"Where's my bra?" Mac exclaimed frantically looking around Max's apartment knowing that she was about to get in trouble for breaking curfew.
"Could this be it?" said Max swinging her bra above his head as he laid on the bed in nothing but his Yoda boxers. "Or is this the bra of another? So many women come to my bed. Hard to remember who came in what."
Mac grabbed the bra and smelt it, "Mine," she said and fixed it on. "When do you have time to bring other chicks over, huh? I'm always here." she said jokingly.
"You're not here in the late hours of the night, that's when they come," he teased.
"Really now," said Mac, "in that case maybe I should stay," and she climbed on top of him and kissed him hard, her legs wrapped tightly around his waist.
"Come on now little girl," he said grabbing her wrists and pulling her off the bed, "you have a curfew and your mommy and daddy will be worried."
Mac made a face and gathered the rest of her stuff. She kissed him goodnight and left for home.
It took her about twenty minutes, but she soon arrived at her parent's house. There were two scenarios that lay on the other side of the front door. Either her parents were asleep, or one of them was waiting up for her. She guessed it would be the latter. Since Max had officially met-the-parents, her curfews had become stricter, her chores took longer to finish, and she had survived many arguments about giving up her spot in the dorms. Her parents hadn't exactly enjoyed Max's company, especially after he had given Mac's little brother the name of a couple obscene but funny websites. She turned the key slowly and edged the door open as quiet as she could. She saw no lights on inside, which was a good sign. She managed to get up the stairs, down the hall and had even opened her bedroom door before her little brother started screaming from his room. She hasted inside and shut the door before one of her parents came to check on him. Without turning on the light or changing, she jumped in bed and feigned sleep. After a few minutes, one of her parents had gotten her brother back to bed. Before going back to bed, her parent peeked inside her room to make sure she was asleep there. When she could no longer hear footsteps, she changed into her pajamas and lay with her eyes open, thinking about an encounter she had the day before.
She had arrived at noon at a restaurant on a cliff overlooking the ocean. It was nicer than any she had been to before. It was a restaurant well known for its brunch and celebrity customers. The reason she was there was waiting for her at the front. The woman's face lit up when she eyed Mac and grabbed her for a hug. Mac wasn't quite comfortable with this intimate gesture from the woman she barely knew. They sat down at a window-side table for two.
"Beautiful place," Mac said.
"One of my favorites," replied the woman.
Mac looked out the window for a sort time, trying to avoid eye contact for as long as she could. She knew that when she looked into this woman's eyes, she would see her own. She'd see her own nose, and her own pointy chin. She'd recognize those similarities that she could never point out on the parents who raised her. Her biological mother had been anxious to meet with her for over a year, but Mac was not ready. She couldn't face seeing the life she should have had, of privilege and spoils. She exchanged emails with her biological mother for many months during the summer, but was afraid of meeting in person. There was always a way Mac avoided the meetings, usually by saying she was out of town. Now that the new school semester was starting however, Mac couldn't use that excuse anymore.
"I'm glad that you finally decided to meet. I know finding out the truth couldn't have been easy for you. But now that you understand, I hope you will let me be a part of your life. I've always wanted that, I really have. Your parents, however, insisted upon the confusion it would cause you girls. There was really nothing I could do. Do you believe me?"
Mac didn't know what to say. She felt a sense of abandonment ever since she found out that her actual parents had avoided her all her life.
"I understand that it must have been a difficult decision to make, I just don't understand the one you choice. You could have been in my life still, as my aunt and uncle or something, until the time was right to tell me the truth. It would have been better than growing up feeling like a stranger in my own home."
Her mother starred at her with wet eyes before she spoke softly, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. It wasn't easy, you know. I always tried to keep my eyes on you, just from a distance. Look." Reaching in her ridiculously large handbag she pulled out what looked like a light purple baby book and handed it to Mac. Mac looked inside to find a collage of her life. Random photos and clippings from school plays and science projects covered kindergarten through high school. Mac couldn't help but smile at the old memories. She felt happy that her mother had gone to such great lengths to keep up with her life in secret. After seeing the book, she could no longer be mad at her mother. She looked at her in a whole new way, and even shed a couple tears. After this realization, she began to relax and enjoy herself. Her mother and her exchanged stories about their lives. Mac was especially interested in what her little sister was up to. When she had found out about her parents, she also discovered that she had a full-blooded sister that she had only ever met twice. They left the restaurant after making plans to meet again. Mac felt good about the brunch but couldn't bring herself to tell her parents. She didn't know how they would react to her knowing the truth. She pondered their reaction as she fell asleep. Most likely her curfew would become even stricter and they would try to stop her from seeing her biological mother. Before she fell asleep she sent a text message, like she did every night, to Parker. "Hope your day was good. Miss you, love you." Mac had made it a point to remind Parker everyday that she had friends that loved and missed her, even though she rarely replied.