Leah tapped her manicured fingers on her mother’s dining room table. She’d switched her shoes, loving the cushion of the leopard slippers her mother lent her. Her father carried in a pitcher of his famous iced tea. He had a knack for brewing her beloved beverage with the right amount of sweetness.
Her father took his seat across from her. “Everything okay, sweet pea?”
Leah rested her chin in her palm. “I’ll be okay.”
Her mother joined them carrying a pan of her homemade macaroni and cheese. It completed the Sunday meal, which comprised rotisserie chicken and southern style green beans. Leah accepted the challenge of working off the calories for the rest of the week and relished in her cheat meal. She relaxed in her seat as her mother settled next to her father.
“Start from the beginning, because I know this has something to do with Brian,” her mother stated.
Leah raised an eyebrow. “How do you know that?”
“Lonnie the cab driver, his wife told me. She caught me right outside of the church. Lonnie took him to the airport,” her mother informed her.
Leah served herself a plate. “I’m not surprised.”
“Where’s he off to?” her dad asked.
“Chicago. He got a job up there.”
Leah’s mother tilted her head. Her brow furrowed. “So… where does that leave you two?”
Leah exhaled. “Brian broke up with me. He wants to focus on his career.”
Her father gave a dismissive wave of his hand. “His loss.”
Leah gave a half-smile at her dad’s statement. “Thanks, Daddy.”
Her mother pressed, “Are you sure you’re okay?”
Leah kept her face calm, despite the weight settling onto her heart. I want to be over it. “I will be. I even watched Pillow Talk last night.”
Her mother ran a hand through her shoulder-length salt-pepper hair. “Aww, sweetie. When you watch the classics, I know it’s serious.”
Her father’s eyes sparkled. “Good job, sweet pea. Stick with the classics. Kids nowadays don’t even know what On the Waterfront is.”
Her mother nudged her dad’s shoulder. “Even I have a hard time paying attention to that film, honey.”
Her father touched a hand to his heart. “It’s Marlon Brando. What’s not to like?”
They’d made thirty years together. At the sight of her father planting a kiss on her mother’s cheek, warmth filled Leah’s chest. She longed to have the same relationship. My chances look slim now.
“Anyway.” Her mother sat her palms face down on the table, gazing at her daughter. “Sweetheart, I think this is a good thing.”
Leah furrowed her eyebrows. “How’s that? I’m single—again. I thought Brian was the one, Mom.”
Her mother said, “No such thing. With billions of people in this world, there are more than enough good men out here. It depends on who you meet first. You get to choose ‘the one.’”
Leah rubbed her forehead. “Am I doing something wrong?”
Her mother reached for her hand across the table, while her dad gave her a faint smile.
“You’re great the way you are,” her dad encouraged her. “If these guys don’t realize that, it’s their loss. Remember that.”
Her mother patted her hand. “There’s nothing wrong with being single as you figure out what you truly want. Take some time out for you, sweetie.”
Leah gave a half shrug. “I’ll think about it.”
“While she does that, I want some of this macaroni and cheese.” Her father picked up the casserole dish and served himself.