"Mom?"
The sudden call from what she had believed to be her empty kitchen shocked Sherry Parker, so that she lifted her head without thinking and bashed her head on the shelf above her.
She swore silently, rubbing the sore part of her head, and turned to a grinning Dre to find that there were two people in her kitchen.
Sherry had learned that her son was...well what was the correct word to use? Gay? A homosexual? Well after Dre gave his confession, she gave her son a hug and a smile and promised that his happiness was all that mattered and if anyone gave him crap about it, she would protect her baby cub. He also told her that the boy he was crushing on was Cheng. At first, she as confused why he told her with such hesitation. She promised she would always love him not matter who he loved, but then it hit.
Dre liked Cheng.
The Cheng.
The same Cheng that had bullied her son into tears for the first five months they lived here.
The same Cheng Sherry swore to kill if he ever hurt her son again.
Although Dre had told her that he liked Cheng, he did not tell her that said boy would be coming over soon.
After Dre recovered from his chuckling at his mother hitting her head, he realized that his mother was glaring at Cheng, who stood awkwardly beside him.
"Uh, mom, this is, uh, this is Cheng. You 'member him...right?"
"Oh yes," Sherry sang, coming towards the boys in the kitchen. "I remember you coming home with bruises." Cheng blushed a little and looked from her eyes to the floor.
"Mom!" Dre half-shouted, half-whined. "I-I just wanted you to formally meet him."
Cheng took an awkward step around Dre, towards Mrs. Parker. He held out his hand nervously. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Parker," he spoke in perfect English with his accent coming through.
She shook his hand and felt the rough calluses against her smooth palm. "I bet," she said softly. They always spoke English in their home. Always. As much as she loved he new home in Beijing, it was nice to still keep a few things from Detroit and America. At least Cheng had the decency to repect that. But that wasn't enough for her to like him.
Sherry abrubtly let go of the boy's hand and turned towards Dre, who had a hopefull smile on his face.
"I'm gonna go change, okay? We're gonna go see a movie and I don't wanna go all sweaty," Dre said, still smiling. He made towards his room, gesturing for Cheng to follow, but Mrs. Parker laid a hand on the Chinese boy's chest, preventing him from following.
"Mom," Dre whined again.
"Dre, girls weren't allowed in your room before, and now neither are boys," she explained calmly with a smile in a motherly tone. "Besides, I want a chance to speak to Mr. Cheng for just a few seconds alone."
"Mom," Dre whined for a third time.
"If you don't hurry, you'll miss the movie," she sang.
Dre gave a weak, sympathetic smile at Cheng who gave a reassuring smile, before turning back to his room, mumbling under his breath, "We never even said when the movie would start." He tossed his jacket to the foot of the coat-rack.
"Dre, pick up your jacket!" She shouted. Three years and nothing has changed, she thought.
"I will in a sec!" Dre called, walking further away. Ususally, she would have demanded that he pick it up now, but that wasn't too important right now.
Sherry waited until Dre was in his room (with his door opened, she noticed) before she started talking.
"Dre is my baby," she spoke quickly so she could finish before Dre came out of his room. "He is my baby cub and if you hurt him like you did when he was twelve, that face of yours won't be so cute to look at." She hissed. Cheng showed no emotion. Sherry couldn't tell if that was bad or good yet. "If I see him with a black eye or wearing make up again, I will tear. You. Up." She seethed, noting the confused look Cheng had after she mentioned make-up. Well at least she got some sort of expression out of him. "And I don't just mean bruises. If he comes home upset and your name is so much as mentioned, you will be on my list. I'm not sure why Dre forgave you and I'm not too interested on hearing the reason. He may trust you, but I am watching you and the moment you screw up or hurt him, I will know. Mama bears do not like it when their cubs get hurt."
The kitchen was silent and neither said a word until Dre came back out.
"Let's go," he said eagerly. As he walked past his mom, Sherry could smell the new cologne she bought him for his birthday and saw that her son was wearing a nice button-down shirt and nice slacks with shiny, new shoes.
He was dressed too nicely to just be going to a movie.
Or maybe he really wanted to look good for his first date.
"C'mon," Dre said as he grabbed Cheng's hand and pulled him towards the door.
"Wait!" Sherry called. "I need to give you money!" She dug in her pockets until Cheng spoke.
"No Mrs. Parker," he said. "I am paying."
Dre smiled up at the other boy and then back at his mom.
"What time will you be home?" Sherry asked.
"We will not be too long, Mrs. Parker," Cheng answered for Dre.
"What do you, Dre, want for dinner?" She asked, annoyed that Cheng answered for her son.
"Well, uh, we were gonna go out to get a bite after the movie," Dre said, hoping not to hurt her feelings.
I knew he was dressed to good to just be seeing a movie! She thought, but didn't voice. "Where at?"
"The Golden Dragon, Mrs. Parker," Cheng answered.
Sherry paused. The Golden Dragon was a very nice restaurant. Very expensive, but very nice.
"Okay, well have fun," she called as Dre walked out with Cheng's hand in his.
Wearing cologne, dressing up, having his dinner and movie ticket paid for, it sounded like her baby cub was growing up and maybe even discovering love.
Maybe, he didn't need her to protect him from everything anymore, espicially not his own date/boyfriend. In a few years, Dre wouldn't need her at all.
Sherry walked back into the living room and noticed Dre had never picked his jacket up. She smiled and picked it up off the floor and hung it on the rack. Maybe he did need her in a few places. At least for a little while.
She walked over to the window in the living room just in time to see Cheng and Dre exiting the building, still hand-in-hand, chatting and laughing.
Dre would need her for a few more years, but right now, maybe her baby cub could stand on his own feet when it comes to...love.
Alright, I thought this would come out way better than it did, but I suppose it's good enough to post.