Ms. Norah wants to talk.

You go back to your apartment after dinner. Thankfully, you were able to witness the beginning of the mending process mother and daughter will be taking to fix their relationship. Unfortunately, it led to very embarrassing questions, such as:

-“How often do you do it?”

-“You’ve used contraceptives, right?”

-“How serious are you about my daughter?”

Vivian almost regretted starting with that. Almost. Although extremely embarrassed, she seemed happy to be talking to her mother.

You go from 9:00 PM to 12:30 AM working on an assignment due that Monday. Leaving things for the last minute, as always.

You’re getting ready to hit the sack when you hear light knocks on the door. You wonder who it could be at this hour, but you have a strong feeling it’s Vivian. Why she didn’t just call you, you don’t know.

You open the door and see, not Vivian, but her mother.

“Did I wake you?” She asks with an apologetic smile.

“No, I was working on an assignment. What can I do for you?”

“I… wanted to talk to you. I know it’s late but… I think it’s important we talk now.”

You can get a small idea of what she wants to talk about.

“Okay. Can we do it in you house, though? My sister is already sleeping and I don’t want to bother her.”

“Yes, of course!”

You go to her house and you both sit at the table in the dining room. Ms. Norah takes bottle of wine, and you’re all too happy to accept.

After taking a sip, Ms. Norah starts.

“You should know, I don’t drink often! I just… thought this was an appropriate time.” She defends herself from accusations you didn’t even think of making.

“It’s good wine, so you won’t hear me complaining.” You assure her with a sheepish smile. She returns it.

After a few second of silence, she speaks again.

“Vivian and I spoke a lot after you left.” She reveals, looking at her glass as she gently twirls it, playing with the liquid inside. “She went to sleep an hour ago.”

You nod.

“She said you convinced her to try to fix our relationship.” She smiles. “Thank you.”

“I didn’t do much. If she didn’t already want to at least try, she wouldn’t have listened to me.”

“She told me a lot of things. The most painful was hearing she was getting bullied. I can’t believe I never noticed.” She bites her lip and clenches her fist around her glass, and you worry she’ll break it, but her grip softens as she looks at you with a thankful smile.

“Thank you for helping her. Thank you for being there for her when I didn’t know this was happening.” You can see Ms. Norah’s eyes water.

“Again, I didn’t do much. I’m honestly just as surprised as she is. I told a couple of things to her bullies and they just… stopped. I’m hoping it stays that way, though.”

“As am I.” She chuckles. “I’ll talk to the school. I can’t believe they didn’t notice it either.”

You nod.

“This is not was I wanted to talk about, however.” She says. “Vivian said she told you about her father, Eric.” You nod again. “I… told her my side of the story, and I think it’s only fair you hear it too, since you’re already so involved.”

You feel a bit honored, honestly. To be trusted enough to be told this kinds of things. It’s not like you WANT to know, but you feel you need to if you want to help your girlfriend.

“I met Eric in this town. Hard as it is to admit… ours was a one-night thing. We were young, we were a little tipsy… He hit on me and I accepted. Of course… we didn’t use a contraceptive.”

Ms. Norah sighs and takes another sip of wine. You do the same.

“There were two big problems here. First, of course, I got pregnant at 18. Second… I had fallen in love with him, but it was one-sided. When I told him I was pregnant and that I loved him, he said he’d take responsibility for the baby, but that he didn’t love me back. He moved into town, about and hour away from here and would often visit us. He was a good father to Vivian, as much as he could without living with her.”

She drinks again, a much bigger sip this time.

“I… never really stopped loving him though. It was painful, but at least he was there. When he died… I felt lost. I know I shouldn’t make excuses for neglecting my daughter but… it hurt too much, and for a long time. Eventually, I got better with the help of a psychiatrist, but… at that point Vivian was old enough she felt she could be emotionally independent. I was too late.”

Tears are now clearly rolling down Ms. Norah’s face. Her voice is cracking, but she pushes through it.

“I made a huge mistake, and almost lost my daughter because of it.” She gives you a meaningful look. “Thank you for giving us a chance to fix things.”

“I glad I could help.” You give her a smile.

After a while, Ms. Norah calms down. You talk about Vivian for a bit more. It’s 2:00 am when you stop. Before leaving, you give Ms. Norah a hug, and are surprised when she hugs you back tightly and lovingly.

Then, something amazing happened.

Terrible, you mean terrible.

It happens because of those awkward movements when two people try to do the same and because of the one and a half bottles of wine. You try to give her a small peck on the cheek, you know, trying to comfort her, and she does the same. It results in your lips softly brushing against one another. You both flinch slightly, and are left paralyzed in a soft embrace, staring into the other’s eyes.

As if something in your brains had said “Yes”, you both lean in and share a tender kiss. The embrace becomes stronger and the kiss becomes deeper. Your drunk brain is almost unable to process the reality of the situation. You’re kissing Ms. Norah. The gorgeous woman that has been a fantasy since you met her. This mature, kind, hardworking woman is tenderly kissing your lips, meaning softly into you.

…And she’s your girlfriend’s mother.

You question whether realizing this a good or a bad thing, but your first reaction is to pull away. Fortunately, you do so gently.

Ms. Norah opens her eyes and they quickly widen in shock, realizing what she’s done.

“I’m so sorry!” She quickly says, taking her hands to her mouth. Her face is red. She takes a step away from you. “I didn’t mean- I don’t know what came over me.”

“It’s okay! It’s okay! We’re both… tipsy from the wine. Let’s just pretend it never happened, right?” You swallow those last words. There’s no way you’ll ever forget this moment.

“Yes, of course!” She says hastily. “G-Good night…”

You say goodbye to Ms. Norah and go back home.