Page 13 of Fight For Her
Avery stood behind them, her tall frame peeking out from behind Shawn. It looked like she was eyeing Bethany very closely. Hmmm, I sensed even more romance in the air.Great.
I pulled at the back of my neck. The mad rush had me feeling a bit winded. The sweat, the humidity in the air, and all the love eyes happening made me more than ready to escape to my room.
I hip bumped Bethany, who looked mortified at the gesture. “Just helping out my new buddy here.” Over Bethany’s shoulder, I spotted Mia and Shawn’s reservation on the screen. “Let’s see here. It says you have the dolphin room.” I plucked the key from the rack and handed it over along with the white cardstock itinerary. “Lucky. I’m in the urchin room. Seriously, Bethany, why did your mother name a hotel room after a spiky, bottom-dwelling fish?”
Mia giggled, and Bethany spoke up, her low voice making me jump. “Actually, fun fact, urchins aren’t fish. They’re echinoderms. They are found in all five oceans of the world.”
She turned and plucked away at the keyboard apparently done talking with us. I think Bethany and Lee would get along swimmingly. I giggled to myself at my own pun. Wow. I really needed to lay down.
“Okay, then, I think I hear my room calling for me.” Finding my bag propped against the desk, I grabbed it and made my way toward the wrap around staircase. Avery followed with Mia and Shawn trailing behind, speaking quietly to each other.
As we reached the second floor, Avery slung her weekend bag over her shoulder and stopped at a door with a painted seahorse plaque on it. “It looks like we have a group dinner and cocktails in a few hours at the restaurant next door. Wanna meet downstairs at five?” That would give me some time to decompress. Yes please.
“Sure, sounds good.” I turned toward Mia, adding, “Have fun, lovebirds. See you in a couple hours.”
I didn’t know what to expect when I approached the urchin room. Would there be taxidermied sea creatures on shelves with spikes jutting out from their lifeless bodies? Or a hideous duvet cover decorated in cartoon versions of the spiny monstrosities complete with urchin-shaped throw pillows?
Thank the big guy upstairs because there was none of that. It wasn’t one hundred percent urchin free, though. A large painting of multiple brightly colored creatures on the shore hung above the queen-sized bed. They were all tucked into themselves, no spikes showing, but looking weirdly vagina like. Maybe I could take it down while I was here?
The room most definitely had a purple theme going on. There was a purple comforter, purple curtains, and a lilac accent chair in the corner. They had adorned the bathroom with yet another urchin painting, and you guessed it… purple shower curtain. I could not wait to meet Bethany’s mother. I’d bet she was a character.
After wheeling my bag to the small bureau, I plopped onto the bed and curled up against the soft cushions. I felt myself deflate as a long groan escaped my lips. This wasn’t like me. I never felt exhausted from being around my friends. Maybe I shouldn’t have come? I needed the break, but my brain forgot to compute how much social energy I’d need to expel being here. If my battery was already this drained from a car ride and a few chaotic minutes in a hotel lobby, how would I survive a long weekend?
I grabbed my phone from my purse and tapped the screen to check my messages. As expected, Lee had texted me multiple times.
Lee:Nothing to worry about here. Just um… if you happen to hear from Ms. Flores, can you assure her we have everything under control?
I dragged my palm across my face. Why, Lee? No. This was my vacation. Other than a catastrophic emergency, I would switch my phone off and clear my head. Claudia was there. As much as Lee hated to bother her, they’d have to go to her for help.
Before I chucked my phone for the weekend, I had to check in with my mom. I found her number in my recent calls and dialed. She answered on the first ring. The tell-tale sounds of her inhaling a Marlboro Light hit my ears before she’d even spoke a word. “Baby doll, I didn’t think you’d have time to call me, what with your ‘oh so fancy’ vacation weekend and all.”
I scoffed. Typical Mom, thinking I lived such a glamorous life.
“Mom, it’s not fancy. The way you talk, you’d think I was at the Ritz or something.” I sprawled out, stretching my legs.
Her exhale came like a hiss, and I could almost smell the noxious fumes of her smoke. “Well, what do I know? I could never afford to stay in fancy hotels.”
I had to steer the conversation away from whatever this was, or she’d take me down the guilt trip rabbit hole of Melanie Edwards’s despair.
“Mom, you remember you have your meeting tonight, right? Is Sally going to drive you over or should I order you an Uber?”
I could picture her sitting on her ancient black leather couch, letting her cigarette burn out until the ashes dropped in her lap and she nearly burned her fingers on the filter.
“Mom, you there?”
She coughed. “I’m here, I’m here. Hold your horses.”
“The meeting. How are you getting there and back?” I was getting impatient. She acted as though this was her first rodeo when, in reality, she’d been attending AA meetings in the recreational hall of Palm Cove Methodist church for the past two years. Ever since she drove wasted and nearly killed someone. Just another thing keeping me tied to Florida, my non-driving, alcoholic, hot mess of a mother.
“Richard’s going to pick me up. Don’t worry about me. Go enjoy yourself. Find a handsome guy to occupy your weekend.”
“Richard? Who’s that?” I asked.
I could never keep track of their names. My mother was and always had been a serial dater who believed that “staying in one place with one partner for too long was a fate worse than death.” Those were her exact words.She never told me much about my father. Only that they’d mutually decided their fling had run its course. I’d always thought there was more to the story but she kept her lips firmly sealed on the matter.
I think she’d keel over and die if I ever got married. My entire childhood was just me and her bouncing around from shitty town to shitty town. She’d find some lowlife guy to occupy her time for a few weeks, get him to pay for our food and her booze, maybe more, before she got bored and moved on. I became an expert in executing the midnight slip away by the time I was ten.
Now that she was sober, she was more invested in my life than during the entire eighteen years of my childhood. That included trying to squeeze every detail of my dating life out of me like we’re a couple of teenagers at a sleepover.
