My family had always been somewhat unconventional. We were just a bunch of misfits that somehow found a place we all belonged. The life we had may not have been the life I had in mind growing up, but it was my life and that was good enough. Little did I know that our life together was about to take an unexpected turn.
Mom had lived a hard life, but you wouldn't know it by looking at her. Her hair was long and dark, her eyes deep and calm. I wouldn't call her short, not to her face anyway, but she certainly wasn't tall. I had towered over her since my early teens. After Dad died, she had taken whatever jobs she could find to care for us kids- most often, a few jobs at a time. But somehow, she always found time for all of us. She was there to help with schoolwork or attend games and recitals; she always stood up for me when the teachers all said I wasn't cut out for school, even though I knew they were probably right. When it came to her children, she was a mother bear- something that always took people by surprise when they ended up on her bad side.
I was the oldest out of all the kids, behind Mom by only seventeen years or so. I was also her only son, so our relationship had been a little bit difficult during my rebellious years. After I grew up and calmed down, we had grown very close. More than once, someone thought I was a much younger husband or boyfriend. I took it as a compliment; I was never sure how Mom took it.
My twin sisters, Lisa and Jessica, were a few years younger than I was. Although they were completely alike in appearance, they couldn't have been any more different from each other when it came to personality. Lisa was athletic and outgoing while Jessica was more bookish and somewhat reserved. Lisa's major was "sports medicine" while Jessica's was chemistry. Night and day. When it came to looks alone, however, the two were indistinguishable. Both kept their blonde hair long and, most often, pulled back in a ponytail. Both had the same soft, delicate features framing fiercely intelligence blue eyes. They were also both extremely attractive, which boys started to notice early on. When they started to develop, I got in my first real fight.
Then there was the youngest, Heather. She had a different father than the twins and I, having been conceived and born during the brief time that Mom and Dad had been separated. Her skin was a very light olive and her eyes a soft brown. She was very slender, almost dainty in appearance, but she had an energy and love for life that no one else I knew could ever match. Her father wanted nothing to do with her or our mother, but she was as much a part of our family as any of us.
At some point, we had picked up a few strays, too. The turbulent redhead Samantha (don't ever call her that to her face unless you want a bruised shoulder. It's "Sam." Always Sam) was Lisa's best friend. Her home life wasn't all that great, so we had become somewhat of an adopted family for her. I felt a little better about seeing her as an attractive woman, since we weren't related in any way. She was best described as "curvy." But, again, not to her face.
Last but not least, there was Jamie. She had been Mom's coworker once- while younger than me, they held the same position at the time. She came over once or twice, and then she just sort of stuck around. It was far from an imposition- we were all glad to have her in the home. She was a great cook and funny as hell. She looked a lot like Mom, too, so it was a little bit awkward for me to admit that the younger brunette was hot.
When Dad died, it left me as the man of the house. I was the one that chased down the spiders and met the boyfriends. Chased them down, too, when I had to. I learned how to unclog sinks and fix holes in drywall. I couldn't always fix a broken heart or convince a teenaged girl that she wasn't getting fat, but I suppose most father figures struggled with those things as well. I was also still the big brother for nearly all of them, Jamie being the sole exception; it was itself a full-time job.
It was a chaotic home- always loud and generally disorganized, but it was our home. One by one, as we all became legal adults, we decided to stay. Despite the home being a little too small for so many people, we were happy there.
Most days, at least. In a house filled with sisters, there were bound to be fights once in a while.
I was just coming home from a double shift. I was tired and wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed and sleep. But even before I opened the door, I knew that wasn't going to happen.
It really wasn't unusual for the girls to fight among themselves, but a small part of me wanted to just turn around and go somewhere else for a while. Sometimes, those fights could get pretty intense. I sighed and pushed the door open. Whatever it was, I'd probably have to referee it sooner or later.
I listened, trying to gauge the tone and topic as I hung up my heavy winter coat and set aside my snow-covered boots.
"How long's it been now?" It was Lisa's voice, pointed and frustrated.
"That's none of your damn business," snapped Mom. Oh boy. I took a deep breath and collected my thoughts. If I was going to wade in the middle of that, I had to be ready.
"We just care about you, Mom," Jessica chimed in. She rarely argued, especially with Mom. Things must be bad if she was involved. "It's just... you haven't seen anyone since..."
Don't mention Dad. Don't mention Dad, I thought to myself.
"Dad," Lisa finished.
Shit.
Mom hadn't dated anyone since Dad died. She said that she didn't want anyone else after him, but I knew that she was also privately worried that no one would want her "at her age" and with a whole houseful of kids. I never really understood why she felt that way; although she was my mother, even I could admit that she was extremely attractive. Beautiful, even. Lisa and Jessica took after her in a lot of ways, although our mother also possessed the confidence and poise that could only come with time. So, Dad was kind of a sensitive topic.
Mom went silent as I entered the room.
"What's going on?" I asked, calm and collected. The last thing I wanted was to exacerbate the situation, especially before I knew what was actually going on.
"Nothing," Lisa and Jessica replied in unison. It was always "nothing" and they always, always presented a united front.
Mom, however, was a bit more forthcoming. "Your sisters seem to think that I need to start dating. Still." She shot a look at Lisa and Jessica, who ignored it. It was a conversation they had several times before. I had always tried to stay the hell out of it, but I didn't really have a choice this time.
"Mom," Lisa began delicately. "We all miss dad."
"But he wouldn't want you to be lonely," Jessica continued. "We're all grown up now, Mom. It's okay."
Mom didn't respond. One by one, each one of the women- the most important women in my life- looked at me. They expected me to arbitrate, just like I always did when they reached an impasse. In this case, they all wanted something very different from me.
Long moments passed. I took a very deep breath before speaking. "Mom," I said finally. "They're right."
Her eyes narrowed. I know it wasn't what she wanted to hear, but it was the truth. Jessica and Lisa looked away.
Mom didn't reply. She stood up, left the room, and slammed her bedroom door behind her.
...
"I can't believe I'm doing this," Mom sighed. She looked herself in the mirror as Heather straightened her dress.
We were all there- Heather, Lisa and Jessica, Jamie, Sam, Me, all helping Mom get ready for her first date in a very long time.
"You look great," I assured her. She really did. Mom and Jamie had gone out earlier in the day to pick out a new dress. It was tight and clung to her body in a way I hadn't really noticed before. Then again, I hadn't seen her dressed up in years. I tried my best not to stare. It wasn't easy.
"Are we going to meet him first?" Sam asked.
"He'll have to get past Jake," Heather joked, poking in in the chest.
I'd met every one of the girls' boyfriends before they went out together. Most of them were fine, but there were a few that had been left dateless and blue-balled. Good riddance to those ones. But I hadn't really thought about meeting my Mom's date first. On one hand, I was her son and had no business interfering with her love life; on the other hand, I wasn't about to let my mother's first date in years get ruined because the guy was a creep.
"I think Mom can screen her own dates," I replied.
"All the same," Mom said, "I'd like to know what you all think. He'll be here any minute." She looked at me strangely; I couldn't tell exactly what was in her eyes, but I could see that she had misgivings.
"Of course, Mom. Really, you look great. He's a lucky guy."
