Loglet: Jennie and her Mother

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Jennie and her mother have their weekly chat, and her mother drops some Very Important News



Thursday night, Jennie whistled to herself as she punched the now familiar numbers for her mother’s residence in Taos, New Mexico. Both had agreed to let Jennie do the calling, since it was much cheaper. Her mother had been sober for 8 months, left rehab and was now in a halfway house. Jennie would never admit to anyone how much she actually looked forward to talking with her mother. Sobriety had revealed a woman who was very much like Jennie, both in temperament and in personality, much to Jennie’s chagrin.

The phone rang twice, and on the third a tired-sounding woman with a Greek accent answered. “Hello?”

“Hey Mom,” Jennie said cheerfully, leaning back in her chair.

“Jennielove.” Her mother replied. “Goodness, is it that time already?” She rubbed her eyes and stared blearily at the clock.

“Yup, Thursday night, 8 o’clock, 6-ish your time. You okay Mom? You sound all tired.” She frowned, her mother was usually bubbly and chipper during their phonecalls.

“Yes, I’m alright. I was just sleeping. I’ve been having bad migranes all week.” Penelope Stavros pinched the bridge of her nose. Her current one was still making her stomach roll.

“Migranes? Have you been taking anything for them?” Jennie bit her lip, the question had a double meaning to it.

“No, darling.” Penny replied, sighing.

Jennie could hear the ruefulness in her mother’s voice and gave herself a little kick. “Well, y’know, they’ve got stuff just for migranes.”

“I know dear. But I’ve had three migranes in the p-p-past week.” Penny smothered a yawn. “I’m not sure if I trust medicines now. Felicia is taking me to see her acupuncturist tomorrow.” 6 months in rehab and a lifetime of pharmaceuticals had soured Penny on chemicals of any kind. Her roommate and fellow rehabber swore by alternative methods to stress reduction and good health, and was busy converting Penny to the cause.

Over the phone Jennie snorted. “8 months in New Mexico and you’ve turned into a goddamned hippie.”

“Jennie.” Her mother said warningly. “Don’t take the lord’s name in vain.” Felicia had also been making monthly pilgrimages with her mother to the Orthodox church in Albuquerque.

“Sorry Mom.” Jennie shook her head. Seems like she was into all sorts of weird stuff down there. “It’s just the acupuncturist, finding religion, next thing you know you’ll be speaking to Grandma again.”

“Well,” her mother said absently. “I have.”

“Have what? Found Jesus? Was he behind the dryer? ……wait, no.” Jennie jumped out of her chair. “You called Grandma? You called Grandma, didn’t you?” Jennie exclaimed excitedly. Penelope’s family had not been happy with her decision to move to New York from their small Greek town to pursue her dreams of a dance career. The Stavroses ended up cutting off all contact with Penelope when her drug habit grew out of control and finally ended her career.

Over the phone Penny chuckled. “Yes, I did. Took me eight tries to actually call, but it’s an important step in the recovery process to reconnect with your past. So I called, and she answered, and we talked. My goodness, did we talk. She cried, I cried, oh darling, it was more than I could have hoped. Then I talked to your grandfather. And…” She gave a happy sigh. “He doesn’t hate me, neither of them do. My brother, though…” She trailed off with another sigh, this one pained. “But they do want me to come home and see them.”

“And?” Jennie couldn’t hide the impatience from her voice. “Did you tell them?”

“Tell them about what?” Her mother replied coyly.

“Me! Did you tell them you have a daughter?” Jennie’s palms were sweaty. She hoped that the beautiful reunion between her mother and her parents wasn’t hopelessly destroyed by the bombshell of a bastard granddaughter.

“I did.” Penny twirled the cord in her fingers. Her migrane was starting to pound at her temples again, but this was important. She took a deep breath. “They were less surprised than I thought they would be. I told them all about you, how you were so smart and pretty and attending a very prestigious school and had lots of interesting friends.”

Jennie felt like she had just swallowed a glass of warm milk. Relief and joy at hearing her mother’s compliments did funny things to her digestive track. “And what did they say?” Jennie said anxiously.

Penny chuckled at her daughter’s tone. “They were delighted. I told them I would mail them your picture. Do you have any recent ones you could send me? I still want to see you as a blonde.”

Jennie couldn’t take the stupid grin off her face. She had grandparents! Not that she never had grandparents, but now she had grandparents who knew who she was. “Did you tell them about the other thing?”

“What other..? Oh, yes, your mutant thing. No dear, I didn’t. I’m not sure how much they’re aware of mutants, Santorini isn’t exactly metropolitan. Besides, that is a subject for another time.”

“Yeah.” Jennie agreed heartily. “Man, I have grandparents! This is great! Next you’ll be telling me who helped spawn me.” In her elation Jennie had forgotten the taboo subject of her father’s identity. She could feel the mood shift from her mother over the phone.

“Darling, that is also a subject for another time.” Her happy mood punctured like an over-inflated balloon, Penny leaned back in her chair. Dark spots were beginning to dance in front of her eyes. “I can only move so fast.” So much wreckage in one life. Her daughter’s acceptance had taught her to hope she could undo the wrongs of her past, but still, there was much hurt, and so many wounds she did not want to risk re-opening.

“I know Mom.” Jennie said apologetically. Hearing the old hurt in her mother’s voice, Jennie made a mental note to kick her sperm donor very hard if she ever met him. “You’re doing good. I mean it.” Jennie said with feeling.

“Thank you, darling, that means so much to me.” Her mother replied with equal feeling. “Sweetheart, I’m going to have to go, my migrane is getting worse.” The pain was rolling in and out like waves.

“Don’t worry Mom, go lie down where it’s dark.”

“Thank you. I love you so much, Jennie.” Penny said slowly.

“Thanks Mom.” Jennie smiled. “Me too. Go lay down, okay?”

“Okay,” her mother said faintly, and hung up the phone with a click.

Jennie put her phone down and stared at it disbelievingly She then leaped out of her chair and threw the door of her room open and raced out of the suite. “Marius! Guess what just happened!”