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Chapter 2 - Nanny for the Grumpy CEO
Alison
Itookadeepexhale as I hiked the strap of the reusable grocery bag higher on my shoulder. I shifted the second bag from one hand to the other when I glanced to my left and saw the gray Caprice drive past slowly.
The face behind the wheel was completely unfamiliar but the car immediately transported me to a time when I was much younger. It had been a couple decades and even though my brain knew I had to accept that the driver of that car was done being a part of my life, it didn’t seem like my heart had yet gotten the message. Every time I came across a ’67 Chevy Caprice, my heart seemed to skip a beat.
I looked away from the car and back ahead as a bus slowed just a few feet ahead. It slowed to a stop. My mom stepped off the bus, and when she saw me, her face broke into a welcoming smile. Jessica Moore, my mother, was a soft-spoken, hardworking woman but she always made me and my sister, Sarah, feel like we were the center of her universe.
“Hi, Mom,” I said as I tried to give her a hug with the groceries bag.
“Sweetie, you’re back,” she said, pulling her purse onto her shoulder and taking one of the bags from my hand. “I thought you’d be home much later.”
“Benjamin had to go somewhere with his parents so I got time off,” I shrugged. “How are you?”
She gestured to the grocery bag, the pause before she spoke wasn’t unnoticed, “I was going to stop by the store later, you know.”
“And now you don’t have to,” I said smiling brightly.
We turned to walk but I could still tell that she seemed bothered.
“How was work?” I asked, trying to smooth over the sudden awkwardness in the conversation as we walked toward the front of the apartment building.
Jessica shrugged, “It was okay.”
“Anything fun happen?” I asked as I punched in the code that opened the front door.
“Cleaning up hotel rooms? No.”
“I can’t tell if that’s sarcasm or not.”
Mom turned to me and I tried to translate the flash of emotion in her eyes. We stepped into the elevator and the doors slid close.
“Well, a womandidfind her husband with someone else when he was supposed to be in Haiti. On a volunteer trip.”
My hand flew to my mouth in shocked outrage.
“Busted. Oh my God, please tell me everything. I’m sure there was so much drama!”
My mom burst out laughing, the comforting sound bouncing off the metal walls in the small space. I loved when my mom laughed.
“You and gossip, Ali,” she said, shaking her head, the smile still on her face. “Unfortunately, there’s not much else to tell. A lot of yelling that ultimately led to everyone involved being kindly escorted off the property.
“Oh boy,” I said, as we stepped off the elevator and headed for the apartment door. “That sounds like it was worthy of some popcorn.”
My mom laughed again as she shook her head while I tried to pull the keys out of my pocket.
“How was Benjamin today?” Mom asked.
“Sweet as always. Wouldn’t stop talking about this new friend he made who just joined his class. Apparently she has a nice SpongeBob pencil case.”
Mom chuckled, “You know that sounds closely like something you said on your first day of kindergarten.”
“What?”
“You don’t remember?”
“I certainly don’t.”
