Teasing Hands (2 page)

2

“You ready?” Courtney asked.

It’d been an hour since we entered the filled
-to-capacity locker room. Slowly, everyone had begun to head home. There were only three of us left hanging around—me, Court, and Steph. Our mothers were waiting, and we’d run out of every excuse not to see them.

“Yeah.
” I nodded. “Let’s get this over with.” Turning toward Steph, I gave her a hug and promised to pick her up around nine so we could get ready together at Jennifer’s. She was leaving to meet up with her parents at a nearby Italian restaurant and was already running late.

“And then there were two
…” Court looked about as excited as I felt. It didn’t help that she was also a bit tipsy.

They were still where we’d left them. Standing by the lower bleachers, doing what they did best. We watched as they spoke animatedly with the
other parents, charming the pants right off them.

Susana Brooks could be called a lot of things, but a no
n-existent parent she was not. Even decked out from head-to-toe in the university’s colors of orange and green, she still stood out as the most beautiful woman in the room. 

Other than
my father’s clear blue eyes and blond hair, I was my mother’s clone. We shared what most would consider beautiful bone structure. Those in her inner circle of friends always complimented on the shape of our faces and how symmetrical they were—a guideline they used often to measure beauty, too stuck in their ways to see past the superficial.

O
ne thing I was grateful for was the small button nose my father thought looked like a tiny strawberry. His side of the family had not been so lucky; it’s not that their noses were big per se, they just stood out more than most.

“Amanda,” my mother called out, excusing herself before turning toward me
. “About time, missy!” She stood arms open wide and waiting with a sour look on her face for me to reach her. It was ritualistic after every game; I’d hug her tight drenching her in my sweat.

I almost felt bad. She had no idea how much worse
this time would be.

This time
, though, her pitch hit a new level when she felt how disgusting I was. Her arms flapped rapidly, and her body shook with laughter.

“Why me, Lord?
” she cried out and tried to push me away. “Just once, I’d like—”

“What were you going to say?” I’d shut her up, proud
ly and obnoxiously landing a huge smooch on her cheek. It was justified that I celebrate in any way I deemed right, and her annoyance was my favorite way of doing just that.

“What the hell am I now covered in young lady?” Her tone was high. It hurt
my ears.

“Chill
, Mom. It’s just Gatorade and some alcohol we toasted with in the back.”

Her brow rose.

“Okay, there’s also my sweat, but in my defense, I am your daughter, and that should never disgust you.”

“Says who?”

“Umm, me.”

My muscles started to scream in protest. It’d been a while since the game ended, and my body had begun to cool off. The tension in my neck was made more pronounced by the tight bun my hair was in. Once I pulled out the pins, I couldn’t stop the loud sigh of relief that escaped my lips while my blonde hair tumbled down over my shoulders.

“
You should feel honored to have such an amazing athlete within the family.” My mother couldn’t hide her smile even if she wanted to. Annoyed or not, she was damn proud. “Can you imagine the day when I finally make it to the Olympics?”

She was eating this
shit up.

“Keep talking
, oh great one.” Susana Brooks was known to brag about anything and everything within her reach.

“You can boast and tell all the high-
society, snippety fogies you choose to surround yourself with that your daughter is the bomb.”

M
y mother couldn’t stop the laugh from escaping even if she wanted to. “What will I do with you, Mandi?” The sternness in her tone didn’t fool me for even a second.

“
Accept and embrace my sexy, tomboyish ways?” I asked with an all-too-sweet and innocent tone—eyes wide and searching for acceptance. My mother wasn’t buying the act one bit and smacked my arm. In return, I stuck my tongue out at her.

Most that saw our relationship didn’t understand it. We were different, but loved
one another fiercely. I’d grown up in a home where honesty was always expected. No matter the problem or how disappointed they might be, it hurt my parents the most if I lied.

“
Couldn’t you be a feminine and delicate athlete, instead?” She pulled my drenched body toward her. “You’re a beauty, Mandi.”

“I know,
Mother.” The woman never gave it a rest.

“Why not enhance what I gave you with some cute lowlights to
accentuate those beautiful baby blues?”

I
looked over at the familiar set of figures who’d joined our conversation. Thank God for Court coming to my rescue.

“
Mandi, it could be fun,” Courtney added and nodded at my mother. My smile vanished, and panic set in.

“Are you high?” It was the only possible explanation for her siding with
my mother.

“Think about it
.” She giggled. “Some lowlights wouldn’t look too bad.”

M
y brow rose quizzically.

“
Don’t look at me like that. They have organic, non-animal tested products on the market these days. At least that’s what she,” her fingers pointed toward my mother’s co-conspirator, her mother Kimberly, “…used in her argument.”

This had setup written all over it.

Once upon a time, when I’d been in love, I’d been into all the girly rituals passed on from mother to daughter. Up to a certain point, I still was, just not with the same excitement as before. When I’d thought my future had been written in stone, before my heart had been broken, it had been easier to be carefree.

Pulling her aside
, I walked us over a few feet, out of the earshot of the nosy duo. “Are you sure about this, Courtney? You know how they get. We give an inch, and they take an arm.”

“
How bad could it be?” Court replied with a shrug like this wasn’t cause for fright.

Before I could stop it, my hand rose and connected with the front of
her forehead in the universal “Are you stupid?” sign.

What is she thinking?

“Ouch!”

“Are you insane?”

She glared at me while rubbing her forehead.

“My dear friend, this could be cataclysmic and detrimental to the fight against what a woman should be in our society, and what we are. I refuse to be a Barbie. A woman with no voice expected to nod and curtsy as if this was still the golden era of kings and queens.”

“
A little dramatic, aren’t we?” Courtney had the audacity to laugh. “You used to like doing these things if memory serves me correct, Mandi. Just because Hun—”

I had to stop her right there
. He was irrelevant in my world.

“
Not when you are the prodigy of one Susana Brooks, it’s not!  She will hold this over my head, Court.” I fisted my blonde locks and pulled. “Dammit. Knowing how conniving she is, she’ll try to mold me into a mini version of her. If I give her the tip of my pinky, she will amputate my arm and begin her quest of turning me into what she has always dreamed for me …” I trailed off as images of gowns, makeup, high heels, and snobby society gatherings began to run rampant through my mind.

“
What if we compromise with them, Mandi?” The cheery tone she had faded slightly.

“There is no compromising with them!”

“We could always just set a limit. Add a power of veto and an annulment clause to our verbal contract, in case what you foresee does becomes apparent in their plans.” Her smile was huge; she had me and knew it. My glare didn’t intimidate her one iota either. Instead, she rolled her eyes at me.

“
That could work, Court, but fuck the verbal! I want this all in writing with a third party as our witness.”

“You two are being ridiculous,
” Kimberly interrupted before busting out in laughter. She’d snuck up on us, right behind Courtney who squealed like a pig in surprise.

The can of
Coke Courtney was holding flew out of her hands and down the court. “Jesus, Mom, do I need to put a bell around your neck?” Courtney hissed, hand over her chest as she tried to regulate her breathing.

“Overdramatic much
, sweetheart?” her mom asked, eyebrow raised.

      “
What part of private negotiations didn’t you quite understand?” my friend quipped while pointing between herself and me.

“What’s there to negotiate? We are gifting you two brats a day of beauty
and relaxation.” Mock anger tinged her tone. “Instead of appreciating your gift, you’re over here preparing for battle. This is not World War Three, nor is there a need for mention of a signed contract.”

“Do you really want me to respond to that?” My brow rose. I dared her to challenge me on this. They’d done it in the past.

“Amanda!”

“Yes, Mother?”

      “Oh
, you.” Theatrical as ever, she threw her hands up in the air then complained about her failure. In her eyes, my tomboyish tendencies were all due to my father’s influence on me. All the times she’d allowed me to hang with him in our home’s garage had corrupted my fragile mind. Or it could have been on the basketball court he’d put up just for me.

She never mentioned the
changes my broken heart caused, and for that, I was thankful.     

Courtney
leaned over and whispered low enough so only I heard. “You guys are like two peas in a pod, you know?”

My mature reply was to flip her off.

“Can we agree to an early dinner and hash out the details then?” Kimberly smiled at us. She looked like the cat who ate the canary. Too much fake innocence.

Courtney watched her every move like a hawk
. She answered through narrowed eyes and pursed lips. “I don’t know, Mother. Can we?”

“I assure you,” Kimberly began, pointing toward
my still ranting mother and herself, “we have nothing but honest and good intensions here. No underhanded agendas. At the end of the hour, if you two don’t agree, we will not guilt or pester.”

“
What do you think, Court?” I whispered. “Can we trust them?”

“I think so.”

“That doesn’t sound too reassuring,” I pointed out.

“
In my defense, when mom brought it up it sounded like a good idea. No reason to be worried.” Court still hadn’t taken her eyes off her mother. “If at any moment we feel like this is an intervention—we leave.”

“
On one condition.” I turned toward the too-eager-for-words matriarchs of our families.

“
Of course,” my mother eagerly complied. “Anything.”

“
We drive ourselves to the restaurant after we clean up.”
And sober up a bit, too.

3

After the stare down in the gym—where neither party wanted to give an inch—our mothers relented and graciously allowed Courtney and me to drive ourselves to our execution.

It
wasn’t that I didn’t appreciate what a fabulous pair of jeans could do for one’s ass; on the contrary. Feeling sexy and confident was as important to me as it was to the next woman; I just wanted to live at my own pace, set my own guidelines, and not except what the world deemed was beauty to dictate the way I saw myself.

If
and when I felt the need to pamper myself, I did. I loved getting massages and my hair styled when needed, but I lived most of my days in between classes and practice. What use did I have for my hair to be straightened, when within the hour it would begin to curl?

“
So what’s the strategy here?” Courtney fidgeted beside me.
Funny
. Back there she had been all for the non-animal-tested products and pampering. Was it finally settling in that we were fucked?

“
You’re an idiot,” I muttered while studying the women in the car ahead of us, noticing how one laughed at something the driver said. My mother’s eyes looked up into the rearview mirror then, and locked with mine. She smiled. I shook my head at Courtney. “What were you thinking?”

Court
ney huffed beside me and ran a hand through her red hair. “She made it seem innocent! I was tricked.”

Nodding, I put on my turn signal
then waited for my opening. “We can’t go in there smiling or laughing. This is war. Them against us.”

“
Agreed.”

“
We concede to a trim…maybe some small color changes, but nothing too dramatic or high maintenance. I will also agree to a massage because dammit, I could use one.”

“
What about pedicures or facials?” Courtney asked.

“
I got a pedi three days ago, so no. Facials are up in the air. I guess you could say it depends.”

She nodded and arched her back, stretching out her tired muscles.
“Okay. I’ll give in to a pedicure and cut. I want something dramatic, though. Maybe lose the length, and cut it to just below my ears.”

“
With bangs?”

“
That could be cute. I’ve always wanted bangs.”

Smiling, I looked over at her and said
, “True. I might get some side swept ones.”

She knew I’d always wanted them. It
was something we’d discussed in the past, but like any dutiful girlfriend, I’d asked my other half for his opinion. He’d shot me down repeatedly, claiming they wouldn’t look right on me. Stupidly, I’d listened and bit my tongue.

The more time
I spent apart from him, the more I realized how uneven our relationship had been. How much could someone give until they lost themselves?

Courtney laughed,
bringing me back to the present. “You know, if they heard us right now they would be squealing in triumphant glory.”

“
Scary. It’s definitely something they don’t need to know.” We could be girly, but at our discretion. It was our choice.
My
choice. “So are we set?”

She nodded.
“Yup.”

“
We must stay strong, Court. No matter how thick they lay the guilt trip on us.”

I hope…

The rest of the car ride was silent as we followed them through the streets of Miami.

It seem
ed that my mother knew how to play dirty after all, and in this instance my eclectic taste buds would be my downfall. I'd always been fascinated with the Brazilian culture, and
Fogo de Chao
was the bes
t
churrascaria we had in town.

“
She didn’t.”

“
Oh, fuck, Mandi. That’s—”

“
I know.” My gulp inside the car was loud while we pulled up to the valet parking. “They played dirty!”

“
It’ll be okay. We know them; this isn’t something we can’t ignore.” Her stomach rumbled then—as loud as my gulp. Can’t ignore, my ass.

Three summers ago our families
had traveled to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil together, and had fallen in love. I’d been lucky enough to see, with my own eyes, the wonderment that the country held. We’d experienced it all, from the world’s best beaches to their food. The Tijuca National Park was fun to explore, and it was something my father and I did together. The Lapa neighborhood, with its famous steps and bars, had made us feel alive. Music everywhere—people dancing—celebrating love and life. However, it had been the Christ the Redeemer statue which stole my breath away. Majestic and otherworldly, it stood proud overlooking the city. Its beauty couldn’t be measured.

Simply put
, it had been the best family vacation ever, and now, it was biting me in the ass.

The restaurant
opened up a year after we returned, quickly becoming a local stomping ground for the Brooks’ family. So much so, the staff now knew to expect us at least twice a week for dinner.

“
Not a scratch,” I told the drooling, pimpled-faced attendant when he openly gaped at my ‘69 mustang. This car was my pride and joy. A special project I’d taken on with my father, it took us a year to complete, but it was worth every scrape and bruise I sustained. It was a beauty: cherry red and all shiny chrome—the envy of every mid-life crisis fool in the city of Miami.

Growing up,
dad wasn’t around much. Not because he didn’t want to be, but being a member of the city’s council is a twenty-four hour job here. I understood that. The man was hard-working and loved us fiercely; any time he was able to give was appreciated.

“
Yes, ma’am,” the kid replied while I put the keys to my baby in his waiting palm. His hands shook as he opened the door and got in, his face too jubilant for my liking.

Fucker
didn’t know how to handle so much power.

“Leave the poor kid alone, Amanda.” My mother appeared next to me, smiling at our conversation. “Maybe, if he crashes it, I could buy you one of those cute little Fiats to replace it.” She was full of shit.

My mother loved th
e car as much as I did; she had enjoyed every second Dad and I worked on it. Dirty, greased-up smudges and kisses had made her smile while we brought that beauty to life.

“
You wouldn't,” I gasped out in mock horror. “Then again, maybe Dad and I could rebuild something new for me?”

Kimberly
laughed at my mother’s horrified face. “Didn’t see that one coming, Susana?”

      She ignored Kimberly’s jab and grabbed my hand.
“Come on, my darling brat. We have much to discuss and plan.”

“Jesus
,” Courtney mumbled.

Kimberly shook her head and pushed her daughter toward the doors.
“You two are being ridiculous.”

“
Funny, Mom,” Court deadpanned. “Have you and Aunt Susana looked in the mirror lately?”

I laughed. What else could I do but laugh at the craziness that
was my life.

“
Can we go in already?” Mom whined.

“
Bite me, Susana.” Kimberly rolled her eyes.

“
And you two are the adults?” Court sighed and turned to face me. “We are so screwed.”

Sadly, I could only nod in acceptance of what would be us one day.

“Oh hush you two, and walk in.”  Kim sneered, while my mother muttered something about “Kids and smart mouths.”

As usual
, the place smelled amazing when we entered. The scent of grilling meat made us all moan quietly. I know. Disturbing.

“Evening, Mrs. Brooks,
” Fernanda, the hostess, greeted. “Will it be just the four of you today?”

“
Yes, dear,” Mom replied. “By the way, is Carlos working tonight?”

“
Yes, ma'am.”

“Then w
e would like a table in his section if it isn’t too much trouble.”

“
Of course,” Fernanda said with a smile. “Right this way.”

Once seated
—the mothers on one side with Court and me on the other—the pythons began to guilt us. In reality, I was surprised my mother had stayed quiet for so long.

“
Baby girl, the day you were born,” my mother gushed, “was the happiest day of my life. I’d always dreamed of having a little girl, and there you were. I wanted to dress you up, play Barbie’s, and as you got older, take care of your heart when some jerk broke it. Everything your grandmother wasn’t able to do with me before her passing.”

Oh
, that's a low blow, Mom.

“So beautiful and tiny i
n my arms. All ten toes and fingers accounted for. You had your father’s eyes and hair, while your lips and nose were mine. What I held was perfection.”

Dammit
, cue my tears. And hers.

“
I want us to do this together, Amanda. We should bond like you and Daddy do over cars. Think of it this way: instead of getting dirty and grimy, I want to pamper you. Go to the spa and get our hands done. Maybe a massage? Talk about boys.”

Kim reached across the table then
to grab onto both our hands, and squeeze. “You girls are in college now; you've grown up right before our eyes into amazing women. All we want is to spend some quality time with you before you find your own prince charmings and leave us.”

The tears
started flowing. They’d won.

“
I love you, Mom,” Courtney and I whispered together.

“
We know, babies, and we love you, too. All we ask is that you consider this; think it through before turning us down. I…
we
don’t want to change you. You both couldn’t be any more perfect in our eyes.”

“
Okay,” I spoke through the lump forming in my throat.

“
Okay?” Kim repeated in question.

“
Yeah, let’s do this thing. But—” Court began only to be interrupted by her mom.

“W
hy is there always a ‘but’?”

“
Because I have stipulations,” Courtney replied, her fingers still wiping the falling tears from her cheeks.

“
We,” I added in a no-nonsense tone, “will consent.”

They smiled wide and wiggled a bit in their seats.

“But,” I pointed toward them, “we have the rights to veto if you two take it too far.” The matriarchs agreed, albeit with some reluctance. “No drastic changes of any kind.”

Kimberly opened her mouth to refute
, but Court knew her too well and steamrolled right over her attempts.

“
At the end of the day, we want to look like ourselves, not you. Agree, and we will attend the monthly dates.”

“
Three,” Mom countered.

“
One.” I stood strong.

“
Two?” Kim tried.

“
Fine.” The entire negotiation scene between us made the older woman the next table over laugh.

“
We agree to your terms, but—”
That ‘but’ scares me, Mom.
“The first mother-daughter date will be in four days. A full day where we will be pampered from head-to-toe.”

“
You already had this planned, didn’t you?” Of course she had. I looked over at my best friend and she looked just as amazed as I felt. We’d fallen for the mother/daughter love of my life bullshit again.

There was never a doubt on how much they loved us, but Jesus. We fell for it completely.

“Of course,” Mom said with a giggle. “And the guy I found for you is perfect. Camden Daniels is known for working with athletes, and from what I heard, he has magical hands. You will thank me after.” The mischief behind her eyes should have alerted me to how fucked I would be.