This Story is Part of the
750 Word Project 2022
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To my surprise, I spent Valentine's Day with Mom.
I was 24, working long hours at the company, when my girlfriend suddenly broke up with me and left me dateless for February 14.
Mom had been divorced for a few years, and some sketchy efforts at online dating had left her frustrated with the prospects "out there" and, at the present time, without a steady partner.
After my breakup, Dad said something like, "There are a lot of fish in the sea, son. Time to go fishing." Mom was more sympathetic, and we had long talks on the phone about how sad the breakup left me.
So, I was surprised, pleasantly, when a few days later Mom invited me over to her house for dinner on Valentine's Day.
It was a little strange, I guess, but Mom and I had always been close, and we shared a lot. We both liked cooking. Mom taught me much of what she knew about getting around the kitchen. My older sister never had any interest. I think it made Mom happy that in me she had an eager pupil.
I showed up at her door, past sunset, on Valentine's Day. I brought a bottle of Pinot Noir and a dish of potatoes au gratin I'd cooked. I wore a jacket and tie. I knew Mom liked it when people dressed up.
Mom was dressed all in red. She fit perfectly in a form-fitting, above-the-knee scarlet dress, with scarlet heels. Most tantalizingly—if that word is OK to use about one's Mom—she wore a red choker around her neck, with an onyx jewel.
The total effect was stunning. And jarring. I wasn't accustomed to being stunned visually by Mom.
It was nice to know she'd gone to the trouble to look so good for me, her son, her date—but it was a little strange, too.
"Carson, you look so handsome," she said.
I think I blushed. It was nice to hear a woman say that, even if it was Mom.
"You, too, Mom," I said. "You look amazing."
She might have blushed, too.
Dinner was delicious. Mom served coq au vin.