Page 62 of February

“Well, I told him I’m only paying for Columbia.”

“That was stupid,” she said.

“What’s gotten into you? You’re acting weird.”

“That’s not really any of your business anymore. If Aaron chooses another school,I’llpay for it. It’s not like his other mother is going to help.”

“You can’t go against me like that, Monica.”

“Lil, he’s eighteen years old – this ishiscall. I’m not trying to go against you. I’m trying to make sureourson goes to the school he wants so that he’s not miserable somewhere else. And yes, he is my son, too. His other mother may have been there for the first three years, but she left and didn’t even fight for him. You and I met, and I fell in love with Aaron. I helped raise him. You know that. For you to keep pulling this ‘yourson’ bullshit is tired and old. I’m done with it. I hope you can find a way to let him go where he wants to go because if you don’t, you’re risking your relationship even more than you already have.”

“It’smyrelationship with him,” Lily replied.

“Right now, our son is acting with more maturity than his mother, so I’ll show him around Tulane and LSU, and if he decides to go to one of those schools, I really hope you can find a way to be okay with it.”

“Monica, I don’t want you involved in this. You’ll persuade him.”

“Why would I do that?Ididn’t go to school down here. My dad did. I’ve never even been here before. I don’t live down here. I have no vested interest in him going to any school in particular. I want him to go where he wants to go.”

“He’s close to your dad.”

“Because to Aaron, that’s his grandpa, and he loves him. He trusts him and takes his advice, so he wants to explore all his options. Look at it this way, Lil: he might hate both schools. Wouldn’t you rather have him come down here to find that out and change his mind than force him to go somewhere else and leave him always wondering if he would have liked someplace else better?” When Lily didn’t say anything, Monica added, “I already bought him the flight, and I’ve got him a room down the hall from mine in the Four Seasons. He’s going to be the only eighteen-year-old not staying in some cheap hotel in the Quarter. We’ll do a couple of campus tours. If he hates it here, he’ll at least know that. And if he loves it, you need to figure out how you want to handle it.”

“I want him to be happy,” Lily said. “But Columbia is the better school.”

“For you, maybe. It doesn’t have to be for Aaron. At least, not right now.” Monica sighed. “Look, now that I’m up anyway, I’m going to get dressed and grab breakfast before I have to get to work.”

“What are you even doing down there?”

“Doesn’t matter. I need to take a shower. I’ll pick Aaron up at the airport, okay? You don’t have to worry about him. And I’ll make sure he gets back home safely armed with the info he needs to make the right decision for himself.”

“Whatever. Just do whatever you want. You always do, anyway.”

“Lil, don’t call me trying to start a fight. We’re not married anymore. I don’t have to argue with you or even talk to you,honestly. I’m answering your calls only because of Aaron. Just go enjoy your life and don’t worry about what I’m doing or not doing, okay?”

Lily hung up the phone.

“Yet another thing you’ve done to validate my decision to leave,” Monica said into the phone after the call had already disconnected. “Fuck,” she added, feeling the headache hit her even more now because she went to sit up in bed.

She found some pills to help with that and downed a bottle of water before hopping into the shower, letting the water remain cool on purpose. Then, she readied herself by wearing the other pair of jeans she’d brought with her, determined to go shopping that night for some more casual clothes to get her through her remaining time here. She threw on another of her white button-downs and wished she had a sweater to wear over it that she hadn’t worn before. She had a jacket with her that she put on to combat the cool morning air, but she wished she had Bridgette’s leather jacket to wear. It had been so soft and warm that she’d almost asked if she could wear it that night and return it later.

At the café, Monica sat down at a table and looked at the short menu for the first time. The specials were written on a blackboard, but there was no mention of the French toast she’d had yesterday, so she decided to try the grits that Bridgette had mentioned. She’d never had grits before and wasn’t sure if she’d like them, so she got them with cheese and bacon and also ordered a side of eggs and a fruit bowl, just in case. She ordered her coffee as well as a tomato juice, and when her food arrived, her stomach growled.

“Well,someone’shungry,” Bridgette said.

Monica turned to look up, surprised to see her there.

“Oh. Yeah. I didn’t think you’d be here this early.”

“I got here beforeyouyesterday, remember? Can I sit?”

“Of course,” she replied as she motioned to the empty chair.

“I was just going to grab coffee and a muffin to-go, but I saw you with grits and had to see you try them.”

“They didn’t have the French toast,” Monica replied.

“Well, go on; give them a try. You also got bacon and cheese?”

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