Better for You

After a quiet car journey in which my mind had played over every option that could arise when meeting my mother, we arrived at the diner. After parking the car, I looked around the car park and noticed my mother’s large white four by four parked in the car park also.

I inhaled a deep breath, trying to mentally prepare myself for this meal when I felt Harry’s hand swallow my own. I opened my eyes and looked to Harry who gave me a charming smile with his dimples proudly on display. “Izzy, it’s going to be fine - I’ll be right by your side all along.” Harry assured me and I smiled at his speech as Harry lightly stroked my cheek with his other hand. “We got this.” Harry promised me and I nodded my head, smiling up at him.

“Thank you.” I told Harry quietly, leaning towards Harry and pecking his cheek before we got out of my car and walked in towards the diner with my hand resting in Harry’s comforting one.

As we walked into the diner I noticed my mother already sitting at the table, wearing a smart blouse and skirt with her blonde dyed hair pinned up in a flawless bun while sipping on a glass of water. I inhaled a deep breath before leading Harry to where my mum was sitting. As we stopped by the table my mum un crossed her legs and stood up to evaluate us. My mother’s eyes immediately drank in my form, her eyes narrowing slightly at my outfit of no make-up, ripped jeans, a cream pullover jumper and booties. My mother’s eyes then suddenly flickered to Harry who had the same charming smile from the car plastered on his face and I wanted to tell him how grateful I was for him doing this for me, but instead I squeezed his hand hoping that the same message would be received through that.

“Well, you must be my daughter’s boyfriend Harry.” My mother inquired with a smile on her face that didn’t quite meet her eyes.

“Yes, that would be me, it’s lovely to meet you ma’am, I’ve heard so much about you.” Harry replied in a polite and formal tone, offering my mother a hand to shake and somehow, I managed to control my jaw and stop it from dropping in shock of the scene in front of me. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Harry acting so polite.

My mum placed her dainty hand inside of Harry’s and shook it lightly before removing it and gesturing to the table. “Well why don’t we all have a seat? I’ve already ordered jug of water for us all.” My mother told us and I forced a smile at her before sitting in the booth across from her with Harry sitting down next to me while still holding my hand.

“How are you, mother?” I asked my mum in an attempt to start conversation as I looked through the menu of the diner even though I already knew that I was going to be ordering the garden salad.

“I’m very good thank you, work has been a little hectic however, with Paris fashion week coming up and all.” My mother told me and I nodded my head in understanding, my mum had always been a busy woman with her work, often working until 11pm or later whenever there is a fashion week or something of the sort. A stranger would think that my mother’s job was running her to the ground however that could not be further from the truth as in all honesty her job is everything to her and is what gives my mother her happiness. “What about you, you look well – have you lost a few pounds?” My mum asked and I noticed Harry frowning next to me as he gave my hand a reassuring squeeze.

“I think I may have lost a little weight, nothing major though.” I replied nonchalantly with a little shrug to add to the effect.

“Well you look better for it, darling.” My mum assured me with a smile on her lips that seemed to reach her eyes.

“Thank you.” I replied quietly, lowering my eyes to scan the menu again.

“And what about you, Harry? I assume you are in education still?” My mum asked, surprising me that she was actually giving Harry the time of day.

“Yes, I am – I’m in the same class as Izzy, that’s how we met actually.” Harry stated and I frowned in confusion, we met at a frat party when he was being an arsehole. Perplexed, I turned my head to face Harry who was giving me a smile which seemed to say just go along with it.

Before my mother could respond to this, the waiter came over and asked for our orders. My mother and I both ordered the garden salad while Harry shamelessly order the cheeseburger and fries, my mother raising her eyebrows at Harry’s order, however she did not say a word about it.

“So, Harry, what do you do with your free time, are you employed?” My mum asked Harry as I took a sip from my water.

“Actually yes, I work two days a week at an apprenticeship.” Harry replied and I nearly spat out the water in mouth across the table – since when did Harry have a job?

“You work at an apprenticeship? How come I never knew this?” I asked Harry in shock, as Harry turned to face me.

“I guess it just never really came out in conversation.” Harry replied with a shrug while I stared at him with wide eyes.

“Which firm is it?” I pushed Harry further, still shocked that Harry had a job at a law firm and didn’t tell me.

“Sullivan and Cromwell.” Harry answered and I raised my eyebrows in disbelief at his answer – Harry was working at one of the top law firms in America and had kept it quiet?! Well no wonder he had been acing every law exam we had done.

“Wow that’s amazing Harry, I can’t believe you hadn’t told me about it!” I replied, with a smile that had warmed onto my face.

“Yes, that is very impressive Harry.” My mother agreed as she sipped from her water and looked at Harry slightly menacingly and I got the feeling that something bad was going to be said and so instead I cut into the conversation.

“So, mum, Harry gets on really well with Abby – they actually planned me a surprise birthday party together!” I told me mum and a smile grew on my mother’s face at the mere mention of Abby. My mother was basically in-love with Abby, Abby had always known how to charm her way with my mum and she was enchanted by her entirely, it was almost a threat to my mother and I’s relationship.

“Oh really? How is Abby doing? I haven’t seen her in too long, you must arrange a catch up for me and her.” My mother told me and a smile of relief overcame me as I knew that I had side tracked my mother from whatever remark she was going to make.

“Yeah, Abby’s doing fine, she’s Abby – I think she mentioned getting a really high grade as well in her recent assignment.” I told my mum and she smiled proudly at the news. I then turned to face Harry, “you get on with Abby really well though, don’t you?” I asked Harry and he smiled and nodded.

“Yeah, Abby’s a lovely girl, she’s very funny.” Harry explained and I smiled at him, then noticing my mother tapping her glass with her fingers.

“Well, let’s just hope you don’t get too close with Abby now.” My mother spoke and the smile on my face dropped as I frowned at my mother and squeezed Harry’s hand.

“Mother that wasn’t–” I began when the waiter returned to the table with our orders and placed our dishes in front of us. The salad looked amazing however the scent of Harry’s cheeseburger wafted towards me and a large part of me wished that I could have ordered the same as him.

“Harry, tell me about where you grew up then.” My mum asked him as she poured the dressing over her salad with a light hand before picking up her knife and fork and digging into her salad.

“I actually grew up in this area, just a half hour away from here really.” Harry informed my mother as he then cut into his cheeseburger and ate it with his knife and fork and I silently thanked him for not eating it with his hands like most people normally would, I hate to think of the remarks my mother would tell me if he had have done so.

I then finally got around to pouring the dressing on my salad and then taking a bite from my salad which tasted amazing, the addition of avocado made anything better in my humble opinion.

The conversation managed to then flow smoothly from there with a few references to my childhood and Harry’s, however the main focus of the conversation was kept on our classes and Harry’s work.

“So, what do you plan to do with your life after you graduate, Harry?” My mother enquired after she finished the last bite of her salad and placed her knife and fork neatly on her plate.

“Well, at the moment I am hoping to stay in law, possibly going into commercial law I am thinking.” Harry responded.

“That’s interesting, I would like Izzy to join me in the fashion industry after she finishes her degree but she seems to be intent on doing whatever she can to go against me.” My mum replied and it took everything in me to not roll my eyes at my mother’s comment.

“It is not that I am actively trying to go against you mother, it is just that I would much rather go into a profession that I enjoy and am passionate about.” I answered my mum with a calm tone, doing my best do avoid a family dispute in the middle of a restaurant.

“Oh please, are you seriously trying to tell me that you are passionate about the idea of working an office job with ridiculous hours only to do what, huh? To keep the rich rich; no offence Harry.” My mother asked me with a disbelieving expression and I was taken aback at my mother’s description of working in law and what she thought of me practising it.

“Mother, not that you have even bothered to take the time to listen to what I actually want to go into, but I want to go into Human Rights law which is nothing to do with what you just described and is something which I feel is very rewarding and I am very interested and passionate about it.” I explained to my mother and I felt Harry squeezing my hand supportively while also reminding me to keep my anger in check.

“Isobel, there is no need to be so rude to me. I am simply expressing my opinion and to be quite honest I think that your reaction to what I have said only goes further to prove that you are working against me.” My mother told me in a calm yet biting tone that almost made me want to curl into a ball at the table but instead as I sat with Harry’s hand in mine, a wave of confidence overcame me.

“Mother I am not working against you, just because I am simply deciding to go into the profession that I would like to work in the most does not mean that I am working against you.”

“But it’s not just that Isobel, not only do you want to go against me with your job choice, you also choose to date a person you know I would not approve of. In fact, I’m sure I even told you to stay away from Harry specifically when we saw him at the diner and yet look here you are. You threw away a two year relationship for what? For this?” my mother asked and suddenly my temper flared and my patience snapped. How dare my mother speak to Harry like this. “Ever since your father abandoned us you have turned against me Isobel and I’ve enough of it.” My mother finished and I inhaled a deep breath in an attempt to calm myself however it proved to be of no use as my body ignited in anger – I was all but breathing fire.

Harry then got up from his seat and excused himself to go the bathroom and I nodded my head before glaring at my mother. “You were out of line mother. You have no dignity attacking Harry like that right in front of him.” I hissed at my mother, my words laced with venom as I spoke them.

“Excuse me? I have no dignity?! How dare you say hat to me? You’re the one who was hiding your secret boyfriend from me and you say that I have no dignity? Just you wait when you come crying to me because he was only using you for one purpose.” My mother spat back at me with a patronising smile on her face and she eyed me condescendingly.

“And you wonder why I hid Harry from you, look at how you treated him, how you treated our relationship!” I quipped back at my mother while shaking my head at her. “It’s not that I’m trying to piss you off, mother, it’s just that you want me to be someone that I’m not, so how about you talk to me when you actually want to get to know your real daughter.” I argued back at my mother and her mouth dropped open in shock.

“Isobel!” She exclaimed with a raised voice however Harry returned before she could say anything else.

“Are you ready to go, Izzy?” Harry asked and I nodded my head, standing from the table and putting on my rucksack.

“What about the bill?” I asked Harry as I then went to get my purse off but Harry grabbed my hand to stop me.

“That’s alright I took care of it.” Harry told me and my heart melted – how could my mother treat him so poorly?

“You didn’t have to do that.” I told Harry and he shook his head at me smiling. “Thank you.” I told him, pecking his cheek to both show my gratitude and also piss off my mother further.

“It was nice to meet you Miss Hartley, you have raised a wonderful daughter who I love very much.” Harry told my mother and I felt that I should give him some award right then and there because he was so darn nice to my mother after she had treated him so awfully and it spoke volumes.

My mother didn’t reply to Harry’s comment, instead raising her eyebrows and sipping from her drink and ignoring Harry and I’s presence altogether as though she was ten years old.

“Drive safely, mother.” I simply told my mum in an icy tone before leading Harry away into the car park and away from the bitter lady I called ‘mum’. The sun was setting now, yellow sky melting into crimson and I appreciated it for a couple of seconds before getting into Harry’s car.

“Is there a frat party tonight?” I asked Harry as I started the engine and began driving out of the car park.

“There’s a frat party every night, Izzy.” Harry answered.

“Good, that’s exactly what I need.” I replied and Harry smiled lightly, moving his hand to rest on my thigh as I drove far, far away from the diner.