Being a mother is never easy. Helen Plum winces and suppresses the compelling urge to do an eye roll openly, and quickly goes back into her kitchen for the two plates of chocolate chip cookies served as dessert. She really hopes her elder daughter Valerie, now a mid-thirty, 179-pound mother of 4 young girls, can stop babytalking sweet nonsense to Albert the Clown like they are the last two human beings on Planet Earth in front of the whole family—no, not the whole family, Helen reminds herself with a frustrated sigh as she feels the familiar headache building behind her eyes. Stephanie is not here.
Helen hasn't seen or heard from her younger daughter since the day Stephanie dropped the bomb on her and escaped like Hell was on fire. And she's been hearing all kinds of crazy stories and rumours about Stephanie and her new...boyfriend for the past several weeks. Helen absentmindedly picks up a cookie and starts eating. She actually thought about telling Stephanie to come back and take that pineapple upside down cake away after her talk with Frank, but she decided to eat it all by herself instead. It wasn't her fault, really. Helen thinks defiantly and fights the sudden pang of guilt creeping into her conscience. She was the one who'd spent all the time and effort to bake the cake, and she was still in shock and very depressed at that time. Besides, being a daughter, mother, and wife at the same time is so darn hard. Isn't she entitled to some happiness, goodies and luxury once in a while? Does she not even deserve one single perfectly baked tasty homemade cake?
"Stop worrying. It's her life to live". Helen Plum picks up a second cookie and put it into her mouth as she remembers the tenderness and understanding in her husband's eyes that afternoon. "Everything will be just fine". She lets out a long breath, squares her shoulders, picks up the plates and heads back toward the noisy dining room. She hopes Frank was right. She prays that Ranger is the right man for her younger daughter. She just wants Stephanie to be happy. And she really, really needs everything to be more than just fine.
~End of Kiss 9: Don't Worry, Be Happy~
