Mothers Know Best (Chapter 2)

Lunch is well under way at the Grimes' home and Michonne is truly enjoying Ms. Gladys' cooking. They have baked fish, green beans, broccoli & cheese and rolls. Wow! If this is lunch, I wonder what's for dinner? She notices Carl pushing his beans and broccoli across his plate, then his eyes zero in on the chocolate cake in the crystal cake stand on display at the center of the table. She can't help but laugh inwardly as she is feeling the same way. Bring on the cake!

"So, I've heard Ricky tell the story of how y'all met, but I want your version Mimi," Ms. Gladys tells her.

"Yeah, was he as heroic as he put on?" Rick's dad, Arthur, wants to know.

Michonne gives a slight smile. "Well, it was definitely an eventful day and he did get me out of there pretty fast, so yes, I'd say he was very heroic."

Rick smiles brightly. "Thank you."

Michonne goes on to tell her version of that day's events and the parents agree that it lines up with what Rick and Shane told everyone.

"I just think it's amazing that you met that way. Me and Gladys have been friends for what maybe 4 or 5 years now and I guess you two have just been skirting around each other," Ms. Mae states.

Michonne's father, Walter, clears his throat. "Well, it would help if our daughter came home more often."

"Dad…" Michonne starts.

"I know. I know. You've got a promising career and all that. I understand," Walter retorts.

Rick shares a look with Michonne, but doesn't comment. He understands ambition and honestly, there's nothing wrong with it. She's in a good place as it appears she has only herself to be responsible for. He asked his mom about her and learned that she's not married and doesn't have any kids. Putting her career first seems to be her priority right now.

"Can we cut the cake?" Carl asks.

Michonne laughs as Ms. Gladys glances over at Carl's plate and shakes her head.

"You haven't even touched your vegetables," she observes.

"But Granny, I don't like the green stuff," Carl whines.

"You know the deal, baby. Clean your plate and you get some cake." Ms. Gladys looks pointedly at Michonne's plate as she has yet to finish her vegetables. "That goes for everyone."

"Yes, ma'am," Michonne says as she digs in. She smiles around a mouthful of broccoli & cheese as she looks over at Carl, challenging him with her eyes. He returns her stare, then views his plate and decides to dive in just as she has done. They manage not to frown as they continue to finish their vegetables, both disliking the taste of them.

Rick is amused as he observes their little exchange.

Later, everyone is laughing at the moans coming from Carl and Michonne as they eat the coveted chocolate cake.

"You gotta admit. This cake was worth eating those yucky vegetables," she tells Carl.

He laughs at her description of the vegetables. "But why are they so yucky? Shouldn't they taste better the more you eat them?"

She shakes her head. "Nope. Not the green ones."

They have about 30 minutes remaining before Ms. Mae has to make her way home. Carl, Rick, and Michonne are hanging out in the living room, watching one of Carl's favorite cartoons. Ms. Mae and Ms. Gladys are cleaning up and Walter and Arthur are in the garage, checking out Arthur's classic mustang.

Michonne looks around the living room, taking in the many framed family photos and other memorabilia. She sees two photos of Carl side by side, but one of them seems a little odd, maybe faded and older. She moves over to get a better look and smiles as she realizes the child in the picture is Rick.

"Oh my goodness, Rick. Is this you? Carl looks just like you." She laughs.

Rick comes over to stand next to her. "That's why mom keeps those photos side by side. No one believes that's me."

"It really is something to see. The two of you could be twins," she concludes.

"Yep. Mom searched everywhere for that picture of me when she saw that one of Carl. She said the likeness was just unreal." He pauses. "So, are you here for the entire week?"

"Yeah, I try to take a week at Thanksgiving and Christmas, so I won't go back to Atlanta until Saturday. Are you off any time before Thursday?" She returns.

"Well, Carl is here for the week, so I plan to be off a few days. You still up for that drink we talked about?"

She smiles. "Sure. I'd like that."

Rick and Michonne made arrangements to get together on Wednesday night. He was pretty busy on Monday and Tuesday, so they only found time to talk over the phone which was nice. She felt like she was in high school again, talking to him until the wee hours of the morning. She was really excited about their date. Wait. Was it a date? She completes the finishing touches to her hair and makeup and moves downstairs to wait as he isn't expected for another 15 minutes.

She finds her mom and dad in the living room watching TV. They would normally be at Bible Study on Wednesday, but it is routinely canceled during the week of Thanksgiving. She can't believe they aren't taking advantage of getting in more time with their beloved hobbies. She thought her dad would be in his study, reading or looking over legal documents as he still does a little pro bono work here and there. She figured her Mom would be in the kitchen preparing her Thanksgiving feast since she deemed herself as this year's hostess.

"Well, don't you look nice? Purple always suits you. Where y'all going?" Her mother asks.

"I think he said Terrell's over on Main St," Michonne informs.

Walter chimes in. "Pretty decent place. You know Terrell Dibbs, honey."

"Oh, yeah. His mom retired from the county clerk's office last year. Nice family. Well, we know you're in good hands with Rick. He'll take care of you," Ms. Mae proclaims.

"I can take care of myself, Mom, remember?" Michonne responds.

"You know what I mean. This is a date, so act accordingly now. Rick is one of the good ones. He ain't like those city boys you're used to."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Michonne wants to know.

Her mom gets up from her perch on the sofa and walks over to her. "It means be nice to that boy."

Michonne sighs just as the doorbell rings.

Ms. Mae smiles excitedly and waltzes to the door. Walter exchanges a look with his daughter and just shrugs his shoulders.

Hours later, Rick and Michonne are still enjoying themselves at Terrell's. They have talked about everything from sports to movies to music to law enforcement, but he is itching to get personal with her. Their late night talks only incensed his need to know more about her.

"So, can I ask you a personal question?" he inquires.

"Depends on what it is," she returns.

"Ok. First, I don't want to make any assumptions, so are you single? If so, why are you single?"

Michonne feigns surprise. "You said "a" question."

Rick laughs at her expression. "They kind of go hand in hand, don't you think?"

"Anyway, um…yes, I'm single and the why of it? Well, I was in a relationship about a year and a half ago, but it just didn't work out. I was too ambitious and he wasn't ambitious enough and some other stuff happened, so we kind of went our separate ways," she answers.

"Noted. Guys without ambition turn you off," Rick states.

"Don't make fun of me. I think two people should kind of be on the same page if they're going to make a life together. Don't you?" She wants to know.

"Hey, I'm being serious here and there's nothing wrong with ambition. So, what did this guy do for a living?" He takes a sip of his drink as he awaits her answer.

"He was an aspiring artist. Don't get me wrong. He was really great at what he did, but he refused to hold down a regular job and sometimes his work sold and sometimes it didn't. After so long, it felt like I was doing all of the supporting and that turned into feeling used, especially when I found out he was cheating on me." She frowns as Rick starts coughing indicating the last sip he took went down the wrong way. She gets up and sits beside him in their booth and gently pats his back to help sooth his cough.

His voice is a little raspy as he says, "Thank you." He clears his throat. "This guy cheated on you?"

"Yep."

"Hmmm… well, I guess that's something else we have in common," he relays. "That's why I'm divorced. Carl's mom cheated on me with the guy she's married to now. Somebody she met online or something like that," Rick utters.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better. At least you didn't know the guy. My ex was cheating with our neighbor, so I'm not even sure how long it had been going on. We'd been neighbors for years."

"You aren't still neighbors with this person, are you?" he prompts.

"No way. I was out of there the very next day," she responds.

"Alright, new topic. Oh, I'm single, too, by the way." He smiles as he watches her process that information. "You like to travel, right? I know you've been to Japan, Africa, England, Canada, France….I can't think of all the others. So where would you like to go next?" He looks at her expectantly.

"Maybe Switzerland or Australia, but you know, I've never been to Hawaii," she tells him.

"Gosh, after all those exciting countries, how can Hawaii hold any draw for you?"

Michonne laughs. "Well, one I've never been there and two I've heard it's absolutely beautiful. I think it would be worth a trip. So, where would you like to go? I know you've been all over the states, but what about a foreign country? Would you ever consider it?"

"Sure. Maybe England or Ireland."

"Ireland sounds nice. I've never been there either," she agrees.

They continue to talk comfortably and before they know it, it's 10 o'clock and closing time for the bar.

"Are they serious? 10 o'clock?" Michonne questions.

"We're not in Atlanta. There's a Waffle House a few miles from here. Probably the only place open now. You up to it?"

"Why not?" She smiles as he presses his hip against hers, prompting her to exit the booth.

The next day is Thanksgiving, so Rick and Michonne are busy with family obligations. She smiles, remembering the text he sent asking if she'd like to come over to his place later to watch a movie with him and Carl. She agreed readily. She is enjoying the time with her family (aunts, uncles, cousins), some of them she hasn't seen in a long time, but she is excited about spending more time with Rick.

He asked her to call him when she was on her way, so he could give her directions. She didn't have the heart to tell him her car was equipped with a GPS system and she found it extremely endearing that he remained on the phone with her until she was pulling up in his driveway. She is impressed with his home. It's an older model, but it has a porch which she absolutely loves.

She is putting the car in park when she looks up to see Rick making his way toward her. They greet each other as he opens the door for her and helps her with the few things she brought along. She is sure to thank him as he allows her to walk ahead of him up the steps into the house.

Carl is at the door, waiting. "Hey Michonne. Happy Thanksgiving!"

"Happy Thanksgiving to you, too. What have you been up to?" she asks as she and Rick walk inside.

Rick deposits her linen tote on the kitchen table and she starts to unload the few items she brought while continuing her conversation with Carl.

Carl is telling her all about the desserts his grandma Gladys prepared for Thanksgiving when he suddenly trails off. "You got Goobers? I only thought you could get those at the actual movie theater."

"Stick with me, kid. I'll teach you some things," Michonne winks at him.

Carl giggles as his dad smiles and the two of them look on with interest as Michonne reveals the rest of her stash.

They allow Carl to pick the movie and he chooses "Big" with Tom Hanks. Movie night commences after they pop the corn, grab drinks and candy, and stake out on the living room sofa, Carl seated between the two adults.

Hours later, after the movie and a couple of hands of Uno, Michonne decides to call it a night.

"We're getting up at 3 am to hit the Black Friday sales," she informs Rick.

"Is it that serious?"

"With your mom and my mom and their sisters, yeah, it's that serious. I think this is the first year the two of them have gotten to go together, so it's a really big deal," she tells him.

"Well, good luck with that. I'll think of you when I'm turning over at 3 am," he laughs.

Carl lets out a huge yawn. "Just don't be like those people on the news each year, fighting over stuff."

"I'm not shopping."

Carl frowns. As does Rick. "Why are going then?" The younger Grimes asks.

"I'm the floater. I just get the bags and take them to the cars." Both Carl and Rick laugh as they cannot fathom the logic of this shopping trip at all.

"Just be careful," Rick reminds her. "Hey Carl, I'll be right back. I'm just going to walk Michonne to her car."

Carl nods as he watches Michonne gather her stuff. Rick grabs her tote once again to carry it out for her.

"I'll see you later." She tells Carl as she exits the house with his dad.

"Thanks for coming over. That was fun." Rick deliberately walks slowly as he isn't quite ready to end his time with her.

Michonne agrees. "I had a nice time. I forgot how much I liked Big."

"So, I know you're going to be pretty tied up tomorrow, probably tired too after the shopping spree. I've got some things planned with Carl, but I was hoping I could see you again before you have to leave."

"How about lunch on Saturday?" She suggests.

"Sounds great. I'll call you." He reaches to open the car door after she unlocks it with the keyless entry remote.

Michonne enters the car, then stretches a hand to retrieve her tote. Their hands brush and they automatically look into each other's eyes as some sort of current seems to have passed between them.

Rick takes the opportunity to enclose her hand with his. "Good night."

"Good night." She reluctantly breaks their connection as she starts the car and puts her seatbelt on, preparing to leave.

He waves as she pulls out of the driveway and begins the short trip to her parents' house.

Seconds later, Michonne is smiling from ear to ear as she answers her cell phone. It's Rick.