“If it could be called that. I mean, it’s certainly not fine dining.”
“So? You might find this hard to believe, but I’ve been to plenty of restaurants that aren’t Zagat-rated. And I don’t hear you giving Riley’s mom a hard time over it.”
“Well, you know dear,” Mom said, shaking her head a little, “Riley’s mom likes to expose herself to all sorts of different lifestyles. She even likes to go camping. But! That’s not why I brought this up. She mentioned that she saw you there. With a guy?”
“Oh.” I shrugged. “I didn’t see her.”
“Who was this guy you were with? She said he had a
beard. And tattoos.”
“Um ... just someone.”
“Does this ‘just someone’ have a name?”
“I’m really late, Mom, I’ve got to get going.” I didn’t want to have to lie to her, but I also could take a pretty good guess at what her reaction would be if I told her the truth.
“Chloe, please just answer the question.”
“He’s just a friend,” I said. “Not even a friend; someone from the art center. We were just talking about our projects is all. Geez. I feel like you’re interrogating me. Am I not allowed to go out and have lunch with a friend?”
“Oh,” Mom said, visibly relieved. “Someone from the art center. Well, that makes perfect sense. No, sweetie, I’m not trying to interrogate you, and I don’t want you to feel that way. It’s just ... your father and I want you to have standards when it comes to who you date. That’s all.”
“And standards about what restaurants I eat at, apparently.”
“Chloe. We just want what’s best for you. And I admit—I’m a little concerned about you, all right?”
I stared at her. “Concerned about what?”
“Sweetie, have you ever had a boyfriend?”
“Mom, I really don’t feel like talking about this with you. I really don’t.”
“You’re a beautiful young woman, Chloe. You have a lot to offer someone, and I’m just afraid that you’re neglecting that part of your life.”
Oh, if you only knew, I thought, but I tried to keep my face neutral.
“I’m focusing on school, if that’s what you mean. I didn’t want to be one of those people who goes to college and just screws around for four years while their parents foot the tuition bill. I mean, shouldn’t you guys be proud of that?”
“Of course we’re proud of that! And we’re not saying that we wanted you to go and mess around for four years, either. But, I have to admit, I do find it a bit strange that you’ve never had a boyfriend. You’re 21, sweetie.”
“Oh, I am? Because you’re treating me like I’m 14 or something.”
“If you were 14, I would not be nearly as concerned with the fact that you’ve never dated anyone!” my mother replied, completely missing the sarcasm in my voice.
I rolled my eyes. “Okay, great, Mom, I’m glad you and Dad are so concerned about my dating life.”
The whole thing kind of pissed me off, though. Aside from the fact that she was completely interfering with my life when she shouldn’t be, I also knew the undercurrent of what she was saying without coming out and saying it: they didn’t want me to date anyone that they considered beneath me, which a tattooed, bearded local clearly was.
My mother then invited me to go to the yacht club with her, which was about the last thing on Earth I felt like doing. “I’m going down to the art center,” I told her. “I’ve still got a lot of work to do if I want to have it ready for Claudia’s show.”
“Oh, yes,” she said. “How is that going?”
“It’s fine.”
“It was awfully nice of Claudia to agree to give you a spot in the show, wasn’t it?”
“It was. Which is why I want this to be as good as it possibly can. Which means I have to spend time on it, so I can’t go hang out at the yacht club.”