Part I: Reverse Psychology
I'd had a hard day. It was Monday; I'd got up at 7:30am to be at class for 8:30, had classes until 4:30pm, and worked in the pizza parlour from 5pm until 10pm. To make matters worse, I'd been playing soccer the previous afternoon, so all day my joints had been stiff enough without having to walk around campus all day then wait on tables for five hours. By the time I got home, I was beat.
My mother greeted me in her usual, perky way. Sometimes it was annoying, but really there was no-one better to lift your spirits when you were down.
"Rough day, hon?" she asked when I entered the den and slumped down on the sofa, her voice lilting like she was talking to a baby. Well, that's how she always saw me, I guess, even at nineteen and 'the man of the house' since dad left.
"Yeah, pretty rough," I answered listlessly, staring at the commercials on TV. I hadn't even taken off my coat yet, or my boots.
"Aaaw, that's too bad. How was class?"
"Fine."
"Work?"
"The usual."
"Bad?"
"You bet."
My mom smiled slightly. "Still sore after yesterday, then, are we?"
I had to smile too; my mom always could see right through me. "Yes, I'm still sore," I answered, tersely but joking.
"Well, you shouldn't play so rough you know..." she intoned in mock chastisement. Then she began waggling a finger at me, smirking.
"Yeah, yeah, I know," I said, grinning in spite of myself. Games like this always cheered me up, mom teasing me like I was a little kid. My eyes hadn't left the TV screen. By now the program was back; 'Ready, Set... Cook!' One of my all-time least favorite shows, one that my mother insisted on watching.
"I hate this show," I announced.
"Ooooooooh!" cooed my mom, like an extra from a British sex comedy. "Look who's Mr. Grumpy!" She affected a 'there-there' baby voice. "Awww, did those big boys hurt my widdle-biddy booby thaaahn?"
"Ma," I began, a little sternly, "I hate this show, period. Whether I'm feeling stiff, tired out, or on top of the god-damn world, I hate this show."
Mom laughed, a sweet chuckle that made me forget my irritation, and I laughed too.
"I know, hon, I know. Mommy's only teasing!"
"And quit that little kid voice, would you!"
We both laughed hard for a few moments, me throwing a cushion at Mom when she kept on teasing me.
"I surrender, I surrender!" she wailed as I flung another cushion at her. "And keep it quiet, or you'll waken Chrissy. She only went to bed about a half-hour ago."
We calmed down, wisely. Sis was a real bitch if she didn't get her 10-hours beauty sleep. There was quiet for a while.
"You know, though," Mom began brightly, "If you really are that sore, I could give you a back rub."
This was a little strange. May be she was still joking. "Umm, no, that's okay, Mom. Thanks anyway," I said, scoffing a little.
"No, I'm serious. I've been reading this book." She leaned down to the floor beside her armchair, and picked up a medium-sized hardback book. "It's all about aromatherapy and massage. It's good."
I rolled my eyes. That explained it. Mom doesn't have a career as such. Dad was always the bread winner, and after he ran off with his secretary, Mom struggled to find a job. There weren't many positions where 'experience as a home-maker' was a principal requirement. So she tried her hand at a few things, but never found the perfect job for her. Four years on, she's still looking, and it seemed this was her latest fad.