Page 40 of Play It Off

“Aw, Mom ...”

“No, don’t start defending me or whatever it is you wanted to say. I called you today because I wanted to apologize to you. And for your father. We get so caught up in your brother and everything he’s doing, we sometimes forget to check in on you.”

Her timing couldn’t be better. It’s like her mother’s intuition kicked in and she picked up on the vibes I was giving out last night when I complained about them to Gavin.

“Yeah, you do kind of forget about me sometimes.” It’s better to agree with her than deny it, because where will that get us?

“I’m sorry about that. I really am. And there’s no excuse for us doing that. Barb’s question has made me aware of our bad behavior. So tell me.” Mom sits up straighter, resting her arms on the dining table infront of her. She must have her phone sitting in one of those stands so she can remain hands-free. “What are your plans after you graduate?”

“I don’t know,” I admit, my voice barely above a whisper.

She frowns. “You don’t know what to do? Don’t have any plans? Any idea of what sort of industry you’d like to work in?”

No, no, and nois what I want to tell her, but that’s not entirely true. I have an idea ...

“I was thinking about starting my own business.”

Her entire face lights up. “Oh really? Doing what?”

It took a lot of bravery for me to confess my interest to Gavin last night, and I was thankful he didn’t laugh at me. Oh, he made the lactose-intolerance joke, but that was funny.He’sfunny, and I love that about him. He was supportive and said all the right things. Even better, he sounded sincere. Like he really believes in me, and I don’t get that much. From anyone.

Too bad I’m still annoyed by our earlier conversation. I came home so preoccupied by it all, I never even took a shower. Just collapsed into bed and cried, grateful Destiny was over at her girlfriend Lizzie’s house.

Tucking my head into my shoulder, I can still smell him. On my shirt. My skin.

“Sienna?” Mom’s tone is questioning, and I realize I’ve taken too long to respond to her.

“Ummm, I was thinking an—ice cream stand. Or an ice cream truck where I can serve specialty ice creams? I’m not talking about the little white van with the ice cream man driving around the neighborhood. I’m thinking something cooler. Edgier.” Mom remains quiet for like two seconds, and I keep talking to fill the silence. “I know it sounds like a stupid idea, and it probably is, but I thought it might be fun—”

“It doesn’t sound stupid. Not at all,” Mom says, interrupting my defensive ramble. “I happen to love ice cream. Your father does too. Don’t you, Jerry?”

I hear my dad yell back at her. “What are you asking me, Joy?”

“You love ice cream, right?”

“Always have.” Mom switches the camera, and there’s my dad, sitting in his recliner. He waves at me. “Miss you, Sisi.”

“Miss you, too, Dad.” I wave at him, and Mom switches the camera back to her. I swallow past the sudden lump in my throat. “You think it’s a good idea?”

“Sienna, honey, we’ll support you in whatever you want to do. You want to have an ice cream truck, I bet your dad will come down there and help you set it up. I bet he’ll even drive it around for you.”

“You gotta pay me in ice cream. That’s it,” he says, still yelling from his chair.

I smile, my heart swelling at their unwavering support. She didn’t even hesitate, immediately saying it was a good idea.

Why did I think people would hate on this again?

“I’m sure there’s a lot involved in this, and you’d probably need to take out a loan? We don’t have much money or else we could contribute, but whatever you need from us, honey, we’ll help you,” Mom says, Dad agreeing with her in the background. “Are you sure that’s what you want to do?”

“I can’t stand the idea of working at an office every day,” I admit. “I like being outside. Doing my own thing.”

“You’d have to be disciplined with your work schedule. A self-motivator.”

“I can do that.” I hope I can.

“Have you looked into something like this at all? Done a little research? Like, how much a food truck might cost? You’d really only need a freezer in it and a fridge. You won’t need a stove or anything like that. I bet that would save you some money,” Mom says.

“You’re right. I’ve looked into prices some, but I kept stopping because I worried this entire plan was a dumb idea,” I say. “And I was really thinking only about a freezer cart.” I tell her about the boy I saw selling ice cream at the beach and how he inspired me. “A friend suggested a food truck.”

---