Loving Mia

"Mia are you feeling better?" Aidan asked. He rode in the front with Kale since Mia had wanted to stretch out in the back seat alone. They were on their way to her apartment.

Mia laid on her back staring at the roof of the car. She draped an arm over her forehead. "My mother is here!" She said in such a forlorn tone Kale winced.

"Stop being so dramatic, Mia. It can't be that bad," he told her.

"Yes, yes it can be bad, very bad. She's been here since this morning…waiting for me…that means she's had the chance to go through all my stuff! The woman has no respect for privacy!"

It wasn't the first time Mia's mother had popped up out nowhere. She'd done it once before when Mia had first moved into her new apartment.

"Everything will be okay, Mia, don't worry," Aidan tried to soothe her. They pulled into the driveway. Aidan quickly got out and opened the door for Mia. "Now remember, act surprise!"

Mia glared at Aidan as he helped her out of the car. "Oh, I'll act surprise all right…"

The door to the apartment opened before they could knock. Miss Shannon stood in the doorway wearing one of her favorite flowered dresses smiling at them warmly.

"Mia! My baby!" She grabbed Mia into a bear hug and pulled her inside.

Aidan and Kale gave each other amused looks as they watched her smother Mia face with motherly kisses. Aidan closed the door behind them as they both waited patiently to be noticed.

Ruth Shannon was only a few inches taller than her daughter, but she was surprisingly strong for her petite statue. Like Mia, she had chocolate brown skin and long wavy hair which she'd pinned up on top of her head. For a woman in her fifties, she looked amazing. Her hair was a beautiful color of silver that radiated in the light. There were only a few wrinkles in her face, mostly laugh lines around her eyes. The rest of her skin was smooth and flawless. She had a pleasingly plump and curvy figure that showed she liked to cook.

"Mom!" Mia pulled away from her clearly embarrassed by her mother's show of affection. "What are you doing here?"

"I know I should have let you know I was coming, but it wouldn't be a surprise now would it? Now stand back and let me get a look at you, it's been two years since we've seen each other. Oh my, San Francisco must be treating you well this year; you have this glow about you."

Mia blushed.

Ruth turned to look at Aidan and Kale and smiled. "Look at my boys, still so big and handsome, come give Mamma Ruth a hug!" She stretched out her arms for them.

Mia watched as they grinned and hugged her mother warmly. She sighed. Her mother never did treat her bosses in a professional manner. When her mother first met them, Mia had been afraid that they would feel insulted by the familiar way she talked to them, but Aidan and Kale had loved her, to Mia's relief, and her mother had loved them in return. She had stayed a week and completely took over Mia's life and theirs while she was there. Mia wondered if she was planning to stay another week since she was here.

"Mrs. Shannon, you're get more beautiful every time we see you. What's your secret?" Aidan asked.

Mia rolled her eyes. Aidan was such a flirt with her mother and her mother loved it.

"Oh, stop it!" Ruth blushed and waved him away. "But I tell you, home grown vegetable from my backyard is the secret. None of that pesticide and hormones you city folks be eating here."

Hormones? Mia thought.

Kale sniffed the air and grinned "Momma Ruth, did you cook us some southern food?" He asked excitedly.

"I sure did, honey. You know I can't let my boys starve when I come to visit!"

Mia stared at him as he rushed into the kitchen. He acted like such a kid around her mom. She wondered if his own mother had done anything for him as a child.

Ruth turned to her daughter and smiled. "You're really quiet, honey. Aren't you glad to see me?"

Mia looked surprised. "Yes, I'm glad to see you, Mom. You just caught me unprepared that's all."

She looked at Mia closely and then smiled. "Oh I see, your face is a little swollen which means it's that time of the month isn't it? You always were disagreeable when your period came on."

Mia put her hand to her face as her mother walked passed her. Her face was swollen?!

She heard Kale laugh. She looked at Aidan wondering if he'd noticed. He looked like he wanted to laugh too. She glared at him and he suddenly became serious.

"Sorry your mother is very blunt without meaning to be, it's a little funny, don't you think?" he asked.

"No it's not, just wait until she starts on you," Mia snapped at him and walked into the kitchen. Aidan sighed and followed behind her.

Kale was already sitting in the dining room staring at the extravagant layout of food on the table. Corn on the cob, fried chicken, homemade mash potatoes, macaroni and cheese, collard greens, sweet potato pie, and a basket of large biscuits sat before them. Aidan pulled a seat out for Mia to sit at the head of the table and pulled a seat out for mother at the other end of the table. He sat in the middle across from Kale.

"Mrs. Shannon, you've really outdone yourself, everything looks delicious," Aidan commented.

Ruth smiled at him and nodded graciously.

Kale waited until they were settled before he reached for a very large chicken breast.

"Kale!" Ruth snapped at him. His hand stopped in mid-air suspended over the chicken as he looked at her wondering what he did wrong.

"Grace, first!" Ruth scolded him.

Kale lowered his hand looking guilty. "Sorry," he mumbled.

Mia grinned at him before they all closed their eyes and listened to her mother give thanks to God and bless the food. Kale grabbed his chicken before anyone else could get to it as soon as they said amen.

"So, Mom," Mia said as they began to eat. "What brought this big surprise today?"

"Well, I haven't seen you in a while, honey. You never come home to visit anymore and I can barely get you on the phone these days."

"I'm sorry, I've been so busy."

"I'm sure you have. Are these two working you to death? I told them to lighten up on you the last time I saw them," Ruth gave Kale and Aidan a hard look.

"We just gave her a vacation," Kale said in their defense.

Mia winced. Her mother did not need to know that.

"A vacation?" Ruth turned to Mia and smiled happily. "That's wonderful, honey that means I can stay longer than I thought!"

Mia glared at Kale.

"By the way, Mia, I didn't unpack my luggage because I didn't know which room to stay in. Both of the guest rooms are filled with men clothes. Is there something you'd like to tell me, honey?"

Mia nearly choked on her food. What was she supposed to tell her?

"They belong to Kale and I," Aidan spoke up. "We travel a lot and sometimes it's easier to stay with Mia instead of driving home so late at night since her place is closer than ours."

Ruth raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? But don't you and Kale have an apartment downtown that's close to the commute train and cabs and buses. Mia's apartment is a little further from downtown."

Mia blinked. Her mother was right. Her apartment was further away and they'd actually have to pass by theirs to get to hers. Why hadn't she taken the time to do the math?

"Sometimes, we take a different direction…" Aidan's face was turning slightly pink.

"Umm hmm," Ruth stared at him suspiciously. "That's not very professional, is it? Staying at your assistant's house?"

Mia turned to Aidan trying to hide a grin and wondered if he still thought her bluntness was funny.

The room was suddenly very quiet, except for Kale crunching loudly on his fried chicken. "This is really good, Mamma Ruth," he commented and grabbed a biscuit.

Aidan looked to Mia for help.

"Mom, we're all close friends, it's not a big deal," Mia said as casually as she could.

Her mother turned her piercing brown eyes on her making Mia wished she hadn't said a word. "Mia, I taught you better than this. Just when did you start thinking it was okay for young men to start spending the night in your apartment? One is enough, but two is very improper. People might start getting the wrong idea about you."

"Mom, this is the city, no one cares about that stuff. It's a very relaxed environment here and this isn't the 1950's anymore."

"Oh so now my teachings are too good for you now that you're in the big city? My child I hope you haven't forgotten everything you've learned. You are still a lady and I expect you to act like one, at all times."

"Mom, I'm 26yrs old, an adult, who can make her own decisions in life."

Ruth didn't respond. They ate in silence for a long while. Mia tried to change the subject.

"So how is everyone back home?"

"Your uncle Jimmy died a few weeks ago, god rest his soul, had a heart attack."

"Uncle Jimmy died? Why didn't anyone tell me?"

"Well honey, I tried to call, but I couldn't get ahold to you."

"That's what voice mails are for Mom. I don't understand why you don't like using it."

"Hmph, I don't like talking to a machine. If you're not around, then you just ain't around, nothing I can do about it."

Kale laughed.

"Oh that nice young man you went out with in college still asks about you. I think he believes you're the one that got away."

"James?" Mia asked smiling a little.

Kale and Aidan frowned and stared at Mia. She quickly stopped smiling. Ruth noticed and raised an eyebrow.

"Yes James. I met him in the supermarket one day and he asked for your number. I told him I'd have to ask you first before I gave it to him."

Mia looked at Kale and Aidan who were watching her intensely. "No, that's okay."

"You sure honey? He's a very nice gentleman and he's opened up his own shop. I think he sells copy machines."

Kale snickered obnoxiously.

Ruth turned to him. "What are you laughing about? It's an honest living. Don't grow a big head just because you run a successful real estate company."

"Mom, I'm not interested," Mia said.

"What can a guy who sells copy machine do for Mia? He'd never be able to support her," Kale said.

Mia wanted to kick him. He just had to open his mouth.

"Oh, do you think you can?" Ruth jumped on the opportunity.

"Mom, I'm not interested," Mia said again, before Kale could say anything.

"Then who are you interested in Mia?" Ruth asked in exasperation. "How long do I have to wait before I get some grandbabies from you? I'm not getting any younger, even if I do look good for my age."

Mia felt her headache returning.

"Are you dating anyone?"

"Mom, can we not discuss my personal life in front of Kale and Aidan?"

"Why not? We're all close aren't we, I mean they spend the night with you so it shouldn't be a problem," her mother said.

"I'm not talking about this," Mia said stubbornly.

"Fine, I'll find out by the end of the week, I'm sure," her mother promised. She turned to Aidan and Kale. "What about you two? I'm sure women are just throwing themselves at you."

"We're too busy working," Aidan said.

Ruth sighed. "Fine, I give up for now. I'm not trying to make anyone uncomfortable my first night here."

Too late, Mia thought.

"Let's just enjoy dinner and talk about church."

Oh gosh…Mia thought.

"Have y'all been going to church lately?"

Mia walked Kale and Aidan outside after they'd finished dinner and helped clean up. She stood in front of them as they leaned against their car and glanced up at her apartment. Her mother, who had been spying on them, quickly closed the curtains. She sighed. It was going to be a long week.

"Guys, I don't know how this is going to turn out…"

"We understand your concerns about her finding out about us," Aidan said. "She probably won't take it well if she did."

Mia shook her head. "No, she won't."

"So what do we do?" Kale asked.

"I think we go back to acting like friends while she's around."

"The hell we will," Kale protested crossing his arms.

"Just until she leaves," Mia pleaded with him.

"Do you know how hard that's going to be after last night?" Kale asked.

"It's not like we can do anything anyway with my monthly on remember?" Mia said.

"Yes, but it will be gone in three days," Kale said. "Perhaps, we'll shorten your vacation."

"You can't do that," Mia told him.

"Mia, you can't hide our relationship from your Mom forever, she's going to find out sooner or later," Aidan told her.

"I'm not ready for her to know right now. We just got together, I just lost my virginity to you guys, and she appears as soon it happens. This is not how I wanted things to go," Mia looked like she was about to cry.

Aidan leaned down to kiss her, but Mia backed away. "Stop that! She's probably still watching us. We're just friends, remember?"

"It will be hard for us to go back to acting that way," Aidan said frowning slightly.

"I know, it's the best I can do for now."

"This is stupid," Kale said. "Why don't we just march right back in there and tell her you're ours before she tries to set you up with copy machine boy."

"You can't, Kale please be patient. I promise, both of you I'll find ways to sneak away from her so we can spend time together, okay?"

"Whatever," Kale said clearly upset.

"I know this is hard, but please work with me," Mia told both of them.

"Okay, we'll go along with your plan. I know this must be very stressing to you. I want you to enjoy your vacation," Aidan told her.

"Thank you!" Mia started to give him a hug and stopped herself.

"What? Friends can't hug?" Kale asked and pulled her into his arms. "I'll be thinking about you tonight," he whispered hotly in her ear before letting her go.

Mia shivered. Aidan hugged her and held her for a long while. "Why do I have feeling I'm going to miss you very badly?"

"I'm sorry," Mia told him.

He let her go and gave her a sad smile. She watched them get in the car and drive away then turned around to walk back in.

Her head was pounding.