Mom and Lori

Rita Loud scans the room for familiar faces.

In a booth, a man with a laptop tries to type on a keyboard and eat a panini at the same time. At the bar near the windows, an elderly man and woman sip drinks and watch birds fly by. A teenage boy, whom she recognizes as a patient at her office, lazily reads a textbook, with a smear of ketchup on his mouth. At one of the tables, a younger reflection of Rita idly nibbles at a plate of corn chips and guacamole while fiddling with her cell phone. She looks up as her mother approaches.

"Thought I'd find you here."

"Did you really?"

She takes a seat across from her daughter. "Nah. This is a pleasant surprise."

A wide-hipped, bespectacled woman comes by and stands beside their table with a pen and notepad at the ready. "Afternoon, Rita," she says. "What can I getcha?"

"Hmm. A baked mac 'n' cheese, with extra breadcrumbs. And an orange juice, please."

"You got it."

As the waitress walks away, scratching onto her notepad, Lori speaks. "I thought you were going gluten-free."

"Your father thinks I'm going gluten-free," says her mother, "because I can't put up with his nagging any longer."

She tries to smile. "I can keep a secret, then."

"Thanks. You know, I love that man, but..." Rita puts her elbows on the table and rests her chin on her hands. "He always thinks he's found the next big thing that's gonna change our lives. You know?"

Lori swallows a bite of chip and dip. "Like that time he wanted to buy a boat?"

Her mother smiles and snaps her fingers. "Exactly like that. Or when he tried to make us all eat organic. Or when he spent all that money on that stationary exercise bike in the basement."

"You know, we actually set that up a few weeks ago. Lynn and Lincoln have been using it."

"Really? Good for them." She points at Lori's drink. "What is that?"

"Iced tea."

"Can I have a sip?"

"Sure."

"... Mmn." She flinches when it hits her tongue. "Lemony."

"Sorry."

"Eh, you're the one who has to drink it."

Rita sighs and lets her gaze wander the room for a minute as Lori idly eats another chip. The latter stares at her phone as if it were the window of her prison cell.

"Expecting a call?"

She shuts off the phone and pockets it. "Not really, no."

Her mother raises her eyes. "That's a first. Is something wrong? Don't tell me you broke up with Bobby or something."

"No!" Lori waves her hands in front of her. "No, no. Goodness, no."

"Ah. I was worried for a second, there."

"We're still together. He's just visiting family in Mexico for the week."

"Oh. That's nice."

"It's not nice. He only has time to talk to me in the mornings and evenings."

Mrs. Loud purses her lips.

"And all my other friends are doing stuff today. I have literally nobody to hang out with."

She furrows her brow. "Lori! You have ten siblings at home who would love your company!"

Her daughter rolls her eyes and takes a sip of tea. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm not on very good terms with them."

"That's nonsense, honey. And even if it were true, that means you should try to make things better. You know?"

Her eyes avert to the side, and Rita follows her gaze. The bespectacled woman returns, carrying a plate and glass. "Baked mac'n, with extra breadcrumbs," she says, setting them down, "and an OJ."

"Thank you, Joyce."

"You enjoy, now."

Lori watches her mother take a massive bite, close her eyes, and hum a short groan of satisfaction. Upon swallowing, she says, "I needed this."

For a few minutes, they eat and drink in silence. Lori tries not to reflexively check her phone, but eventually fails. Still, however, she's received no new messages of any kind from anyone.

"I miss my boyfriend," she says.

"No doubt about that."

"I just wish he could send me a hug through the phone. Like, not just ex-oh-ex-oh, but an actual hug, with arms and everything."

"Huh." Rita smiles. "That really would be nice."

"There are some things you can't get by just talking to someone." Lori leans back in her chair. "You know, when I'm with him, I feel like a little girl again. All the rest of the time, I have to be the big girl, the one in charge."

"I thought you liked that."

"I do. Most of the time. But sometimes I just need to... let go of everything. And Bobby lets me do that."

As they finish eating, Lori's phone beeps. She grabs it excitedly, but returns to a neutral expression as she reads the message.

"Who's it from?" asks her mother.

Lori passes her the phone. The message reads: <LORI A BAD THING IS HAPENNING LINN IS TRYING TO TAECH THE DOG TO PLAY BICYCEL HOCKEY WERE ALL TAKING COVER IN OUR ROOMS PLS SEND HELP LOVE ELNI>

She pinches the bridge of her nose. "Oh, junior..."

Her daughter pockets the phone. "Guess we should get home."

"Yeah. The car's outside. You can get home, and I'll pay for all this."

She smirks. "Nice try, Mom. You're coming with me for this one."

"Oh, why can't I fool you anymore?"

They share a short laugh together.