She Can And She Did

Chapter 10

Amanda had come through her front door around 4:30, calling out, "Hello! I'm home!"

Her boys were racing to the cookie jar and Dotty stated firmly as her hand covered the cookie jar lid, "Hello, Dear... Boys! No more! You've had plenty already!"

As Amanda entered the kitchen, Jamie answered, "But Grandma! We're starving!"

Dotty gesturing to the fridge, replied, "There are apples and celery sticks in there. Help yourselves. I just don't want you to fill up before dinner, alright?"

Amanda shook her head chuckling, "Fruit and veggies before dinner? How could you, Mother?"

Dotty sighed and shrugged commenting, "Yes, well..."

Amanda smiled as she gave Dotty a kiss, stating, "I'm teasing, Mother," then looking at her sons, queried," How about a hug, Boys? I haven't seen you all day..."

Phillip and Jamie gave hugs and Amanda, hugging them back remarked, "Mmm! Thank you! So, how was your day?"

Jamie piped up, "Cool! We have tomorrow off because of teacher conferences, so no homework-"

But Amanda knew better, and gestured answering, "Nice try, Jamie. Go get your homework, and start on it, please-"

Jamie pleaded, "But Mom..."

Amanda responded firmly, "Look! You do it now, and then you'll have all day tomorrow to goof off, okay?"

Phillip shrugged commenting, "I tried to tell him that , Mom, but he wouldn't listen-"

Amanda shook her head and asked, "And what about you, Mister? Any homework?"

Phillip shrugged stating, "Well, some, but it's not due for a couple of weeks-"

Dotty then commented, "And how about the note from your teacher that you were to bring home?"

Phillip, surprised, queried to Dotty, "How did you-"

Dotty remarked, "How do you think, Young Man? Your teacher called here to let me know in case you "conveniently" forget to give it to your mother-"

Amanda sighed answering, "Phillip, go get it now..."

Phillip groaned commenting, "It's no big thing, Mom!"

Amanda said more firmly, "Phillip Thomas! Right now!"

When both boys were out of earshot, Amanda asked, "What is with them?"

Dotty smiled answering, "It's the beginning of the end, Dear..."

Amanda queried, "What does that mean?"

Dotty sighed stating, "Your father and I went through it, as well as every other parent alive...It's called being a teenager."

Amanda scoffed commenting, "Well, I'm sure it wasn't that bad with me-"

Dotty remarked laughing, "Oh, no?! Remember you and Debbie Ann McCabe with your movie magazines, and you both decided to go blonde like Marilyn Monroe? Only her mother was able to stop her before anything happened! It took weeks, however, for your hair to be put to rights! And all because of a boy-"

Amanda shaking her head remarked morosely, "Pl-Please, Mother! I don't want to go over that story again..."

Dotty giggled and shrugged answering, "Oh, it's alright to laugh about it now, Darling. It was cute-"

As Dotty continued laughing, Amanda shook her head stating, "Boy! Daddy sure read me the riot act about it...Whew!"

Dotty swallowed at the mention of her late husband and somberly answered, "Yes, well, you were his Panda, and he couldn't understand why you didn't like your hair at the time, that's all...You were beautiful to both of us then, and still are, alright? Don't ever forget that."

Amanda gulped, and giving Dotty a hug, stated, "I-I won't, Mother...I love you."

Dotty, returning the hug, commented, "I love you too, Precious."

Just then, Phillip came back to the kitchen, and queried, "What's wrong? You guys look so sad."

Amanda shook her head stating, "We're fine, Sweetheart. We were just remembering your Grandpa Carl for a bit...Now, your note, please?"

Phillip handed the note to Amanda, and reading it, Amanda exclaimed, "Paper airplanes in Study Hall, and you put a water balloon in your science teacher's chair?! Phillip!"

Phillip answered with a chuckle, "It was a scream, Mom! The teacher never saw it coming!"

Amanda sighed and nodding, signed the note at the kitchen counter, and putting it into an envelope, remarked tiredly as she handed it back to her son, "You put this back in your book bag, and then start on whatever homework you said wasn't due for a couple of weeks! And you and your brother will help around the yard this weekend...Move it!"

As Phillip went back upstairs grumbling, Amanda sighed and looking at her mother stated, "Mother, we need to talk...I'm going to be out for dinner tonight, but let's sit down, okay?"

Dotty was wary as she looked at her daughter and asked, "What's wrong, Dear?"

Amanda gestured to the family room couch saying, "Please?"

Dotty nodded and then queried, "Is this a tea talk?"

Amanda sighed commenting as she shook her head, "No, Mother..."

-SMK-

As the two women sat on the couch, Amanda answered, "I understand you met my co-worker Lee Stetson from IFF..."

Dotty nodded remarking, "Yes, he's a very nice man. He said you two had argued and that he wasn't sure how to apologize...I guess, like your father at times, who had done the same thing with me, he had stuck his foot in his mouth, so he needed my advice-"

But Amanda, sensing trouble ahead asked anxiously, "Oh! You didn't give him the Never-go-to-bed-angry speech, did you?"

Dotty, with a tilt of her head answered, "Guilty..."

Amanda groaned and shaking her head, stated, "Oh, gosh! I can't imagine what he must be thinking of me right now-"

Dotty put up a hand, responding, "It's alright! I fixed it. You made up, didn't you?"

Amanda sighed remarking, "Y-Yeah..We did...We sang to each other...It was weird."

Dotty giggled bewilderedly, "Y-You did wh-what?!"

Amanda shrugged and putting her head in her hands, stated slowly, "Y-Yeah...He had white tulips on my desk, and music was playing, and it was from that Barbra Streisand song from the night I was upset-"

Dotty, clearing her throat, answered, "Well, I didn't tell him what song-I mean, I told him it was Barbra, but he must have guessed somehow. I did tell him also that white tulips meant apology if that helps?"

Amanda sighed commenting, "Yes, but having the whole office witness the apology moment was embarrassing as well...Anyway, we're working on a truce by having dinner later...And before you think ahead to my future with him, we're just friends and co-workers, alright? Besides, I don't want the boys to be confused about this. I mean, it's only been two years since Joe and I split...I still need time and space to figure out things for myself, okay? But I do love you, and I'm glad you moved in with us."

Dotty kissed her daughter's cheek responding, "Thank you, Sweetheart...I'm glad, too...Now, you'd better go get ready. You don't want to keep him waiting, do you?"

Amanda replied looking at her watch, "Oh, I told him I'd meet him at his place after I checked on the boys, so let me see how their homework is coming along first, and-"

But Dotty shook her head saying as they both rose from the couch, "No! You just worry about yourself tonight, hmm? Go get ready, and I'll see to it that they finish up before dinner, alright?"

It was a while later when Amanda was finally ready, and she called Lee to say, "I'll be there soon, okay? I just had to take care of some things here first."

Lee replied, "No problem. I just finished making the salad, and it's in the fridge until you get here...See you soon."

They hung up, and Amanda got her purse, and leaving her bedroom, saw the boys and Dotty in the hall, and responded, "Okay, I'm going now...Boys, please mind your grandmother, and Mother-"

Dotty smiled stating, "Don't worry, Dear. I won't be waiting up...I know you both have a lot to talk about-"

Amanda, feeling the boys' eyes on her, answered with a blush to her cheeks, "Mother, we're just friends, alright?"

Dotty, with a smirk commented, "Of course, Darling. Friends with "benefits" can be a wonderful thing...Have a good time."

As Amanda got in her car and drove off she thought, Very funny, Mother!

TBC