Bound To The Alpha Brothers

Very Strange Things

“No way, Sprinkles. Forget it,” Mom rejects my idea immediately it leaves my lips. She nervously smoothens her hand down her new hairdo, sipping from her drink. I am reluctantly back in West Virginia and we are having lunch in a small restaurant downtown.

“But, Mom, you didn’t even give it any thought.”

“Because I don’t need to! It is outrageous of you to think for once that I would ever agree to your plan of living alone in Cincinnati.” A few heads from other tables turn our way and embarrassed, Mom reduces her voice, holding a hand over her mouth.

I could see nothing wrong with my plan. I have no friends I would be leaving behind after graduation. She and Dad would probably have split up by then, and I would be far away from their drama.

“I will be eighteen next month, Mom. I am not a baby anymore, and I can live on my own just fine.”

She ignores me, preoccupying herself with her bowl of deep-fried French fries. I tried to talk to her like a reasonable person. It is now time for me to use my secret weapon to get what I want.

“I can always ask Dad. He treats me like an adult and listens to me. I’m sure he won’t mind if I lived alone in Cincinnati,” I fold my arms across my chest, waiting for her to take the bait.

When it comes to matters concerning Dad, Mom never disappoints. She pushes her tray away and drains the rest of her glass.

“He bought your bus ticket to Cincinnati, didn’t you? Let me guess, he said yes to your living arrangements, but we all know how irresponsible your father is. You only like him better because he spends more time with you than I do.”

I hate the way she talks about Dad. She constantly calls him names, hurtful names to put him down below her level.

Loser. Unachiever. Irresponsible. Unambitious.

The name-calling has a long list of ugly things. Sometimes, I wonder why she married him, knowing fully well what he does for a living.

Mom travels a lot because she is a successful lawyer and leaves Dad to do both her duties and his. It was Dad who taught me how to ride a bike, how to get over my stammering, and he even taught me how to count my monthly cycle.

Dad owns a car repair shop he inherited from his father. Despite how many times Mom screams at him, he refuses to sell the shed and move to New York like she wants. She is tired of the West Virginia life and wants to go back to the Big Apple.

“Whose fault is that?” I talk back, not afraid of being scolded by her. She wouldn’t try anything in public, very protective of her reputation.

“Merritt.” Not Sprinkles anymore, thank goodness. I hate that nickname. “I thought you of all people would understand. I slave all day to provide the good life your father cannot afford. All I ask from you is to understand.”

I did not ask her to slave for me, but I don’t tell her that. I try another strategy, hoping to end the conversation in my favour.

“I do understand, but it is you who does not understand me. I can’t be your little Sprinkles forever, cooped up in your house and under your rules. Cincinnati is safe and you could always come to visit anytime you like.”

I hope she doesn’t visit though. That would be so lame.

“Is there a reason why you want to go to Blue Ash? What’s so special about it? Or it is because of someone there?”

My brain immediately drifts to the man I had crashed into after my interview. I was not able to say a word to him because his attractive face had gotten me tongue-tied. He must think I cannot speak or maybe that I was weird.

Attractive. Tongue-tied. When did I start to use words like that in my mind?

“Blue Ash feels like another home to me,” I say instead, repeating the jargon I had told the interviewer. Compared to him, Mum is not easily convinced.

“Okay, but I have heard very strange things about Cincy. The natives have testified to seeing large manbeasts that only come out at night. There have been a few deaths and the victims were confirmed to have died as a result of animal attacks. I don’t want anything to happen to my baby. You are all I live for, Merritt.”

Large manbeasts at night? Animal attacks? Could Mom get any sillier?

I fight the urge to scream, frustrated by her random excuses. I drink half of my glass of water and arrange my words in my head as politely as possible.

“I understand your concerns, Mom, but I will be on campus. Nothing can get me up in my room at the hostel. Just say yes, Mom.”

Jeez! You would think we are in court, and I am trying to win a case, instead of having a conversation with my Mom.

While she is making up her mind, I return my thoughts to the man I had run into. I cannot forget the feeling of his fingers brushing against my cheek. I am not a fan of fantasy romance stories and neither do I believe in love. My parents have made sure of that.

However, I cannot explain my body’s reaction to him that day. I tried to describe it in my diary when I was alone but my pen kept tapping on the blank page, writing nothing.

Electrocution. It is the only term I can relate the experience to.

Heavily absorbed in my thoughts, I do not hear Mom’s opening words.

“. . .an adult soon and I need to respect your decision. So, if you want to go to Blue Ash, that’s fine by me.” She takes my palm in hers and squeezes it. “I love you, Sprinkles and I want you to be happy. You know that, right?”

I nod, my first lie of the day. Mom is in love with her job and every other thing comes after that. She likes collecting awards on live TV and getting recognition rather than spending time with my Dad and I.

“Thank you, Mom,” I say plainly, trying to create a smile on my lips. She does not notice anyway, getting ready to leave, so I check my phone for the umpteenth time. Did I do well at the interview as I thought?

“I’m leaving now,” Mom announces, standing up to pat my hair. “I have a meeting with the state attorney in the next ten minutes. I’ll be back late. I will send you some money for you to get something for dinner. Bye.”

I wave at her absentmindedly, my eyes glued to my phone. Suddenly, it beeps and my student portal refreshes, a message slowly unveiling itself. The heading read:

Congratulations, Merritt Maibie! You have been granted admission to study at the UC Blue Ash College! We cannot wait to have you with us!

Other teenagers would jump around with excitement, scream to the skies, maybe shed tears of joy. Me? I skip the rest of the letter for later and finish my glass of water. Then I screenshot the message and send a picture of it to my Dad privately.

A new adventure is waiting for me and it is in Cincinnati.