The Talk

Ella and Aria

I had just gotten home from school that Thursday afternoon and gone to my room. I hung my purse on the back of the chair and walked over to my bed where my mother had settled a bunch of clothes that had just been washed. I grabbed a navy tank top and took it to my face, inhaling the sweet lavender aroma attached to the garment. I rested it back on the bed and began folding it.

"I see you're home, sweetie," I heard my mom say. I looked behind to find her leaning against the dark door frame, smiling gently at me.

"Hey mom," I greeted smiling back, then turning to continue what I was doing.

"How was school today?" Ella asked, approaching me.

"It was good. Average, I guess," we chuckled.

She took a deep breath and held it, gingerly moving her hands up to the brown hair hanging around my shoulders and brushing through it.

"You know, honey, I wanted to talk to you about something..." She said as she kept looking at my hair.

"Mhm?"

My mom sat down on the edge of the bed and folded her hands on her lap, looking up at me.

"You know how your father and I gradually came around your relationship with Ezra, right?"

I frowned humorously, not taking my eyes off the folding I was up to. "Yeah... Why?"

She inhaled a good quantity of air, looking down.

"Okay, so... Your father thought now would be a good time to, y'know, have a little talk with you. From mother to daughter," she said turning to me again.

Oh no, I thought, she wanted to go there. She wanted to have the talk.

"Mom, you really don't have to-"

She cut me off. "Ezra is older than you, Aria, and that means he might want, um... How do I put this? Different things than you do."

Oh no, I thought, she went there. She had just started the talk.

Ella continued. "I don't want you to feel forced into doing those things..."

"Mom, Ezra doesn't force me into anything," I said matter-of-factly as I looked at her.

My mother practically ignored me. "Anyways, I want you to know that you only have to take that next step when you're ready, sweetheart."

"Mom, seriously-"

"However, in case you feel like it's the right time, I want you to carry some little things I bought this morning with you."

I rolled my eyes as Ella leaned over the frame of the bed and reached for a small plastic bag on the floor. I hadn't noticed it before. My mom poured the products onto the bed right in front of me, allowing them to spread over it.

I took one of the four big packs of condoms in my right hand and held it up, examining its label. With my other hand I grabbed a little recipient containing a bunch of pink pills.

"I want these things to be with you in case you need it."

"Um, mom, but even if we do wanna have sex, we wouldn't be rabbits," I exclaimed. "This is like a lifetime supply!"

"Better safe than sorry, Aria," she told me.

That conversation was just too awkward.

"Um, alright," I agreed nervously, moving the packages to my desk and opening one of them. I took out of there about three condoms and stuffed them into the toiletries bag I kept in my purse. Then I grabbed the rest of them and settled each one inside a drawer along with the pills. "Thanks, mom..."

Ella stood up and walked up to me, extending her arms to me and pulling me into a tight hug.

"I love you, sweetie."

"Love you too, mom."

~~ o ~~