Standard Disclaimers
Chapter 1: Neku
"You hardly agree with anything I suggest that we do together Neku, what's with the change all of the sudden?"
"Come on," I smile "Can't a son have a movie night with his own mom once in a while?" My mother returns with a light chortle, sitting down on the sofa next to me, a bowl of popcorn between her hands.
"Did you set the film up? You know how I am with technology" Her mouth is full with popcorn, try not to choke, mom
"Yeah, I did - and don't get me started on what happened with Dad's brand new speakers--" She starts laughing out loud, that incident always kills her
"Oh! You be quiet!" she says, slapping the air between us in hysterics
"Since then , dad never let you near ANY of his things within a 30-meter radius!" She starts laughing even more - it's always infectious, even I started to chuckle.
She takes a deep breath to clear her mind - it was THAT much of a funny moment to her… that or she has something else to say. "I know that dad's totally busy with work all the time, so you know he's not going to make it - I hope you're completely fine with that"
"I am, I mean, it's kinda expected from him, but don't worry - let's just sit back and enjoy the film, alright?" I smile at her, she nods and smiles back, giving me a reassuring notion.
I grab a handful of popcorn, pressing the play button for the movie to start - but it always shows the trailers first. I avoid skipping it, despite the fact it's a DVD - maybe I'm just waiting for mom to ask me a question.
"So what's this movie about, honey?" she asks
"I don't know" I lied "A friend recommended it to me, so…"
"But have you read what the back of the DVD said?"
"You mean the blurb?"
"I thought those were only for books?"
"I think it works for both ways"
"Oh!" she giggles "I learn something new everyday" I smile to make the moment less awkward, as I grab the DVD case and acted as if I scanned the blurb - I already knew what happens in the film, I was told it, but I didn't want to ruin the whole plot for her.
"It's a romance film…" I said bluntly, avoiding any indications
"Ahh, that sounds lovely - are you sure you don't mind romantic films? Seeing as you boys have a love for those explosions and giant robots!" I turn my head, my face suddenly burning
"Mom! For the last time, I do NOT have a NGE obsession!"
She raises her hands in defence, giggling at my irritation - I really did NOT have a NGE obsession! "Okay, okay, you don't! Calm yourself!"
I breath, "But really, I'm okay with any film, just as long as we watch it together. As in, it's the company that counts, not the film, right?"
"My, my, look at my Neku all… all…"
"All…?"
"Oh, I lost the word for it. Social? Sentimental? Somewhere between those words, but that aside-" she turns to look at me "I wonder who made you turn a new leaf? It's bound to be one of those new friends of yours… but which one?" she puts her thinking pose on - eyes directed at the top right, right hand on her chin; that only spells one thing: uh-oh
"Mom, really--"
"Ooh! It's probably that beautiful, young girl with that plush she carries! Shiki, was it?" she questions naively
"Mom," I giggle at her attempts to sound and sound analytical "The film, it's gonna play now?" I gesture at the TV, showing a wheat field and the initial credits showing.
"Ohh!" she gets excited to watch a movie she doesn't know much about. She grabs the popcorn bowl to her, hogging it all to herself - besides, she made it for herself, no point I try and take some.
But I hope this goes well.
30 minutes already into the film, and the plot doesn't get any less or more interesting for me. I glance at my mother, eyes glued to the TV, the bowl of popcorn now just a bowl of air. I start to wonder when that scene was gonna pop-up, I mean, Josh lent me the DVD and told me, confidently, that there would be a scene in this film where--
"OH GOD!" She shrieks, scaring me half to death
"What!" was the only thing I could say before she stared having an unending row about the movie and the scene it just had.
"You know, that was just--Just unexpected!" she says angrily "I never thought this was the type of film that would taint itself to THAT extent! And I was starting to like it!" she recoils away from the TV screen, groaning, showing a second of one pure emotion - disgust.
"I know, I KNOW, that those actors - if I'm even ALLOWED to call them that - have a higher possibility of going to hell than… oh say, a mugger. But I do hope they turn their life around before it's too late for them… wait, this isn't reality - but, how much were they bribed to do this?!" she exhales, then looks at me with a small smile, like it was just one of her normal rants - it wasn't like her normal rants, REALLY, it wasn't.
"I hope you don't think I'm nuts just because I have too much of these crazily unexpected rants; but hey," she shrugs light-heartedly "I'm your mom. You'll learn to love me for who I am, right?" she giggles and stares back at the TV screen.
I didn't say anything.
"But seriously, those homos are gonna go to hell for that French kiss"
Mom, I picked this film as a way to finally tell you about 'the person who made me turn a new leaf', to finally come clean and tell you these things…
How do you expect me to accept you for your insanity, when you can't even accept the fact that I love him?
My mother then acknowledges my silence, nudging me "Neku, the movie's done, want to watch another?"
"What?"
I bet you expected that.
N.B. This was inspired by something I read in the Internet somewhere (if you find it, please tell me) and it went along the lines of someone having a movie night with their mother and in this film, there was a scene where 2 people of the same sex were making-out, during that scene the mother was saying all these things like 'they're gonna go to hell' and other rather insulting things. Turns out, they picked that movie as a way to come out and tell their mother about their current relationship going strong and marriage may be a possibility. Or somewhere between those lines…
I bit my thumb after I read that.