comfortable is important.” He reaches his hand out to squeeze mine on top of the centre console. “They’re going to love you.”

It’s too late to turn back now. I’m assuming he told them we were coming and if we don’t go inside, it’s not going to take a genius to figure out it was because of me. That doesn’t bode well for future meetings. “I wish you had told me. I realize that your family is important to you, but it’s been so long since I was part of a family dynamic, I’m not sure how to navigate it anymore.”

Damian’s lips turn downward and the bit of excitement he was showing disappears from his eyes. “I’m sorry. Just come with me. You’ll see it’s nothing to be nervous about.” He squeezes my hand again. “Come on.” He exits the car and walks around to my side to meet me along the curb. “Ready?”

“No.”

He chuckles. “Let’s go.”

We walk up a few stairs onto a porch and knock on a white door. I hear young kids and a man’s voice from inside the home.

It swings wide open and we’re greeted by a brunette man who is several inches shorter than Damian, with two blonde girls standing behind him. “You must be Angel. Come in.”

Damian steps in first, holding my hand to pull me inside behind him. “Angel, this is my brother, Josh. These munchkins are Dahlia and Daisy.” He rustles the hair of the taller girl, making her shriek and giggle.

“Thank you for having me.” I peek around Damian, already feeling blush intensifying on my cheeks.

Two women come strolling toward us, each wearing a wide smile.

The older woman with auburn hair speaks first. “Angel, it’s lovely to meet you.” She stops inches in front of me, pulling me in for a tight hug. It takes a few seconds for me to relax enough to accept it. It’s been a long time since I felt motherly affection. Eight years long.

“I’m Laura, Damian’s mom.”

Once everyone has been welcomed and hugged, Josh leads us through their modest, but clean and well-decorated home toward a family room with a big red sectional sofa. Laura pats the cushion beside her for me to sit down. In all the years since my parents died, I missed out on having a maternal figure show any concern for me. This is foreign and makes me nervous.

“Don’t grill her, Ma,” Damian says as he sits on the opposite end of the L-shaped sofa from his mother.

I park myself beside Laura as Josh plops down between Damian and I. The girls seat themselves on the floor, and Lily has taken a detour, so I’m not sure where she is.

“I do not grill, Damian. The only thing I’m concerned about is getting to know this young lady who has made my son happy.”

Heat creeps up my cheeks, and when I look at Damian, he is suffering the same affliction. He has the added camouflage of facial hair, but it’s still noticeable.

“So, tell me about yourself. Damian has been pretty tight-lipped with details.” Laura gives Damian a look, but it doesn’t flash disappointment or upset. It’s more of an understanding, supportive glance.

“There aren’t many exciting details to share. I spend most of my time working or with my dog. Actually, most of my time is spent doing both things at once because I work from home.” I let out a nervous laugh when I notice the two young girls staring at me with rapt attention.

“You’re pretty.” Daisy gets up from her spot on a floor cushion and climbs onto my lap.

I haven’t been around kids since sixteen-year-old me babysat a few times. This is another reason I’m out of my element here, but I try my best to be friendly. “Not as pretty as you or your sister.”

“I like your hair. I wish my hair was curly. It looks like a lion’s mane.”

Um. That could be taken as an insult, but I’ll choose to focus on how regal and powerful lions are. “Thank you. I like your straight hair.” I run my hand over her smooth blonde ponytail as she sways it back and forth.

The adults in the room take charge of the discussion again and we fall into comfortable conversation, where I explain little bits about myself. I wasn’t kidding when I said there aren’t many exciting details, but everyone else contributes random factoids about themselves, so it doesn’t feel like I’m under a spotlight.

That is, until Laura asks, “Where did you and your sister go after your parents passed?”

I had hoped with the pace of our conversation, the brief mention of my parents dying when I was a teenager was enough to disclose for one day. Damian hasn’t even approached this topic with me. When I make eye contact with Laura, she looks apologetic, but I don’t want her harbouring any guilt over asking her son’s whatever I am a simple question.

The answer isn’t always simple, but I try to keep it that way. “My dad’s sister took us in. We were able to stay in our house until Dina turned seventeen. Then we agreed to sell our family home and moved into the condo where I am now.”

“Oh, darling, I’m so sorry. That’s nice your aunt was able to take you in, though.”

“Not really.” Another nervous laugh escapes my lips before I can rein it in. “Sorry. That was rude, but it wasn’t nice.” This is an instance of my honesty being off-putting to people who aren’t familiar with the random truth blurting. Normal people would have said it was nice and moved on.

“I… well, I’m sorry for… we know all about uncomfortable family dynamics.”

“Why don’t we go see if dinner is ready?” Josh pops up from the couch and interrupts what was surely to become an even more uncomfortable conversation.

I lock eyes with Damian and note his troubled expression.

“Excuse me. I’m going to see if I can help bring food to the table or something. Might as well flex my waitressing muscles.” I slide off the sofa and follow the direction Josh went, off to the left.

Lily is buzzing around the galley kitchen in a fury that would make Hannah proud. She’s got an entire station set up with different items, and I like what I see. Josh has taken up position at the sink, washing a large pot. Neither of them notice me.

“Can I help you guys with anything?”

“Oh, no. That’s so nice of you, but we’ve got it under control. We’re doing a DIY taco station, so I’m just finishing up everything.” She stops what she’s doing and sweeps her fine blonde hair off of her face with the back of her hand. When it doesn’t cooperate, she blows it back with a twisted lower lip. “I’m sorry. Can I get you anything? I’ve been a terrible hostess trying to get everything ready.”

“No, no. Not at all. I’ve been well taken care of. I’d just like to help if you have any jobs for me to do. Many hands make light work.” I offer a meek smile. “Plus, I’m kind of running away from a conversation I’d rather not have, so you’d be doing me a solid.”

Lily chuckles and passes me a large serving tray with cooked chicken breasts. “Say no more. Can you shred chicken?”

“Better than any guitar I’ve ever touched.” My lame joke earns me another laugh from Josh and Lily. I breathe a relieved sigh and shred chicken like I’ve never shredded before. As I stand next to people who are clearly comfortable in their family dynamic, I realize it doesn’t feel as distant as I thought. I remember these simple moments with my family, and it’s nice to be around one again—even if it’s only for a day.