Chapter Three
Valerie
I was feeling fantastic! It was about a week after Shawn had moved out and I had just had my molars removed.
It also helped that I had gotten to take the day off from school. As a senior especially, even one who valued my grades as highly as I did, it was always nice to only have to go to class four days out of the week.
I was high from the laughing gas and I found everything absolutely hilarious. On my way out, my mother met me at the door.
“How are you feeling?” she asked me.
“Weeeee!” I answered. “No pain, Momma Bear, none at all!” I let out a roar of laughter, which made my mother roll her eyes.
She placed her hand firmly on my shoulder before she looked deep into my eyes and tried to speak to the part of my basic functions that were allowing me to walk and talk, at least somewhat coherently. The rest of me was obviously lost to the world.
“I need to fill out some forms. I will just be a minute. Please go sit down over there.”
I laughed again loudly, but didn’t have a care in the world. “I’m high, Mom, not deaf.” I stuck my fingers in my ears, referring to the loudness of her tone.
I guess she had thought that if she spoke loud enough, she would be able to reach deep down inside and pull out the essence that I was insisting upon.
She shook her head, turned me around and walked me back to a chair.
On the way here, I made her swear that no matter what I did, she would not videotape me. That would be just like her sick sense of humor and there was a part of me that was glad I had made her do that, even now in my seemingly drunken stupor.
My hazy eyes glanced around the room until they settled on a face that seemed to be familiar, even though I couldn’t quite place it.
I squinted, trying my best to think of exactly who it was that I was just barely recognizing sitting across the waiting room
Teacher? I thought. No…Does my mom work with her? Nah…Old boss? I don’t think so…
Then, just as my drunken stupor was about to take over and demand to know who the woman was, I saw a much more familiar face coming out of the other door.
My strange sense of annoyance with everything that was going on caused me to squint my eyes and wonder for only a second, before I realized that the person, who resembled my own state quite a bit, was my stepbrother.
I laughed at him again as he made his way out of the room, and he stared at me with a blank expression before moving toward me.
“Hi!” he said in a chipper, intoxicated happy voice. “I know you!”
I giggled back at him. “I know you too…Stranger.”
We both shared a laugh before we heard the shrill voice of the woman that I now vaguely recognized as Shawn’s biological mother. “Oh! Diana…I am so happy to see you.”
This got the attention of the two of us. Even in our current state of joy and oblivion, I was sure that this was going to be an interesting conversation.
My mother hated Shawn’s mother. But ever the lady, the only indication of her aggravation towards Shawn’s mother were the terrible looks that she would shoot her. It was fantastic. I loved every solitary moment of it, because from the way Shawn’s mother acted, the two of them were old friends.
“She doesn’t care about me at all,” Shawn whispered to me before he giggled. “And it’s great!”
I smiled, but even in my state, I lacked the sense of pleasure the idea brought to him. I just sat there quietly.
My mother turned around, confused at first, but then saw Shawn out of the corner of her eye and gave his mother one of her infamous looks. I giggled, knowing the dynamic, but Shawn just watched the two of them. He looked as though he was going to burst into laughter at any moment.
“Hello, Cindy,” my mother answered tightly.
“What are the chances, right?” Cindy answered, going in for an unreturned hug. However, that didn’t break her stride at all. Before giving my mother any more time to answer than what it took to smile and hum slightly, she said, “However, I am so happy that I found you.”
“You are?” She raised one eyebrow and tried once again not to laugh.
Cindy nodded and continued in a loud, slightly obnoxious voice. “I would love it if you could take Shawn for me.”
“He’s only been there a week,” my mother answered carefully, this time completely unable to hide the look of aggravation on her face.
“I know.” She ducked her head, as though embarrassed, but everyone else knew that was not the case at all. “But I have a business trip that snuck up on me and I simply cannot get out of it.” Dramatically, she pressed her fingertips to her forehead and tried to appear as though she was thoroughly flushed with guilt.
Even in my current state, it was hard not to laugh at this absurd act. However, since I could now get away with random outbursts, I did.
However, I laughed so hard and so loud that everyone immediately stopped what they were doing to stare at me.
“You’ve got a funny looking face…” I said toward Shawn’s mother, who narrowed her eyes at me slightly.
My mother was quick to jump in, laughing almost nervously as she turned Shawn’s mother’s attention back to herself. “Sorry. She is just a little loopy…you know, molars.” She shrugged innocently.
“Yes, I completely understand,” she answered. “This is why I need you to take Shawn as well. He had the same procedure and I just want him to be somewhere safe so that if he needs anything, I will know he is being taken care of.”
I saw my mother nod, but I could tell that she was holding her tongue. “Of course. We always have room for Shawn.” She smiled at her as though to portray to her that yes, she meant exactly what she thought she meant. She was scolding her for not ever having time for her son, but without using a single word against her.
“Excellent! Shawn is going to have such a good time…”
As she looked back at Shawn to tell him the good news my mother shot her a look, with her one eyebrow almost touching the ceiling that explained exactly what she was thinking: Did you even have a conversation with your son the entire time he has been at your house?
Shawn just shrugged and giggled. “You know what guys? I really want ice cream…”
“We’ll get some on the way home,” my mother said to him, trying her best not to laugh.
“Yay! Ice cream!” I parroted, suddenly feeling the urge for it as well. My mouth wasn’t sore. In fact, I really couldn’t feel anything and wondered if I was even going to be able to taste it. Still, even without being pumped with laughing gas, there were very few occasions when I would ever turn down ice cream.
And whether he was drugged or not, I was getting to have some with the person that I still considered my best friend in the whole wide world; even if he had gotten to a point where he would no longer agree.