Welcome once again to my Meet My Character Monday Blog Hop post! Today I’m going to introduce you to Shanna Miller or Mom as Sarette and Mathew call her.
Here is how Sarette describes her mom and Mathew’s mama meeting for the first time and subsequent relationships…
Our shared lives (Mathew and Sarette) started on day one of our existence. Looking into the nursery from the outside, our moms met while in the hospital on December 21, 1998. Both were looking fondly on their newly-born babies lined up next to one another in little Plexiglas cribs—each of us wrapped in hospital-issued blue, white, and red-striped blankets. I guess our moms bonded because they were both alone in the hospital, neither of our fathers stuck around and neither had any other family. They were both twenty-something single parents alone in every way until they found each other. They instantly became best friends.
At the hospital, Mom invited Mama and Mathew to stay with us until they got on their feet. Mom had just inherited a large home from her parents in Adrian, Michigan and there was plenty of room for all of us. We were practically raised as siblings. Early on, we started calling Mathew’s mother “Mama” and my mother “Mom” to distinguish between the two. As luck would have it, the house next door went up for sale right after we were potty trained. Mama and Mathew were able to have their own place while we all still had our family unit. It was a win-win.
Sarette’s inner debate on how to tell her mom that her long-lost family is looking for her and what her mom’s reaction would be…
The dashboard clock said 8:05 when I pulled into the driveway. I put the car in park and gazed up at my house, wondering what, if anything, I should tell my mom. The kitchen lights were on. Mom was probably checking Facebook or re-tweeting some inspirational meme with an ocean photo and an unattributed motivational quote. She has to work early tomorrow so she should be calling it a night any minute. I can’t talk to her about what Elwin, the mystery man, just said. The topic of my dad would make for a day trip on an emotional rollercoaster. I learned a long time ago that if I wanted Mom to keep acting like Mom, I should not bring him up, ever. She gets so sad and tries to push through, but it takes so much out of her. It’s also hard on me to watch that.
What if what Elwin said is actually true? Wouldn’t Mom like to know that she could see him, my dad, again? My dad! Okay, I needed to talk to her. Now! But, what the hell would I say?Hey, Mom! I totally disregarded what you said and went to the freaky bookstore in town. There, I came to believe that I am completely insane—like “bring-your-insurance-card-and-commit-me” insane. Of course, I’m only crazy if what this really hot guy—I mean, smoking hot guy—said isn’t true. My family, who has been watching me, would like to see me. Not my family as in you, but rather my dad’s family. Surprise! You know dad—the guy you met when you were finishing your dissertation? The guy you fell so completely in love with that you have never gotten over him? Wait, Mom. Please! Mom, don’t cry. You don’t need another bath. Come back!
“Ahhhh,” I said as I dropped my head on the steering wheel, accidentally hitting the loud and obnoxious car horn. I sat up and covered my mouth with my hands—like that helped.
What happens next…
“Hey, sweetie. You weren’t gone very long. Are you caffeinated appropriately?” Mom asked. She was wearing a bathrobe, her hair wrapped up in a towel. Her eyes were a still a little red. She looked back down to her iPad. She was playing Words with Friends; she must have already updated her Facebook status.
I stood there, just watching her for a moment as she studied her board; then she looked up again and asked, “What’s up? You walked in with a huge cat-that-ate-the-canary smile on your face. Now you’re staring at me and frowning like you are a million miles away.” She clicked her iPad off. “It’s a boy, isn’t it? Must be someone I wouldn’t approve of.” She tapped her chin, deep in thought. “A biker. That’s it, isn’t it? I truly do not approve of the new no-helmet laws, so wear one, okay?”
I couldn’t say anything. I must have made her nervous. Switching course, she started again. “Listen. I know sometimes it seems like I favor Mathew. But as soon as you have a date, I’ll give you fifty bucks, too . . . That sounded terrible. Let me try again—”
“Mom!” I cut her off. “It’s about Dad; I think it’s about Dad. Elwin said family, not Dad specifically.” Mom looked like I had just slapped her. “I’m sorry.”
She raised her hand. “I’ve told you everything I can about your dad. You know that. I have always been honest with you about your father’s time with me.” She looked so sad and mad at the same time. But then I saw a twinkle in her eye. “Elwin? I knew there was a boy involved. I just knew it!”
So that’s Shanna… I hope you liked meeting her!
Next week Peggy/Mama!
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