"do you want a house or an apartment, or a condo?" bo was asking me as she drove us to my apartment to pick up my mother.
"i would prefer a house, I am tired of living in sectional housing. I would like to have room to grow and move around, a backyard, a home lab. It would be nice to have our kids grow up in a real house, around real trees, and have four solid walls to hang posters up on." I winked at Bo as she playfully slapped at me.
"hey, we could always renovate the crack shack, make the walls whole."
"bo, I don't even want to think about how much asbestos is in there, the mold, the dust, the poor insulation and not to mention the neighborhood it is in." my ocd nerd brain was in overdrive. I was fine staying at Bos house, but long term, no. I would lose my mind with all of the minor details that would bother my need for constant sterility.
I pulled up to the front of the apartment building, I smiled at Bo, "like we said in our vows, we have forever and a little extra. Lets just get through this breakfast and go from there." I was nervous, it had been a long time since I spent a lot of time with my mother and things were extremely different. I was different in more ways than one.
I walked up the stairs to my front door and when I pushed it open, Bo began laughing. Kenzi was splayed out across my kitchen island and my mother was sitting across from her, politely holding a hot cup of tea. Kenzi was snoring lightly and to my surprise, was actually dressed.
My mother smiled when she saw us, "Kenzi stayed the night, I found her passed out on the couch when I came down to get some water. I did have her up and ready but she," she motioned to the passed out girl, "is very tired."
Bo moved to her best friend and shook her awake, Kenzi shot up, and mumbled, "waffles, I was promised waffles." bo helped Kenzi downstairs to the camaro. I moved to my mother, "mom, I am sorry. She has keys ever since I left for afghanistan, she has never stopped house sitting even if I was home."
my mother patted my arm, "its not a problem, Lauren. I hope you are alright with her coming to breakfast? I am mildly worried about her, we need to get a lot of water and carbohydrates into her before she withers away to even smaller."
I laughed, "when you see her eat, you will understand that Kenzi will never wither away."
"your moms gives me the same looks you do, doc." Kenzi was piling her plate full of eggs, pancakes and a leaning tower of waffles, "its like you guys cant figure me out, so you gently stare, like pretending your not silently analyzing me. But you totes are."
I smiled, "you are unique to say the least, and I have just begun to really figure you out." I followed Kenzi down the buffet line. I could feel the glare Kenzi was shooting me under her giant movie start sunglasses, "har. Har. Har." Since Kenzi was still extremely hungover but ridiculously hungry, we decided to go to her usual spot for breakfast. An all you can eat breakfast buffet. The buffet was usually only older people enjoying their early bird discount, it was good, I would admit that and because of the clientele, it was very quiet. I also had to admit, Kenzi looked rough and needed to be quiet and packed full of carbs.
She lifted the massive tray of food, most of it hers with a small fruit plate for my mother. I had mine and Bo's on a tray and wanted to offer to help Kenzi, but her food balancing acts were always a intriguing physics lesson to me. I smiled as I looked at Bo and my mother laughing in the red vinyl booth we left them in.
I did have to help Kenzi with her tray when we got back to the booth, she was close to toppling her waffle tower onto my mother. I handed the fruit plate to my mother and sat next to bo, pushing her plate of food to her. I kissed her on the cheek, "i hope you aren't telling any embarrassing stories."
She smirked, "oh no, but your mom was filling me in on your obsession with Meryl Streep. I had no idea you had such a thing for older women." Bo winked at me as she giggled.
Kenzi blurted out, "welllll, technically Bo Bo you are older, since you will never age..." a Swift kick from me and bo under the table to her shin, jolted Kenzis mouth shut.
My mother paid little attention to Kenzi's comment, only laughing and shaking her head. I sighed and looked at my mother, "why did you have to tell Bo about one of my most embarrassing secrets?"
"my dear Lauren, you did make me watch Out of Africa endlessly whenever you were sick. It was one of the reasons you decided to go to Yale, because of her being alumni."
My mother leaned over the table, looking between Bo and I, "She even attempted acting as a major, but science and medicine won her heart and love in the end."
Bo turned to look at me, her mouth open in mock shock, "you wanted to be an actress?!"
I tried waving the comment away with a pancaked fork, "i did, but then my acting professor told me I lacked emotion in my tone."
Kenzi chuckled, "imagine that." I shot her a look, another shin kick would be quick to follow. Bo leaned into me, " I prefer the doctor to the actress."
My mother smiled and focused back to her fruit, "as do I. Lauren is carrying on the Lewis girls legacy of being caregivers, our family is full of women doctors, healers, and scientists." she took a sip of her tea, "are you back at the hospital?"
I nodded, "i returned to work a few days ago. Before that I was working for a short time in a research lab, working on alternative cures and supplements for those who needed a boost."
my mother smiled wider, "you were never one to stick to just one thing, always looking for the next thing to learn and conquer."
"She certainly conquered Bo, many many times." Kenzi suddenly flinched, realizing what fell out of her mouth, waiting for a kick to the shin. Instead Bo threw a piece of toast, hitting her square in the sunglasses. Kenzi shrugged and pushed down in her seat, "i couldnt help it, sorry momma lewis, my mouth sometimes moves faster than my brain filter."
my mother was smirking, "that is very apparent." she patted Kenzi on the knee, "its a part of the charm that attracts people to you." she turned to Bo, "forgive the motherly questions, but what kind of work are you in, Bo?"
Bo blushed, "kenz and I are kinda private investigators for hire, we work on very unusual cases. I have a talent of, um, getting through to people so they will talk to me, and Kenzi is the street smarts behind the whole operation."
With raised eyebrows, my mother asked, "really? And how is it exactly you met my daughter?"
Kenzi's hand shot up, like a little kid in school, "OH! OH! OH! Me! Let Me!"
I shook my head, "go ahead, but keep it clean and appropriate." she nodded knowing what I was hinting at, no fae business.
Kenzi pointed finger guns and shot them at me, "you got it doc." she pulled off her giant sunglasses and turned to face my mother a little more. "So. One night Bo Bo and I were on a case, gathering the hard facts when a handful of big assholes...sorry, a handful of ugly gentlemen cornered us."
I watched in humor, as Kenzi retold how she walked Bo into my emergency room and changed my life. She did her best to keep profanity out of the story, but eventually gave up and let some of her infamous curse words slip. Kenzi did do a better than expected job keeping the fae parts out and stopped her story at Bo and I leaving each other. Making up a story that we had a falling out, bad break up that I took to Afghanistan to sort things out, and Bo had taken to the woods to be alone. Kenzi held up her hands in a dramatic fashion, "Then they made up, some more crazy shit happened, and then they made up and got married." she held her head back like a composer finishing his symphony, "THE END!" She slapped her hands down onto the table for added effect.
The smile on my mothers face never left the entire time, only fading slightly when Afghanistan was mentioned, "that is, truly unlike any story I have ever heard.
Thank you for telling it too me, Kenzi."
"not a prob, momma lewis." Kenzi flipped a piece of waffle into her mouth, grabbed her empty plate and winked at bo, "come on, I need a refill and you to hold the tray."
I got up to let bo slide out, Kenzi quickly grabbed Bo and pulled her to the buffet. I leaned back into the corner, where the wall met the booth.
"lauren, why did you really go back to afghanistan?" my mother stared at me hard, the same stare I would get the few times I would get in trouble.
I pushed at bos half empty plate, "the canadian army recalled me, I had thirty days to respond. When I actually found the letter in my neglected mail, I had less than three days to respond." I glanced up at Bo, bumping hips with Kenzi as they filled plates. The day that I had allowed Bo to feed from me, felt a lifetime ago. I sighed, "i lost her too. We did have a falling out, and I chose to run away. Going back to the mash unit seemed to be the best idea." I ran a hand through my hair. My mother knew I had a tendency to avoid issues, rather burying myself into work and hoping the problem would fix itself.
"i got that much from Kenzis colorful tale, but what I want to really ask is, what happened in Afghanistan? You went missing, after it was reported you were wounded in action." my mother held the cup of tea in both of her hands, swirling the now cold tea. "you disappeared, Lauren and then suddenly you reappeared, in england of all places. The army sent me your discharge papers, I guess protocol to make sure the next of kin was also aware."
I stared at the edge of the table, letting my eyes drift into the grooves the metal edging provided on diner tables. I wanted the grooves to pull me in and carry me away from this conversation. I felt my mothers hand grab mine, squeezing it, "lauren, please. I knew something happened to you, I have always had a deep connection to you, I always knew when you were hurt or sad." she smiled trying to ease the tension, "you remember your one aunt maggie, the psychic? She always told me that I had the same gifts she did, I never believed her. Science is too important to me. But I felt something the day you were wounded. I tried calling you, I had a sinking feeling you were hurt, but I couldn't get a hold of you. So I went to some of my old colleagues and connections,they told me you were back in Afghanistan and had been hurt."
I sighed and looked at my mother, she was smiling tightly. I felt tears welling up in my eyes. "mom, its." I let out a shaky breath and glanced at my wife, now holding a tray as Kenzi put more food on it, "can we go outside? Its quieter outside." She nodded and stood up. I met Bo at the buffet bar, kissing her on the neck, "i will be outside with mom, she wants to talk about afghanistan, I just need a few minutes."
Bo turned, her eyes soft, "are you sure you don't want me to come with you? Help explain things?" I could still feel the small tinges of guilt in bo whenever that day was brought up.
"maybe later, I have no idea how this is going to go, but she has too know some things."
I met my mom outside the buffet place. It was in a quieter part of the city close to a park. Since this part of the city was predominately older people, things were cleaner and the park across the street was a isolated piece of nature in the midst of steel, concrete and exhaust.
We sat on a bench under one of the large oak trees that I was certain had been there long before the skyscrapers. I took a deep breath, "i could never lie to you, mom." I looked her in the eyes, "some of the things you will hear, I am not sure you will be able to believe me. But I font want to lie to you."
My mother raised her eyebrow at me, "are you going to tell me you are gay?" she was trying to break the tension.
I smiled, "i already told you that when I was fifteen, so no. but I will need the understanding you that was there that day when I was fifteen and told me that I was no different than anyone else, I just knew exactly what I wanted." I grabbed her hand, "i was wounded in Afghanistan. Critically. A mortar attack hit the camp and when I was rushing to help others, a truck exploded next to me, throwing shrapnel everywhere, including into me." I closed my eyes, "my stomach was severely lacerated and I had internal bleeding." I could feel her hand squeeze hard in mine. "bo save my life that day." I opened my eyes and found a tree root to focus on so I could keep on with telling my mother.
"bo? Was she also in the army?"
I shook my head, "no, she came after me. To find me. When she did, I died." I choked on the words, why in the world was I telling my mother that I had died? I kept on, "bo was able to bring me back to life, and when I was evacuated I was taken to a private hospital where I was taken care of. It was a hospital attached to the research lab I was working for right before I was recalled." I looked at my mother, tearing my eyes from the tree root. "they took care of me, operated on me and brought me back to health. It is a private hospital, that's why you couldn't find anything about me."
Tears were in falling slowly, my mother reached up to brush them away quickly, "the light fae hospital in England is one of the best in the world, I am glad you were taken there."
my eyes grew wide, "what did you say, mom?"
she smiled, still wiping away tears. "light fae, lauren. I know about the fae. Your aunt is one, she is a full fae. The only one in the lewis family. It seems that all of us have medium and psychic talents, your aunt just a little stronger. Our lineage goes back for millenniums, the top of our family tree is fae and over the centuries, thinned out as humans mixed in. Your aunt maggie is one of the last in our family. Her and I discovered it when we were little and were approached by a slyph in the woods behind our house. He was attracted to maggie, and became very attached. we thought we were playing fairytales. But over the years, I distanced myself from it. Only helping maggie work on her gifts, I stumbled across all the information when that little sylph became the administrator of the hospital I work at." she smiled, "he was at your wedding, I was surprised to see him, and that he hasn't aged a day."
it came out as a whisper, "finnegan."
My mother nodded, "yes, little finnegan." She smiled, "i helped him at the hospital and he in turn helped me with working with maggie. He was truly in love with her, but she was a wildcard and went crazy after having to choose a side. Finnegan eventually left the hospital for other pursuits and I had not seen him in close to thirty years. But in the time I spent with him, he entrusted me with all the secrets he knew of the fae world and the two sides, I kept them. He always kept me safe, and you. Finnegan was the one who called me to let me know you were at his hospital in england and you were to be taken care of. He would not tell me anything more, saying that he could not tell your story."
my mind was racing, I was in shock at what my mother had just told me. "you know about the fae? We are fae?"
she nodded slowly, "i do, and only Maggie is, for some reason it stuck with her. The rest of us, the genetics just evolved and it evolved away." she looked at me, "it was a family secret that only I knew, because of the simple fact that I stumbled across Finnegan with Maggie that day in the woods." she smiled, "who would ever believe such a thing? Maggie was always eccentric and the family just played it off as such."
I returned my gaze to the tree root, "Finnegan always knew exactly who I was." my head was now pounding.
"he met you when you were a little girl, he came to visit Maggie one last time to marry her, but she refused. I didn't think anything of it, Lauren, it was our little fairytale and an incredible story." squeezing my hand again, "you look pale, Lauren. Whats wrong."
I leaned forward and held my head in my hands, "mom, Bo is fae." it all began to flood out, "she is fae, but is not linked to light or dark fae. Finnegan was my boss at the research lab I worked for, his light fae research lab. He is the ash, the leader of the light fae." I took a deep breath and met her eyes, "That day bo saved me in the desert, I became fae."
My mothers smiled dropped from her face, "what do you mean Lauren?" I could see the panic in her eyes rising.
I don't know how I feel about this, it came naturally in the course of writing, I may kick it or keep it! TBC
