My girlfriend Jenny asked me to go pick up her mom from the airport that morning. She had a 8:00am arrival time from Atlanta. I am not sure why I did, because me and Jenny were on the last leg of our relationship. She had just told me that she was thinking about seeing other people.
I knew for a fact that the star guard on the college basketball team had asked her out. He was going to be a first round draft pick. Maybe even with the first or second pick of the draft. So what the hell am I doing picking her mom up? I guess I got fool written on my forehead.
At any rate, the airport was only 20 minutes from my apartment that I was sharing with another classmate. So I easily got to the airport at about 7:45am. I really should have looked at the news because her flight was delayed for a couple hours due to the snow storm that was coming through. So I sat at the airport.
My phone buzzed. It was Jenny.
"Carl, where are you?" She asked.
"I'm at the airport."
"I guess you know that mom's flight has been delayed. She just called me. She says that they are debating whether to even fly into Chicago, it could be afternoon before they get in."
"Great, so now..." I began to say.
"You aren't gonna back out are you? I mean George can take care of this if you..."
There she go, she knew which buttons to press to get me to do anything. So now she brings up her basketball star and now I have to prove my manhood by sitting in a damn airport for four more hours.
Before I knew what I was saying, I added, "No...I came, I will bring her home."
"I knew I could count on you." She said.
I guess I thought that I might gain brownie points with Jenny by doing this, but deep within I knew that there was no way that I was going to be with her much longer.
The hours crawled by. I watched the televisions in the airport and they said that the storm was rocking much of the midwest. I looked out the window and saw a lot of snow falling at the airport. I looked at the monitor and her flight was delayed again.This time it wasn't supposed to come in until 4pm.
I called Jenny.
"Hello."
"Do you have any information on your mother?"
"Oh yeah, she called and said that..." I heard what sounded like a mans voice in the background and then she said playfully. "stop it..."
"What's going on Jenny, who is that?"
"Oh it's just George, he came over to bring some groceries and stuff, you know bread and milk."
I got ready to hit the roof. "So when is he going home?"
"I don't know anytime now, what's the matter?"
"What the hell you mean what's the matter, my girlfriend is cheating on me and doesn't even have the decency of attempting to hide it from me."
"We need to talk about this later."
"Later, when after you use me just a little bit more? I'm going home. You need to get your loverboy to come over here and do this shit."
"Come on Carl, don't be like that. He is on his way out the door now to go home..."
I was sure it was a load of bull...I interrupted her by hanging up. I was sick and tired of fooling with her trifling ass. I walked back out to my car. It was terribly messy out.
As soon as a plow went through another plow was needed. The snow was dropping hard and fast. I was happy that I was so close to home, but the 20 minute trip took about an hour. The time was 3pm.
I sat in my chair at my apartment wishing that I had taken my roommate up on his offer to spend the holiday in Florida. But no, my dumb ass wanted to make one last try at Jenny.
I turned on the TV and began drifting off to a well earned nap when I got a call. I looked at the clock, it said 7pm. I looked at my phone and it was Jenny.
"What the hell do you want?" I asked angrily.
"OK...OK...I know...I know...I didn't..."
"What do you want?" I asked again coldly.
"Mom is in and she needs you to pick her up."
"I told you to pick her up your own damn self." I said, getting a backbone.
"We can't make it to her. Come on Carl, you know she lives an hour from him, it would five or six hours if not longer to get her here."
"Not my problem..."
"All the hotels are booked up, so if you would just do this one thing for me, then maybe we can..."
I knew where this was headed. She was trying to play me. "Hell no. Tell your momma to grab a pillow because I ain't going over there." I hung up.
I felt proud of myself and went to go get something to eat in the refrigerator. I turned the TV back on and it was simply a mess out there.
I ate the microwave food. I was getting ready for bed when there was a knock at the door.
I ignored it, and then there was another knock. I walked over to the door and looked in the peep hole and there was a woman, attractive in her face in her fifties with gray streaks in her hair. She was wearing heavy clothing.
I opened the door, "May I help you?"
"Carl?"
"Yes..."
She hugged me and said, "I'm Jenny's mom. She told me that you were going to put me up for the night and I am grateful, I sure didn't want to spend another minute at that airport."
I laughed angrily, "Jenny..."
"Is something the matter?"
"Just come in..." I said.
She walked into the apartment and asked again, "Did I do something wrong?"
"No, but your daughter did."
"What did she do?"