A stepmother

Chapter 2: A dream/ Jennifer's mother

Jennifer and Sherman went away from the Sherman's bedroom. -Are you ok?-asked Jen again to him -Yes, Jen, don't worry-he said smiling

Peabody was preparing some stuff in the kitchen when Jennifer got in.
Peabody has heard the complete conversation between her and his boy, but if she discovers it, she will get angry, he knew that. She will think that he doesn't trust her and that wasn't true. He's Sherman's father and he wanted to know what she said to him, because, even when Jennifer and Sherman get on well with each other, that situation was one that only a father or mother could do. But apparently, she was ready for being a mother. He knew that she would be an excellent mother, if she could have children.
-You heard the conversation, right?-she asked to him Peabody stared at her, how did she know?
-I did not...-the woman looked at him as saying ''really?''.-Ok, yes, I did it-
-I knew it-
-How did you know?-
-Because when Sherman is in the middle, you don't care about anything else than him-
-Are you angry?-
-No, I'm not. I understand you, he's your son, and I would probably do the same if I were you-
-Alright then-He smiled to her.-Good job-
-Good job?-
-Yes, you were really helpfully there. You made Sherman talk about his problems and you made him feel better-
-I'm glad I made him feel in that way. He's a really special boy-
-Yes, I know it-he said remembering his little beautiful boy with a sweet smile.-Thank you, Jen-
-Thanks for what?-
-For helping me with Sherman. I'm not good controlling that kind of situations-he confessed. He remembered when Sherman had a fight at school because of a girl called Penny Peterson, who called him a ''dog'' and he bit her. He didn't know what to do to calm Sherman down...-Maybe I'm not a good father-
-Don't you say that! Even joking! You're an amazing father!-
-But I...-
-Everyone has troubles with fatherhood, because it's the hardest thing to do-
-How do you know?-
-I'm not a mother... But I can imagine how it may feel to be with someone who you know he depends completely in you. Moreover, you must teach him how to survive in this cruel world, and you must protect him from it. And the worst part: you love him, which only makes it worse, because with the things that you love, every situation is harder, because the last thing you want is hurting him-
That was actually a really smart thought, thought Peabody, impressed by his girlfriend.
-And you think I'm actually really silly in love stuff, right?-he asked smiling. The first time they had an argument she told him that he was the smartest person for some things, and the silliest one in love stuff.
-Of course. But it isn't your fault, I guess. You never had a family-
-Does it matter?-
-Yes, it really matter. That's maybe why you don't know much about ''love stuff''-
Peabody was going to answer her, but the furnace marked that the food was ready. So, he took it off. -I'll go to the living room-she said leaving -Right...-Peabody knew he had to say this.-But wait!-
-Yeah?-
-Just so you know, I think you would be an excellent mother if you could have children...- Jen smiled.-Thanks, Peabrainy-and she walked away thinking in the good job that she has done. Thinking in how Sherman was starting to trust her, and how her relationship with Peabody was growing up.

-It's raining a lot-said an unknown woman with a soft voice.
He started to cry and the woman looked really sad. Her face was going down as her tears. In her face was shown too much pain, as she was taking the hardest decision in a woman s life.
-No, please, don't you cry-she said almost without voice, she didn't have the force to say those words.-Everything will be alright... You'll see-she stood away from him. The stranger started to walk away.-Everything will be alright, Sherman, trust me-
Sherman suddenly woke up. He looked at a clock on his night table. It was 3 a.m. o'clock. It was a dream. Only a dream. Or maybe not... It didn't look as a dream; it was more like a memory. He couldn't see the woman's face in the dream... But he didn't need that to know who she was. He felt horrible again... What was wrong with him? He was fine! He never had anything to protest about his life. His father was amazing, his life too, his friends, even his stepmom was the best one! Why did he have this necessity of meeting his real mother? Why was he as confused? Why this doubts started to appear NOW? When everything in his life started to look really good... He went out of his bedroom carefully, trying not to make any noise and looked at the different pictures in the wall. That pictures with him and his dad. He smiled remembering the first time he had a bath, the first time he went to a baseball stage, when he met the USA president... And in the fourth column of pictures, there was another person: Penny. She was with him and Peabody in the Ancient Egypt with Cleopatra. That girl was another amazing thing that happened in his life. She was one of the best girls ever, she was so beautiful... She was his first love, first kiss; first hope. Then, he looked at the last photos where Jen appeared. She was so kind, cute and smart. She was his dreamed stepmother! He looked down. But why did he need his real mother if he had some many people who take care of him and love him? Why did he have all this problems now? Well, maybe that's because it isn't related to his dad, or Penny, less to Jen. It was related to him, only to him. To doubts that were not a stupid thing at all. But he was scared. He was afraid of what his dad would think about his thoughts.
Sherman came back to his bed and tried to sleep again.

Peabody woke up. He looked at a clock behind his bed, it was ten o'clock. He got up trying not to wake up Jen and went to the room's bathroom. It was a Saturday, a weekend. The weekend's days Sherman and Jen used to wake up after eleven o'clock or half past eleven. Maybe, if they were tired because of the week, they woke up at twelve o'clock. He was the only one who woke up early every single morning. He can't be sleeping too much time... He always had too many things to do, and to think. He got into his room again, just for looking at his girlfriend sleeping one more time. She was so beautiful, so perfect, so compressive, so innocent, and... She was his girl. He never imagined a woman like Jen hanging out with him. Correction, he never imagined a woman hanging out with him. He always thought he'd end up alone. She was with no doubt the second best thing that happened to him, after Sherman. He got closer to her and kissed her front. When she was asleep, she looked like a little kid. She looked so innocent and in a completely peace s state. She was similar to Sherman in that way and in other different ways too. Maybe because of that they had an excellent relation.

Peabody went downstairs and passed over the Sherman's bedroom. He couldn't resist it and got into his room too. There was his little boy, his miracle. The person who made him believe he could be loved. And who made him believe he can love too. The only human who never judged him, the only one who made him believe in destiny. Sherman did too many things for him... And he didn't know them. He always thought he was a mistake, that he was useless.
-You are perfect, Sherman-whispered Peabody to his boy before touching his head with love.
He was about to go out from the room when he found a draw in the floor. He picked it up and saw a ''genealogical tree'' drawn. In it there were only Sherman and Peabody. But that tree was crossed out and Sherman drew a new one under it with another name in: Jennifer.

He got into his room again and opened a drawer. The words Jennifer and mother couldn t get out of his mind. He was took a blue little box out and went to the living room. He opened it and saw the beautiful gold ring with a diamond on once again. He wasn t really sure about what to do with it. He bought it a week ago and no one knew about it except for himself. He wasn t sure about a marriage or everything that comes with it, but he wanted to... In only one some months Jennifer did more than any other human (except for Sherman) could do: get to his heart. He didn t want to lose her; he wanted to stay beside her forever and always. But... he was a dog, and Jen was a beautiful woman who can go out with better guys than him...

-Everything will be alright, Sherman, trust me-
The little boy waked up again. He had the same dream with the woman, the rain and himself as a baby crying! He started to get scared of what that dream could actually mean for him... he never dream twice with the same thing. All his dreams were pretty normal , but this one. If he could only forget about it and sleep again...
He stood up. He couldn t sleep anymore. That dream let all his sleep down...

Sherman got went to the living room, where he saw his dad with a blue box in his hands... Peabody saw him and put the box under a pillow from a sofa. But Sherman saw him hiding it.
-Sherman? What are you doing awake so early?-
-I just woke up, dad-he lay; he couldn t sleep too much thinking in his dream... -Oh, alright-
-What were you doing with the sofa?-
-Mmm... Nothing, Sherman, just trying to find something that I ve lost-
-You re not the kind of persons who loses things...-
-You think I m lying to you?-Peabody stood away from the hiding place -No, no...-He started to get closer to it without been seeing by his father.-What is this?-he asked looking at the blue box -Nothing!-he exclaimed taking it -What does it have inside?-
-Nothing-
-A ring?-Sherman smiled.-Are you going to propose marriage to Jen?!-
-What? No! How could you think that?-
-Well, You should do it-
-Do what?-
-Propose her marriage-
-You... You are agree with it?-
-Me? OF COURSE! I always liked Jen!-Sherman smiled.-This means that you re going to do it?-
-I m just... considering it-
-Aha... And you have already bought the ring?-
-Yes, I have. Is anything wrong with it?-
-No, nothing, it s just that I think you re doing something more than only considering it-
-Maybe, I bought it last week-
-And you haven t proposed marriage to her yet?-
-I m just... searching for the right moment-
-And when will the right moment be?-Sherman smiled. Jen will be his mother officially if she marries his dad. She will be part of his family too! Maybe the genealogical tree from Sherman won t be as small with Jen into it.
-Sherman, I m only considering it... And I must wait... All in its time , remember-
-Ok... Have you considered when you re going to get married to?-he laughed -Ha-ha, Sherman-he said sarcastic.
He took the box and put it in a table s drawer.-And can I know why you are awake?-
Sherman smile disappeared.-I woke up-
-I can see so, but is there any reason to wake you up?-
-Mmm... No-
-Your face doesn t say the same. What happened?-
Sherman looked at him. What would happen if he tells him what he dreamed? Would he be angry with him? -Sherman... are you alright?-
-Mmm... Not at all-he answered -What does it mean?-
-I had a... dream-
-Uh-he said starting to understand.-A nightmare, right?-
Sherman looked down.-I don t know if I could qualify it as a nightmare -
-What s that, Sherman?-
-It s... I... I...-he took a deep breath.-I dreamed with my real mother-
Peabody stood astonished.
-I dreamed with her leaving me inside the cardboard box where you found me...-he looked at him.-Are you angry?-
-Mmm... No, why should I be it? I m only... surprised-
-Really?-
-Yes, I m surprised, but not angry at all, Sherman-
-Oh, ok-the little boy had another thing that he wanted to say.-Do you know anything about my real parents, dad?-

Peabody looked at him, still in his speechless state. He always knew that Sherman someday was going to ask those questions to him, after all, he s only a boy and it was obvious that someday he will have curiosity about his past... -Well, Sherman, my boy...-he tried to remember something about his parents, but he remembered another thing: he never found out anything about them.-You knew how I meet you-
-Yeah, you told me it a few times-
-Well, when I found you, the only thing that you had with information about yourself was a little note which had written Sherman on it-he said with a knot in his throat.-I tried to search information about your real parents... But I found... almost nothing-
Sherman looked a bit sad.-Oh, alright-
-I m sorry-he said trying to be sensitive to him -You... You don t have anything to regret, dad. I bet you did your best to find information about them-
-Yes... but I could do more-
-You adopted me, right?-
-Yes-
-Well, that s the best thing you could do for me-
Peabody smiled at him.-Thank you, son-
-Your welcome, dad-he laughed.-So, which color will be the Jen s wedding dress?-
Peabody stared at him a bit angry.

Jen was sleeping when her cellphone started ringing. Without even opening an eye, she took her cellphone and turned it off. She looked at her cellphone; it was a call from her mother.
Suddenly, all the Jen's tiredness disappeared and she sat on the bed looking at her cellphone astonished.
She never had a good relation with her mother, since her father and she have fallen out. She was only four years old then and, for a girl from that age, a divorce is actually something really traumatic. More when her father walked away and never appeared again. Jen was completely astonished when she read a message from her mother saying: ''I need to talk to you. Something happened. Call me, please''.
What was she supposed to do? Call her back? She was her mother after all... But, she was scared. Every time her mother called her, was for telling her bad news. She wasn't ready to listen them, no yet. It was only 10 a.m. o'clock.
Jennifer got up and went to the bathroom, letting her cellphone on a night table.

-But you re going to marry her-
-Sherman... Even if I want to do that...-continued Peabody, he didn t want to speak with Sherman about his own insecurities and less about his girlfriend.

-Which you do...-he muttered -

-Jennifer will have to choose-

-Choose what?-asked Jen behind them Peabody and Sherman looked at her with ''innocent smiles''.
-Choose what are we going to have for lunch!-answered Peabody -For lunch?-she asked again not really convinced -Yes, because dad wants to cook spaghetti and I want pizza-explained Sherman -I don't really care about that... Because I'll probably won't have lunch here-
Peabody looked a bit surprised and a bit disappointed.-But why?-he asked -Anything important... Something related to work-now she was the one who was lying.-I just have to finish that ''stuff'' now to have the rest of the weekend free-she explained.
-Alright, but at least, have breakfast with us!-proposed Sherman. He was actually one of the biggest reasons Peabody and Jen are together. He always sticked up for them! He always tried them to be together, maybe because he always dreamed with a mother like Jen.
-Oh, sure-she decided

After having breakfast, she took her things and left. She tried to leave as fast as possible, as fast as she forgot her cellphone in Peabody s house. Yes, she was really absentminded to forget the only thing she actually needed. But she didn t realize it until she opened her bag and started to look for it.
-Agh... Great!-she muttered to herself. The last thing she needed was losing her phone. Now that she was ready to receive the bad news! She has thought in all the possibilities and tried to keep herself calm all her way back home... And boom! She forgot her phone at his boyfriend s house! That was bad luck! She couldn t even go to Peabody s house, because she was inside a taxi and she didn t have enough money to another travel. So, she just went off the taxi and paid the driver.
When she was in front of the principal door of her apartment, she met someone unexpected.
-Mom?!-
-Jen!-she screamed hugging her Jen tried not to refuse her hug. A cold hug, from a woman who, instead of helping her, made her pass the worst years of her life.

-Mmm...-she stood away from her.-What are you doing here?-
-Is that the way of receiving to your mother?! I m here, hugging you, showing you my love and... You just look at me as if I was a ghost!-
- It s just... you were unexpected -Can t I visit to my daughter?-
-Yes, but you must advice!-
-I did, I sent you a message like ten minutes ago-
-You can t...-she stood paralyzed.-You said ten minutes ago?-
-Yes, why?-
Jen tried to think... her cellphone was in silence mode. But... if Peabody reads her mom s message, he ll know she laid him! -Oh, my! Why did you do that?-
-Sending a message is a crime, now?-
-Agh... Never mind, you ll never understand-she opened the door.-You never understand-she whispered -Wouldn t you invite me in?-
Jen swallowed her anger and made her signs of get in without even faking a smile, with an annoyed face.
-Ha...-said her mother taking a bag and getting in -Why do you have that bag?-
-Oh, you didn t read the message, right? I m going to stay in your house for the next two weeks!-
-WHAT?!-
-I m going to stay in your house for the...-
-I know what! But why?-
-Because my house is infested of bees, so, I need to stay in another place until my house is completely clean of insects-
-But... you should advise me with more time!-her mother ignored her and got into her apartment.-I... My house isn t really big for two persons living in!-she said with no answer.-What part of apartment you don t get?-
-What part of I m your mother you don t get?-she asked with a cold look, classic from her -You can t stay here!-
-Why not? Are you living with someone else?-
-What? No!-
-So?-
-So... I just...-
-You don t have any excuse, I ll stay, and it s over!-
-But... but... Agh...-

For a minute, she wished her mother s new was that someone was dead! She couldn t be thinking what her mother was doing! Every time she heard something related to her she s scared, and she was living two cities away, can you imagine how will she be like with her mother living at her place? And what will happen with her relation with Peabody? Her mother couldn t know about it... She never liked her ex-boyfriends... Of course she will hate Peabody! He was a dog! With only that: it s done, her mother will never leave her in peace if she discovers her relationship with him!
She got into the apartment.

-Uh, that is strange-she said inspecting it -What? It s small, there s no space for you... You can leave...-
-No, no that. Everything is so... organized-
-Uh?-
-You re the kind of persons who has their homes made a mess-
-Umm... Thank you?-
-It s like you haven t been too much time here-she said wondering what was going on -What do you mean?-
-Are you living in another place?-
-I m here, right?-
-Yes, but you came from another place today at morning-
-I... Had to do something-
-A Saturday?-
-Yes, because I couldn t do it yesterday and i...-
-You never wake up early a Saturday-
-Well, mom, I m 35, I think I can wake up early one day-
-You may grow up from age, but grow up from mind, it s impossible. You re like a child, you don t know how to lie-she said looking at her.-I know you come from another house...-she got closer to her daughter.-Who s he?-
-NO ONE! I don t have any boyfriend!-
-Sure...-
-And if I had it, why do you want to know? You haven t talked to me in two years and...-
-This conversation is getting nowhere! I want to know who you are dating because I m your mother and I ll tell you what I think about him-
-And what if I don t want to know what you think about him?-

-Jen, remember what happened with Max Miller?-

Ok... she had so much luck in guessing that he was an idiot, self-centered... and well, a crazy psycho who can even kill people to get what he wants...

-I don t care about him!-she reclaimed -He was an idiot, I told you since the first moment I saw him and you never loved him. I don t even know why you started hanging out with him!-
-How do you even know if I loved him or not?-
Her mother looked at her astonished.-You came back with him!-
-What?!-She asked almost laughing.-He s the last person in the world I ll hang out with after all that he has done!-
-I thought you only fought-
-Yeah, but I met him again and...-
-You were a couple again and he cheated on you-
-Umm, something like that-she decided. If she told her what he has done, she would have to mention Peabody, and that s the last thing she wanted to do.
-Ha! I knew it!-
-Yes, you re always right-she finished deciding that was the best option to make her stop.-So, where do you want to sleep?-she asked gently Her mother knew she lied: her daughter never is agreeing with her. And she doesn t even know why! She was a good mother after all... At least for her.