Mother Dearest
Chapter 5
My heart's pounding so loudly, I'm half sure she can hear it.
"Okay..."
"I'm not a contractor."
Her eyebrows furrow in confusion. "What?"
"I was walking up your driveway this morning to come and meet you. And things got confused... and then I let them stay confused, because I wanted to get to know you, and-"
"Gil, I don't-"
"I'm engaged to your daughter," I blurt out, my heart pounding. "I'm engaged to Sara."
"You-" Her hand darts up to her mouth, her eyes wide. "Sara?"
"I meant to tell you, I just... there's obviously something wrong between the two of you, and I wanted to fix it. I know deep down she wants you at the wedding-"
Laurie draws a shuddery breath, and I can see tears welling in the corners of her eyes. "Sara's getting married?"
Swallowing, I nod.
She turns away, bracing her hands on the counter and hanging her head as she cries.
"I'm so sorry, Laurie, I never meant for it to go on this long."
"She's getting married," she says, turning back, and there's nothing but relief in her gaze. "I never thought... after everything that happened... I never thought she'd find someone else."
"It took us a while," I admit.
"And you want me at the wedding?"
"Absolutely. You and April."
As if on cue, April sticks her head in the door. "What's going on?"
Laurie laughs through her tears. "Honey, Sara's getting married."
"To me," I supply. "We work together, out in Vegas."
"You and Sara?" April crosses to stand next to Laurie, frowning. "So you lied."
"Not technically." But I can feel the flush creeping up my neck.
"Aren't you, like, a lot older than her?"
"I am, yes. But we've known each other for a very long time."
"Right," she says, remembering. "You were her teacher."
Laurie grows very still. "You were her teacher?"
"When she was in graduate school at Berkeley," I nod. "But we reconnected-"
"Oh my god. You're Gil Grissom." The room has suddenly become too quiet, and there's a look in Laurie's eyes that I can't quite place. A look that's anything but friendly.
"Yes, I-"
"You seduced my daughter."
"What?"
"She was a child," she says angrily, advancing on me.
I back into the hallway in surprise. "Now wait a second, she was twenty-one... and in my defense I thought she was older. Most of her classmates were in their late twenties."
"In your defense?" she repeats, her eyes wild as she stalks after me. "Don't think I don't know what this is, Mr. Grissom. You're trying to steal my daughter away from me."
"What?" I shake my head over and over again. "I don't know what you're talking about, Laurie. Just because we're getting married-"
"She's mine. She's not yours. She'll never be yours."
My back touches the front door, and Laurie points at it. April stands behind her, looking as bewildered as I feel. "Look, I'm not trying to-"
"Out," she bellows, and in two seconds flat I'm on the front porch, watching the door slam in my face.
o-o-o-o-o
I drive around for several hours, trying to piece together how everything went so wrong, so quickly. The sun sets, and I'm still driving. It's after nine when I get a text message from my mother.
Come home, the message reads.
Pulling over to the side of the road, I type back: Everything ok?
I wait for a response, and when the cell phone dings again, I flip it open to show her reply: You need to come home right now.
o-o-o-o-o
I make it to my mother's condo in fifteen minutes, my sweaty palms gripping the steering wheel tightly. Something's wrong, I know it. Pulling into a parking spot, I run up to her front door, taking the steps two at a time. My key's in the lock when the door opens on its own.
"Mom?"
She's standing with her arms folded, looking at me admonishingly. Then she gestures into the living room behind her, where I can see a figure curled up on the couch.
She arrived a couple of hours ago, she signs. She hasn't said a word.
I nod, and my mom disappears down the hall to give us some privacy. Making my way into the room carefully, I sit down on the couch.
"Hi."
She's staring at her hands, and when she hears my voice, her chin starts to tremble. "Hey."
"Sara, what's-"
"You went to see my mom today," she says flatly, and I can feel my heart trip a beat.
"How did you-"
"I heard her, Grissom. You think there's anyone else in California who says Everything fine and dandy? God, I used to hear that phrase at least ten times a day."
She doesn't sound mad, which is the most confusing part of it all. How could Laurie be so furious, and Sara so resigned? "I did. I went to see her."
"Why?"
"I wanted to fix things."
Sara nods, chewing on her bottom lip. "What does she look like?"
"What?"
"The last photo my mom sent me was a good five years ago."
"Oh... she, uh... she hasn't got any gray in her hair, unless she's coloring it. Looks a little like you, the eyes and the build, I mean. April is the one who really resembles you."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. Her hair's a lot curlier, but other than that..."
"You're going to call off the wedding, aren't you." She's still staring at her hands, and I have to grasp her shoulders to get her to look at me.
"Sara, I love you. I'm not calling off anything. I just don't understand what's going on here."
"You know... you swept me off my feet when I met you," she says, studying my face sadly. "You were so brilliant, and sweet, and handsome... We grew so close that semester, until you finally gave in and agreed to date me. It was the first time I'd been in love, Grissom."
"Me too," I nod.
"The only time."
"Me too."
"And I didn't want to let go of that."
"But we had to break it off, sweetie," I say, rubbing her arm gently. "The seminar was over, and I had to go back to work in Minneapolis. It was a matter of timing, not any lack of feeling."
"I didn't want to let go," she continues as if I hadn't spoken. "But I had my life to live still. I was in that tiny studio apartment, pulling down three jobs just to earn enough money to put myself through school... So my mom had a solution."
"A solution to what?" I ask, exasperated. "Sara, that month we spent together meant a lot to me too."
"It was the best month of my life," she whispers, looking away. "That's why I named her April."