Page 47 of Bad Reputation
I wrap my arms protectively around my torso, shooting my mother a glare.
My mother sighs. “Fine, fine. But just because you had a bad experience with Rich, that doesn’t mean you just stop dating all together. Otherwise you’ll be thirty before you know it, alone and bitter.”
My jaw drops. “I can’t believe you!”
“Nor I you, frankly.” She sits back in her chair and swirls her wine. “I’m just trying to guide you to a husband. One would think you would be more grateful.”
I grit my teeth. “As it so happens, I am seeing someone.”
“Oh?” She sits up. “Who?”
“Someone who isn’t part of your weird little group of your cronies’ children. Someone who wouldn’t be caught dead at one of your parties, as a matter of fact.”
My mother’s expression flattens.
“So you’re just going to throw your life away and marry some nobody? No, I don’t think so.” She grabs her purse and pulls out her phone. “I’ll start making calls for you right now. Evelyn Becker was just saying that her son is ready to settle down…”
“Mother—” I frown as she continues looking at her phone. I stand up and reach my hand over her screen. “Mom! Stop! Jesus christ.”
She looks at me, affronted. “Emmaline, darling, I’m just trying to make sure you don’t end up alone. It’s a mother’s duty to see her child is taken care of.”
I blow out a breath. “I just told you I’m seeing someone. I’m not alone. And even if I was, I don’t need you fixing me up anymore. Most of the kids of your friends are heinous, if you hadn’t noticed.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that…”
“Well I do,” I say, retaking my seat. “I’m sure that there are exceptions, but I don’t really want to find out for myself. I’m perfectly happy.”
My mother lifts a brow. “What is his name, this man that is supposedly wooing you? What does he do?”
I bite my lip, looking down. “It’s still so new. I don’t feel comfortable airing out all of his personal details to you yet.”
She takes a sip of her wine. “It sounds like you’ve made someone up to put me off.”
“He is real, I assure you.”
“And you think that he will be able to support you when you graduate?”
I pause, confused. “What? I’ll be able to work. Why wouldn’t I just do that?”
My mother looks at me like I must be dumb. “You’ll be pregnant, I presume. You won’t have time for an actualjob, Emmaline.”
I want to protest. I even open my mouth, but nothing comes out. I don’t doubt her sincerity… it’s just that my mother lives in such a different world than I do.
“Mother,” I say, not even knowing where to start. “First off, I am not going to magically get pregnant, unless I’m trying. Thank god for birth control. Second, I assume that you would prefer me to be married first…”
“That goes without saying.”
“Right. Third, I plan on finding a job and holding that job, regardless of whether or not I am, in fact, pregnant. People do it all the time.”
Her mouth puckers into a sour expression. “You think you can do it all, but you can’t. Especially not right after a baby.”
I feel a little sorry for her. “I don’t think that. I do think that men should be active and involved in the child rearing process, though.”
“Oh, really, Emmaline!” she says, exasperated. “That is just crazy talk. If your father heard you say that, he would ship you off to a rehab center.”
“He’d have to get me declared mentally incompetent, then. Because I wouldn’t go for no reason. And what you’re saying, that we disagree over who would raise my theoretical child? That isn’t an argument that Daddy could make to the court.”
I stand up, grabbing my purse. I’m careful to brush the wrinkles out of my dress.