Chapter Six: Mothers

Sometimes we worry too much about our children, and thus we push them out the door.

"Where have you been all day?" asked Penny as soon as Patty walked through the door. She was sitting in the living room, feet up, flipping idly through a magazine.

Patty shrugged. "Out with a friend." She slipped into the room and sat down on the couch, next to her mom. "Look, Mom," she said. "I'm sorry about earlier. I shouldn't have said what I said."

Penny quirked an eyebrow at her daughter and proceeded to look back at her magazine. "Yes, well..." she said, trailing off. Penny had never been gracious at receiving apologies, and she was even worse at giving them. "It's okay, Patty." She glanced up at her daughter again. "So you want to tell me where you were?"

"Mother, please," said Patty, using a tone Penny despised. It was her attempt at acting nonchalant, but really all it implied was that Patty wanted Penny to butt out. Calling her "Mother" just made it all the worse. But Patty was generally too even tempered to start a fight, and after their argument earlier, Penny knew a little goading was all it would take for her daughter to spill the beans.

"I'm just curious," she said, feigning innocence. "We had an argument and then you disappear to God knows where without even a word. I'm your mother. I think I deserve to know."

"It's no big deal, Mom," said Patty, rising and leaving the room. Penny stood and followed at her heals.

"Patricia, I gave you life. All I ask in return is that you be honest with me."

Patty groaned audibly, reaching the kitchen and pulling a cup out of the cupboard. "Victor and I were at the beach. That's all. See? No big deal."

"Victor?" asked Penny coldly. "I don't remember ever hearing about Victor before."

Patty opened the fridge and pulled out a pitcher of ice tea, pouring it gingerly into the glass. "Well, I've never mentioned him before."

"Obviously."

"He's just a friend, Mom," she said, putting the ice tea back in the fridge and taking a long sip of her drink. "That's all."

"A friend you conveniently never spoke of before."

"Well, we just met two weeks ago. At Buddy's."

Penny opened her mouth to speak, but Patty cut her off.

"Two weeks is hardly a long time. And we've only hung out twice."

Penny snorted. "Patty, I'm not naive. You have a fight with your mother, run off with a boy for the whole day, a boy you didn't want to mention to your mother, by the way. I think it's clear you've done more than 'hung out.'"

"You can think whatever you want, Mother. I'm telling the truth."

"You're telling me you have no feelings for this Victor at all?"

Patty downed the rest of the ice tea. "Nope," she said. "We're just friends."

Penny shook her head. "Well when you two become more than that, let me know, okay?"

"Mom!"

But Penny simply put up a hand, turned, and left the room.

"Mom!" Patty called after her. "We're just friends, Mom! Nothing more. Ever. Do you hear me?"

"I hear you, Patty. I'll be upstairs."

Penny shook her head. She knew her daughter too well to believe what she said. Patty was falling for this mysterious Victor, and Penny knew it was only a matter of time. It had been the same way in high school with that Jimmy Michael. Boy had he been a nightmare. And Penny had been in a trippy haze of oblivion then. What would she think of this Victor when she was completely lucid?

She fell on to her bed, suddenly feeling very tired.

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"Are you feeling any better?"

Patience entered her cousin's room quietly, shutting the door behind her and then moving to sit on the edge of the bed. She took Phoebe's hand in hers and smiled.

"Yes, a little." She squeezed Patience's hand. "How'd you get past that fuddy duddy son of yours?"

"He's picking Gordie up from Harry's house. We have fifteen or twenty minutes, I'd say."

"Good." Phoebe sat up against the headboard a little more. "So tell me all the gossip," she said. "I heard Patricia was here earlier."

Patience's eyes lost some of their spark. "She was asking questions about Penelope," she said quietly. And then, "I told her what we did. The truth."

"What? Patience? What did she say?"

"Nothing much. I..." She sighed. "I kind of left in a hurry. But it wasn't because I was running from what we did," she said defensively. "It's just..." She bit her lip. "I almost told her about Arnold."

Phoebe took this news in her typical fashion, must to Patience's chagrin. "You should have told her everything, Patience. I mean, for goodness' sake, you haven't even told Penny or Gordon yet."

"And I'm not going to!" said Patience, suddenly her old fiery self again. "Why would I tell any of them that? It was a mistake!"

"You loved him," said Phoebe. "How can that be a mistake?"

Patience shook her head. "I was married, Phoebe. It's unforgivable. Gordon would be livid and Penny... No. It's unthinkable."

"Then don't tell your children," said Phoebe. "Just tell Patricia. She won't judge you."

"I can't tell Patty. I can't ask her to keep something like that from her mother."

Phoebe rolled her eyes. "If you don't," she said, "maybe I will."

"Phoebe Amelia Bowen, don't you dare! This is my life, my children and grandchild. Not yours. Stay out of it."

"Patience-"

But Patience simply shook her head and stood up, heading for the door. "I'm glad you're feeling better," she said. "Goodnight." And then she was gone, leaving Phoebe alone once again.

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"Where have you been, Victor?" Sylvia Bennett stood, hands on hips, trying to stare down her son. It usually worked, but tonight Victor seemed oblivious to her effort.

"Out with my friend Patty, Mom," he said. "And I stress the word 'friend.' Now if you don't mind, I'm tired. I'm going upstairs."

"But, Victor..."

"Goodnight, Mom."

Sylvia leaned against the doorframe and watched her son go up the stairs. "This isn't good," she hissed to her husband, Ivan. He was sitting on the couch, still watching television. "I don't like this at all."

"He's twenty, Sylvia. If he wants to go out with a girl he's allowed. It's about time he started thinking about getting out of this house."

"He's still a little boy!" Sylvia protested. Ivan still didn't turn around.

"Drop it," he said. "Don't worry about it."

Sylvia snorted. "So what? I'm just supposed to sit here like nothing is wrong until he shows up one day and announces he's engaged? Hmm? What if he elopes? Ever think of that?"

"Maybe he'll show up one day and announce the girl's pregnant. Ever think of that?"

Sylvia entered the room and punched Ivan on the arm. "Don't say something like that!" she said. "That's horrible!"

"Then stop stifling him," he said, ignoring the fact she had punched him. "And you can have a big wedding for him."

Sylvia crossed her arms across her chest. "I do not stifle Victor."

"You're worse with him than you were with Nancy and Robert, and look what happened with them. Nancy ran away with that boy four years ago. We didn't get to go to her wedding, and now we haven't seen her in over a year. We could have grandchildren by now and not know it." Sylvia's mouth dropped open. "And Robert hardly speaks to us," he continued, seemingly unstoppable. "If you keep going the way you are with Victor, it'll end up the same way."

"Don't be ridiculous," she said. "Victor's different. You'll see."

Ivan shook his head. "You're the one being ridiculous. Just wait. Things aren't going to turn out the way you want."

Sylvia seethed, to angry to speak another word, and left the room to go to bed.