Read Online Love Letters by Geraldine Solon - Free Book Online

I’m not pregnant. I called you because I’m getting married in June to my boyfriend, Richard Foster, who I’ve been seeing for two years.”
    “ Who is this Richard Foster, and where did you meet him?” Her mother sounded calmer now. “Did you meet him on the internet? You think I don’t know about today’s generation? All they care about is meeting men online. In my time men chased women, not the other way around. It’s all backwards now. Tell me the truth, Chloe, did you meet him online?”
    “ Mom, I met Richard at the Ritz Hotel while I was havi –”
    “ And what were you doing at the Ritz hotel?” Suzanne’s voice grew louder still. “Parading yourself?”
    Chloe knew how over-protective her mother could be. At times she wasn’t sure if her mother was frustrated with her because she was too independent and had a mind of her own, or simply worried that she might end up like her, old and alone. “Mom, I wasn’t parading myself. I was attending a wedding of a client, and Richard happened to be there too. He approached me .”
    “ Are you telling me that you talk to strangers? Have I taught you nothing?”
    Chloe threw herself back on her bed. She knew if her dad were alive, he would be pacifying them both. Mom always has to know the what, when, where, why and how. “Mom, Richard is a decent guy. He grew up in Atlanta, Georgia, and moved here to attend college. He works for Bank of America.” Chloe rubbed her aching head.
    “ I don’t trust bankers. All they want is your money. Our country wouldn’t be in this mess if it weren’t for bankers.”
    Chloe was trembling now. “Richard’s not like that, Mom. He’s a hard worker and very responsible.”
    Suzanne was silent for once.
    “ Mom, are you still there?”
    “ Of course I’m still here. Just because I’m sixty years old doesn’t mean I’m deaf.”
    When had her mother become so bitter? Chloe wondered if it had begun when she married a man she didn’t love and left her dreams behind to raise a child … to raise Chloe. Is that what she was doing? Marrying a man she didn’t love, giving up her dreams? No, that was silly. She was not her mom. She took a deep breath. “Mom, will you come to my wedding? Please?”
    “ When are you getting married?”
    “ In three months.”
    “ For heaven’s sake, Chloe, you’re getting married in June and you’re only calling me now? What is this, a drive-thru wedding?”
    “ He proposed to me in December. It’s a six month engagement.”
    A shocked silence followed. Then, in a quiet voice that frightened Chloe more than the yelling, her mother said, “Let me ask you this, were you going to call me if you didn’t get married?”
    “ I don’t know, Mom. That’s a difficult question to answer. It sounds like you’re still angry at me.”
    “ You remind me of your father. You just seem to go where the wind takes you.” Sadness permeated her words, leaving a lump in Chloe’s throat.
    Chloe kept quiet. She didn’t know how to mention Ignacio without stirring up more old wounds, so she decided to save it for later, when the waters were calmer between them. “Mom, do you think I can visit you next week? I’d like to hang out.”
    “ Since when do you want to hang out with me?” Suzanne asked suspiciously.
    “ Mom, you’re not making this any easier for me. I called you today because I wanted to tell you about my wedding.”
    “ Which you already did ….”
    Chloe hugged her teddy tighter. “I want to spend time with you, maybe have a mother and daughter day. I’m getting married and I need some advice.”
    “ Are you feeling okay, Chloe? You sound kind of strange.”
    “ I’m fine, Mom. Why do ask?”
    “ You’ve never asked me for advice.”
    It was true. She never had, so why now? “Well, that’s because you’ve given it to me whether I asked for it or not.”
    “ Something’s wrong. Is there something you’re not telling me?”
    “ Okay, Mom, you win.” Chloe sighed.