Love Has No Labels (BWWM) ✔

Chapter 7: Don't Bother Calling Me Your Mother

Angie stood in shock as she saw her mother standing in the doorway, a cold stare on her face. Marina was by her side, looking down at the floor sheepishly. Her nightmare is just about to come true while the theme song to "American Bandstand" echoed from her apartment to the outside.

"Oh, Mama, I-I was just about to leave," Angie stammered, shaken at her presence. "I just woke up late."

"That's why you never sleep at one o'clock in the morning like you always do," her mother replied. "And I suppose you had the TV on all night."

"I know, I'm still working on it," Angie replied. "The hospital always wanna keep me late, Mama, you know that."

"Alright, that's understandable," her mother said.

She peered through the doorway and asked,

"Well, Angela, aren't you going to let us in?"

Angie felt that she going to soil herself right now. "Ummm," she started.

"Angie, who's that?" a masculine voice called.

To Angie's absolute horror, Austin walked over to the doorway. He froze when he saw Angie's mother, her eyes widening in shock, while Marina's jaw dropped.

"Angela, what's he doing here?" her mother asked meekly.

"Oh, I--uh, was just leaving," Austin said nervously, with a quick, disarming smile, while giving Angie a look. He quickly left, leaving the three of them together.

"Look, Mom, I can explain," Angie started.

"Well you can take your explanation and shove it," her mother said coldly, pushing Angie aside to come in her apartment. Marina meekly followed her in.

"But..." Angie started.

"I believe that was the gentleman that you were 'wining and dining' with a few weeks ago at Cheyenne's, I presume?"

Angie's heart sank. Somebody told her about her and Austin, just like Yolanda knew. She hung her head down.

"I have to apologize to Susan," her mother said, pacing up and down the room.

"You know, I just spoke to Susan two days ago," her mother continued. "And she told me, 'Oh, you know I saw Angela at Cheyenne's the other day going out to eat with a white man and having herself a good time.' With a plumber!" she rambled, saying the word "plumber" with distaste. "And to think of yelling at Susan for slandering and making false allegations about my daughter. But she was proven right, by what I've just seen this morning." 

"Mom, you're acting like we're in a serious relationship," Angie said in dismay.

"Well, you must be, having dinner with him!" her mother snapped.

"Well, we're not!" Angie retorted.

"How long have you've been seeing him?" her mother asked.

"A while, but we're just friends, I swear on Daddy's grave!" Angie protested.

Her mother's lips curled for a bit. Then she nodded. "Good," she said. "I don't want to see him in this house again."

"Mom, you're not..."

"As a matter of fact, I wouldn't be seeing him at all from now on, or don't bother calling me your mother," her mother said coldly.

"What?" Marina spoke up in disbelief.

"Marina, while I'm speaking to your sister, you shut the hell up," her mother spat out at Marina.

Marina hung her head down. Angie thought she was going to cry at this.