The Cherry Blossom Tree

Cherry Chapter Four

“Oh, has he left already?”

I turned at the sound of Mom’s voice.  I was back in the kitchen, endeavouring to clean up the spilt water and finish my splotchy cleaning attempt.  A cupboard nestled in one corner of the room had yielded an old school mop, a broom, and a dustpan.  The former was proving quit useful as I swept it in wide arcs over the polished floorboards.

“Yeah, a little while ago,” I said, wiping at my damp forehead.  Forget exercising to stay fit.  All I’d have to do was clean a few times a week.  Who knew?

“Well, he seemed like a nice boy,” Mom continued in a tone that made me nervous.  It was inquiring as well as suggestive.  “Very polite.  Though I’m not quite sure what to think of the fact he had my daughter spreadeagled on the floor while he was on top of her.”

A groan skated past my lips.  I leaned the mop against the sink to fold my arms across my chest defensively.  “Relax, Mom.  It wasn’t what you think.  I knocked over the bucket of water and we both slipped in it.  That’s all there was to it.”

No need to tell her I’d practically accused him of being an axe murderer, and then a thief.  Or that he’d later suggested I might one day see enough of his gorgeously tanned skin to be able to confirm whether or not he had tan lines.

“Here.”  Mom beckoned me closer.  Confused, I let her drop something into my waiting palm, then shrieked in protest and tried in vain to make her take it back.  

She’d just handed me a stack of four condoms.  Was she out of her mind?

“Are you out of your mind?” I hissed, growing irritated as she smiled indulgently at me.  “I just told you nothing happened between me and that boy.  Just like nothing’s happened between me and any boy.  Ever.”

There had been a brief moment in Manhattan where Max, a guy from my class had expressed interest in dating me.  But then Dad’s nefarious activities were discovered and the entire Upper East side came together to ostracize Mom and I, thinking we somehow had a hand in ripping off most of our community.  Max had retreated like his rear end was on fire and pretended I was an inanimate object whenever we crossed paths after that.

“That’s fine,” Mom said, pointing at the embarrassing items in my hand.  “And this is not me suggesting that you go out and rectify it.  I’m not encouraging you to have sex with anyone.  I just want you to be prepared in case it happens.”

At the horrified look on my face, she laughed, that delicate sound making her seem ten years younger than she was.  

“Come on, Kitty Kat.  I’m not naïve.  You’re nearly eighteen.  I know a lot of kids do the deed a lot younger than that.  I mean, your father and I…” she trailed off as a sad, almost haunted expression grew.  

I’d never seen heartbreak in real life until I’d seen it on my mother.  And each time her guard dropped to reveal it, I wanted to cry for all she’d lost and everything she’d had to endure afterwards.

She cleared her throat, forcing a smile that looked painful.  “Anyway, let’s just say I was very young, and he was very charming.  By the way, I have more of those if and when you need them.  And if you like we could find a local doctor and look at getting you the contraceptive pill.”