Kay Productions Presents

Wake Up, Witney

Chapter Two:
Convincing Mother

While I was on my way home, I was contemplating the different ways I could convince my mom to let me go to Alex's New Year's party. I sure as hell was not going to miss a second year. Then I'd have to go through the trouble of transferring schools and I'd never get to marry Don Altizer.

Please wipe that last sentence from your memory.

There were many ways I could get my extremely passive mother to let me go. I could convince her to spend more time with her gal pals. Yeah. I can imagine her arguement right now. 'Honey aren't you going to be lonely?' With that I could simply answer, 'No, Mom, I can hang out with Mara.' Oh yeah... my mom is just that predictable. Most parents like to prove you wrong on that point, but she has never done so. It's like I'm the one with eyes on the back of my head instead of her. This was going to be too easy.

I wonder if Mara got invited as well. Being a cheerleader, it wouldn't surprise me. She's got a good heart, but a slight temper and she's still good friends with almost everyone in the school. I'm pretty lucky to have her as a best friend, actually. We met even before kindergarten and traded Pixie Stix flavors. We've been best friends ever since.

Ah, Kindergarten. Those really were the days. Every problem could be solved with kisses and cake and we didn't worry about gaining a couple pounds over it. Our biggest problems were bruised knees and skinned elbows. Not to mention cooties. Can't forget the times when boys were icky and they all had cooties. Now I actually wouldn't mind catching some of them from Don...

Again, that last sentence is to be ignored.

I'm rehearsing the future conversation with my mom in my head as I pull up in the apartment parking lot. Nothing could go wrong. Nothing.

I walk in the door, completely prepared for anything. Almost. The sight before me makes me drop my backpack with a loud 'thud' that I'm pretty sure the neighbors downstairs don't appreciate. "Now, Witney, what have I told you about making noise in these apartments?" my mother scolds me. I'm too shocked to even think.

In the kitchen is a dude. That's right. Some guy that I have never met before, nor do I particularly want to meet. If mom had told me about him, maybe. She hasn't said anything about a man in her life, and that woman tells me everything! I cross my arms and stiffen up to show him who really runs this house. The man looks at me, and I know he's just like a dog looking for some approval. My mom sees that I am very uncomfortable, and goes ahead and introduces him.

"Witney, hun, this is Richard. He's a friend from work. He's great with math and I invited him over to help me do the taxes." In an instant, she knows she just made a mistake, because I know that cover-up is totally bullshit. I'm making an A in AP Calculus and I help her do the taxes every year. However, because I am such a nice person, I decide to save her some embarrassment and play along.

"Hey." I say simply, offering a simple handshake. He shakes firmly, trying to impress me, since his first impression wasn't so great.

He grins. Well, at least his smile is nice. Nonetheless, a pretty face doesn't count for everything. I remember my sophomore year, I went out with the sweetest guy, he was a baseball player, too. Problem was, he didn't have enough brains to fill an eggcup. So I had to dump him. He took it pretty well, so I didn't feel too bad about it. If Richard is the same way, somebody will have to break the news to him. Mom can't marry a total moron. I'm not trying to control her life, I just want her to... well I can't really answer that. Everything makes me sound like a control freak, which I am not.

When the handshake is over, Richard tries to spark a conversation. "Laura has told me all about you. She says you're an extremely intelligent girl and, if I may quote her, 'The bright ray of sunshine in her life'." This makes me grin on the inside. Mom could never say anything mean about anyone. She's just that kind of person.

"Yeah. After thirty-two hours of labor, she better be a bright ray of sunshine." I hear my mom pipe up. Look, I'm not responsible for female anatomy, and that was seventeen years ago. It's not like she can still play the labor card on me. I remind her of this and Richard laughs heartily at it. He doesn't seem too bad. I wonder how long Mom plans on keeping him around.

"When are we going to decorate the tree?" I ask her.

"In about twenty minutes." she answers.

Good. Gives me time to IM Mara about the party to see if she was invited. Shopping for an outfit would, of course, be moved to the top of my priority list if she said yes. I go down the hallway and into my room, immediately starting up the computer. As I sit down, I look over at my hamster, Ashley, who is currently nestled up in ripped up paper. "Hey, Ashley." I call to her, well aware that she probably won't respond. Pleasepleaseplease let Mara be online right now. It's urgent, and if I run up the phone bill again, I won't get any money to shop.

Yes! Her screenname, cheerleaderQT is not faded out. I'm in luck. Almost immediately, a window pops up. I swear, she can type like 85 words a minute, so she always gets the first instant message to me unless she's super tired or drunk. Or both. The IM reads, 'hey sweetie. guess who called?'

I respond, even though I've got huge news of my own. 'who?'

I can feel her excitement on the other side of the screen. 'Alex!!!!! i'm goin 2 his new year's party! u?'

Now I'm sure she can feel my excitement. 'omg, no way! i was jus gonna tell u don altizer called! i'm invited 2!' I feel like jumping out of my chair and singing 'Happy Days'. I probably would if it weren't for the overly sensitive neighbors downstairs. Although I hear the typical IM noise when someone responds, I rush out my door. I have to get my mom to agree to this party now!

"Mom!" I yell, even though it came out more like "MOMMOMMOMMOMMOM" and so forth. I can see that Richard was helping her with the dishes. Perhaps all is innocent, after all? I don't have time to question.

Without pausing for a breath, I tell her the whole story about the New Year party, and beg and plead for her to let me go. I see Richard by our counter, trembling from the laughter he's trying to hide. My mom raises an eyebrow at him, then at me. "You... you mean you don't want to spend New Year's here?"

Hell, yes. I can tell she's in one of her super-awesome moods and she's just being a play drama queen. She's even grinning at me. "You'd leave your mother here to rot while you had the time of your life at some stranger's house?" she's trying to make it sound horrible of me, but I know her better.

"Yes." I answer simply with a grin.

"Fine then." she waves me away. "You can go while I waste away here."

"Okay!" I rush back into my room to respond to Mara's IM. I can hear Richard in the other room, still laughing at the previous conversation.

Now that I get to be there, this will be the best party of them all.