Chapter 2 - You had a bad day, you've taken one down
"Hey honey," Mandy Teslow dragged out the words, like they were the last words she'd ever speak. Then, she grasped Keely's upper arms, and air-kissed her. Contact between her and her mother was limited now. Air hugs, and air kisses. That was all they'd managed.
Why? Keely had never really been sure. When she had left Dean, maybe her Mom had thought that because Keely had never visited, she wouldn't appreciate a hug. But in actual fact, a hug was what Keely would have most appreciated. Not the pep talks. Not the squeezes of her arm. But a hug. Was that so much to ask from her mom?
"Hey mom," Keely replied, grimacing at the air-kisses. They had always annoyed her.
"Hello Phil," Mandy smiled, but made no effort to hug him, or even shake his hand. Not that she didn't want to. She did. She just didn't know how he'd take it. Didn't want to pressure him.
"Hey," Phil nodded, wanting to get in, and get out as soon as possible. From what Keely was telling him, he would be lucky to get out of this alive.
They walked into the restaurant, a strained silence cutting through the air. Even the waiters seemed to pick up on something, and cleverly put them aside, just in case any trouble was caused. So, as they looked through their menus, they could see into the kitchen. Unfortunately, right next to the doors of the kitchen, there was a row of shiny steel knives, and Phil wasn't sure whether he felt comfortable sitting here. From what he had heard from Keely, Mandy wasn't one to think before her actions.
"The chicken looks nice," Mandy observed, aware that it was the cheapest item on the menu. That was her plan. She knew that Keely wasn't exactly in the money. Especially since Dean had left. She had to buy a house as well.
"Mom, don't pretend you like chicken. You don't. You've never touched a chicken in your life. It's only because you think that I'm penniless, that you're even considering ordering that. Well I'm not. We're not," Keely said, and looked over at Phil whilst she said the last part.
"We're?" Mandy questioned. As soon as she had said it, she was hitting herself inside. She didn't mean to sound so unsupportive of her daughter and Phil. In fact, she was more than pleased for them, she just…whenever she tried to sound pleased for them, it came out snapping.
Keely took a deep breath. "Me and Phil. We're together."
"I know," Mandy said, again sounding blunter than she wanted to.
Keely shook her head. "No Mom. We're together, together. We're living in Phil's old house. And he asked me to marry him. And I said yes."
"Oh," Mandy said, trying to sound cool about it all. Usually she lost her cool. But she was really trying. For her daughter's sake.
"And we're planning a future," Keely announced, taking a deep breath, surprised that her mother hadn't exploded yet.
This caught Mandy's attention. "What? What sort of future?"
"You know, dogs, kids, gardening…" Keely tried to mingle the thing that would annoy her mother most, amongst the things that didn't sound so bad. But, as hard as she tried, Mandy didn't fall for it.
"Kids? Keely, you're only twenty-two. How are you going to manage? And you've only been together for a few months. Dean went to jail then, and then you got together, and now you're getting married? Keely, why aren't you waiting? Me and your father waited three years before we did all of this," Mandy began ranting, no matter how much she had promised herself not to. It was like a disease.
Keely slapped her hands on the table. "Mom, it has not been a few weeks. I knew Phil five years ago, and I know Phil now. Plus, I'm twenty-two. You were twenty-five when you had me. Three years? That's hardly anything. We're ready. I know it. So Dean went to jail? I didn't love him. I agreed because I was alone, and because I was afraid. I agreed to Phil's proposal, because I know, from the bottom of my heart, that I want to spend the rest of my life with him, which is more than you and dad can say. Plus, it's my life, I can do what I want with it."
"And what do you have to say about all this then Phil?" Mandy Teslow asked, rounding on the silent member of the party. She briefly remembered her Mom's reaction to her and David's announcement. And how much she hated it. Yet, she just couldn't seem to stop ranting.
"I love Keely, Mrs Teslow. And that's all you should need to hear," Phil said, and Mandy had to admit that she was impressed. Short and sweet. Unlike her ex-husband's speech to her mother. She could have flown to Peru and back in the time he took to explain himself. And even then, her mother wasn't impressed.
"See, Mom? Can't you tell that this is the best thing for me? I love him, he loves me, we love each other. We want everything involved with married life, and we're ready for it. Completely ready. And I can't wait for it. Because I waited with Dean. Waited to see if feelings would come. Hoping that feelings would come eventually, if I stick it out long enough. But then I realised that they wouldn't. Because how the heck could I love someone who beat me up. And how could I love someone, when I had always loved Phil. And I only came to tell you. We only came to tell you. Who cares if you don't want this to happen, we do. And I'm not here looking for permission. I'm here telling you the truth. Because I was damned if I told you, and damned if I didn't," Keely finished. Then she picked some bills out of her purse, and flung it on the table. "There's a share for your inconvenience. Are you coming Phil?"
"Yeah," Phil said, and they got up, and left the restaurant. Just as they were walking through the door, he turned to Keely. "I thought you needed me to help you tell her. You seemed to handle that fine."
Keely smiled and rolled her eyes. "What can I say? I got annoyed. And you know what I'm like when I'm annoyed…"
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Just as they got in the car, a man came around the corner, whistling. He had his hands in his pockets, and looked up at the restaurant. Making a quick decision, he pushed open the door, almost bumping into a very familiar looking woman.
She was in tears, and walked briskly along to her car, ignoring the man in the doorway.
Maybe if she had, she'd have been able to warn them.
Maybe if she had, she'd have been able to tell them what was coming…
Another cliffhanger. Woo. I'm SO evil!