Lil wonders why Gary and Mom are so weird since the cruise

Lil was still submerging herself in Billy Royce albums to salve her bad breakup feelings about Steve. Her brother's girlfriend Bernie had been a champ at helping Lil talk out her feelings -- Bernie called it processing -- talking out her feelings for what was his fault and what might have been her fault and what Lil might do differently next time.

Since her mom and dad had come back early from their interrupted ocean cruise, the vibe at home was way different. Bernie seemed more distracted. Gary seemed more intense, suddenly serious about planning to take a starter job with Jim Walker's company, making lists and staring at calendar pages and scribbling notes. Dad seemed pretty normal, other than being extra cuddly with Mom.

Now Mom, Mom was in an especially weird mood, kind of mom-and-a-half, giggly and keyed-up and throwing around dirty remarks. Her mom had always had a dirty mind, quick to read anything in a sexual way, including out loud, like dramatically reading fortune cookie messages, and always ending them with "in bed" or something. But these days, even "pass the carrots" had Mom giggling like, well, a sex-obsessed teen girl about whether she wanted long or thick or some of each.

Lil was miffed that her mom was carrying on in a way that should be Lil's role, but Mom had always taken most of the space there. Lately so much so that it made Mom hard to talk to, especially when Lil's topics were less about sex -- Mom was good, maybe too good on that subject -- and more about relationship troubles -- not Mom's strong point. "Plenty of fish in the sea", that kind of advice, not much to say about "what should I do next time?" other than "move on quicker".

"Your mother was a fast young lady in her time," Dad had told her once. Lil sniffed, remembering. It figured that "be more like me!" was Mom's advice.

Lil sighed. Bernie was at least trying to help her, while Mom seemed too giddy and impatient to listen to anything mopey. Lil frowned. Why didn't she have more friends? Oh right. Petty disagreements. Cliques that required you to go along with "that's ugly!" and "she's cancelled now!" Fighting over guys.

Mom couldn't relate. Guys had always fought over her, and Mom made friends pretty easily. Not deep friends maybe, but Mom never lacked for other women to talk with, and even had guy friends like her old boss, the property development guy who Mom had hooked up with a woman banker - first for business, then they'd gotten married. Any stupid trouble just rolled off her back and Mom floated back up like a rubber duck.

Be more like me. Lil sighed again.

Anyway, Bernie was going to go out with her today to help pick out some new sandals -- the old ones were cute but not practical, and they had bust a strap, and Bernie as a sandal wearer might be able to steer Lil to the most practical of the cute ones, or the cutest of practical ones. Maybe a pedicure would be fun. Lil could spring for both of them. She smiled. A good time to just talk, too.

So what was up, anyway? At least Bernie would tell her something. Wouldn't she?