Read Online Begin Again: Short stories from the heart by Mary Campisi - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Mary Campisi
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to please its master.
“Why is it so very important that I meet this man? Or any man for that matter?” She had a comfortable, secure, if not slightly boring life. Just the way she liked it.
Danielle rolled her eyes again. “For company.”
“I already have the best company in the world,” Maggie said, leaning over and squeezing Danielle’s hand.
“I mean adult company. Man company .” Danielle looked at her mother and her expression became very serious. “It’s time, you know.”
“Time?” Maggie repeated, not believing her daughter was giving her the same lecture she’d heard from her own mother two weeks ago.
“Yeah, you know. Like go out on a date.”
“I’ve been very busy lately.”
“Mom, you’ve had exactly seven dates in the last three years and two of them were ones Grandma and I set up for you.”
“Don’t remind me of your scheming ways or your grandmother’s. I’m still mad about the way you two tricked me into going on those dates.” Henry Mosler , the plumber, and Eugene Gleason, the hardware store owner. They had been about as exciting as a socket wrench. It would have been fine if she had wanted to become a plumber’s apprentice or learn the difference between a washer and a sinker, which she didn’t. But as a potential new man in her life, no thank you.
“I always thought they were kind of geeky but Grandma said they came from good families.”
It was Maggie’s turn to roll her eyes. “Grandma and her family lineage. Does Mr. Webster come from a good family, too?”
Danielle shrugged. “I don’t think he has much of a family at all, except Nicole.” She looked her mother straight in the eye and whispered, “But we could change all that, Mom.”
Maggie sighed and shook her head. Her daughter just never gave up.
“Nicole can’t wait to meet you. I told her all about you. Well, just the good stuff. I didn’t tell her about the ratty old sweats you wear around the house or how your voice is off-key when you sing. She’ll find that out soon enough and by then she and Mr. Webster will both love you and it won’t matter.”
Maggie shook her head again. “No.”
Danielle folded her arms over her small chest and stuck out her lower lip. “Why not? It’s not like you’re ugly or anything. Lots of my friends think you’re really pretty. For a mom,” she added.
“Yeah, for a mom and an old one at that.”
Danielle tilted her head and studied her mother. “Thirty-six isn’t that old.”
Maggie arched a brow. “Last week you thought thirty was ancient. What changed your mind?”
“Well, Mr. Webster is thirty-nine and he looks really good. So, Nicole and I decided you were both still young enough to get married and who knows, maybe even give us a little brother.”
“Danielle!”
“Okay, so maybe it is a little early to be discussing kids.”
“A little.”
“Okay, I just want to ask you one more question and then I’ll drop it.”
Here it comes.
Danielle fiddled with her hair and cleared her throat twice. “If you met Mr. Webster and he turned out to be all of the things I said he was, would you give him a chance?”
Maggie groaned. “You never give up do you?”
“Just tell me, Mom, would you give him a chance?”
“Okay, okay,” Maggie said, raising her hands. “Listen to me and try to understand. I love my work. The craft business we have gives me an opportunity to express myself through wood, tiles, ceramic, silks. You name it, I create it. And make a darn good living at it, too. There’s no man handing me an allowance or paying my bills. Then there’s you and Grandma. You’ve both been my world for more years than I can remember. Just the three of us. If I were to even think of a relationship with a man he would have to be all the things you mentioned and more.”
It was the truth. She could never settle for a mediocre relationship again and thought it pointless to date for the sake of dating. In the early days after her
“Why is it so very important that I meet this man? Or any man for that matter?” She had a comfortable, secure, if not slightly boring life. Just the way she liked it.
Danielle rolled her eyes again. “For company.”
“I already have the best company in the world,” Maggie said, leaning over and squeezing Danielle’s hand.
“I mean adult company. Man company .” Danielle looked at her mother and her expression became very serious. “It’s time, you know.”
“Time?” Maggie repeated, not believing her daughter was giving her the same lecture she’d heard from her own mother two weeks ago.
“Yeah, you know. Like go out on a date.”
“I’ve been very busy lately.”
“Mom, you’ve had exactly seven dates in the last three years and two of them were ones Grandma and I set up for you.”
“Don’t remind me of your scheming ways or your grandmother’s. I’m still mad about the way you two tricked me into going on those dates.” Henry Mosler , the plumber, and Eugene Gleason, the hardware store owner. They had been about as exciting as a socket wrench. It would have been fine if she had wanted to become a plumber’s apprentice or learn the difference between a washer and a sinker, which she didn’t. But as a potential new man in her life, no thank you.
“I always thought they were kind of geeky but Grandma said they came from good families.”
It was Maggie’s turn to roll her eyes. “Grandma and her family lineage. Does Mr. Webster come from a good family, too?”
Danielle shrugged. “I don’t think he has much of a family at all, except Nicole.” She looked her mother straight in the eye and whispered, “But we could change all that, Mom.”
Maggie sighed and shook her head. Her daughter just never gave up.
“Nicole can’t wait to meet you. I told her all about you. Well, just the good stuff. I didn’t tell her about the ratty old sweats you wear around the house or how your voice is off-key when you sing. She’ll find that out soon enough and by then she and Mr. Webster will both love you and it won’t matter.”
Maggie shook her head again. “No.”
Danielle folded her arms over her small chest and stuck out her lower lip. “Why not? It’s not like you’re ugly or anything. Lots of my friends think you’re really pretty. For a mom,” she added.
“Yeah, for a mom and an old one at that.”
Danielle tilted her head and studied her mother. “Thirty-six isn’t that old.”
Maggie arched a brow. “Last week you thought thirty was ancient. What changed your mind?”
“Well, Mr. Webster is thirty-nine and he looks really good. So, Nicole and I decided you were both still young enough to get married and who knows, maybe even give us a little brother.”
“Danielle!”
“Okay, so maybe it is a little early to be discussing kids.”
“A little.”
“Okay, I just want to ask you one more question and then I’ll drop it.”
Here it comes.
Danielle fiddled with her hair and cleared her throat twice. “If you met Mr. Webster and he turned out to be all of the things I said he was, would you give him a chance?”
Maggie groaned. “You never give up do you?”
“Just tell me, Mom, would you give him a chance?”
“Okay, okay,” Maggie said, raising her hands. “Listen to me and try to understand. I love my work. The craft business we have gives me an opportunity to express myself through wood, tiles, ceramic, silks. You name it, I create it. And make a darn good living at it, too. There’s no man handing me an allowance or paying my bills. Then there’s you and Grandma. You’ve both been my world for more years than I can remember. Just the three of us. If I were to even think of a relationship with a man he would have to be all the things you mentioned and more.”
It was the truth. She could never settle for a mediocre relationship again and thought it pointless to date for the sake of dating. In the early days after her
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