For My Deserving Mom

Surprise

On Saturday, the day before Mother's Day, I saw my mother looking at a sales flyer that had come in the mail, as I prepared to head to my new second job at Sexy Cookie. I quickly kissed her cheek and told her bye.

I was in a rush to get to work, and I had a lot on my mind since it was the day before my big gift.

Had I not been in such a hurry I might have heard my mother say she was planning to go shopping to buy herself something special, but in my rush to get out the door, I did not.

I stopped at Sirena's house and transformed into Samaria, then headed to the mall.

A couple hours later, as I was in the midst of straightening hangers on a rack and had my back to the front of the store, a customer came over to me. "Excuse me, Miss Samaria? The lady at the counter said you might help me find something."

Not immediately recognizing the voice behind me, I turned around.

The moment our eyes met, mom instantly recognized me even though I had on makeup and a pixie style wig in an auburn red color far removed from my natural light brown.

"Samuel?!?"

"M- Mom, oh gawd," I muttered as I panicked and immediately did the first thing I could think to do, which was to hide.

Why, I don't know, but that's what I did, I dashed into the nearest fitting room.

"Samu, uhh, Samaria, honey. Come out here right this instant," I heard mom exclaim as she tapped her nails on the fitting room door.

"Excuse me, ma'am, is there a problem," I heard Mona asked my mom with concern, on the other side of the door.

"Yes, there's a problem. That girl, Samaria? She-- she's my son."

"Oh my word! I finally get to meet you. She's been so excited about this and done nothing but talk about how much she hopes you'll like her," Mona began and then paused before continuing, "But. . . Oh crap. This isn't, she ahhh, she didn't want you to meet her like this. She has it all planned out for tomorrow. Oh dear."

"Mom I can explain," I stated from inside the dressing room.

I was shaking, and had starting to cry.

"Samaria? Really? Is that what you want to be called now, baby?" asked my mother.

"It- it was Sirena's idea; the name and well, all of this actually, is because of how I've always felt. That and because it's what you've always wanted too. I just wanted to make you happy and give you the daughter you've always desired," my voice had dropped lower to almost a whisper toward the end, with a hint of a plea in it.

"Please don't be mad at her ma'am. She really has worked hard on this, for you and herself. She's confided in me that she really wants to be the daughter you've always wanted. She's been working for us part-time and doing a really good job, too. Her plan was to surprise you tomorrow," Mona explained.

"What? For Mother's Day?"

"Yes Momma," I sniffled through the door.

"So you were going to give me the gift of a daughter for one special day?" she asked in disbelief.

"N-no Momma, I ah .  .  .  I was planning to give you the gift of the da-daughter you deserve. The daughter I want to . . . t-to be become, fo-forever, for you, abs well, me too," I stuttered, knowing anyone within earshot could hear the fear in my voice as I explained.

"So everyone here knows you as Samaria now?" she asked more gently.

"Everyone who knows about her, or rather those who have shopped or work here," Delilia, another sales clerk answered.