It's Got A Ring To It by Desconhecido(a)

!”
    “ Laila
,
honey, what are your plans today?”
    “I’m picking up a few things at the grocery store now, but then I
have to head into the office for a couple of hours. Why? What’s up?”
    “Do you think you can stop by after? There’s someone I want to you to
meet.”
    Every time she says, “there’s someone I want you to meet,” I cringe.
I knew those words were code for, “Someone’s ugly son or grandson has agreed to
meet you and hopefully I’ll get to marry you off.” She’d laid off of me for a
while, but the day Lena announced her engagement, the hunt for a mate for me
was back in full force. Still, it really sucked to hear disappointment in her
voice.
    “Who is it this time, Mom?”
    “ Laila , I met this nice young man at the
post office, who’s a photographer. He lives real close by. A
few blocks over. I thought you might want to meet him and see if he
could do Lena’s wedding photos.”
    The tension released from my shoulders. Weddings, I could do. Men, not so much. “Oh. Al
l
right. I’ll come right after I leave the
office. Is everything else ok
ay
?”
Fully aware of my mother’s reigning title as motormouth gossipmonger, I knew I was opening a can of worms. By far,
she was
the most long-winded person I kn
e
w. Every conversation start
ed
off with a worrisome
interrogation of where I’ve been, what I’ve been up to, and who I’ve been with. Once she’s determined I
was okay
, it’s on to the latest report of
some horrific ordeal she’s seen on the news or worse, Nancy Grace.
    Although, nothing could trump the topic of Lena’s wedding. She’d gone
haywire since Lena took the cap off of the guest list. Mom began inviting
everyone the family knew since birth.
    “Everything is business as usual with me, but how are things going
with you? Lena told me you’ve been getting out again and I think it’s great.”
    “Oh, she did? What did she say?”
    “She said you went out to the club with her and you had a date last night.” Three. Two. One. “I was worried
all night about you making it home safely, but I swore to Lena I wouldn’t call
and ruin your date. So how did it go? Promising, I hope.”
    “I’m surprised you didn’t have the police on standby,” I joked knowing
how much she worries. It must’ve taken all her restraint and something just
short of a natural disaster for her not to call to make sure I made it home.
“I’m so proud of you.”
    “
I w
as
tempted,” she tried to laugh off the half-truth.
    Knowing she would get the story out of me one way or another, I bit
the bait. “Lena probably already told you it was with this guy I met online.
But before you freak out, we decided to go to Della Vite ,
a nice public restaurant.” Through the receiver, I heard her exhale a relieved
sigh.
    “So, I wore that cute little black wrap
-
dress. You know the one that I got from
Nordstrom that time. Not too revealing. A hint of cleavage, but a nice
silhouette in case there was any potential. I was feeling and looking good.
When I got there, it started off ok
ay
with light conversation and good food.
There was something there, but at the time
,
I just couldn’t put my finger on it. We
were hitting it off
.
” I
embellished for her sake. I couldn’t possibly tell her about my whole
blubbering episode. “We even kissed
.
”
A
nd as quickly as her hopes rose, I shattered
them
.
“
B
ut it all went downhill
from there.”
    “The kiss was no good? I hope you’re not being your old picky self
again, Laila . Otherwise
,
no guy is going to live up to your
outrageous, unattainable standards. You know, the chemistry in a kiss is more
telling than with sex.”
    “
Mom! TMI, really. I prefer not to think of you in that way.”
    “What way? Of course I have sex , I had you, silly . I’m human. There’s nothing wrong with
sex.”
    “It wasn’t the kiss at all. Actually, that was the highlight of the
evening. Would you believe that he looked just like… Ethan?”
    She