Claudia and Gabs 3

"Claudia, can I talk to you a minute?" Lori, Claudia's mom, asked. Oh boy, thought Claudia, here we go.

Claudia tucked an errant hair behind her ear and crossed the room, "Yeah, Mom?"

Lori's face remained expressionless. "Honey?" she began, ". . .why didn't you tell me you were interested in someone?!" Lori's face broke open in to a big smile, and she pulled Claudia into a crushing hug. "I am so excited for you! Is he a nice guy?"

Claudia didn't have the heart to tell her mom that she and Jake weren't dating.  Even though Lori had never actually said anything to her, Claudia knew that her mom had been concerned about her love life, or lack thereof.  Throughout the years, Claudia had heard her mom's stories about the various dates she had had in high school. Besides, now wasn't the time to get into a lengthy explanation about Jake, so Claudia just smiled and shrugged her shoulders.

"I need to meet him," whispered Lori as she released Claudia and ventured into the family room.

After the initial introductions, Lori filled the empty seat by Gabby.  It was clear that she intended to stay a while. Gabs made eye contact with Claudia across the room. Her expression seemed to say, Get rid of her; we're trying to watch a movie here. Claudia just ignored her and turned her eyes back to the screen. Once her mom made up her mind about something, she was going to see it through, and it was obvious that her mom wanted to learn more about the guys. Fortunately, Jake didn't seem to mind; he conversed easily and had no problem with Lori's presence.

  After a few minutes, Lori said, "Well, I bet you guys could use some snacks.  I'll go make some popcorn."

"Sounds great," said Jake, "I'll help you."

As the two headed up the stairs, Gabs burst into giggles. "It's just popcorn. What does he need to help with?" Eric shrugged and smiled to himself.  Claudia felt the warmth of a blush forming on her cheeks. "You should probably go up and 'help' too, Claudia. It's kinda weird if you're down here while he is up there with your mom."

Conceding that she had a point, Claudia reluctantly slid off the sectional and silently climbed the stairs. This was all so confusing. What she really wanted was for everyone to just go home, so she could go to her room and be soothed by Frodo and Pippin.

As she reached the top of the stairs, the sound of laughter from the kitchen caused her to pause.  She had to organize her thoughts before she entered the scene.

"Oh my gosh, really?" said Jake, "That place is on my bucket list.  I can't believe that you guys actually have relatives there."

"We go there every other year to see Roy's sister," replied Lori, "The seafood is fantastic. Do you like seafood?"

Even without seeing her mother's face, Claudia knew that she was flashing her mega-watt, teeth-whitened smile, and she was probably flipping her hair back as well.  Claudia had observed that it was a habit of her mom's to do that when talking with men.

As the conversation continued, Claudia felt as though an ice chisel had pierced her heart.  Without even trying, her mom was chatting with Jake as though he was an old friend. She made it seem so effortless, and as all men tended to do, Jake was responding. Even though she wanted to be angry with Lori, Claudia knew that it wasn't her mom's fault.  Where Claudia was reserved and withdrawn, Lori was extroverted and friendly. She had explained several times to Claudia the value of "putting yourself out there" in order to get ahead in the world.  Yet, try as she might, Claudia never felt at ease in conversation the way her mother did.

Rather than disrupt the conversation in the kitchen, Claudia silently turned on her heels and headed down the stairs. Any relationship she may or may not have developed with Jake was now officially over. After being charmed by Lori, Jake would no longer be interested in Claudia, who paled in comparison to her mother.  Yet, instead of being disappointed and sad, Claudia felt immense relief.  She would now be able to enjoy the rest of the evening without feeling any pressure to perform.

As Claudia rounded the corner, Gabs swung her head around and asked, "Where's Jake? Where's the popcorn?"

"It's just about done," Claudia responded.

Truer words had never been spoken. It was just about done.