Caught Up:

“Beep, Beep, Beep.” Ryan’s alarm clock was going off. “Beep, Beep, Beep.” It sounded again, but he could have sworn those beeps were from his on-going dream. However, when the sound grew louder and louder versus fading away, he knew something was up. It was almost like when you have to use the restroom in your sleep, but, as soon as you get ready to go, you wake up and realize you’re still in bed.

Reluctantly, he rolled over in his bed and attempted to hit the snooze button on his alarm clock so he could sleep a couple of minutes longer, but, unfortunately, his fingers missed. He tried to tip the alarm clock toward him, but, instead, he just tipped right over on the floor. NOW, he had to get up.

Rolling back over, he tried to open his eyes. “Man, it must be bright outside,” he mumbled as he squinted, trying again to open his eyes. The sunlight was so bright. It was even finding its way through the slits of the closed blinds.

Yanking the covers off, he quickly sat up and placed his feet on the floor. Ryan didn’t want to give himself any time to waddle in bed. He knew if he stayed under the covers with his head on his pillow one more minute, he was NOT going to get up.

Sitting up and placing his feet on the floor, he stood up and grabbed his robe from off the corner of the bed, and put his arms through. Then, he made his way over to his slippers, put his feet through and lazily made his way to the kitchen.

Ryan was in desperate need of coffee. It helped to get his day going when HE was slow-starting. Not the day. He knew he needed to stop depending on the brown liquid and just quit, but it was a habit he had picked up from Olivia when they first got married and, as they say, old habits die hard.

Despite the intake of caffeine, he was still hesitant to get out of the house. He had been taking the separation with Olivia pretty hard. Actually, his best friend, James, was really the only one he hung out with outside of work. He had even put his side chicks on pause, and that was something he definitely didn’t do.

However, today was different. It was Mother’s Day. His mother’s day, and she wasn’t taking “no” for an answer. He knew his mom would be awfully disappointed if he didn’t show to spend the day with her. He had two older brothers, but they lived out-of-town and weren’t able to come and spend time with her. So, all in all, she was depending on him.

Ryan silently thanked God for waking him up this morning. Praying was another habit he had been instituting for years, and today was no exception. Having finished his cup of coffee, he went back to his room to get ready and take a shower.

Today was going to be a long day.

*****

Last night, Joyce assured Olivia that everything would be fine if she joined her for Mother’s Day along with her husband and Ryan. Olivia’s own mother lived out-of-town so she couldn’t be near her, but she figured being with her soon-to-be ex-mother-in-law was the next best thing. Right?

She had already drank her coffee this morning. It was ready just as she walked over the threshold, thanks to the coffee maker’s automatic timer. Olivia was ready for it too. She needed the liquid courage today. She was going to see Ryan. They hadn’t seen each other since their breakup.

Nevertheless, she couldn’t worry about that now. There were bigger things brewing on the horizon. Like literally. Those things demanded her attention. Not whether or not she was prepared to see her soon-to-be ex.

Picking her feet up to trudge back to her bedroom, she searched her drawers and closet for clothes to wear today and went to take a shower. She started mentally checking off everything that she had to do today before going over to Ryan’s parent’s house, and “Damn!”

Instead of going out to eat, Ryan’s mom thought it would be nice to have a change of pace and stay in. After much persuasion, she had talked Olivia into bringing a food dish. She had forgotten all about it.

Great...let’s figure that shit out.

*****

Olivia finished getting showered and dressed in record time. Record time for a woman, that is. She had never taken so little time in her life, but she had a lot to get done today and not a whole lot of time to do it in.

Trying to figure out what to bring, Olivia sat down at her kitchen table, and started going through her Kindle. She had downloaded tons of cookbooks over the years and was confident she could find something simple to make.

After much mental self-debate, she decided to make Traditional Southern Meatballs as an appetizer. She had found the recipe in one of her Southern Cookbooks. It seemed simple enough. Plus, she could use her crockpot, and she loved being able to NOT have to stand over a stove and watch.

Not really knowing what else Joyce was having, she also decided to make a simple pasta, Garlic Parmesan Noodles. It could be used as a side dish, but, if served with the sides, it could also be the main dish if need be.

Having decided what she would be making, she grabbed her purse off the kitchen counter and her keys off the hook mounted on the wall beside the refrigerator. Ryan had mounted it there for her because she was always losing her keys.

“Hmmm,” she smiled as she thought about her husband. “Sometimes, it feels good to remember.”

Bringing her head back in the game, she headed out to the grocery. She wanted to hurry and get this done before she was supposed to be at the Cole’s this evening.

Olivia was having visions of wine and jazz in her very near future.

*****

“Olivia, I’m so glad you could make it,” Joyce Cole cried as she stood to the side of the door while Olivia walked through.

“It’s good to see you again Joyce," Olivia said, handing her the bouquet of flowers she had gotten. She actually had thought of them at the last minute, stopping at a side-street vendor to buy them after seeing a sign from the road.

“Thank you," Joyce said as she accepted the flowers from Olivia.

“Uhm…,” Olivia was trying to clear the awkward silence. “The food I made is in the car. I can go and get it… “

“David will help you," she said, walking down the hall to the den, calling Ryan’s dad.

“No, that’s ok," Olivia said trying to stop her mother-in-law.

“No," Joyce said adamantly. She believed in a woman being independent, but she believed in a man helping that woman too. Joyce was always trying to instill that in Olivia. “He’ll help you.”

Dr. David Cole came walking down the hall after a couple minutes, and Olivia could tell that he had just woken up from his nap. He knew better, though, than to ignore his wife’s wishes. Especially today.

“Thanks for helping me dad," Olivia said. She was close to Ryan’s mom, but she had a special place in her heart for his dad.

Olivia’s father had left when she was eight-years old, the summer after 3rd grade. She hadn’t heard from him since. As a result, she was grateful that Ryan’s dad had “adopted” her when they got married, and he had been her father-figure ever since.

“No thanks necessary," he said, following Olivia to her car.

“The food is around here in the back," she said, pressing the unlock on the car remote.

“Ok," Ryan’s dad said as he retrieved the crockpot by the handle. Olivia got the covered dish with the pasta. It would’ve been too difficult for Dr. Cole to balance both.

They walked back into the house and headed for the kitchen. Joyce had just closed the oven door when they walked in. “Dinner is almost ready," she said, taking off the oven mitt and lying it on the counter.

“You’re making dinner?" Olivia asked shocked. “Ryan and I could’ve taken you out.”

“It’s ok," Joyce assured her. “David offered to have food delivered since I wanted to stay in, but I wanted to cook MY FOOD MYSELF.”

Olivia had to admit. Joyce could burn. No wonder Ryan’s dad never strayed too far away from home.

Olivia’s cooking was alright. Shii-itt….she and Ryan were still living. Step-by-step cooking directions were her best friend. She wasn’t really that great on cooking naturally with “a pinch here and a pinch there.”

“Ding Dong.” Olivia’s thoughts stop as she hears the doorbell. She knows that it’s Ryan. He’s the only other person that’s coming.

Ryan and Olivia hadn’t told his parents about their separation yet. His mother especially. She loved them being together, and they knew Mother's Day was coming up. They didn’t want to spoil the day for her.

“I’ll get it,” Joyce called out as she walked out of the kitchen towards the door. “Hey baby,” she said after opening it. Ryan stood in front of her grinning, happy to see his mom. He really enjoyed spending time with her. “Olivia’s already here,” his mom said to him as she hugged him and led him down the hall.

“Hey babe,” Ryan said to Olivia as he walked over to her and kissed her on her cheek close to her mouth. He was trying hard to make it seem as if he and Olivia were still together.

“Hi,” she responded as she semi-kissed him back. He wasn’t her favorite person these days, but she understood why he was doing what he was doing.

“Why didn’t y'all come over together?” his mom asked, her southern accent coming out. “Everything alright?” she asked with concern in her voice.

“Yes ma’am,” Ryan was the first to answer. “I just had to meet with James about some business so I told Olivia to come before me.”

“Oh. Ok,” Joyce said, satisfied with his response. Even though she worried about their relationship, she really tried not to pry.

“Joyce, dinner ready yet?, her husband yelled from the den.

“Almost babe,” Ryan’s mother yelled back, returning to the stove. “Dinner will be ready in 5 minutes,” she said as she turned around and busied herself putting food in serving dishes. “Olivia, baby, could you set the table for me?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Olivia answered obediently, opening the cabinets and taking out enough plates and silverware for four.

Joyce had Ryan help her carry the food dishes to the table. “Everything looks really good, Joyce,” David commented as he got ready to feast.

As we all sat down, Joyce asked Ryan to say grace over the food. “Let’s bow our heads,” he said. Everyone bowed their heads. “Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for this day. Thank you for waking us up this morning, Lord, and putting us in our right minds. Lord bless the food today. May it nourish our bodies and give us strength to continue on our journey. And, last but not least, Lord, bless my mother today. Today is Mother’s Day, but everyday to me is Mother’s Day. Please make her feel special Lord, and keep her in your loving arms. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.”

“Well, let’s eat,” Joyce said. At that point, we all couldn’t wait to feast.

The End

Thank you for reading “Caught Up: Mother’s Day Episode.” If you enjoyed it, please take a moment to leave a review on my Smashwords profile.

To read more about these characters and their lives, get caught up with my “Caught Up” Series. You won’t be disappointed.

Thank you.

Pamela Cornes

About the author:

Pamela Cornes is 41 years-old and lives in Memphis, TN. She has one child and enjoys reading, writing, and listening to music in her spare time.

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