It’s Only Temporary by Iona Rose

Connor

Iwould have been startled to wake up in a strange bed if the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes hadn’t been Bianca. She was deep asleep with her lips slightly parted and unable to resist, I brushed my lips against hers in a light kiss. She stirred and moaned softly but she didn’t wake up.

The previous night’s conversation floated in my mind, confusing me further. I was feeling too much for Bianca, and that was the problem. It was too soon after a breakup with someone I’d dated for more than two years and had planned to marry. I needed to rein in my emotions and just have fun.

I’d probably forgotten how to have fun with a woman. After a long relationship, I’d become too serious with life and love. It was time to recapture the man I’d been before Angie.

An unfamiliar noise suddenly broke through the silence and it took another ring for me to realize that it was the doorbell. I had always been the one doing the ringing, not the answering. The noise hadn’t woken up Bianca. I got up and quickly pulled on my pants and my shirt, both badly wrinkled.

As I strode to the front door, I ran down a list of possible guests. I came up with one. Jeremy. He had probably been sent by Eva to get something from the studio. I hit the button to let in whoever was ringing the bell and waited while they came up.

When I heard footsteps at the door, I pulled it open.

An unfamiliar woman stood staring at me, her eyes narrowed as if she was trying to place me. She was dressed in bohemian style with a colorful long flowing dress and beads in her twisted hair. The more I studied her, the more I started to see the resemblance.

She looked like Eva and Bianca.

“Hi, do I know you?” she said.

Her voice. It was like talking to Bianca.

“Eva never mentioned anyone staying with Bianca,” she said.

It dawned on me then that the woman was Bianca’s mother. I glanced down at my clothes, hoping that they had miraculously straightened up during the walk from Bianca’s bedroom to her front door.

Every man’s nightmare had become my reality. Opening the front door to find the mother of the woman you had just spent the night with.

A chuckle sounded and when I looked up, she had clamped a hand to her mouth, just as Bianca usually did.

“Sorry I’m laughing but you look so funny staring down at your wrinkled clothes which you obviously picked up from the floor.”

“I’m not staying with her. I’m just a friend who spent the night.” What else could I say?

Her eyes widened. “How fun. May I come in, I’m her mother.”

I was still caught in the nightmare of Bianca’s mom standing in front of me after a night of passionate sex with her daughter. I probably smelled of sex too. “I’m sorry,” I blurted out.

I’d never been in such an uncomfortable situation. I expected her to explode at any moment and scold me about morals and such.

Instead, she stared at me quizzically. “For what? Having sex with my daughter.” She laughed. “I’m glad she’s having fun and frankly surprised. I never thought she had it in her to let lose.”

She wasn’t pissed off. As she entered the apartment, I stared at her as if she had two heads. My own mother was pretty liberal as far as parents went but the word ‘sex’ would never leave her mouth.

“My name is Cheryl by the way. I’m sure you don’t know that. Bianca never talks about her family.” she leaned towards me as if letting me in on a secret. “She’s embarrassed of us, you see.”

“Actually, she has told me about her family,” I said, jumping to Bianca’s defense.

Cheryl’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “Oh, then you must be more than a friend. You must be special.” She looked me up and down in a way that made me uncomfortable. “I see why.”

I moved towards the hallway. “I’ll go and get her.”

“Thank you,” she said and laughed. I had a feeling she was laughing at me.

In the bedroom, I was met by Bianca’s soft snores. I went to her side and gently shook her.

“Huh,” she said staring at me uncomprehendingly. Then she smiled. “I was hoping for a better alarm than that. Maybe a kiss.”

“Sorry about that but your mother is here,” I said.

She blinked rapidly. “My mother, are you sure?”

“Yes. Long flowing dress, beaded hair.”

She nodded. “Say no more. What is she doing here and why didn’t she tell me that she was coming? Did she hit on you? She always does.”

That made me feel a whole lot better. “No she didn’t. Just stared at me from head to toe.”

Bianca giggled. “You were lucky. Go and keep her company, I’ll be along shortly.”

“Yes ma’am,” I said.

“She’s coming,” I said and sat down opposite her.

“Thank you.”

I noticed her duffel bag then and wondered how long she intended to stay.

“I’m not going to stay long lover boy,” she said with a chuckle and my face heated up. “I actually interrupted my vacation to come and check up on her. Tomorrow I’ll be gone, not to worry.”

“I wasn’t thinking that,” I said.

Bianca made her entrance just then. I could have kissed her. She wobbled in on her crutches and her mother stood up.

“My poor baby,” she said.

“Not exactly,” Bianca said as she allowed her mother to hug her. “I hope you’re being nice to Connor. He’s been helping me do stuff around the house.”

“I’ll bet that’s not the only thing he’s been doing for you,” Cheryl said, a cheeky look on her face.

“I have to run.” I jumped to my feet. “It was nice to meet you, Cheryl. I’ll talk to you later.” I kissed Bianca on the cheek and headed to the front door.

Cheryl’s laugh followed me out together with Bianca’s admonishment to her mother to behave herself. Only when I pushed the door open to the crisp air outside did I chuckle at how uncomfortable the morning had been.

I flagged down a cab and gave him directions to my apartment. Bianca never talked about her family. That’s what her mother had said. But she had talked about them to me several times. I didn’t want to get my hopes up over what that meant, but I couldn’t help the seed of hope that had been sown in me.

Maybe we had something after all. I found it easy to talk to her too.

There was no traffic and in fifteen minutes, I was getting out of the cab and bounding into my apartment building. My apartment was on the ground floor and definitely too big for one person.

I showered and changed into a fresh pair of pants and a shirt. The hospital visiting hours were in half an hour and I didn’t want to be late or miss them altogether. Bianca had given me all the information I required including Eva’s room number.

I hurried out and grabbed another cab and this time, gave the hospital name. As we drove, I thought of the visit ahead and perspiration formed on my forehead. Eva could easily have me thrown out of her hospital room but I reminded myself that I was doing it for Bianca.

Then I remembered Cheryl and decided I’d rather deal with Eva any day than their mother.

At the hospital, I followed the directions for the elevators and rode one up to the fifth floor. I only remembered at that moment that I should have bought flowers when I was standing outside her room in the hallway.

I took a fortifying breath and knocked softly. Hearing no response, I slowly pushed it open. Eva was curled up on the bed facing the wall.

I thought she was asleep and was contemplating turning back when a sob sounded from the bed. That propelled me into action and I hurried to the side of the bed she was facing.

“Hey,” I said. “It can’t be that bad.”

She hadn’t heard me coming because she was startled at first. Then her features relaxed when she recognized me. She wiped her face with her hand and sat up in bed then she gave an embarrassed laugh.

“I can’t believe that you found me crying.”

I smiled. “Everyone cries Eva.”

“Even men?”

I nodded. “Men too but we try to keep it a bit of a secret. It’s not very manly to admit to crying.”

She laughed.

“I’m a good listener and my shoulders are pretty wide.”

“I don’t know about your shoulders. Bianca wouldn’t be amused,” she said and then let out a deep sigh. “I had a fight with Jeremy. He’s hurt that I’m not excited about the baby and I feel like a terrible person for not being excited. Every woman is excited when she gets pregnant. I’m the exception.”

“I think you’re being too hard on yourself,” I said.

Her eyes filled up and she continued talking as if she hadn’t heard what I’d said. “I want a baby but at the right time. Right now I’m enjoying working at our company and seeing it grow. I don’t want any distractions. Is that so bad?”

I shook my head. “It’s not but Eva that chance is gone. You’re already pregnant which means you need a new plan.”

She didn’t respond at first and when she did, fresh tears fell from her eyes to her cheeks. Without hesitation, I moved to the edge of the bed and took her into my arms. She clung to me and cried as if her heart was breaking.

I knew why she was crying. She had just realized that her options had shrunk and she no longer had the luxury of saying what she wanted. In essence, she was mourning but I reckoned it was better she cried and then landed her feet firmly back on the ground.

We stayed that way for close to three minutes and then she drew away.

“Better?” I asked her.

She nodded. “Surprisingly yes. I guess I just needed someone to tell me the brutal truth of my situation.” She wiped her face and then smiled at me. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

“How’s Bianca today?” Eva said.

“She’s good. I left her with your mother.”

Eva laughed and did not sound surprised. “I bet she’s hating every minute of mom’s visit. Did she hit on you?”

I chuckled. I could see the funny bit about the way we had met. “No but she made me uncomfortable in other ways.”

“Yeah, how? Do tell,” she said.

Reluctantly I told her how I had opened the door with wrinkled clothes and the comments her mother had made. She laughed until tears came to her eyes.

“You and Jeremy should exchange mother-in-law stories. He has plenty. She’s caught him in numerous compromising situations and my mother being who she is called him out each time.”

“I can tell you that I’ve never been so glad to get out of somewhere,” I said.

“She’s a riot when you get used to her and as long as she’s not your mother. As a friend, she’s fun. As a mother, not so,” Eva said.

“You seem all right with it,” I commented.

“I came to terms with it. I wish Bianca would too. I know she thinks about our childhood a lot and wished our parents would have stayed together. I do too but they didn’t. We have to forge our own futures and families.”

I nodded. “You’re right.”

“Are you two serious?”

I was taken aback by the question. “I wish we were.”

“I wish you all the best. You’re a good person Connor Kennedy. I see why my sister is so taken with you.”