Page 5 of Hot Four Teacher
“Mom, are you sure you’re going to be okay this weekend?” Eve asks me for the tenth time.
“I’ll be just fine.”
“But–”
I cut her off. “Eve, I’ve been taking care of myself just fine for many, many years. One weekend without you is not going to kill me.”
In fact, I’m looking forward to it. Of course, I’m not going to say that to my lovely daughter because she will go from lovely to demonic inthe blink of an eye. I’m not in the mood to deal with any of that right now.
She frantically runs around, trying to make sure she’s not forgetting anything. Heaven forbid she doesn’t have her phone charger with her at all times.
“So, what are you going to do while I’m gone?” She asks. “More hobbies?”
“No plans,” I tell her.
“Come on, Mom. You need to get out and go do something.”
She may think it sounds boring, but having a weekend with nothing to do sounds heavenly. Usually, my weekends are full of shuttling Eve around or watching her soccer games. While I don’t necessarily mind either of those things, it’ll be nice to only have to worry about myself for a couple of days.
“Maybe I’ll go see what your aunts or your grandma are up to,” I say, trying to please her.
She lets out an obnoxious sigh. “No, Mom. That’s not what I meant. You need to actually go out and do something fun. Maybe find someone to spend some time with.”
I stand up off the couch and follow her into the kitchen. As she opens the fridge to grab something to drink, I say, “Hey. Do you want to tell me where you’re going with all of this? You know that you go hang out with your friends quite a bit, right? It’s not like I am never left alone.”
Why am I defending myself against someone who doesn’t even have a license yet?
“I know. But I’m never really gone for an entire weekend. Plus, we will be out of town.”
“So what? Eve, if you want to stay home and hang out with your mommy, you can just say that,” I joke.
She rolls her eyes. “Don’t flatter yourself.”
“Clearly, that can be the only reason why you’re worrying about my wellbeing so much when you’re gone.”
“I don’t want you to die alone,” she blurts.
“Excuse me?”
“Sorry if that sounded blunt, but I worry about you.”
“Why?” I ask, still stunned.
“Because I’m getting older, and I’m getting busier. And in a couple of years, I’ll be out of the house. You’ll be here all alone. I don’t want that for you. I want you to find someone who makes you happy.”
“Eve, Iamhappy. I like my life.”
“You don’t miss getting laid?”
My mouth hangs open. “I don’t want to discuss any part of me getting laid with you.”
Another eye roll. “Fine. But think about it. Right now, you are as hot as you’re ever going to be. Any guy would be lucky to have you.”
I take my daughter’s hand and lead her over to the couch, so we can both sit down.
“Do you want to tell me what’s going on with you?” I ask. “Why the sudden fascination with my love life?”
“Because you don’t have one,” she says. “You can't just sit in this house and rot away. You’ll never meet someone if you never put yourself out there.”
