The shrill digital chirp of my phone returned me to the present with a rattle. It was too late for any further telemarketers, so I grabbed the receiver on the first ring and mumbled something in the way of a greeting.
“Hello Jessica, I’m assuming you got the invitation?”
I grinned. “Hi, Mom. Yes, it’s here.” Once I had gotten a normal hairstyle and attempted to wear an occasional color other than black, she and I became much more relaxed around one another. “I’m looking at it now. Very… purple, isn’t it?”
There was the flutter of paper on the other side of the phone. “At least it isn’t the awful shade of blue as the last time around. It looks like the reception is in a better location, too. They lucked out by getting Valentine’s Day on a weekend.” She paused for a moment. “Yes, Jessica, you are going. No, Jessica, you cannot bring the cat.”
The grin went to groan. Get out of my head, Mom. “Thanks. I was aware of that moral imperative, but you don’t have to remind me. Thinking about bringing a date makes my brain hurt. Face it, I should show up solo. And do NOT say anything about meeting someone there, I met Kevin’s friends last Labor Day and was completely underwhelmed.”
She chuckled. “I wouldn’t dream of saying that, Sweetcheeks.” I rolled my eyes at the childhood nickname. “You know your tastes in men, bad as they may be sometimes. You know I’m kidding about that last part, Jess.”
“Uh-huh.” I did know, but I also knew she tended to be right.
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