Hard Talk
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Rob and Celia’s plan to partner with her mother to buy a house to share is proceeding, but Celia has her doubts that she can manage that relationship without vaster mileage between them.
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The first weekday of Celia’s Christmas break coincided with her mother’s day off as Williams-Sonoma holiday help. Rob had already left for work and Celia, lying abed to avoid facing her mother, did not look forward to the day. She had backed off from most interaction with her, yielding the responsibility to Rob, who had accepted it gladly since he tolerated Mom’s button pushing much better than Celia.
She rolled over, laying on her back and putting her hands on her belly. At four months pregnant, Celia’s bump was slight but present. She knew from the pregnancy books that this was her window to be productive, between the end of fatigue and nausea but before she had grown big and uncomfortable. But to be productive meant leaving this room and engaging her mother – so, immobilized, Celia remained in bed.
Rob had been wonderful, talking to her mother and setting boundaries so diplomatically that Mom did not even grasp his intention. Rob would ooh and aah over her cooking and baking and between hefty portions would make “small” suggestions. He would say things like, “One of the things I’ve learned about Celia, being married to her, is…” and state how he would handle a particular situation. Mom, in her affection for Rob and her desire to remain on his good side (Celia presumed) would generally follow through just as Rob hoped. This made Celia hope that she, too, might be able to find new ways of handling her. Eventually.
Celia sighed and dragged herself out of bed. Out of gratitude for Rob’s efforts, she decided to deal with her mother today. She tied on her bathrobe and opened the bedroom door tentatively. Mom sat on the sofa with a morning news program on, muted. Her glasses were low on her nose as she looked at a list she was making.
“Checking it twice?” Celia said, hoping to keep it light.
“Well, it looks like Catherine is selling my house, and Rob is looking at new houses for us – I’m not even sure what’s left for me to do!” she said. “Help you, I guess.”
“Well, what’s on your list?” Celia said as she sat down, biting her tongue from reminding her mother that she needed to pack up her house to move, have a yard sale, find a permanent job – Celia could think of a million things that would be infinitely more helpful than actually “helping” her.
“We need to get your nursery ready,” Mom said. “When will you find out if it’s a girl or a boy? I’m thinking greens and yellows in any case”—
“Mom,” Celia said. “We need to talk.”
What does Celia say next?
