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- Story Listed as: Fiction For Adults
- Theme: Family & Friends
- Subject: Family
- Published: 05/03/2019
Mother Knows Best
Born 1944, F, from Melbourne, FL, United StatesMother Knows Best
by
Valerie Allen
“I'm gonna break his head, that's what I'm gonna do, break his head,” Jimmy smashed his fist onto the kitchen table. The salt and pepper shakers wobbled and came to rest slightly askew. His face was red, his jowls puffed out, his voice boomed.
“No, you're not,” Maggie snapped back. “You're not going to do any such thing.”
“What—you're happy about this?” He raised his fist into the air. “Our kid runnin' with some old broad.”
Maggie's eyes teared. “Of course not and she's not an old broad. She's 37. Her name is Celeste.”
“And Bobby is 17! What's the matter with you? She could be his mother!”
“He's 18.”
Jimmy cocked his head to one side. “He's 18?” He asked lowering his voice one octave. “When did that happen?”
“Two weeks ago.”
Jimmy jerked his chin forward. “So now, Mr. Big Shot thinks he can run his own life. Is that it? Well, he's an idiot and I'm gonna break his head.”
“You need to calm down; getting wild-eyed, isn't going to help.” Maggie's voice was high pitched, almost to the breaking point. “We have to find a way to help him out of this mess.” Tears slid onto her cheeks. “He's just a baby. He thinks he's in love.”
“He's in love? You mean he's in lust and so is that woman! I know what they want.” He poked his finger into the air. “I know what they both want, but she's not goin' to use our son to get it.”
Weeping, Maggie asked, “What can we do?”
“I'll kick him out, that's what I'll do.”
“Stop, stop with the threats!” Maggie's breath came in short rapid pants. “We have to figure out a plan to save him from himself.” She grabbed a handful of tissues and rubbed her eyes. “He's got some sense in his head. He finished high school, he has a job, he pays for his car insurance.”
“Yeah, well it was that dishwasher job that got him all involved with that tramp waitress. Now what? I can't even get my morning coffee without seeing her. She should be arrested, foolin' around with a kid.”
“He's 18.”
“Well, when I turned 18, and when my brothers turned 18, there was none of this goin' on. My ol' man would crack our heads open. That's what he'd do and we knew it.”
“That's not the solution. How's that going to stop Bobby and Celeste from being involved with each other?”
Jimmy managed a devilish grin and lowered his voice. “Maybe she could have a little accident. Maybe get hit by a car or something.”
Maggie put her hand to her chest. “Stop talking like that! What would people think? What if something happened to her and people heard you talking like that?”
“You think I should let this punk kid live in our house, doin' this kind of stuff with a 37-year-old woman?”
“If you threaten to kick him out, he'll go live with her.”
Silence filled the air between them and their eyes met knowingly. Maggie reached out and touched his arm. “It could get worse, much worse if they were living together.”
“So what are we supposed to do? Just look the other way, until she's pregnant and then we're stuck with her forever?”
“Please, don't even think of such a thing,” Maggie said.
“Okay, then you think of something, 'cause I'm out of ideas.”
Maggie closed her eyes, raised her chin, and breathed deeply. “I need to pray over this for a while.”
Jimmy shook his head. “Well, your prayers better go express mail.”
* * *
“Dad, what's going on?” Bobby shouted into the phone.
“You're askin' me? You know what's goin' on, you're carryin' on with some old battleax. You're an idiot. If it wasn't for your mother, I'd break your head.”
“I know you and Mom don't like it, but it's my life. I'm old enough to do what I want,” Bobby said.
“Right, that's what every kid your age thinks.”
“I'm 18. The law says I'm a fully grown man.”
“Sure!” Jimmy's voice grew louder. “A fully grown man, workin' as a dishwasher, livin' in my house, carryin' on with an old hag.”
“Hey, I don't have to listen to this. I don't have to live in your house.” Bobby was breathing rapidly. “I can move out anytime. I have a better offer!”
“I say, Don't let the door hit you on the way out, but your poor mother, she says you're just a kid, mixed up and headin' in the wrong direction. Well, Sonny Boy, I was your age once and there was no gettin' mixed up with a woman my mother's age. You're an idiot—an absolute idiot!”
Bobby tried to calm his voice. “Look, I don't want to argue with you, Dad.” His breathing was long and deep. “I just want you to get Mom off my case before she gets arrested.”
Jimmy gripped the phone tighter. “Arrested! What are you talkin' about?”
“Don't act like you don't know what she's been up to every night for the past week.”
“She told me she was workin' late.”
“Well, she's not!”
“She's not? What's she doin'?”
“She comes to the cafe after work. She orders one cup of coffee and doesn't touch it. She just sits there until closing time.”
“Your mother goes to the cafe where you work?”
“Yes!”
Jimmy furrowed his brow. “So tell me, what has your mother been doin' that she could get arrested?”
“She's loitering! That's what my boss calls it, loitering. He says he needs that table for other customers. He's losing money with her hanging around.” Bobby spoke through clenched teeth. “He says if I can't get her out of the cafe, he'll have to have her arrested or he'll have to fire me. He said, Solve that problem with your mother, or get out.”
Jimmy ran his fingers through his hair. “Hmm, your mother never said a word to me about any this.”
Bobby's voice exploded into the phone. “She's spying on me and she does a total stare down with Celeste. Mom won't take her eyes off of her.”
Jimmy cleared his throat. “So, your mother wants to have a cup of coffee, so what.”
“So what? It's downright creepy. I've asked her to leave; she won't budge. Celeste said she must be crazy. She said they should lock her up.”
“And what do you say?”
“I told Celeste to calm down, to take it easy. She said I'm taking Mom's side. She said I'm nothing, but a Momma's Boy. She wants to know when I'm going to cut the apron strings.” Bobby took a deep breath. “She said she thought she was in love with a real man. She said if I can't even talk some sense into my own mother, then I'm not the man for her. She's threatening to break up with me. I'm going to lose my job and get dumped by Celeste and it's all because Mom's being stubborn.” His words came out in a rush. “Mom just wants her own way!”
Jimmy was nodding, a small smile turning up at his lips. He spoke in a confidential tone of voice as if confirming the peculiarities of women with one of his buddies at work. “Now, there's one thing we can agree on, Son. Your mother's stubborn and she finds a way of getting her own way.”
# # #
Thank you for taking the time to read
Mother Knows Best
If you enjoyed it,
please consider telling your friends
and posting a review on
Amazon.com or other online sites.
Word-of-mouth referrals are
an author's best friend
and much appreciated.
Mother Knows Best
by
Valerie Allen
Copyright 2014
Valerie Allen
All rights reserved
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or events, is entirely coincidental.
Printed in the United States of America. All rights reserved. No part of this story may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the author.
VAllenWriter@gmail.com
ValerieAllenWriter.com
Amazon.com/author/valerieallen
Amazon.com/dp/B00PUZ946Q
Short Stories
by
Valerie Allen
A Good Thing on a Bad Day
A License to Practice
A Marriage of Convenience
A Mother's Love
A Tooth for a Tooth
Best Wishes
Brotherly Love
Conditional Love
Doggie Tales
Father's Day
Fire Engine Red
Fit for Life
Future Plans
Holiday Traditions
Home for the Holidays
I Remember Momma
Just Be Cos
Ladies in Waiting
Leisureville
Love is in the Air
Match-maker
Mother Knows Best
Potty Talk
Puppy Love
No Goin' Home
Second Chance
Small Steps
Split Second Timing
Thank You, Mr. Jackson!
The Garden of Love
The Lonely Life of Amanda Miller
The Penalty Box
Words of Wisdom
Valentine's Day
Visiting Day
~ ~ ~
Mother Knows Best(Valerie Allen)
Mother Knows Best
by
Valerie Allen
“I'm gonna break his head, that's what I'm gonna do, break his head,” Jimmy smashed his fist onto the kitchen table. The salt and pepper shakers wobbled and came to rest slightly askew. His face was red, his jowls puffed out, his voice boomed.
“No, you're not,” Maggie snapped back. “You're not going to do any such thing.”
“What—you're happy about this?” He raised his fist into the air. “Our kid runnin' with some old broad.”
Maggie's eyes teared. “Of course not and she's not an old broad. She's 37. Her name is Celeste.”
“And Bobby is 17! What's the matter with you? She could be his mother!”
“He's 18.”
Jimmy cocked his head to one side. “He's 18?” He asked lowering his voice one octave. “When did that happen?”
“Two weeks ago.”
Jimmy jerked his chin forward. “So now, Mr. Big Shot thinks he can run his own life. Is that it? Well, he's an idiot and I'm gonna break his head.”
“You need to calm down; getting wild-eyed, isn't going to help.” Maggie's voice was high pitched, almost to the breaking point. “We have to find a way to help him out of this mess.” Tears slid onto her cheeks. “He's just a baby. He thinks he's in love.”
“He's in love? You mean he's in lust and so is that woman! I know what they want.” He poked his finger into the air. “I know what they both want, but she's not goin' to use our son to get it.”
Weeping, Maggie asked, “What can we do?”
“I'll kick him out, that's what I'll do.”
“Stop, stop with the threats!” Maggie's breath came in short rapid pants. “We have to figure out a plan to save him from himself.” She grabbed a handful of tissues and rubbed her eyes. “He's got some sense in his head. He finished high school, he has a job, he pays for his car insurance.”
“Yeah, well it was that dishwasher job that got him all involved with that tramp waitress. Now what? I can't even get my morning coffee without seeing her. She should be arrested, foolin' around with a kid.”
“He's 18.”
“Well, when I turned 18, and when my brothers turned 18, there was none of this goin' on. My ol' man would crack our heads open. That's what he'd do and we knew it.”
“That's not the solution. How's that going to stop Bobby and Celeste from being involved with each other?”
Jimmy managed a devilish grin and lowered his voice. “Maybe she could have a little accident. Maybe get hit by a car or something.”
Maggie put her hand to her chest. “Stop talking like that! What would people think? What if something happened to her and people heard you talking like that?”
“You think I should let this punk kid live in our house, doin' this kind of stuff with a 37-year-old woman?”
“If you threaten to kick him out, he'll go live with her.”
Silence filled the air between them and their eyes met knowingly. Maggie reached out and touched his arm. “It could get worse, much worse if they were living together.”
“So what are we supposed to do? Just look the other way, until she's pregnant and then we're stuck with her forever?”
“Please, don't even think of such a thing,” Maggie said.
“Okay, then you think of something, 'cause I'm out of ideas.”
Maggie closed her eyes, raised her chin, and breathed deeply. “I need to pray over this for a while.”
Jimmy shook his head. “Well, your prayers better go express mail.”
* * *
“Dad, what's going on?” Bobby shouted into the phone.
“You're askin' me? You know what's goin' on, you're carryin' on with some old battleax. You're an idiot. If it wasn't for your mother, I'd break your head.”
“I know you and Mom don't like it, but it's my life. I'm old enough to do what I want,” Bobby said.
“Right, that's what every kid your age thinks.”
“I'm 18. The law says I'm a fully grown man.”
“Sure!” Jimmy's voice grew louder. “A fully grown man, workin' as a dishwasher, livin' in my house, carryin' on with an old hag.”
“Hey, I don't have to listen to this. I don't have to live in your house.” Bobby was breathing rapidly. “I can move out anytime. I have a better offer!”
“I say, Don't let the door hit you on the way out, but your poor mother, she says you're just a kid, mixed up and headin' in the wrong direction. Well, Sonny Boy, I was your age once and there was no gettin' mixed up with a woman my mother's age. You're an idiot—an absolute idiot!”
Bobby tried to calm his voice. “Look, I don't want to argue with you, Dad.” His breathing was long and deep. “I just want you to get Mom off my case before she gets arrested.”
Jimmy gripped the phone tighter. “Arrested! What are you talkin' about?”
“Don't act like you don't know what she's been up to every night for the past week.”
“She told me she was workin' late.”
“Well, she's not!”
“She's not? What's she doin'?”
“She comes to the cafe after work. She orders one cup of coffee and doesn't touch it. She just sits there until closing time.”
“Your mother goes to the cafe where you work?”
“Yes!”
Jimmy furrowed his brow. “So tell me, what has your mother been doin' that she could get arrested?”
“She's loitering! That's what my boss calls it, loitering. He says he needs that table for other customers. He's losing money with her hanging around.” Bobby spoke through clenched teeth. “He says if I can't get her out of the cafe, he'll have to have her arrested or he'll have to fire me. He said, Solve that problem with your mother, or get out.”
Jimmy ran his fingers through his hair. “Hmm, your mother never said a word to me about any this.”
Bobby's voice exploded into the phone. “She's spying on me and she does a total stare down with Celeste. Mom won't take her eyes off of her.”
Jimmy cleared his throat. “So, your mother wants to have a cup of coffee, so what.”
“So what? It's downright creepy. I've asked her to leave; she won't budge. Celeste said she must be crazy. She said they should lock her up.”
“And what do you say?”
“I told Celeste to calm down, to take it easy. She said I'm taking Mom's side. She said I'm nothing, but a Momma's Boy. She wants to know when I'm going to cut the apron strings.” Bobby took a deep breath. “She said she thought she was in love with a real man. She said if I can't even talk some sense into my own mother, then I'm not the man for her. She's threatening to break up with me. I'm going to lose my job and get dumped by Celeste and it's all because Mom's being stubborn.” His words came out in a rush. “Mom just wants her own way!”
Jimmy was nodding, a small smile turning up at his lips. He spoke in a confidential tone of voice as if confirming the peculiarities of women with one of his buddies at work. “Now, there's one thing we can agree on, Son. Your mother's stubborn and she finds a way of getting her own way.”
# # #
Thank you for taking the time to read
Mother Knows Best
If you enjoyed it,
please consider telling your friends
and posting a review on
Amazon.com or other online sites.
Word-of-mouth referrals are
an author's best friend
and much appreciated.
Mother Knows Best
by
Valerie Allen
Copyright 2014
Valerie Allen
All rights reserved
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or events, is entirely coincidental.
Printed in the United States of America. All rights reserved. No part of this story may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the author.
VAllenWriter@gmail.com
ValerieAllenWriter.com
Amazon.com/author/valerieallen
Amazon.com/dp/B00PUZ946Q
Short Stories
by
Valerie Allen
A Good Thing on a Bad Day
A License to Practice
A Marriage of Convenience
A Mother's Love
A Tooth for a Tooth
Best Wishes
Brotherly Love
Conditional Love
Doggie Tales
Father's Day
Fire Engine Red
Fit for Life
Future Plans
Holiday Traditions
Home for the Holidays
I Remember Momma
Just Be Cos
Ladies in Waiting
Leisureville
Love is in the Air
Match-maker
Mother Knows Best
Potty Talk
Puppy Love
No Goin' Home
Second Chance
Small Steps
Split Second Timing
Thank You, Mr. Jackson!
The Garden of Love
The Lonely Life of Amanda Miller
The Penalty Box
Words of Wisdom
Valentine's Day
Visiting Day
~ ~ ~
- Share this story on
- 6
Ricky Sholar
05/06/2023Great story.
I recommend that all young men all take a chance at dating an older woman. I loved dating older women.
Both my brothers married older women.
Write On
R. I. C. K. Y.
****************************************
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Valerie Allen
05/06/2023So glad you enjoyed the story - an espcially nice comment from a man of your experiencen with these matters. :)
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Marla
05/05/2023:)
Who knew how effective just sitting at a table with coffee could be? Good job on your story!
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Valerie Allen
05/06/2023Thanks, Marla - where there's a will, there's a way and this mother found a way ~
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Lillian Kazmierczak
05/05/2023Well I dont agree with how his mom acted...it was quite effective! Great story, Val!
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