My mom and Callie have been getting really close. I've yet to meet her, but, I always hear them talking on the phone. It's only been about two weeks, but they've gone on more dates, and again, the phone calls. 24/7. That's what it feels like.

Don't get me wrong, mom is happy. I'm glad that she's happy. But... it just feels like a lot.

I try to just walk away if I find myself getting frustrated- it's not that I don't want mom to be with someone. I don't want her thinking that.

I don't really know how to describe what I'm feeling. Annoyed I guess? Overwhelmed? And I haven't even met her yet.

Maybe I'm being a little bit dramatic. But, it feels like my mom has become consumed by it- and as far as I know, they aren't even 'official.'

From my current spot on the couch, I could hear mom giggling in her bedroom. I heard some muffled talking, and then her bedroom door opened.

I looked down the hallway, and she smiled more when our eyes met.

"I'm gonna let you go. Yeah, I'll talk to you. Bye, now." She put her phone on the kitchen counter as she walked past it, coming up behind where I was on the couch. "Hi Beautiful" She leaned down and kissed my head.

"Hey. Who was that?" I knew who it was.

"Callie. She had a little break at work." My mom's smile didn't fade.

I had to say, she had been happier these past two weeks than she had ever been. Not that she was totally miserable before, but, it was clear that she felt happier now that Callie was around. I almost felt bad for being annoyed with her. Almost.

"I wanted to talk to you about something," Mom sat next to me on the couch.

"Yeah?" I asked, putting my phone down.

She shifted a little, facing toward me. "I am ready for you and Callie to meet-"

I opened my mouth to say something.

"Ah, let me finish" She nipped it in the butt. "But, I want you to be ready. So, I understand if you need more time." She finished, nodding to say that I could talk now.

I bit my cheek, thinking of a response. Of course I wanted to meet Callie- she seemed to make my mom really happy.

"Earth to Olive" My mom laughed nervously.

I smiled. "I would love to meet her, Mom."

My moms eyes lit up "Really?!" She then got more serious, motherly, "Wait, are you sure? I know it's only been a few weeks since I told you about her and... and it's only been, ya know a few months since... it's ok if you're not ready, really." She took a breath, then added on, "But, if you want to, I'm thrilled. Thrilled. But it's ok if you don't. I promise!" She spoke quickly, her words a jumble of excitement and sympathy all wrapped up in one eager package.

"Of course I want to meet her." I confirmed.

My mom clapped her hands in excitement. "Oh this is going to be amazing! You're going to love her, honey. She is gonna be so excited!!!"

I laughed, "I'm excited too Mom."

"So, what do you think we should do? I was thinking maybe we could go out to dinner with her? Or we could go to the beach or the movies! We could go down town and go shopping, maybe to the mall? An amusement park? I don't know, what sounds fun?!"

"Mom, that all sounds great, really. But..."

"Too much?" She slouched in her seat.

"Yeah, kind of."

"Okay..."

"What if she came over here? We could just order food or something."

"You think that's ok?"

"You really don't have to go crazy." I giggled, "It's not like I'm some little kid who needs to be won over."

My mom laughed at that. "You sure?" She joked.

"Mhm. I just wanna meet her... she makes you happy. I like that." I spoke quietly.

Almost immediately, tears formed in my moms eyes.

"Wait what don't cry Mom I just-"

She hugged me. Super tight. One of those hugs where you know the person giving it probably needs it more than the receiver. I hugged back, squeezing her just as tight.

"Thank you, Olive." She whispered, her voice threatening to break. "It means a lot that you've been so understanding. About... everything."

I just simply nodded.

She pulled away after a few moments, wiping her eyes. "I love you so much honey."

"I love you too. Please don't cry." I hated seeing my mom cry. More than anything in the world.

My mom smiled, "It's not a bad cry." She looked down at her hands, which were wet with her dripping mascara. She laughed, "I'm gonna go wipe this off."

" 'Kay." I watched her disappear into the bathroom.

I felt bad. Horrible. I knew I hadn't been mean to my mom. I never would. But, it meant so much to her that I was accepting. And, here I was getting mad at her for talking to Callie so much.

It was stupid of me.

I let out a sigh of frustration.

Maybe I was a little bratty. Some type of only child issue. Every ounce of my moms attention didn't have to be on me. It wasn't like she was forgetting me. Just adding someone new into the mix. I could handle that. I had to handle that.

My moms happiness depended on me handling that. That felt like a lot of pressure, if I thought about it too hard. It was that moment that I decided I wouldn't think about it too hard. If my mom was happy, I should be happy for her. No matter what.