One eternity later...

"They're so cute, aren't they?" Clair says giddily as she starts to drive, and you know you put your bets on the right horse. "I'd love to tell you where I got them, but they were actually a gift.."

You couldn't care less, but you put on a pouty face to keep character. And of course Clair didn't wait for you to ask or show interest before continuing her story.

"Well, there's this one girl I became really good friends with, called Millie. We met at one of those Army-spouse meet up thingies. Anyway, she saw them at a mall in Houston and immediately knew I Would love them. How sweet isn't it?" She gigglesand you do the same. One pair of words in the sentence particularly caught your attention though.

An army spouse? That meant that she would be home alone often. You couldn't hide my smirk as pieces began to fallinto place, so you simply disguised it as a beaming smile. Surely that made her an even better candidate. Yet you needed to know more about her still.

And as you were actually interested in Clair's life for the first time, she decided to suddenly show interest in yours. "What about that ring? Its so pretty?" She asks, fallin right into the bait.

As she asked about the ring, you lifted your hand to display it more clearly. "Oh this was another lovely Mother's day gift! My son bought a whole set in different colors, and I picked white since I love pearls...Would you like one? He asked me to ask if any of my friends would. Isn't he sweet?" You said, trying to construct a believeable story for Clair, but also Mom if her and Clair ever discussed this moment without your... presence. You showed Clair the red, yellow and green rings still in your small purse.

Accept or not, You'd try to pull more out of Clair for the remainder of the drive. "Do you have any kids of your own Clair, or are you still waiting?" You asked, hoping such a personal question hadn't come up before. Not having exact memories made things difficult.

Clair's eyes seemed to draw towards the green ring. She seemed like she's about to ask for one, but then your question catches her off guard. She gives you an estranged look as she seems to forget rhe rings for this question. She didn't seem to have a high attention span..

"What are you talking about Kim? You've seen Jack.." Clair responds. She stares for another half a second before responding. "Yeah, uh, he's two years old."

At first you were worried she might have found your mistake suspicious, but as vou analyze her look you realize its something else. She seems... offended. Like she thinks you don't care about her enough to remember her son... which was a pretty bad look. And as it seems, Clair wasn't one to get off things so easily.

"Uh, no thanks. I wouldn't want to take such a gift from you." She responds politely to your offer, and you can't help but to curse internally

Damn it! Shit! That was a stupid gamble! Why didn't I just wait? Of course someone like Clair would show off her son ASAP. Especially if he was two. He's probably adorable and really sweet. Think Jean! Forget about possessing her! This is about not ruining Mom's relationship! Thiiiiink!

After a moment, your smile faded as she politely declined. The tension in the car felt thick, yet unlike Sierra you didn' t feel your anxiety magnify. "Oh my god, why do I always do this?" You muttered, looking as stressed as you felt. "I'm so sorry, Clair. I didn' t mean to offend you. That was very rude. Little Jack looked so adorable in those white PJs..." you said softly, hoping she'd forgive you at the very least.

You also wondered where white PJs had come from? Was that one of Mom s memories? Or just her body trying to assuage the tension with autopilot?

You pulled out the green ring and offered it to Clair. "No strings attached. Forgive me or not, you can have this. Its the least I can do." you said as the emerald in the center caught the sun just right. You didn't bother smiling as I wanted to be more genuine. This wasn't a bribe, it was an apology.

Clair stares at you for a short minute before quietly grabbing the ring and slipping it on. She didn't seem to forgive you, but you expected that. From your short inquiry of Clair she didn't seem to be one to forget easily, but she also wouldn't be one to not take advantage of such an offer.

"Its alright." She says quietly, but you both knew she didn't mean that. "Well, we're here." She stops in front of the salon. "I have to pick up Jack from day care. I'll see you at work then."