just_muse_me - 10.8.3 [The Odd Couple] - I'm Sorry Mama
I'm sorry Mama//I never meant to hurt you//I never meant to make you cry but tonight//I'm cleaning out my closet ~Eminem
"You should have invited Danny to dinner, angel. He was a nice man." Ada nodded as she handed Jay dishes to load in the dishwasher. Jay shrugged.
"Ah, it's Christmas. He's got his family."
"And he didn't want to be with you?" Her mom raised a brow.
"Mami, we're...we're not serious. It's not-"
"No? You both looked pretty crazy about each other."
Jay rolled her eyes. "It's not like that. He's...he's Danny."
"Mhmm. Well I like him. You need to bring him over again."
"I will." Jay looked down at her hands as she put glasses in the dishwasher. "You...you really did like him?"
"Didn't I just say so?"
"Yea...I just...wanna make sure," Jay nodded.
"I like him. He's a gentleman."
Jay nodded again and breathed deeply. She cleaned quietly for awhile before standing up and leaning back against the counter to look over at her mother. "There's...there's somethin' I should tell you."
Ada looked up curiously. "Oh?" Of course it was odd. Jay and Ada hardly kept things from each other. "Are you pregnant?"
"No! No, I'm not-" Jay shook her head quickly. "Not at all."
"Things okay in that department?"
"Things are fine in that department," Jay smirked. "Beyond fine."
"Good." Ada nodded in thought. "He looks very...fit."
"Ma!" Jay smiled and covered her forehead. "I'm tryin' to talk to you here."
"Okay, okay, what's so important then?" Ada looked at her daughter expectantly, and Jay froze. Her smile was gone and she was suddenly nervous on her feet. This was about to be ugly, and she knew it.
"Ma...Danny..." she took a deep breath. "He isn't just a scientist."
"What does that mean?"
"He...he investigates crime scenes."
Ada stood taller, her face falling grim. "He's a cop?"
Jay looked down at her feet, her head slowly nodded. "Yea, he's a cop...like..a scientific cop..."
"But he's a cop."
"I-" Jay brought her eyes up to Ada's. Her mother's face was pale and pained.
"You...you brought a cop into my home?"
"Ma, he's just Danny. You said you liked him."
"He's a cop, Jayla!"
"I know," Jay's voice started to shake. "But...he's a good guy. He's not..."
"They all are! You can't trust them! You know that!"
"Mami.."
"No! My daughter will not date a filthy cop! What would your Daddy say?! How can you disrespect him like this?! You disrespect me!"
"I don't. I'm...I'm not!" Her hands clutched the counter behind her and she chewed her lip as her mother launched into a long string of Spanish. Yelling and cursing. "Mami-I...I know, Mami..just..I know! Stop a minute!"
"And you lied to me?" Ada slipped back into English, shaking her head.
"I didn't want to upset you."
"Then you shouldn't have been so stupid! You can't trust this man, and you can't expect anything from him!"
"You...you said you liked him," Jay said softly, her eyes were tearing up and she felt like a stupid child.
"And I'm sure your Daddy trusted the man who shot him."
Jay's eyes closed. She didn't want to think about her dad. "I just...I wanted to be honest with you. I wanted you to see him for...him, before-"
"It's not acceptable." Ada shook her head and slowly started to make her way to the living room, her slow pace easing through the house.
Jay watched her mother leave the room and took a long breath, then covered her eyes. Her shoulders shook, but she held it in. She wasn't going to break down. She wasn't going to cry. This was one of the reasons she wasn't getting attached to Danny. It's why she couldn't. Whether she trusted him or not. It didn't matter. She couldn't disappoint her mother like this.
She walked out of the kitchen to the hallway and grabbed her coat and purse, throwing them both on.
"You tell him it's over before you come back here!" Her mother called from the living room. Jay breathed deeply again and walked out the front door, slamming it shut behind herself. She needed to fall apart, but she didn't want to.
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"You should have invited Danny to dinner, angel. He was a nice man." Ada nodded as she handed Jay dishes to load in the dishwasher. Jay shrugged.
"Ah, it's Christmas. He's got his family."
"And he didn't want to be with you?" Her mom raised a brow.
"Mami, we're...we're not serious. It's not-"
"No? You both looked pretty crazy about each other."
Jay rolled her eyes. "It's not like that. He's...he's Danny."
"Mhmm. Well I like him. You need to bring him over again."
"I will." Jay looked down at her hands as she put glasses in the dishwasher. "You...you really did like him?"
"Didn't I just say so?"
"Yea...I just...wanna make sure," Jay nodded.
"I like him. He's a gentleman."
Jay nodded again and breathed deeply. She cleaned quietly for awhile before standing up and leaning back against the counter to look over at her mother. "There's...there's somethin' I should tell you."
Ada looked up curiously. "Oh?" Of course it was odd. Jay and Ada hardly kept things from each other. "Are you pregnant?"
"No! No, I'm not-" Jay shook her head quickly. "Not at all."
"Things okay in that department?"
"Things are fine in that department," Jay smirked. "Beyond fine."
"Good." Ada nodded in thought. "He looks very...fit."
"Ma!" Jay smiled and covered her forehead. "I'm tryin' to talk to you here."
"Okay, okay, what's so important then?" Ada looked at her daughter expectantly, and Jay froze. Her smile was gone and she was suddenly nervous on her feet. This was about to be ugly, and she knew it.
"Ma...Danny..." she took a deep breath. "He isn't just a scientist."
"What does that mean?"
"He...he investigates crime scenes."
Ada stood taller, her face falling grim. "He's a cop?"
Jay looked down at her feet, her head slowly nodded. "Yea, he's a cop...like..a scientific cop..."
"But he's a cop."
"I-" Jay brought her eyes up to Ada's. Her mother's face was pale and pained.
"You...you brought a cop into my home?"
"Ma, he's just Danny. You said you liked him."
"He's a cop, Jayla!"
"I know," Jay's voice started to shake. "But...he's a good guy. He's not..."
"They all are! You can't trust them! You know that!"
"Mami.."
"No! My daughter will not date a filthy cop! What would your Daddy say?! How can you disrespect him like this?! You disrespect me!"
"I don't. I'm...I'm not!" Her hands clutched the counter behind her and she chewed her lip as her mother launched into a long string of Spanish. Yelling and cursing. "Mami-I...I know, Mami..just..I know! Stop a minute!"
"And you lied to me?" Ada slipped back into English, shaking her head.
"I didn't want to upset you."
"Then you shouldn't have been so stupid! You can't trust this man, and you can't expect anything from him!"
"You...you said you liked him," Jay said softly, her eyes were tearing up and she felt like a stupid child.
"And I'm sure your Daddy trusted the man who shot him."
Jay's eyes closed. She didn't want to think about her dad. "I just...I wanted to be honest with you. I wanted you to see him for...him, before-"
"It's not acceptable." Ada shook her head and slowly started to make her way to the living room, her slow pace easing through the house.
Jay watched her mother leave the room and took a long breath, then covered her eyes. Her shoulders shook, but she held it in. She wasn't going to break down. She wasn't going to cry. This was one of the reasons she wasn't getting attached to Danny. It's why she couldn't. Whether she trusted him or not. It didn't matter. She couldn't disappoint her mother like this.
She walked out of the kitchen to the hallway and grabbed her coat and purse, throwing them both on.
"You tell him it's over before you come back here!" Her mother called from the living room. Jay breathed deeply again and walked out the front door, slamming it shut behind herself. She needed to fall apart, but she didn't want to.
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