“What’s he do?” Ada asked, coming up behind Mom.
“He’s a cop,” I told her.
Ada’s eyes got huge in her wrinkled face.
“Real y?” she breathed, her eyes working, probably wondering how she could finagle a ride-along.
“You’re ashamed,” Mom said.
My eyes moved to Mom and I stared at her.
“What?”
“You’re ashamed of me. That’s why you didn’t bring him up here.”
“I’m not ashamed!”
And I wasn’t, there were far more complicated reasons why I didn’t bring Eddie up and it had nothing to do with being ashamed of my mother.
“There’s no other reason,” she accused.
“I told you, he had to get to work.”
“You didn’t want him to see me like this.” Mom indicated her chair.
“That’s just not true.”
“I don’t believe you. You never bring anyone around. I can’t help how I am right now but I’m getting better al the time.”
“It’s not that,” I said.
“Then what is it?”
“We were kissing, al right!” I shouted.
Yeesh.
Mom’s mouth snapped closed and her eyes got al bright and dreamy. Ada clasped her hands in front of her with obvious joy.
This was not a good sign.
“Ladies, don’t get excited” I warned.
“How can I not get excited? He’s cute, he has a good job and a fancy truck. What’s not to get excited about?”
“And he looks good in those mirrored sunglasses. I bet most cops wish they could wear those sunglasses like your Eddie can, he can real y pul them off,” Ada put in.
I turned to Ada first.
“Ada, honey, he’s not my Eddie.” Then I turned to Mom,
“The reason you shouldn’t get excited is because he’s a nice guy, that’s it, the end. At first, I think he was curious, but now he’s…”
I didn’t know what he was. I had to find an explanation for it, for the kiss, his defending my virtue last night, everything.
I usual y did this in my head, where it was safe, not out loud to my mother.
My mind whirled to find an explanation.