Status: Patience, young grasshopper, is a virtue.
Seize the Day
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Adela made her way downstairs with a grin on her face. Though she knew she should be scolding herself, she was glad that her daughter was quite the heavy sleeper. She had tried to be quiet of course, but she tended to lose control of herself around Pete.
She wondered if in fifty years she was still be making love to her husband. She knew, of course, that age didn’t affect your want, but it was still a gross mental picture. She would be sag and wrinkle and gray; Pete stayed as magnificent however. Adela was positive that he was an ageless God. For heaven’s sake, he looked like the exact same man as he was on their wedding night. Not a wrinkle in sight. True, he was only thirty-six…but still. She could see the gradual change in her body. She wasn’t what she was when they had met.
Goodness…when they met. She was only sixteen. Time was flying by so quickly she wouldn’t be surprised if she woke up tomorrow in an old folks home. Even watching Allie grow up happened in the blink of an eye.
She yawned as the opened the pantry and took out the pancake mix. When she was feeling less lazy, she would make the pancakes from scratch; however, today was a lazy day.
Adela prepared the batter, turned on the stove, and got out her pan. It was usually Pete’s job to make the bacon but Lord knows when he’d make his way downstairs. And Allie typically refuses to leave her room until she can smell the bacon.
Adela sighed and poured some batter. As she watched it, waiting for it to be ready to flip, she felt a pair of strong arms encircle her waist. She smiled and leaned back into his chest and Pete pressed a kiss to the base of neck.
“Smells good,” he commented. She loved his deep southern drawl. It was that that drew her in the most, unlike the other girls. True, she had always—and still does—go gaga over a man with dark hair and dark eyes, but Pete had so many good qualities. She knew tons of handsome guys. But guys like Pete…only one. “Oh, and the pancakes do too.”
She giggled and swatted him with her spatula. “Just make some bacon.”
She could hardly concentrate on the task at hand when his body was pressed up against hers like that. That boy probably knew what he did to her and did it on purpose. It made her want to roll her eyes and smile…and drag him back to the bedroom.
Pete’s lips caressed her soft skin and Adela sighed contently. “Mmm,” she hummed. “You’re going to make me burn the pancakes if you don’t quit.”
He spun her around and kissed her with the abandon. The spatula fell to the ground.
“Oh, nasty!” the voice of their daughter shrieked upon entering the kitchen. The two parents pulled apart with swollen, red smiles. “God. You two are disgusting.”
Allie sneered at her parents. Adela beamed back at her daughter. She had always thought that Allie had made the perfect combination of their genetics. She had her father’s wavy black hair, the same eyes as her mother and grandmother, and the same exact smile as Pete’s momma. Goodness, Pete’s momma had been a beautiful woman; but she did not compare to Allie.
“Sorry, sugar,” Adela said lightly. “Do you want your daddy to make you some bacon?” She jumped and giggled suddenly as Pete pinched her butt before elbowing him.
Allie’s jaw dropped. “Get a room!”
Adela eyed her daughter. “Excuse me, but we got a whole house.”
Allie rolled her eyes. “I’m not hungry anymore.” She turned around and marched right out of the kitchen.
“Alison Riles! Come and eat your breakfast!” The slamming of a bedroom door was her only response. Adela sighed.
Pete smiled. “Hey, at least she was up before eleven! That’s got to be a record.”
His wife rolled her eyes. “Get to that bacon.”
“Bye Mom! Bye Dad!”
Adela looked over her shoulder to see her daughter making her way towards the front door. “Hold it!” she commanded right before Allie’s hand touched the door knob. She looked her daughter up and down; she was just wearing a hoodie and some sweatpants, and her face was completely make-up free. “Where do you think you’re going?”
“Kelly’s house,” Allie answered innocently.
“Who the hell is Kelly?” Adela retorted. Pete, learning much after being in a house with two women for seventeen years, paused the football game.
Allie rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. “Are we seriously doing this? She goes to my school.”
“I haven’t met her.”
“Yeah, because I don’t want my friends seeing how weird my family is.” The teenager flashed her mom the sarcastic smile that all girls seem to inherit at an early age.
Adela gave her the same smile. “Very funny. Is Kelly picking you up right now?”
“No. Caitlyn is driving me there. We’re all friends and we’re going to Kelly’s house. You’ve met Caitlyn.” Allie sighed.
Adela glared at her daughter. “Don’t use that tone of voice with me. You should invite Caitlyn inside. You girls can hang out here for the night.”
“Mom,” Allie whined, “don’t do this! Caitlyn is probably almost here! You know you embarrass me.”
“I’m serious, Alison.”
Allie turned to her dad imploringly. “Daddy, can I go hang out with my friends?”
Pete knew he was treading on very thin ice. He looked at his wife’s warning glare before turning back to his daughter tensely. “Listen to your ma.”
Allie groaned. “This is so lame! I might as well just call and cancel.”
“You’re kidding me?” Adela said. “You’d cancel your plans so your friends wouldn’t have to meet your parents?” Allie’s silence was her confirmation. Adela silently fumed and pointed at the stairs in which she had come from. “Go to your room now. You’re staying the night here, with friends or not.”
“Mom!” Allie shrieked. “You’re ruining my life!”
She darted back upstairs screaming. Pete looked at his angry wife cautiously. After a great internal debate, he switched off the football game, reasoning to himself that James would tell him how it went tomorrow, and began giving her a shoulder massage.
Adela sighed and leaned into it. “Was that too harsh?”
“Maybe,” Pete said tentatively. “But you meant well.”
She paused. True, she hadn’t meant any harm—if Allie wouldn’t let her mother meet her friends, what could she be hiding?—but she knows better than to let Allie walk out of the house with no make-up on. She hardly eats breakfast without some mascara. It wasn’t right.
Adela let her husband massage her shoulders. Perhaps she should just go up and apologize. Let Allie go see her friends. Maybe she was just overreacting. Pete was always telling her that she blew things way out of proportions.
Allie pushed up her window and swung one leg out. “You got me?” she whisper-yelled to Kelly.
He grinned back up at her and nodded. “Jump. I got you.”
She wondered if in fifty years she was still be making love to her husband. She knew, of course, that age didn’t affect your want, but it was still a gross mental picture. She would be sag and wrinkle and gray; Pete stayed as magnificent however. Adela was positive that he was an ageless God. For heaven’s sake, he looked like the exact same man as he was on their wedding night. Not a wrinkle in sight. True, he was only thirty-six…but still. She could see the gradual change in her body. She wasn’t what she was when they had met.
Goodness…when they met. She was only sixteen. Time was flying by so quickly she wouldn’t be surprised if she woke up tomorrow in an old folks home. Even watching Allie grow up happened in the blink of an eye.
She yawned as the opened the pantry and took out the pancake mix. When she was feeling less lazy, she would make the pancakes from scratch; however, today was a lazy day.
Adela prepared the batter, turned on the stove, and got out her pan. It was usually Pete’s job to make the bacon but Lord knows when he’d make his way downstairs. And Allie typically refuses to leave her room until she can smell the bacon.
Adela sighed and poured some batter. As she watched it, waiting for it to be ready to flip, she felt a pair of strong arms encircle her waist. She smiled and leaned back into his chest and Pete pressed a kiss to the base of neck.
“Smells good,” he commented. She loved his deep southern drawl. It was that that drew her in the most, unlike the other girls. True, she had always—and still does—go gaga over a man with dark hair and dark eyes, but Pete had so many good qualities. She knew tons of handsome guys. But guys like Pete…only one. “Oh, and the pancakes do too.”
She giggled and swatted him with her spatula. “Just make some bacon.”
She could hardly concentrate on the task at hand when his body was pressed up against hers like that. That boy probably knew what he did to her and did it on purpose. It made her want to roll her eyes and smile…and drag him back to the bedroom.
Pete’s lips caressed her soft skin and Adela sighed contently. “Mmm,” she hummed. “You’re going to make me burn the pancakes if you don’t quit.”
He spun her around and kissed her with the abandon. The spatula fell to the ground.
“Oh, nasty!” the voice of their daughter shrieked upon entering the kitchen. The two parents pulled apart with swollen, red smiles. “God. You two are disgusting.”
Allie sneered at her parents. Adela beamed back at her daughter. She had always thought that Allie had made the perfect combination of their genetics. She had her father’s wavy black hair, the same eyes as her mother and grandmother, and the same exact smile as Pete’s momma. Goodness, Pete’s momma had been a beautiful woman; but she did not compare to Allie.
“Sorry, sugar,” Adela said lightly. “Do you want your daddy to make you some bacon?” She jumped and giggled suddenly as Pete pinched her butt before elbowing him.
Allie’s jaw dropped. “Get a room!”
Adela eyed her daughter. “Excuse me, but we got a whole house.”
Allie rolled her eyes. “I’m not hungry anymore.” She turned around and marched right out of the kitchen.
“Alison Riles! Come and eat your breakfast!” The slamming of a bedroom door was her only response. Adela sighed.
Pete smiled. “Hey, at least she was up before eleven! That’s got to be a record.”
His wife rolled her eyes. “Get to that bacon.”
*
“Bye Mom! Bye Dad!”
Adela looked over her shoulder to see her daughter making her way towards the front door. “Hold it!” she commanded right before Allie’s hand touched the door knob. She looked her daughter up and down; she was just wearing a hoodie and some sweatpants, and her face was completely make-up free. “Where do you think you’re going?”
“Kelly’s house,” Allie answered innocently.
“Who the hell is Kelly?” Adela retorted. Pete, learning much after being in a house with two women for seventeen years, paused the football game.
Allie rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. “Are we seriously doing this? She goes to my school.”
“I haven’t met her.”
“Yeah, because I don’t want my friends seeing how weird my family is.” The teenager flashed her mom the sarcastic smile that all girls seem to inherit at an early age.
Adela gave her the same smile. “Very funny. Is Kelly picking you up right now?”
“No. Caitlyn is driving me there. We’re all friends and we’re going to Kelly’s house. You’ve met Caitlyn.” Allie sighed.
Adela glared at her daughter. “Don’t use that tone of voice with me. You should invite Caitlyn inside. You girls can hang out here for the night.”
“Mom,” Allie whined, “don’t do this! Caitlyn is probably almost here! You know you embarrass me.”
“I’m serious, Alison.”
Allie turned to her dad imploringly. “Daddy, can I go hang out with my friends?”
Pete knew he was treading on very thin ice. He looked at his wife’s warning glare before turning back to his daughter tensely. “Listen to your ma.”
Allie groaned. “This is so lame! I might as well just call and cancel.”
“You’re kidding me?” Adela said. “You’d cancel your plans so your friends wouldn’t have to meet your parents?” Allie’s silence was her confirmation. Adela silently fumed and pointed at the stairs in which she had come from. “Go to your room now. You’re staying the night here, with friends or not.”
“Mom!” Allie shrieked. “You’re ruining my life!”
She darted back upstairs screaming. Pete looked at his angry wife cautiously. After a great internal debate, he switched off the football game, reasoning to himself that James would tell him how it went tomorrow, and began giving her a shoulder massage.
Adela sighed and leaned into it. “Was that too harsh?”
“Maybe,” Pete said tentatively. “But you meant well.”
She paused. True, she hadn’t meant any harm—if Allie wouldn’t let her mother meet her friends, what could she be hiding?—but she knows better than to let Allie walk out of the house with no make-up on. She hardly eats breakfast without some mascara. It wasn’t right.
Adela let her husband massage her shoulders. Perhaps she should just go up and apologize. Let Allie go see her friends. Maybe she was just overreacting. Pete was always telling her that she blew things way out of proportions.
*
Allie pushed up her window and swung one leg out. “You got me?” she whisper-yelled to Kelly.
He grinned back up at her and nodded. “Jump. I got you.”
♠ ♠ ♠
Surprise! Kelly's a boy!Hehe. Little does Mama Riles know that...