Butterfly Whispers

The Anxieties of a Mother

Lottie: So hi, first story I'm doing on FictionPress. YAY!!! *applause*

Emily: We're the first? Awww, that's so nice of you! Thank you.

Lottie: You're welcome! Anyways, this is called Butterfly Whispers, and it is random, little incidents that happen to two people, Emily and Dan. Set chronologically, they all lead up to something big!

Dan: What?

Lottie: Hmmm?

Dan: What's the big thing?

Lottie: *smacks Dan over the head with book* That would be spoiling, wouldn't it.

Dan: OW! What was that for?

Lottie: SHHHH! I'm talking. Anyhoo, Dan and Emily are two random people, who have never met before, and then their lives meet, and their destiny is extraordinarily entwined!

*Mysterious tinkling of chimes in distance*

Dan: What was that?

Lottie: I told you to shush! It was the mysterious chime tinkling. Get over it. Anyways, back to my introduction. As of yet, I don't know what exactly will happen. It could be anything. Who knows? I shall just run with my imagination.

Emily: So you haven't planned the end?

Lottie: Um....no. Is that a problem?

Emily: No, I guess, it would be nice to know that something horrible isn't going to happen. I mean, Dan could turn out to be addicted to cocaine or arrested for murdering someone or something like that.

Lottie: Hahahaha, that'd be funny!

Dan: NO! That's not funny. And how come she gets to talk and I don't?

Lottie: *smacks Dan with book again* SHUT UP! Don't ask questions!

Dan: Grrrrrr *goes to emo corner*

Lottie: So, where was I? Ok, Butterfly Whispers. Enjoy it, please review, I would very, very, very much appreciate constructive criticism and ways to improve. Let us commence!

The Anxieties of a Mother

Emily's POV

I sat at the kitchen counter, knees tucked up under my chin, wriggling my toes inside rainbow-striped socks. The cookie jar had been raided, heaters turned up until it was toastily warm, and the stereo was playing The Cure at full volume. To me, pure happiness and relaxation.

"Emily, turn that down, please."

"What?"

"Point proven."

My mother turned the music down. I pulled a face, and shoved another cookie in whole.

"Emily, don't do that, it's so unladylike!"

"Don't care," I said, spraying the counter with crumbs, which made me laugh, resulting in more cookie speck bombs pelting my her clean granite worktop.

"Emily!"

I waved my hand in what I hoped looked like an apologetic manner.

"Do you have anything to be doing? Like, partying, not sitting in my kitchen getting fat on biscuits."

"Nope."

Trust me to get the only mother in the world that wanted her daughter to be going out clubbing 'til late.

"Do you have a boyfriend yet Emily?"

"No," I muttered, defensively. She had started on her favourite topic of conversation: my love life.

"Why not? Don't you like any guys?"

I fished for another cookie, and began to break it into pieces.

"No."

She sat opposite me and put her chin on her hands, staring intently at me.

"Emily, are you.... are you a lesbian?"

I burst into laughter at the anxious look on her face.

"What is wrong with lesbians, mum?"

She sat up straight.

"So you are a lesbian? Why did you never tell us before? There's nothing wrong with that honey, but... How could you do this to me? I won't get any grandkids! This is a very big lifestyle choice you're making, honey, are you sure? I mean, if you don't-"

"MUM!" I cried, trying to hold in my laughter, "I am not a lesbian. Ok?"

"Oh... ok."

Jeez, she liked to overreact sometimes. I ate my cookie slowly, brushing the crumbs off my jeans.

"But honey, when will you get together with someone? Are you never going to marry, settle down, and have kids? You're getting old now."

"Mother, I'm 22. That is not old. I'm too young to marry."

"But darling, I married your father when I was 20, it's never too early."

"Sure, ok, maybe I should have got hitched when I was 8."

"Don't be silly, I'm only saying, you can't sit around in the house eating cookies for the rest of your life. You need to be out partying, clubbing, meeting people, having fun..."

She reached out her hand and stroked my cheek, a pleading smile on her face.

"Ok, I'll go out," I said, jumping of the stool.

"Where are you going?" Dad asked, walking in through the door that very second.

"To the library," I said smugly.

Mum's smile vanished off her face.

I hurried into the hall, shoved my feet into my boots, and pulled my coat, hat, scarf and gloves on.

"You never know, Claire," I heard Dad say quietly back in the kitchen, "Maybe she'll meet a nice young man at the library."

I looked at myself in the mirror and sighed. I had a thin, angular face, with high cheek bones and pale skin, inclined to turn bright red at the slightest embarrassment. My hair was thick and wavy, mousey-brown, tumbling out from under my scarlet bobble-hat. My eyes were a boring mud colour. I wore no makeup, my scarf was tatty, and my coat had two buttons missing. Sometimes I almost sympathised with my mother's worries about me. I didn't have a boyfriend. It seemed no guy found me attractive. Maybe I would be alone for the rest of my life.

"Don't forget your umbrella, love," Dad called, "It's chucking it down outside."

Lottie: Yay! For today, I am done.

Emily: I hope they enjoy it.

Lottie: *sigh* Yeah, it might be absolutely rubbish.

Emily: Don't worry, I'm sure it's fine. Besides, you have to remember, it's only the first bit.

Lottie: I guess.

Dan: I wasn't even in it!

Lottie: You're in the next one. Jeez, patience child.

Emily: Thank you for reading, please review.