The Violet Hour

Things slowly got back to normal in a few weeks. It was awkward but we never talked about me going again. I secretly wondered if he was embarrassed that his girlfriend was out of her mind. Today, though, was pretty important. My mother was coming in from Ohio and would be here for one day as she made her way to California. She was only going to stay for a few hours to meet Jon and see how I was.
“Ma, please. Just be nice.” I said as we drove to the apartment. I had picked her up from the airport to be nice.
“I'm always nice. I never thought of you as the type to find a new boyfriend so soon.” She said. I just looked at her.
“Sorry.” She said. We pulled into the parking lot of our building and we started walking inside. I was so nervous for what she would say. I opened the door to my apartment and saw Jon sitting on the couch reading a book. Nice touch.
“Hey.” I said quietly. Jon stood up and went over to my mom.
“Nice to see you again.” He said extending his hand to my mom.
“Nice to see you too, Jonathan.” She said shaking it back.
“Well, I can tell what you put up, Blaine.” My mom said as she went up to my framed posters. “Don't judge.” I laughed.
“That movie sucked, Blaine. If you're going to put up a movie poster, put up something that has some substance.” She said.
“Ma, I could only hope to be as happy as you are when I'm older.” I said giving her a blank stare.
“I'm very happy. I've got a successful career and a smart kid. What more could I ask for?” She asked smiling. Jon showed her the rest of our place and I stood behind and watched. Afterwards, we all sat down and had dinner.
“Now, the important question.” My mom said.
“Ma, please.” I said, thinking she would ask about our relationship.
“How is school?” She asked me. Of course.
“Uh, it's fine?” I said.
“How many classes are you taking?” She asked me.
“Six.” I said.
“Not enough, take some more. Graduate schools want to see you care about school.” She said.
“Mom. We go through this all the time. I'm getting good grades, I'm not worried about this right now. I'm looking at grad schools.” I said.
“You have to get better grades if you want scholarships. Graduate school is expensive, how do you expect to pay for it? I told you I would pay for school in Chicago, but you have to pay for graduate school. You should apply to school back home. Case has a fantastic law school.” She said.
“I'll get a job. And no, I'm not going back home.” I said.
“Not to interrupt, but I'd help Blaine pay for graduate school.” Jon said. I shot him a look. My mother just smiled.
“Jon, what college did you go to? You went to college right?” She asked him.
“Yes, I did. I went to University of North Dakota.” He said.
"Did you have a major?" She asked him.
"No, I was undecided. I knew I wanted to go into the NHL." He said.
“Did you go all four years?” She asked him.
“Only two.” He said.
"Mom, enough. Seriously." I said.
“As nice as that is for you to offer to pay for her college, she can do it herself. Blaine doesn't need to depend on other people. Especially, a man.” She said. I just sighed and got up from the table.
“Mom, please come with me.” I said. We walked into the kitchen where I leaned against the counter.
“Why are you being so rude? This is his apartment, you can't treat him like that!” I said throwing my hands in the air.
“I was not being rude. I was simply telling him the truth. You don't need to depend on anyone. It's only going to hurt you in the end.” She said.
“Seriously, I think I'm screwed up half the time because of you. I see you like three times a year and it always ends in a fight. Why can you not just be happy for me? Or at least grit your teeth and pretend to at least be neutral about it?” I said.
“I never said I wasn't happy for you. I'm looking out for you.” She said.
“I'm done with that, mom. I can't take it anymore. You put so much extra pressure on me that I really don't need right now. This is my home. Whatever it was back in Ohio is gone. It's been gone the second I left for college. You don't understand that and no one else does when I go back. There is nothing for me there. Here is where I belong. Someone wants me here.” I said.
“I'm not trying to fight with you. I'm just trying to help you. Do you think his career will help you? What if he leaves? Are you going to take the bar exam in every state? What about in the summer when he goes home? You can't just stop working. He seems like a very nice man. I really like him. No, I don't care that these people went to college or not. He was undecided right? I don't care, he's making a career for himself that he loves. What I care about is will he take care of you and are you going to be happy. I don't want you to have to follow this guy around. He should be doing that for you. I see that he loves you and I know you love him but you have this lost look in your eyes.” She said.
“I still feel bad for what I did. I feel like this bad person for being happy. Also, Jon found out I go to a therapist.” I said.
“So what if he found out? It's not going to hurt him.” She said.
“I know but I kept it from him.” I said.
“Is he still upset about it?” She asked me.
“No, I mean we both got pretty fired up about it but we haven't said anything about it since.” I said.
“Then it's done. Don't worry about it. Are you still going?” She asked.
“Yeah.” I said.
“Good. Don't ever let a man dictate your life. They are never worth it.” She said.
I just stood there and stared at her.