I heard snippets of their conversation, then a
roar from Josh, “Get lost, buddy!” Sounds of a
scuffle followed. I was about to peek out the
window when my mom opened the door and
yelled, “Get in here! Tell us about your date!
Did you act like a spoiled brat again?”
I glanced at the next apartment. “Mom, keep it
down!”
I hurried inside and closed the door, collapsing
on the couch. Before I could catch my breath,
my parents surrounded me. “So, how was Dr.
Evans?”
I sighed. “He was…nice. We’re still getting to
know each other.”
My parents exchanged a look. “Amy, enough is
enough! You’ve been moping around ever since
you broke up with that Josh kid. It’s time to
move on.” My mom’s voice rose in anger. “And
that little punk! Dumped you after he got into
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UCLA, thinking he was too good for you! If I
ever see him again, I’ll…”
I rubbed my temples. It was all a
misunderstanding. When my mom had asked
why Josh hadn’t contacted me, I’d blurted out
that he’d dumped me after getting into UCLA.
She’d been furious, threatening to fly out to California and “give him a piece of her mind.”
Thankfully, Josh had never come back, or my
mom probably would have made good on her
threat.
Just as I was starting to relax, the doorbell
rang. My dad opened the door, then his face
went white. He slammed it shut.
“Who was that?” my mom asked.
“Insurance salesman,” he mumbled.
The doorbell rang again. My mom, not having
any patience for salespeople, stormed towards
the door.
“Mom, be nice!” I called after her.
My mom flung open the door, and her face, like
my dad’s before, turned pale. It was like
watching her anger morph into pure,
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unadulterated rage.
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My mom spun around and marched into the
kitchen.
“Mom?” I asked, bewildered. “We don’t have to
buy insurance. What are you doing?”
She yelled back, “I’m getting a knife!”
I shot up from the couch. Was she going to kill
someone? What had this insurance salesman
done? This was worse than the time she
thought my dad was having an affair with the lady from their Zumba class.
I cautiously approached the door and peeked outside. Josh stood there, a cut on his lip. My
heart dropped. What was he doing here? And
how did he get hurt? He was fine at the
reunion!
“What’s going on with your parents?” he asked,
confused. “They’re acting weird.”
“Just go, Josh. Run!” I hissed.
“No way,” he smirked. “Your parents love me.
I’m here to visit.”
Just then, my mom charged out of the kitchen,
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brandishing a knife. I jumped in front of Josh.
“Mom, calm down!”
“Move!” she yelled, her eyes blazing. “Are you
still protecting him?”
Josh, oblivious to the danger, poked his head
around me and waved. “Hi, Mrs. Smith! Long
time no see! Miss me?”
“I miss your great–grandmother!” she shrieked,
her face turning purple. She pointed the knife at
- me. “Move it!”
She was terrifying. I wrapped my arms around
Josh. “No!” I pleaded, “Mom, please, just
breathe.”
“Amy,” Josh whispered, his face turning red,
“your parents are watching. Is this
appropriate?” Then he blushed even deeper and
mumbled, “Actually, I don’t mind. I kind of
missed hugging you too.” He wrapped his arms
around me and said to my mom, “Mrs. Smith,
Amy and I haven’t seen each other in a while.
You understand.”
That did not help. My mom let out an
earsplitting roar, “Get your hands off my
く
Josh instinctively covered my ears. “Why is your
mom so excited to see me? Why does she have
a knife? Is she cooking?”
I wanted to cry. “Josh, please, just leave!”
Just then, our neighbor opened her door. “What’s all the yelling? Have some respect for your neighbors!” She saw me and Josh hugging and leaned against her doorframe, a bag of
chips in hand. “Well, well, Amy! New boyfriend?
Weren’t you just on a date with Dr. Evans?
Who’s this handsome young man? What does
he do?”
