"Maamaaa-"
"Leonoraaa-"
Leonora laughed as Kerry swung her up, "Bwds, bwds."
Henry hurfed, but even before Kerry could say a word he ended his game and started up Angry Birds on the tablet he was using. "Here ya go Lee."
Leonora tried to lunge for Henry, but Kerry kept a strong arm around her, "You- you..."
Henry sighed as he got up, "Yeah, whatever..." And went into the living room. He slumped onto the couch. He didn't look up when Kerry also entered the room and put Leonora down to play on the floor with the tablet.
She came over and sat on the couch next to her son, "You know she was just saying thank you."
Henry sighed, "Yeah, I know... Mama- are we going home over the summer?"
Kerry put an arm around Henry and pulled him to her side, "You miss Uncle Carlos."
Henry nodded even though there hadn't been a question in Kerry's tone. "I know that- it is what it is Mama- I just..."
"Wouldn't you miss Roger and Liam and..." She smiled just a bit, "Tess?"
That made Henry look up and narrow his eyes at his mother, "Mama."
"Well?"
"I guess. But, we can go see Uncle Carlos for our vacay?"
Kerry kissed the top of Henry's head, "That was the plan."
"Cool." Henry practically popped from the couch, "Lee, wanna play?"
Lee's eyes lit up and she scrambled to her brother's side, following him back to their rooms, the table forgotten on the floor.
Kerry picked it up and shut down Angry Birds. She tried not to think too much as she logged onto the dating site. She blinked in surprise. There was a response from Chicagoan768111. She opened it and chuckled as she read it.
After a moment of thought she opened a reply of her own.
Silas Marner by George Eliot, although, it used to be Mansfield Park, Silence of the Lambs and Warehouse 13. I am aware that one of those things is much less like the other. I've always liked all of what Eliot wrote. The first time I watched Silence of the Lambs I was just intrigued and it is such a masterful piece of film. As for Warehouse 13 I couldn't really tell you why I like it. I think it may have something to do with the character of Mrs. Fredric. Her little... power would have come in handy at some points in my life that's for sure.
So, what is your favorite book, movie and TV show? And yes, H and L are human children. My human children.
(And, you'll notice, I've dropped the number question.)
Kerry sat back and stared down at the screen. On the one hand she found Chicagoan768111 humorous and there was something about her writing that tickled the back of Kerry's brain for some reason. As if she should remember something but nothing was coming to mind. On the other hand, it was online. It was just as likely that Chicagoan768111 was a serial killer or a teenage boy catfishing her. And knowing Kerry's luck- the truth was probably the former and not the latter. And yet...
She sat still, listening to Henry and Leonora play in one of their rooms. "Ah- what the hell." She continued her response.
My kids are a boy who's nine and a little girl who's almost three. They're the lights of my world. They both vex me completely and make me a complete person.
Since I told you about my username, are you from Chicago? Or live in it? Blackhawks, Bulls, Bears, White Sox?
And one last question. Do we keep to usernames and nicknames -Ms. Turing-?
~H + L's Mom
"Mama- come watch us."
Kerry logged out and put to sleep the tablet and went down the hall to see what her kids were up to.
oOOOOo
Kim laughed and the older woman who kept Legaspi's Garage running and pretty much did everything but fix the cars, trucks and motorcycles looked up. She was definitely past the technical retirement age, but on most days Roberta Yates had triple the energy of Kim.
"Kimberly?"
Kim glanced up, "Robbie..."
Roberta narrowed her eyes over her reading glasses at the younger woman, "It's a good thing that I was your mother's best friend young lady or..."
Kim gave Roberta a real smile, "I know, I know... or you'd have put me..."
Roberta cut Kim off, "...in your place young lady." Her stare softened. "It's good to see you laugh and smile Kimberly. Although I'm sure your two... lady friends... wouldn't be happy that it's not either of them who are making you smile." Roberta paused and looked at Kim with a pointed look again, "What is this young woman's name then?"
Kim shook her head, "Don't know if she's young Roberta. Or her real name. She's H underscore L's Mom online though."
The teasing faded from Roberta's face and voice, "Kimberly. That is a serious situation."
Kim sighed and stood, "One. So far she's sent me a message, and I sent her a message back. That's it. And, you don't think that I know that children make it serious Roberta?" She shook her head, "I'm going to go have my lunch in the garage."
"Kimberly, I didn't mean..."
Kim waved a hand, "No problem. Hold down the fort, and give a yell if anyone calls for the tow."
"Kimberly-" But Kim was already through the doorway that joined the business office to the garage. Roberta frowned. She and Kim's mother Julianna had grown up together in the neighborhood. Julianna had died when Kim was six and Roberta had become closer to the entire Legaspi family, especially Kim, since she was the only girl in the house. Surrounded by three brothers and a father.
Over all the years since Roberta had been the closest that Kim, and her brothers had to a mother since Miles Sr. had never remarried or even dated. And, Roberta worried for Kim. She could see past the blonde's bravada and joking to where Kim just wanted someone to settle down with and make a life.
Roberta shook her head and got back to work on all the paperwork that kept the garage running as smoothly as it did. She wasn't Kim's mother. Kim was a grown woman. She could take care of herself. And so, Roberta would back off as she always did and on Sunday when she went to church on Sunday she'd pray for her goddaughter. She'd pray that Kim would find her soulmate like Roberta had, or that at least Kim would find someone who wouldn't break Kim's heart again. Roberta glanced up at the ceiling for a beat, "And you better let the woman she finds already be a lesbian..."
oOOOOo
"Ready to go -Crawford-?"
"Mama-" Kerry smiled, "Yeah, yes... I'm ready. You know..."
Kerry opened the trunk of the car and Henry plunked his hockey bag with all his gear from his pads to glove and mask, and they both got in. Henry buckled up before he spoke again, "Mama- it's okay if you don't watch my games. I know I'll never be Corey Crawford, and that you have so much to do and whatever.""
Kerry didn't start the car. Instead she turned almost all the way around to face her son, "First of all, who says you won't be the next Corey Crawford, or Tuukka Rask, or Henrik Lundqvist? I will never understand the game like your Mama Sandy did or your Uncle Carlos or any of your Uncles do, but, I need you to believe me when I say that I love watching you play hockey goalie. I'm not going to your game because I have to Henry. I want to. You're my son. Do you believe me young man?"
Henry couldn't look at his mother and stared out the window instead. "I don't... I don't know."
Kerry turned back towards the front of the car, "Good thing that you're only nine then, and I'm your ride." She smiled to herself.
oOOOOo
Kerry sank onto the couch with a groan. The stands at the arena weren't the most comfortable ones in the world and it felt as though she could feel all her bones, especially her repaired hip. She turned on her laptop. The wallpaper she used was the Chicago skyline. It wasn't just Henry who wanted to go back to Chicago. Kerry had been thinking about it too. Add to that the fact that her contract with the TV station was nearly up...
She leaned her head back against the sofa, her eyes closed, trying to figure out when Chicago of all places had become home.
Finally she opened her eyes and focused on the screen. She opened up the dating site and found herself relaxing just a bit as she saw she had a message from Chicagoan768111, or because of their joke as she was now thinking of the woman, Ms. Turing.
HLM (so much easier to type without all those non-letter characters),
So, we're still doing this- huh? At this point I'd probably wonder in prose form if we should meet, but, I get the feeling that you're not in Chicago. I also got a verbal scolding from the closest thing I have to a mother that I should pump the brakes a little because you have kids.
So, back to the questions. TV show is a hard one since I don't really read or watch much TV these days. So, these'll have to be classics of a sort. Book, the Bootlegger's Daughter by Margaret Maron. It's a classic, trust me. Movie, Monsters, Inc (don't ask, it involves two nephews) and as for TV. I don't think that I've ever seen Warehouse 13. Is it good?
Do you see how I very subtly redirected the conversation back to you? No, not working? How about I go with what my inner lesbian is telling me to say, Xena: Warrior Princess. Full of great action scenes, a few too many hunks of the week, and those abs...
Where was I?
Kerry laughed and shook her head as she continued reading. This was a longer message.
So, we have totally different tastes in mass media. Is it time to move onto what we do for work, where our lives want to go, our hopes, our dreams, our failures?
I apologize for the scattered tone of this message. Yesterday was the anniversary of my father's death. I lost my mother when I was six and so only sort of remember her, he raised me and made me everything that I was. I don't know, it's been two years and yet except for here and there it feels as though it was yesterday.
So, wow, I certainly got us off on a very depressing tangent didn't I.
Kerry's mouth dropped open. Somehow she managed to finish reading the message.
I promise, next message'll be much less depressing.
~Ms. Turing
Kerry closed her eyes, "I knew this was such a bad, bad idea..."