This is a sequel to the chapters twenty five and twenty six.
Jade was waiting impatiently on her car leaning back in her seat. She had been parked outside the high school for nearly an hour.
"It's moments like these that I curse Tony's love for cooking." The woman said, a bit annoyed "I bet he got on his teacher's nerve... Again... Seriously of all the things, he had to get a knack for arguing from me."
She turned on the radio, hoping that some music would help her fight the boredom away; to her frustration, she heard her wife's song "You're the Reason" being played by Beyoncé, Jade quickly turned it off, she disliked the thought of anyone other than Tori singing that song and hated Trina for selling it in the first place out of selfishness and greed.
Before she could start ranting to herself, she finally spotted her fifteen son coming towards the car.
"Hi mom," Anthony said, sliding into the passenger's seat.
"Tony you really have to stop arguing with your teachers." Jade reprimanded "I been waiting here for almost an hour!"
"I can't help it if my teachers just don't have vision," He replied stubbornly. "How am I supposed to be a great cook with such restrictions?!"
"Didn't you say one teacher allow you to go nuts on your cooking?"
"Yeah." He nodded "But it just isn't enough!"
Tony crossed his arms, pouting "And adding insult to injury Emily doesn't get the same restrictions, tell me mom, how can one person have two masks?"
"Take it from me son, some girls are evil, getting away with some pretty nasty things."
"Women, who can get them?"
"Ain't that the truth?" Jade chuckled "I'm a woman, I been married to your mama for years and I still can't figure her out."
"Changing the subject, can I have the kitchen when we get home?"
"Aren't you tired of cooking?"
"Fair question." He said "Aren't you tired of having to repair the kitchen if mama tries to use the stove?"
"Touché."
For a few moments, Jade drove in silence, that however didn't last long since Tony had something on his mind.
"Mom?"
"Yeah?"
"When you asked a girl out for the first time." Tony bites his lower lip "How did it go?"
The former Goth blinked, wordlessly parking the car, she knew this was going to be a serious Mother-Son talk, "Something happened today in school didn't it?" She asked, giving her son a knowing look.
"Well, kinda," Tony conceded. "Remember when you gave me advice about Emily?"
"Yeah."
"Is it normal that she became so... Flirty?, his face reddening. "After I called her, she started acting weird."
"Weird how?"
"Well... Emily kept laughing at my jokes a lot, she never did that before, she usually tells me I suck, she also almost always insults my recipes, but today she said only good things and she even started playing with my hair, is she messing with my head mom? Trying to remain in control?"
"Sounds like she likes you." Jade grinned "I did the exact same time when I was discovering my feelings towards your mama."
"Ew."
"Welcome to the dating world Tony," Jade said. "Women will be angry one moment then playful the next."
"That's helpful." He muttered sarcastically. "Is there anything that I should look out for? Like using her flirtatious nature as a weapon? Can she do that?"
"She can." Jade confirmed "You're in for a rise in temperature when you see her on your date."
"It's not a date!" He denied "Just a little get together."
"You're going to be alone with a girl." She said bluntly "It's a date."
"You still haven't answered my question mom." Tony said flushed "How did it go the first time you asked out mama."
"What makes you think the first girl I ever asked out was your mama?"
"You only been with one woman your whole life mom" He pointed out. "Plus, mama showed me your high school yearbook, how you two won cutest couple."
"I knew I should have burned that thing." She cursed "Fine, yes I only been with one woman, but let me tell you son, you did a lot better than I did when I was your age."
"Really?"
"Really." She nodded "When I first asked your mama out, I was a wreck, I felt like I was going to puke from the waiting, she took her sweet time, to this day I'm convinced she tortured me by dragging out her answer and for a moment I actually believed she was going to reject me and laugh in my face for revenge, but then... To my surprised she said yes."
"Was it hard for you to ask as it was for me mom?"
"The hardest part ALWAYS is getting the nerve to do it," Jade replied. "It took me almost a month to ask your mama out for the prome after I wrecked her first one."
"And mama still said yes?" He asked amazed.
"Like I said, I really can't understand her way of thinking." Jade then squeezed her son's shoulder. "But what I do know is that she saw something in me maybe it's the same with Emily, she sees something in you Tony, don't think of the worse case scenario, think that by the end of it all you'll have someone to gain by your side."
"That's something I expected Mama to say, mom."
The former Goth groaned "I'll get you for this Vega."
The moment they got home, Tori noticed something was up with her son, to her chagrin he didn't say what was bothering him, only that "He'll figure it out."
But figure what out was something the Half-Latina wanted to know and since her child wasn't talking, the second best option was trying to get information for her spouse.
"I'm sure she knows something."
At first, all she received was that their little boy was growing up, that didn't tell her anything, so she continued to pester her spouse until she cracked.
"FINE! I'LL TELL YOU ALREADY!"
"Finally!" Tori cheered "And it only took me four hours to get under your skin... Am I losing my touch?"
"No, you're still plenty annoying!" Jade snapped "I just grown a certain immunity to your voice when it goes all high... For an amount of time anyway."
"So? Tell me the deets!"
"Vega no one says that anymore, its not 2003!"
"Don't change the subject and spill the beans!"
"Well, we had a nice little mother-son chat," Jade admitted. "Turns out he had girl problems with Emily and he wanted advice on women, I could only do so much since women are mystery even to me."
"The irony." Tori grinned "But still what'd you tell him to do?"
"Oh, I told him to dive in," Jade replied. "The night he entered our room he called Emily and they apparently are going to do something this Friday, he's a little nervous about it."
"Wait…" Tori said, her smile faltering. "You told our son to ask her out?!"
"Pretty much."
"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"
"Erm... What?!"
"Of all the selfish, irresponsable things you ever done Jade West!" Tori screams "This takes the cake!"
"Selfish?!" She parroted "HOW am I selfish?!"
"You're letting Anthony go on dates!"
"He's fifteen, I thought that was the age we agreed to let our kids start dating," Jade pointed out, crossing her arms "I tried to move it up to thirty five when the twins no longer feared cooties and Tawny got interested in boys but nooooooo, you told me I was being unreasonable."
"But Anthony's my last kid!" Tori snapped "You can't talk him into manhood just yet! He's still my baby!"
"Well Vega, Tony no longer fears the dark or still sleeps with a nightlight," Jade said, amused. "He's becoming a man, so you can't just not let him grow up."
"Wanna bet?!"
"That's a stupid thing to say." Jade said with an eye roll "He's a teenager now and you have to accept it, besides, if he's anything like us at that age, he'll be just as clueless on the dating department, hell, he might not even have it in him to hold this girl's hand right away."
Tori stood there quietly.
"Hey, he's just growing up, not leaving you," Jade told her, lifting her chin so they could be eye to eye. "He's only fifteen."
"I know," Tori sighed. "It's just… It seems like yesterday he wanted me to read to him from his favorite cookbook before bedtime."
"He was the only kid who probably felled asleep hearing how to make chicken ala King." The pale woman smirked.
"Good times." Tori chuckled sadly "But now he's going off and dating girls. I mean, it was a double edge sword when Danielle started getting interested in girls and when the Tawny told us she was straight and got her first boyfriend, but I kept telling myself at least I had Anthony left."
Jade wrapped her arms around her wife "We knew this was coming baby."
"It still sucks though." Tori sniffed "Why do children have to grow up so fast?"
"That's a question for father time I guess."
"If I ever meet that guy, I'll be sure to kick his ass!"
"Like you did with that twelve year old back in high school?" Jade teased.
"You promised never to talk about that again!" Tori snapped.
"I lied."
"Just for that you get an extra week on the couch!"
"Big and my big mouth."
Friday night:
"Make sure he has money," Tori said. "Just in case that girl Emily convinces him to do something other than going to her place to watcha movie, oh and make sure he isn't wearing something that will make him look like a womanizer and tell him to treat her nicely And..."
"Vega... You're overreacting to this." Jade said drily "They are only going to hang out at this girl's place, that hardly qualifies as a date."
"But they'll be alone!"
"So?" Jade shrugs "It's not like she'll convince him to do it on the couch."
"Oh my god! I hadn't even thought of that!" Tori said with wide eyes "What if they watch fifty shades of grey and their hormones get the better of them?! Tell him no sex or he's grounded!"
"Vega, take a deep breath and calm down!"
"I'm calm... I'm extremely calm."
"She's acting the same way I did when the twins left the house." Jade frowned "Anthony really is our last kid and Tori just can't handle knowing that its only a matter of time till he grows up and leaves the house to fulfill his dream of becoming a chef."
"Take a picture of them together will you Jade?"
"Huh? why?"
"I want to see what his date is like."
"Vega..." Jade crossed her arms disapprovingly "Don't you trust our son's judgement?"
"If he's anything like me, he'll fall for the bad girl" Tori replied "And that's fine I guess, I just want to make sure she's bad but not evil."
"I'll see what I can do."
Anthony came down the stairs, wearing a pair of jeans, a blue shirt and a black jacket "How do I look?"
Tori started crying.
"Is it that bad?" Tony frowned "Crap, that's the last time I listen to those dating websites."
"You look fine son." Jade said "You're mama is just overly emotional."
"Ok, good."
"And I seem to recall someone telling me this wasn't a date." The former Goth teased.
"Well, maybe it is?" He relented "Just a little."
"His first date." Tori chocked "Why couldn't you stay little a bit longer?"
"Come on mom" Tony said "I don't want to be late."
"We sure wouldn't want to keep your girlfriend waiting." Jade teased.
"She's not my girlfriend!"
The Thespian laughed at her son's squeaky reply "Give it time."
Soon, mother and son began walking towards the front door.
"So, mom, any last piece of advice you want to give me before you drop me off?"
Jade grinned, ready to bestow some more wisdom down her child, before setting her sight on her spouse who in turn had her eyes on their son, those brown eyes she loved so much which usually had so much life in them were now filled with sadness.
"This is really killing her." Jade thought grimly, she knew what she had to do. "Well Tony, I given you all the advice I had, but I just realized that there's still someone you hadn't asked about the dating game."
"Really? Who?"
Jade went back to the living room and grabbed Tori by the arm, dragging her towards the front door.
"Your mama here is an expert on women."
"She is?" Anthony asked.
"I am?" Tori questioned at the same time.
"Yes, you are." Jade muttered so only her wife could hear "How else would you explain me falling in love with her?"
"Because she was brave?" Tony guessed.
"She wasn't just brave." The thespian grinned "She had a pair bigger than any guy back in the day, so if you want to know how to make a girl with a scary disposition fall for you, this is the person you go to."
Jade gave her wife a gently push, subtly telling her to drive Tony to his date.
The Half-Latina understood the message right away, opening the front door "Come on Tony, you can ask me any doubts you have on the way to Emily's place."
The teenager shrugs "I guess you do know how to court a dark girl."
Both mama and son went towards the car but not before sending her wife a silent "thank you."
Tori may not be able to prevent Tony from growing up, but she would make sure to cherish all future bonding moments with him.
The truth of the matter is that all children are "borrowed" so eventually you have to let them go into the world and that's the bitter reality for Tori, if you haven't noticed its a running theme that she can't accept the fact that her son is growing up, believe me, there's a reason for that which I'll be revealing soon enough.
I know I write as if Tori loves Tony more than Dani and Tawny, that's not the case, Jade and Tori love all their children equally, Anthony is just the "baby" of the family and Tori still has so much maternal love in her to give, which she will bestow on her grandchildren, she just has to wait a while, heh.
I couldn't resist having Jade fall under the cluelessness every guy has when dating, she may have given Beck a hard time when she was still straight but when she became the "guy" in her relationship with Tori, boy did she learned the hard way never to piss off your girlfriend.
Anyway, leave me a review, tell me your thoughts, as always constructive criticism is accepted as I seek to improve on my writing for future stories.
Invader Johnny Signing Off.