I Fell In Love With a Werewolf (Chapter Five)

I reached my supposedly luxurious house and maybe it was because it was big and it had a lot of space. My mother rarely placed any family pictures in the house, the decor was usually strange, abstract expressionistic art that I seriously despised. I always thought that abstract expressionism could be done by a kindergartener with a set of crayons and tempera paints. I preferred artistic realism or photorealism where I could actually see, in my opinion, a beautiful imitation of life.

A round black coffee table was at the center of our living room with a single red orchid. My mother was a minimalist when it came to decor. There wasn't a single side table. I sat down on the chocolate sofa and allowed my body to drown in it's light, softness.

"Natalie?" I heard my mom from the kitchen. She paced towards me as I relaxed.

"Yeah?"

"Who was that?"

"Who was who?" I asked her.

"I saw a boy in a motorcycle, who is that?" She asked me.

"His name is Brad Wolfram, he's new in school," I replied.

"He looks like trouble Natalie and I don't want you running around with troublemakers," mom said. I gazed at her middle-aged face and bob hairdo. I was so sick of her nagging.

"Mom, he just gave me a ride," I replied and got out of the sofa. I grabbed my backpack and walked to my room. My mom would continue to drag this conversation on and on if I stayed here.

"It's enough I had to deal with Lucy's shit, now you too. Let me see your backpack," she said. Lucy was our next-door neighbor. She was the one who had introduced me to pot. Now she was gone to college though and I hadn't seen her since last summer.

"What?"

"Your backpack. Let me see it," she said.

"Why?"

"Because I want to see if you're carrying drugs in there."

"Oh, for god's sake," I replied.

"Let me see it," she insisted. I gave her my backpack and watched how she ravishly searched in my bag. She frowned at me and handed me my backpack back.

"Satisfied?" I asked. My mother shook her head in disapproval.

"I don't understand you Natalie. Your father and I work very hard to give you everything. Why do you have to do drugs?" She asked me. So, was I going to be punished for life for one silly mistake? I couldn't take this anymore. I was heading for the stairs.

"I don't do drugs mom, I just tried some pot a few times, it's not the end of the world. I'm not addicted to it and besides I've quit it. I want to join the basketball team," I replied.

"The basketball team? But you don't even like basketball," she said. She really didn't know me at all.

"You sure know me. It really shows," I replied.

"You've never shown any interest in basketball before."

"I have. You're just so busy all the time that you didn't notice it before," I replied. I reached my black and hot pink room and slammed the door. Black walls surrounded me with hot pink wall decor. Among the decorations on the wall were hot pink stars and two large, rectangle shaped picture frames. One of the frames had an illustrated hot pink guitar and the other picture frame had a black Eiffel tower with a hot pink background. I tossed my black and hot pink backpack in a corner and grabbed a book from my personal library which was basically hot pink bookcase. I needed the distraction. I heard a knock on my door where my name was printed in black and hot pink sticker letters and under my name a silver crown. My mom was still nagging me about the pot thing.

"Natalie," she said.

"Yes?" I asked.

"Can I come in?" she asked me. I shut my book and nodded.

"Yes," I replied in a bad mood. More nagging. My mom opened the door and sat on my bed. I ignored her face while reading my novel.

"Listen Natalie. The reason why I'm so busy is because I have to pay this house and feed your ass and now I'll probably have to buy you a basketball hoop."

"Mom, you don't have to buy me a basketball hoop," I said with the paperback still on my hand.

"Are you saying you don't want to practice to be a part of the basketball team?"

"No. I'm saying that you don't have to buy me shit to prove to me that you love me," I said and then I placed the book on my pink covers.

" Look mom, I'm not complaining about you not being around. I get it, your busy and I live comfortably. I'm complaining because you won't forgive me this one thing I did and move on. You're always breathing down my neck over this issue. It was just pot, I'm not addicted to it and it's over. I'm not trying cocaine, heroine or any of those deadly substances that you think I'm doing. I'm not that stupid."

"Natalie, I nag you because I give a shit. If I didn't care about you, I wouldn't nag and I would allow you to do whatever you wanted even to your own demise, but I'm not going to that because I'm not in, hip or cool. I'm your goddamn mother with authoritarian authority and I'm responsible for you. Do you understand?"

"Yes," I sighed and then shrugged my shoulders.

"Good. Now, I don't know who that boy is, but if he's your boyfriend I want to know who he is and what are his intentions."

"Mom!"

"You shouldn't be having sex at your age, but if you are, you better sure use a goddamn condom," my mom replied. Oh my God! My mother was insane.

"I'm not having sex with that guy. I already told you, he's new and he wanted to give me a ride."

"You must think that I was born yesterday huh," she said and then she changed the entire tune of the conversation like a madwoman. This was my mother.

"Now, Gloria made some delicious lasagna for lunch so come downstairs and eat with me because I have to go back to the office," she said.

"A new client?" I asked her.

"I'll tell you all about it when you get your butt downstairs. I love you," she said and kissed me in the cheek. Then she walked out of my room and that was the story of my life.

I washed my hands and walked downstairs ready to eat my meal. I always ate something with my mother after school and before she left to the office. She was a divorce lawyer and was rarely home, but she made sure that she came for lunch everyday and called it "family time". The story of how my mother became a divorce lawyer is kind of funny, because she became a divorce lawyer during her own divorce with my dad.

"So, do you have a new client?" I asked her as I sat down with my lasagna on my plate. My mom had placed a dish with freshly baked bread smeared in butter and garlic. I grabbed a slice.

"Yep. I won't name, names, but I can tell you that it doesn't look good. She wants half of the earnings of the house, but the problem is that they made a prenup and it's in his name," my mom said.

"Disaster," I replied and then ate a slice of the lasagna.

"I feel sorry for her. She took half of her savings to repair the house and now he's gone with a younger woman and she's about to be homeless," my mom said.

"So, what are you going to do?" I asked her.

"I don't know Natalie. I'll try what I can to see if we can come up with a deal or some sort of an arrangement. Maybe she can show receipts of the repairings, but it doesn't look good," she said eating a piece of lasagna. Gloria was a good cook. The lasagna was delicious. I enjoyed the cheese, the pasta, the sauce and the meat all mixed into it. I had to be careful now though, I was going to be an athlete. I grabbed a bottle of water and sipped.

"So, who's this new guy? How long have you met him?" She asked me changing the subject.

"His name is Brad and I've only known him for a few hours ago. He came in today."

"So why did he give you a ride?" My mom asked and then she ate a piece of bread. I shook my head.

"I don't know mom. Maybe he's trying to make friends."

"Maybe," she said. Then she finished up and cleared her plate.

"I have to run back to the office and sign some papers. I'll call in," she said to me.

"Okay," I replied. Then, I finished off my plate and took it to the dishwasher. My mom went to the table, offered me a slice of toasted bread, but I declined. She placed the leftovers on Cameo's plate. Cameo was our golden retriever.

"Remember to feed Cameo and the fish after you do your homework," she said.

"Yeah mom, I know."

"And I don't want anyone to come in this house, including this "new" friend of yours," she said.

"You're paranoid," I replied.

"You smoked weed," she said.

"How can I forget, you remind me every day."

"And I'll be watching you even though I'm not here. I have my informants," she said.

"Oh, you Mrs. Hitchcock," I replied.

"How did you become so smart?" She asked and gave me a kiss on the forehead.

"I inherited your brains," I replied.

"Good talk. See you later," she said.

"Bye," I replied. My mom walked out of the house and into her grey BMW. I went to the window and watched her leave the driveway. The house was all mine.