I grabbed a few blankets from the closet for the girls and went to bed early. I had the strangest dream: a fair-skinned man was looking at me, calling my name, "Babe... Babe..."
— Babe!
I woke up abruptly, the sun already streaming through the window and lighting up my room. Oops... it was already morning!
I heard my name resonate at my door. It was my mother. I had barely officially left their house the day before, and she was already here. I dragged myself out of bed with difficulty; yesterday's champagne had surely left me groggy.
I opened the door, and as soon as I saw her, she was holding out bags full of groceries.
— Here, I did some shopping for you, she said, looking conscientious.
— But... Mom, you didn't have to go to so much trouble... I had already filled my...
No sooner had I finished my sentence than she was already standing in the kitchen, opening the fridge, which she found empty.
— I knew it...
— What, Mom?
— You haven't done any grocery shopping. Do you really plan on living here alone?
She rolled her eyes again seeing Fabiola and Manue sprawled out on the rug. A glance at the trash can confirmed the presence of take-out containers. Then she launched into her usual little lecture about my ability to take care of myself.
— You won't be able to last. You'd better pack your bags and come home right now! she exclaimed.
I swallowed every response that came to mind, hoping to find the right thing to say. Suddenly, Manue stood up and greeted my mother in a friendly tone:
— Hello, Mrs. Dang! How are you? You look so well, you don't look your age at all.
My mother's already wrinkled face began to soften. An air of cheerfulness appeared on her face: she loved being complimented.
— Oh! she exclaimed. Stop it, Manue... I'm flattered. It's true that at 50, I really don't look my age!
Hello, modesty.
— Exactly, Madam. I see you did some shopping; let me help you put it away.
She suited action to the word by taking the grocery bags.
— Absolutely not, it's Sunday, and I plan to cook myself, she said sternly.
— Oh no, come on! We can't let you do everything alone. We're here, aren't we, Babe? she chimed in, looking at me to snap me out of my reverie and play along.
— Of course not, Mom, we'll help you, I replied.
We helped my mother put things away and cook. Fabiola joined us in the kitchen to lend a hand. The day flew by without us realizing it: we talked about classes, and my mother wouldn't stop giving us advice about the dangers of sexual relations before marriage (a very awkward moment).
After dinner, they got ready to leave the house. Since we were neighbors in the other city, my mother offered to take them home.
I waved goodbye to the girls from the landing of my floor:
— Have a safe trip home! Thanks for your help!
— Thank you, Babe! See you soon, they said in unison.
I watched them go down the stairs, gradually disappearing, my heart light. The house was finally quiet, and a sweet feeling of freedom washed over me.
I stretched out for a moment and realized that I still didn't have a phone. My God! With everything that had happened this weekend, I hadn't thought about it, and tomorrow was the start of classes.
So I grabbed my bag and my bank card, put on a huge hoodie, and prepared to take a taxi to a store to buy my smartphone.
Arriving at the store, I noticed that there were a lot of people. Had they also surely broken their screen while falling, like me?
Across the room, I saw different salespeople promoting and presenting phones. I barely had time to look around before a saleswoman approached, looking kind:
— Can I help you with something, Madam?
— Uh... yes, I would like a new smartphone; I broke mine yesterday.
— Oh! I'm sorry, she said, looking apologetic. No worries, please follow me.
She motioned with her hand to show me the way. In the very back were high chairs, similar to those found in a bar, where I sat down facing the counter while waiting for accessories and the phone to be brought to me.
During this brief moment, my gaze kept sweeping the crowd, hoping to run into an acquaintance, when I saw a young man from outside parking a black G-Wagon.
He got out with class and entered the store. His steps were heavy (I'm not very skilled at estimating people's weight, but he seemed to weigh a ton). He walked straight, his body appearing robust, with muscles sculpted like a Greek god's marble, a young, dark-skinned Apollo with a daring gaze.
— Miss? ... uh, Miss?
— Yes... I said, looking surprised, snapping out of my reverie and stopping staring at him.
— Here is your order, and accessories you can choose for the phone.
— Thank you, Madam, I'll look through everything.
— We also have more suitable lanyards and cases to prevent potential falls for your phone.
— Most certainly, I replied, tearing my gaze away from the young saleswoman and returning to observe the man now sitting at a counter. He was being presented with a charger which he took and tested on his phone before answering:
"Yes, this works better."
His voice was deep but gentle. He seemed to be one of those men with an attractive and imposing physique but a surprisingly soft demeanor, almost like a puppy. In fact, he now reminded me of a puppy.
I held out my card to validate my purchase.
The saleswoman swiped it through the terminal and... for a brief moment, the terminal seemed to hesitate. My heart skipped a beat.
And then, in my head: "No... not now... not in front of him... not now that I've been watching him all this time!"
I already saw myself stuttering absurd excuses... but on the second swipe, everything went through perfectly. I let out a little nervous laugh, a mix of relief and amusement. Shame had almost gotten me... and I had managed to save face in front of him.
I made broad gestures to hide my slight embarrassment and delicately took the bag she handed me, my hands brushing the paper and plastic of the packaging. Finally, a brand new, beautiful phone, ready to replace the one I had broken.
The saleswoman gave me a big smile:
— Thank you so much for coming to iStore! We hope to see you again... oops! Not too soon, but maybe for accessories!
— I indeed hope it will only be for accessories! And certainly not for a return to the SAV. Thank you very much!
I took the bag and got ready to turn around to leave. I saw the man getting back into his vehicle and leaving immediately.
I just met the man of my life, didn't I, universe?