A Tantalizing Kiss

“We’re going to Mom’s tonight.” Joey said once I got home that evening. I groaned, collapsing on the couch in exhaustion. She sat across from me, her eyes casually reading the magazine in her hands.

“Why?”

“She’s your mother, Mason. You shouldn’t have to ask why.” Her voice was accusing, but her eyes didn’t move from the magazine.

“But Joey… I have school tomorrow.”

She nodded, “That’s why you’re going tonight. We won’t have to stay too long. Mom still thinks you go to bed at nine.”

I stared at my feet, annoyed, “I don’t like visiting her.”

“She’s your mother.”

“What’s your point? She doesn’t act like one.”

Joey took in a deep breath, blowing it out slowly through her lips, “Mason, she’s made mistakes, and she’s trying to fix them now. You need to support her with this. Being her only son, it’s important that you do so.”

I held back my comments.

Joey stood up, setting the magazine down on the arm of the chair. She grabbed a jacket, stuffing her keys into the pocket of her jeans. Slowly, I rose up from the couch, following her out the door and to the car.

Growing up in elementary school, my mother brought home many strange men. While my father kept one lady, she would come home at odd hour in the evening. Usually, we never stuck around long enough to talk to the men.

It wasn’t until I was in middle school that I realized what she was doing. I simply thought my mother was a popular woman up until then.

She started to settle down with one man towards the end of fourth grade for me. He moved into the house two months after they started dating. Joey absolutely loathed him and began to spend less and less time in the house. For the most part, she brought me with her, but occasionally I was left alone.

The man, Jonathon, had been terrible for my mother. My mom had always had a drinking problem, but she had managed to keep it at an acceptable level. Once she started seeing him, the alcohol levels increased.

She would douse me in cologne before I went to school to rid myself of the stench of alcohol. It never worked completely.

Once I entered high school, Joey cleaned herself up enough to support me and she became my legal guardian. She had her own drug battle to fight, but she did it for me. Shortly after my mom lost custody of me, she ended her relationship with Jonathon and checked into a rehab.

She only managed a year out of it before she went back in to work on her addiction. Currently, this was her fourth consecutive month in Fry Village Rehab Center.

We had only visited twice so far.

It was roughly fifteen minutes away from our apartment. The ride over, I blared the radio, turning my mind off.

I absolutely hated going there.

Joey parked the car, turning off the engine. She sat in her seat for a moment longer before opening the door and climbing out. I followed shortly after.

“Please, Mason, be polite.” She said softly as we walked into the lobby, “From what I hear, she’s doing phenomenal, much better than last time. They think she might be out within two months. She misses you. Act happy.”

“I can’t promise anything.”

“If you act like a brat, you’re not going to State Cups this weekend.” She threatened darkly. I knew she was serious.

“You wouldn’t!”

“I would.”

“My team needs me!”

“Then do it for your team!” She hissed. Plastering a fake smile on her face, she walked up to the receptionist, signing in.

We walked down the hallway to my mother’s room.

She had a room to herself. A bed with checkered sheets sat in the corner of the room with a small television across from it. Two doors were on opposite ends of the walls, one for a closet, the other a restroom. A single arm chair rested near the bed.

My mother sat on her bed, watching television and sipping from a water bottle provided by the center.

“Hey Mom,” Joey said softly, as if she was talking to a small child, “Mason and I have come to visit you.”

Mom looked over at us with wide eyes in surprise. The look quickly changed into one of happiness, a smile lighting up her face.

“Joanna, Mason!” She motioned for us to come closer. She had never been one to call Joey by her nickname, preferring her full name instead

Joey led the way over, sitting on the edge of the bed. I took a seat in the arm chair, rocking it back and forth.

My mother looked much healthier than before. She had a glow to her when she smiled that was uncanny. I tried to keep my eyes off of her as much as I could. A pang rang through my chest as memories flooded my mind.

I was always awestruck at how this was the same woman who used to drink until she passed out every night.

“How have you been, Mom?” Joey asked after a short moment of silent passed.

She shrugged casually, “So, so. I wish my children would visit me more, though. Shelia always comments on how beautiful they are. She’s dying to meet both of you, by the way. Maybe she’ll stop by, and you can meet.”

“Is Shelia a friend?”

“Yes, she is such a sweetheart.” Mom smiled softly, her eyes fading out at a memory, “She always says the funniest things.”

Joey smiled affectionately.

“So please, tell me what’s been going on with my children!”

“Well, Mason, here, is playing in the State Cup this weekend. That’s the biggest soccer game all season.” Joey smiled at me proudly.

My mom’s eyes widened and turned on me, “Is that so? Wow, Mason, I remember when you…” She trailed off, trying to prevent a painful memory from coming up.

I knew exactly what she was talking about.

Her missing my games because she was too busy drinking.

She shook her head sharply, smiling gently, “I’m very proud of you. I’m sure you’ll take the number one spot.”

I faked a smile, “Thanks.”

“Joanna, are you still working two jobs?” She turned her attention to Joey, feeling the malice from me.

Joey nodded, “Yeah, but now I’m only working at Applebee’s part time in the evenings and working as a receptionist at a local paper company.”

“Oh, really? That’s fantastic! I’m sure that’s paying more than the cashier job was!” She seemed ecstatic by this news.

Joey nodded, “It’s more manageable now,”

“Are you still with Caden?”

Joey cringed sharply.

My mom’s eyes widened. She quickly turned to me, wanting an explanation. I glanced at Joey before explaining.

“Caden left.”

“What? He wouldn’t! He was such a good boy, why would he just leave?” She frowned.

I glanced at Joey. She gave a slight shake of the head, but it was enough for me to understand the meaning.

“I don’t know, he just packed his bags and left. It’s still a tender topic.”

That was enough for her to drop it.

“How is school, Mason? Are you passing all your classes?”

I nodded, even if it was a lie. Neither of the women knew that, and I hoped to keep it that way for as long as I could.

Joey took a deep breath, smiling once again, “Mason has school tomorrow so we’re going to have to leave by seven or eight.”

“Oh right, right. I wish you guys would come on a weekend so I could see you longer, but you both must be busy.” She sighed.

Joey and I shared a look.

We came on school nights for a reason.

“Has Jonathon talked to you at all recently?”

Mom pursed her lips, “He came to visit a few weeks ago. He apologized for what happened and asked if we could try again when I got out.”

“What did you say?” I had to ask.

“No, of course. I’m a changed woman. I don’t need him dragging me down again.” She said proudly.

“That’s the spirit!” Joey laughed softly.

“I haven’t heard from him since. I hope I don’t. I know Shelia is the only reason I managed last time. But once I’m on my own…” She sighed, trailing off.

“Shelia sounds good for you, Mom.”

“She is my best friend. Unfortunately, I think I’m going to be released before she is. She still manages to get alcohol in sometimes.”

Joey’s eyes widened in shock.

Mom laughed gently, “Don’t worry, Joanna, I haven’t tried I sip. You can test me if you want proof.”

“I trust you, Mom.”

She smiled gratefully, “That means a lot to me.”

Joey simply smiled in return.

They spent the rest of two hours chatting aimlessly about life. I kept my participation at a minimum. They discussed every aspect about all three of our lives. Mom tried to include me in the conversation, but I gave her a hard time doing so. Joey understood and tried to direct the flow to topics about my mother instead of us.

Around an hour into the visit, Joey pulled out her phone and showed our mother pictures of us she had taken. I hadn’t realized she’d done so. I peered over her shoulder as she flickered through pictures of me running down the soccer field or aiming for the ball.

A few people popped their head in the doorway to say hello to my mother, but none stayed. I didn’t know if any of them was the infamous Shelia. They must’ve left because we were there. They didn’t want to intrude on the family moment.

I didn’t realize how popular my mother actually was here.

Or how popular Joey and I were.

Plenty of people who stopped by knew who we were while we hadn’t the slightest idea of who they were.

I faked a yawn at around seven-thirty, the subtle signal to Joey for us to wrap it up. She nodded gently, standing up slowly.

“I think we’re going to head out now.”

I followed her lead.

Mom frowned, “Are you sure you can’t stay too much longer?"

Joey glanced down at the screen on her phone, shaking her head gently, “No, we really must get going, Mom.”

She sighed softly before smiling. “Thank you both for visiting. I miss you two so much.”

“We miss you too.”

Speak for yourself, Joey.

Mom hugged both of us individually, kissing our cheeks. Only Joey returned the kiss. We bid our goodbyes, heading out of the room.

We signed out and walked to the car in silence.

Once in the car, Joey turned the radio on softly, allowing it to become background music. She fiddled with the dials until she found a song she liked. She waited until we were on the main highway before speaking.

“Thanks, Mason.” She said softly.

I shrugged, not responding.

“I know you don’t like going at all, but do remember she loves you a lot. It hurts her to remember what she did. She’s a different person now.” Joey defended. “I really appreciate you not acting like a total dick to her though.”

“I don’t care if she’s a different person. It was her choice to let herself become that person.” I grumbled.

“And it’s her choice to change that. She’s trying.”

I shrugged again.

“Don’t shrug at me.” Joey sighed, evidently getting annoyed, “Do you want to stop at Taco Bell for dinner?”

“Sure.”

She switched on her blinker, switching to the right lane.

~*~

6 tacos and two burritos later, I was laying on the couch, flipping through channels when my phone rang.

My hand moved blindly on the floor searching for it.

“Hello?” I asked, putting it to my ear.

“Mason?”

“Yeah,”

“It’s Rose.”

“Oh, hey, what’s up?” I sat up right. I gently tossed the remote to my sister, motioning to the backroom. She nodded, curling up on the chair.

I closed the door behind me, leaning against it.

“I know this is going to be completely random, but don’t you have the State Cup this weekend?” She asked softly.

I frowned, wondering what she was getting at, “Yeah, we do.”

“So why are you going to the drama practices? Shouldn’t you be going to the soccer ones instead?”

I sighed, “I should be, but Stein wants me to attend the ones I’m supposed to like a good little boy and forget about soccer.”

“But it’s State Cups…”

“That’s what I said.”

“I really think you should focus on soccer. We’re not doing anymore understudy parts this week, anyways.”

“Are you just trying to get rid of me?” I teased, smirking into the phone.

She scoffed, “No! I know you like soccer more. I was just calling because I was confused as to why you weren’t there.”

“You were thinking about me?” I held back a chuckle. She was setting herself up for my teasing jokes.

“What? No, well, I—”

“You were.” I grinned deviously, “Rose, Doll, I know I’m irresistible. You can just come out and say you were.”

“Shut up, Mason.” She snapped, “I was asking you a question as a concerned friend.”

“But you were thinking about me in more than a friendly way, huh?”

“Mason!”

“I love when you scream my name.”

“I didn’t scream your name!”

I chuckled, “You will be soon, Doll.”

I could almost hear her rolling her eyes over the phone, “You’re so full of yourself Johnson. I don’t know why I bother.”

“Because you love me.” I teased.

“Yeah, that’s definitely it.” She said sarcastically.

“Hey Rose?” I dropped down onto my bed, lying on my back. I stared at the ceiling, letting my eyes form shapes with the shadows.

“Yeah?”

“If you’re not busy or anything Saturday…”

“Yeah?”

“Would you go on a date with me after the big game?”

It was worth a shot.

She groaned, “Mason, I just told you today what Pierce did to me and then I confided in you. Are you seriously doing this now?”

“Come on, you can’t tell me you weren’t expecting it.”

She sighed, “I guess that’s true…”

“So yes or no?”

She thought for a moment. I was surprised at how much anticipation I had for her answer. It was only Rose, and I was almost certain she would reject me.

“Where’s your game?”

“What?”

“I asked where your big soccer game was.”

“It’s roughly an hour or so away.”

“Tell you what, if you win the big game, then we’ll go on a date.” She said.

My eyes widened. I sat upright in surprise, “You being serious?”

“One hundred percent.”

“Fuck, Yeah!” I grinned, “You better actually go on a date with me this time. Unlike the last time we made a deal.”

“Here’s the catch, Mase.”

I groaned, “There’s always a fucking catch with you.”

“If I’m serious about my part, you better be serious about yours. I’m not going to sleep with you afterwards. So don’t expect it.”

“Rose, you’ll be surprised at the kind of gentleman I can be.”

She laughed, “You have to win first.”

“I will, Doll. Are you going to go to the game?”

“Of course.”