Friday, December 19, 2008

Can We Go Back

After all the drama of the previous evening, Carmen finally had a chance to get some rest. Although it wasn’t the normal hours she was accustomed to, she did manage to get in a few hours. She woke up and tried to get herself together but as she was in the bathroom, her phone started ringing. When she looked at the number, she became visibly annoyed.

Laura Dunlap was more of a pest than the motherly type but yet she showed some concern in her daughter’s welfare. She was known for her position of power in the city and that if she wanted something done, she would get it her way or it wouldn’t happen at all.

“Good morning mother.” Carmen replied as she picked up the phone.

“Sweetheart, why were there police at your house?”

“I see your spies won’t leave you uninformed. Just had a minor dispute with Duck which was blown out of proportion. You know how neighbors are.”

“Sweetheart, why don’t you leave him alone? I’ve told you from the start not to get involved with his kind. He’s beneath you and wouldn’t look good for you socially.”

“You mean for you socially since I’m your daughter and you don’t need to have anyone whispering bad about you. Listen mother; if you are going to berate me I can just schedule you in for a later date. I don’t have time for this right now.”

“Well I can see that you are still set in your ways. I’ll come by later and check on you.”

Carmen hung up with her mother and let out a loud scream. She then looked at the time and decided to get ready for her morning jog.

“Well I know this should get my mind off things.” she said to herself as he got her jogging gear on.

As she grabbed her Zune and uploaded her jogging playlist, she left her house to get her workout mentally and physically. As she jogged up towards Montebello, she briefly stopped at the tree where she used to carve her name when she was younger. She missed those days where she was living out her childhood but was forced into the spotlight due to her mother’s power.

As she continued to jog around the lake, she looked at the time on her cellphone. Normally, around this time she would be texting Duck. But too many times, she felt as if she was losing the man that she loved due to her insecurities. There was her past that she couldn’t seem to shake free. Carmen knew that eventually she would have to face her demons, but she was using Duck as a means to ignore what was already there.

After about forty-five minutes of running, Carmen decided to make a stop at her favorite breakfast carryout; Ms. Carter’s to get herself a quick bite to eat. Although she was no slouch in the kitchen herself, she really enjoyed Ms. Carter’s cooking because it reminded her of her late grandmother’s cooking that she grew up on. When she entered the restaurant, Ms. Carter smiled upon seeing her face.

“Carmen!! Oh my goodness baby, how have you been?”

Carmen reached out for a hug to the locally known cook. It felt so warm to have such a great greeting.

“Hey Ms. Carter, I’m doing well. Well not really just been going through a lot lately.”

“Well baby I’m going to fix up a plate of your favorite breakfast and we can talk all about it.”

When Ms. Carter left, Carmen couldn’t wait for the French toast breakfast that came along with scrambled cheese eggs that kept her hooked in the first place. She reflected on the many breakfast dates she would share here with Duck. But lately that’s all it’s been is just a distant memory for her. So when Ms. Carter returned with the breakfast, she braced herself for the conversation that would soon follow.

“So how are things with you and Duck dear? I’ve haven’t seen him around lately.”

“Ms. Carter, things between us aren’t looking so great. I accused him of cheating because I found some numbers in his pocket. I may have overreacted but that’s just how I am.”

Ms. Carter sighed at Carmen and stared out of the window.

“You know Carmen sometimes you should try to talk things out before jumping to conclusions. Now I know that relationships have their problems but you have to work through them if you really love that person. Do you really love Duck?”

“Of course I do. He’s a really great guy that I’ve came to love but there are other things that factor into our problems. Like my mother for starters, she really despises Duck for whatever reason. She doesn’t think that he fits into my life structure. I wish she just let me run my own life. I have to make mistakes and learn things on my own.”

“Well you need to make things right so that you two can put this behind you and move on with your lives. No sense in having a petty argument turning serious.”

Carmen took everything in and finished her meal. She went to pay but Ms. Carter told her not to worry about it. Carmen thanked her for the heart to heart and headed home. Deep down inside, she wished Ms. Carter was the mother she had all along.

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