Page 28 of Goodbye To Tomorrow

Chapter 10

Jiraiya

The Outing

“Young man, what do you think you’re doing?” my mother, Martha Sampson, asked as I stood in the closet choosing something to wear for tonight’s outing.

“I am going out on the town, Mother.”

“No, you can’t go; I will have to have a talk with Karine. Where is she by the way?”

“Karine is being a good girl and getting dressed so that I can take her out with me.”

“You are not doing any such thing. You will lie down or sit down and put your feet up. You are not in any condition to be tramping all over the place like you did before your--” Mother paused and looked down at the floor as she wrung her hands. Two creases appeared between her brows making her skin look more wrinkled.

“I will have a talk with Karine and put a stop to this nonsense right now.” She looked up to give me a disapproving stare before turning to walk away.

“Mother, you stop right there. That’s the exact reason why I left that mausoleum that you called home. Even though I’m still under your thumb by remaining on the property, I don’t need to be pampered like a baby or watched by the maids that you pay extra to keep tabs on me. So, yes, I am going out and you’d better leave Karine alone. She works hard, and she gave up a lot to come and live here. I feel guilty that she doesn’t have a dating life or any significant friends that I know about. It will be good for her to get out—even better for me. Furthermore, I may be dying but I am not dead yet,” I said and watched the mortified look that formed on my mother’s face.

“Son, why are you saying these awful things to me? I love you and I only want what’s best for you,” she said.

“I know that you are upset, and life doesn’t seem fair. Hell, I was furious, then saddened when we found out you had acute lymphoblastic leukemia,” she continued.

“You were furious?” I asked. “Good thing you don’t have to live with counting down your days on the earth,” I added with a deadpan expression.

“I wish that it was me instead of you,” my mother’s voice trembled as tears leaked from her eyes.

“I already knew you would say that, Mother, and I don’t want you or Father to feel that way. I am not giving up on life without a fight.” I walked closer to her, “It’s your dinner time, Mom, and I know that father is waiting on you.”

“It doesn’t matter, Frank doesn’t mind waiting; besides he needs to learn patience. He continues to treat our marriage like he’s in the boardroom, even after all these years. I am sixty-one years old and it’s now time for him to have to wait for me, don’t you think?”

“Mother, do you really want to hear what I think?” I said looking intently.

“No, Jiraiya. Just promise me that you won’t overdo it tonight,” she said, planting a kiss against my cheek before she walked away.

“I am ready,” Karine said later while the tips of her lips were curved in a smile, waiting to see what else I would say.

“Come on then, the night is waiting for us.” I said and stopped for a second to try to understand the confused look on her face.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, not finding a proper source for that behavior.

“Why the need for all of this formality?” She replied while she was standing in her new dress.

“Why not? Come on.” I cut her short and waited for her to walk with me out the door. This will be a night like no other. I took a deep sigh.

*****

“Why do women do that stuff?”

“Do what?” Karine replied taking one last glance in her mirror before replacing it inside her small clutch.

“You look beautiful. You don’t have to keep checking to see if your lipstick is applied properly or not. Better still...take it off.” I reach for my cloth napkin and offer it to her.

“Are you serious?” she looks at me with innocent eyes.

“This is a new lipstick. It feels amazing on my lips and I don’t get to wear it every day, so it stays on,” she stated, giving me a defiant wide-eyed stare.

“Suit yourself; you will be eating it off soon enough anyway.”

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