Not Another Fairytale

Tara’s mother beamed at her, “Oh my, Tara! You have a good reason to be happy. I can’t wait to meet this boy.”

To say that Tara was happy was a complete understatement. She was, in fact, floating. She was floating so high above the world that she was zooming through stars and galaxies.

“We’ve got to get home. I have to get ready, clean the living room of my crap, and straighten the bathroom up. Ugh, there is so much to do!” She was nearly bouncing in her seat with her excitement. Tara gasped suddenly and her mom stepped roughly on the brakes, looking at her in worry. She looked back at her mother, “Do we have snacks and stuff at home? Or should we go to the store?”

Her mother sighed and lightly placed her foot on the gas pedal and chuckling at her overjoyed daughter, “We should probably stop at the store. Maybe we could get corn chips and salsa and some sort of juice.”

Tara smiled at her mother, “That sounds wonderful.”

Her mom turned on the left blinker and quickly zoomed through the light that had just turned yellow. Tara braced herself against the side of the car to keep herself from hitting her head off the window.

“Well,” her mom said, “Weren’t you in a hurry?”

“I was, but I have nothing to hurry over if I’m dead,” Tara placed a hand on her chest and gave a great sigh of relief as her mother pulled easily into the store parking lot. Once they were parked, she waited until her mom turned the car off before she unbuckled her seat belt. Tara loved her mom, but sometimes, she questioned her sanity. It was a good thing she did, too. It gave her an excuse for all the crazy things her mother did; like whipping through that stop light just moments ago.

Tara flipped her hair back over her face as they both exited the car and both scurried through the store and back out to the car for the crazy ride home. She knew her mom was a nut, but this was too much. Her mom sped through stop signs, zoomed through yellow lights, and just barely stopped for red lights. She was breaking so many laws and somehow, Tara came out of the ordeal with her life.

She hopped out of the car and ran to the door of the small home. The building was paneled with a bluish-gray colored siding. It raised two stories and was narrow. A small yard in front of the house was covered in a few inches of fluffy, white, clean snow and the house was surrounded by two houses that towered a whole story above the small house. The door was a classic wood door, furnished beautifully in a lovely, dark brown stain.

Tara took her house key from her coat pocket and slid it easily into the lock. She turned the key and smiled slightly as she heard that familiar click. Stepping inside, she left the door open for her mother. Automatically, she kicked her shoes off and hung her coat.

Stepping into the living room, she brushed her hair completely from her face and placed her hands on her hips. Papers from her mom’s job and bills for the house littered the coffee table and books that Tara had been reading recently were scattered around the floor.

The once excited girl now sighed, “I see I have a lot to do. And this is just the living room. I’m scared to see what the bathroom looks like.”

Surprisingly, nothing took as long as she expected it to. She was done with her cleaning within the hour. When she had finished, Tara quickly jumped in the shower, letting the warm water cascade over her body and wrap around her like a warm blanket. Once she was satisfied with how clean she was, she gingerly stepped out onto the cold floor tiles. Tara grabbed a towel from underneath the sink and sighed happily as the soft fabric brushed against her skin.

There was a knock on the door as Tara wrapped her towel around her hair like a turban; an art she had mastered as a young girl, learned from her mother. Speaking of her mother, it was dear Amelia who was now calling through the door, “Tara, dear?”

Tara smiled as she freshened herself with deodorant, “Yeah, mom?”

Almost always did she reply to her mothers question with another question.

“Are you almost done in there? I’m sure your new friend will be here soon. Plus, I really have to pee,” she could almost hear the plea in her mothers voice.

Tara’s musical laugh was heard through the door, “I know, mom. And I’ll be out soon. I promise.”

A few minutes later, she exited the bathroom and her mom was rushing in and slamming the door shut in Tara’s face.

Tara laughed again and dashed to her room, towel wrapped tightly around her torso. She had spent the day in uncomfortable jeans. It was time to get comfy. Closing the door quietly behind her, she went over to her CD player and pressed the play button. In a matter of seconds, soft music was pouring from the speakers into her room. She smiled as she danced to her drawers and opened the top one, pulling out a sports bra, underwear, and fuzzy socks. Tara let her towel drop in the confines of her room; private and secluded. She took her time slipping her undergarments on before sliding open her second drawer and pulling out her favorite pair of pajama pants. Quickly glancing at the clock, she realized it was nearly time for Damian to arrive.

Tara plucked a black shirt from her bottom drawer and tossed it on, over her head. She still had to get the food out and set it up. Running down the stairs and into the kitchen, she was prepared to just throw everything in a few bowls, only slowing down enough to notice that her mom had already taken care of it. Giving silent thanks to her mother, she allowed herself to relax for a few moments before the doorbell rang.

When Tara flung the door open, she was greeted by Damian, who smiled and waved at her shyly. He seemed to have the same idea as her, as he was wearing pajama pants and a plain t-shirt underneath his intricately designed hoodie.

Tara smiled with what she hoped was a sweet smile and stepped aside. He entered without hesitating and dropped his book bag to the floor. Gently, he pulled her into a hug. It wasn’t bone-crushing, but it was warm and inviting, and made Tara feel… great to say the least, or the most, considering they had only met that day. Tentatively, she embraced him back.