“Hello?”
“Hello, Mom?” Pam asked.
“Hey, Pammy!” her mother said excitedly.
“Mommy, it’s so good to hear your voice.”
“No, it’s great to hear your voice,” her mother replied. “How are you, sweetheart?”
“I’m good.”
“Are you?”
“Yeah,” Pam told her. “How have you been?”
“Fine, sweetie.”
“How’s Dad been?”
“Worried about you.”
“Worried about me? Why?”
“Pammy, you know Dad and I want you to be safe. Chino is almost as young as you, and I don’t think you’re ready to be living with a boyfriend.”
Pam exhaled. Her life had changed dramatically. She had quit her job, moved into an apartment with a guy, lost her virginity, and dropped out of college. But she saw where Chino was leading her, and that was to opportunity and the American Dream. Why couldn’t her family see this?
Becoming frustrated with how the conversation was going, Pam protested. “Mom, I’m not in high school anymore.”
“Pammy, I’m not trying to be an enemy. I’m . . . I’m so disappointed . . .” Her mother trailed off and quietly sucked in air to control her sobbing.
Disappointed was a word that Pam hated to hear come out of the mouth of either of her parents, particularly if it was aimed at her. She had worked hard her whole life to keep her parents happy. Pleasing them was what she strived for. It was what pushed her to graduate from high school at the age of sixteen. It was what had kept her in advanced placement classes, in honors classes, and on the honor roll.
“Mom, I’m sorry.” Pam’s voice had a tinge of sadness in it.
“Sorry? Sorry, Pammy, ‘sorry’ is not going to cut it.”
“Mom, I know. I’m working hard at the salon and I’m going to prove myself to you.”
“Pammy, there is something going on with you, and your father and I want to know what it is. What is going on up there?”
“Nothing.”
“Nothing?”
“So, what are you saying?” her mother asked. “Are you saying that we have to drive to Ohio to see what’s going on with you?”
Getting away from her protective parents had been her reason for leaving Detroit and heading for Ohio. To have them start coming to Ohio was the last thing she wanted.
“No, Mom. You don’t have to do that.”
“Are you sure?” her mother snapped. “Because I can’t tell! Right now, it seems like you need some guidance. It seems like you need someone to help you get back on the right track.”
“Mom, I’m okay. Really.”
“Is it Chino, Pammy? Have you gone up there and let some boy control your life?”
“No, Mom, I haven’t.”
“Then what is it?”
“I’ve just been busy with so many things.”
“So many things?” Her mother laughed. “Like what? Which, by the way, brings me to another subject. Your father went to put money in your account, and it was empty. He got a bank statement, and you haven’t had any deposits from your job in quite some time.”
Pam exhaled. Her parents would find out sooner or later.
Chino was now her fiancé. In fact, she had called to break the news of her engagement to her mother. She had hoped that the conversation would be different, but this was the conversation that she had been presented with. The best that she could hope for now was to gain control of the situation and present her news in a positive light.
“Mom, Chino is like my best friend. He wouldn’t ever hurt me. Actually, he’s more than my boyfriend, Mom.”
“More than your boyfriend? Pammy, what are you trying to say?”
Pam swore that her mother had stopped breathing. She wanted to laugh, but the subject was so serious that she knew she needed to deal with it in a serious manner.
“Chino has asked me to marry him.”
“Marry him?” her mother exploded. “Pammy, are you serious? You’re a child! You can’t get married. You’re still in school! What is this young man thinking?”
“Mom, calm down.”
“I will not calm down!” she snapped. “This is ridiculous! What are his parents saying about this?”
“He hasn’t told them,” Pam said softly. “Actually, his mother is dead, and he hasn’t talked to his father—”
“Hasn’t talked to his father? What kind of young man proposes to a woman without even consulting his family about it? Or your family? What is going on with his father? And what does this young man do for a living? Obviously, he can’t be in college, if he’s supporting you and him at the same time. Has he graduated from college already? Oh, my baby! If he’s finished school, then he’s a grown man already, and that bastard is preying on my baby!”
“Mom! Calm down! No, Chino isn’t in school. He takes care of me through his job. And no, he is not preying on me, we’re only a year apart,” Pam lied.
“So, both of you are still wet behind the ears, and you’re talking about getting married? Pam, marriage isn’t what the fairy-tale books make it out to be. Marriage is hard work. It’s a commitment, Pamela.” Pam rolled her eyes. When her mother called her anything other than ‘Pammy,’ she knew Mom was pissed. “It means being responsible for another adult’s life! Do you think that both of you are ready for that?”
“I’m not a baby anymore.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Mrs. Xavier blew up again. “You’re seventeen! Are you having sex? Is that what you’re saying, Pamela Xavier? God, I knew it was a mistake letting you go so far away for college! Listening to your father! I knew better!”
“No, Mom, I’m not having sex and I am okay!”
“We should drive up there and put an end to this nonsense!”
“No, Mother, don’t. I’ll be there soon.”
“You’ll be here for Christmas, right?”
“Yeah,” Pam lied.
“Bring this young man with you. Perhaps your father and I can talk some sense into him. Both of you are so young.”
“I will, Mom.”
“Okay, call me soon, sweetheart. Your father and I are here for you and we love you dearly.”
“I love you too, Mom,” Pam said. She hung up the telephone and lay back on the bed. She loved her mother, but parents were parents, and they could be overdramatic and nerve-wracking. She would always be their little girl, no matter how old she got. But still, she wished that they would let her grow up just a little.