Educated Love

Chapter 12

A stout woman of 46 came off the ramp of the plane carrying nothing but a briefcase. Sam was sitting in a chair not far from the gate watching her mom. For the first time in a long time she didn't care if her mom thought she was late. She watched as Linda looked around for her not seeing her. Finally after waiting about ten minutes Sam stood and walked up to her unsure of what her mom would say to her. Finally Linda spotted Sam as she approached.

"Your late, that's unlike you!" Linda said firmly.

"I've been here for twenty minutes, let's go. Randy is waiting to meet you." Sam said flatly.

"What's wrong?" Linda asked.

"Nothing I can't handle." Sam answered.

"You started your morning sickness!" Linda stated matter of factly.

Sam looked her mom over slowly, in every detail. Sam knew that her brothers, sister and she didn't get their height from mom but from dad. Linda stood at 5' 5" with short curly brown hair and Sam's green eyes were an attribute that came from Linda. Sam then turned to the baggage claim. Linda followed knowing better then to say anything else. When they got to the Jeep Linda couldn't take the silence anymore.

"You are the most stubborn person I've ever seen," Linda blurted out.

"Don't know where I could have gotten that from," Sam retorted.

"You don't need to be such a smart ass about it," Linda said harshly.

"Too late, I already am," Sam said as she started the Jeep.

"If you weren’t getting married and already over 18 years old I'd smack you," Linda spoke slowly.

"Then I'd have you arrested for child abuse," Sam said, keeping her eyes on the road. Too afraid that if she really tried to argue with her mother, that she'd get the urge to drive off the road and kill them both.

"You always were too much weren't you, Sammy?" Linda said absently.

"Oh, I don't know, I always thought I was pretty normal." Sam responded.

"You're far from normal, I thought more the once about putting you in a mental institute." Linda said sarcastically, knowing that she was pushing her away even more by pushing the stupid argument about nothing.

"That's funny; I can say the same for you." Sam said sharply.

"Oh, hell Sam. Why can't we talk like normal people?" Linda said desperately wanting to stop it before it went any further then it already had.

"Because we aren't." Sam said trying to refrain from looking at her and instead keeping her eyes on the road.

The rest of the drive went on in silence. Sam concentration on the road and Linda on the passing scenery. Finally at 4 o'clock Sam pulled into Randy's driveway. Sam got out and got Linda's bags from the back.

"You put those down right now, Sam!" Randy said sharply, she looked up at him and smiled.

"Protective aren't we?" Sam said sarcastically. At that Randy's face softened into a grand smile.

"Aren't introductions in order?" Linda piped-up.

"Randy this is my mom, Linda. Mom this is Randy." Sam said.

"How do you do?" Randy said politely.

"Fine, thank you. You're polite, aren't you?" Linda commented.

"Only when I want to be!" Randy replied.

"Come on. You made me put these down, so you are going to carry them." Sam said, and then gave him a kiss on his cheek. Randy picked-up the bags and brought them into the main hallway. Linda looked around the house in amazement. Sam smiled; knowing that Linda was in fact impressed with the house. Sam felt very proud of what her mother was seeing.

"How can you afford such a splendid house on a teacher's salary?" Linda asked still looking around.

"My parents left me this house three years ago when they moved. So I just keep it together," Randy answered.

"Let's show her to her room, Randy." Sam interrupted.

"Yes, lets!" Randy said picking-up Linda's bags again and heading up the stairs to the guest bedroom farthest from his own. Linda was practically right behind him; Sam followed at a distance.

"Here you go!" Randy nudged the door open with one of the bags and then set them down at the end of the bed.

"Thank you, Randy." Linda said as she sat on the bed.

"Well, we'll leave you to unpack," Sam said as she tugged on Randy's hand. Randy took her hand in his, smiled at Linda then lead Sam out of the room.

"Is something wrong? You've been acting weird since you got sick during class." Randy spoke after they were out of the room and half way down the stairs.

"Just trying not to overstress the situation and it's not working so far." Sam answered.

"Is she really so bad?" Randy asked.

"She can be!"

"How so?" Randy asked.

"Randy do you have a tux?" Linda asked from the door of the guestroom.

"I took care of that last week." Randy answered not looking at Linda but at Sam.

"Mom, are you finished unpacking?" Sam asked still holding Randy's gaze.

"No."

"Finish, we'll be downstairs in the kitchen," Sam said harshly, feeling like she was going to strangle her mother in frustration. Her mother could never do one thing at a time. She had to be involved in everything at once, especially now that she had someone to latch onto again.

"Damn it Sam, don't treat me like a child," Linda gritted out. "I'm your mother, don't forget."

"You get treated like you treat people!" Sam said and then went into the kitchen.

"She asks me to come down to help plan the wedding, and when I try to figure out what needs to be done she brushes me aside," Linda said totally exasperated.

"Linda... you read too much into your daughter's mood swing. That's all it is, a mood swing." Randy turned and went in the same direction as Sam had just gone.

"Randy..." Linda stopped when she saw him round the corner. She turned then and walked back into the room.

"Sam are you sure you want her here?" Randy asked, Sam who was at the table only nodded yes.

"I don't know why, but I feel better if she stayed and helped." Sam whispered, and then they both heard a knock at the door. "You better go answer that, just in case." Randy nodded as he turned and headed for the door. He quickly looked through the peep hole to see James, Sam's dad standing there. Randy threw open the door and put on a fake smile.

"Where is she?" James asked harshly.

"Your daughter is in the kitchen!" Randy answered.

"Not her, my ex-wife!" James said.

"Upstairs unpacking!" Randy answered a little surprised. "How did you know she was here?"

"Alex called me up a little while ago and told me!" James answered. "I'll go visit with Sam until she comes down. In the kitchen?" Randy only nodded in surprise.

"Hey, Sammy!" James said as he stepped into the kitchen. If Sam was shocked or surprised Randy didn't see it. When Sam looked at Randy all he could do was shrug.

"What are you doing here dad?" Sam finally asked.

"I wanted to know why Linda is here." James stated.

"Because I need someone to help me plan the wedding and Alex couldn't stay!" Sam answered.

"I could have helped." James said a little child like.

"You already have by offering to pay for it and because you have to give me away at the wedding!" Sam reassured him.

"Who's going to give you away?" Linda asked as she came into the kitchen. She stopped at the sight of James. "Hello James!" Linda said lightly.

"Hello Linda!" James responded coldly.

"Don't even think about starting anything here or now!" Sam said with a gleam of anger in her eyes.

"Sammy, what is James doing here?" Linda asked.

"He came to see what damage we have done to his pocket book." Sam answered sarcastically.

"You mean your tight wad father actually intends to pay for this?" Linda asked stunned.

"Will you guys stop it?" Randy didn't want to see physical violence. James, Linda and Sam just looked at him. "Now, how about sitting down and talking like rational people." Sam only nodded from where she was already sitting; James nodded and sat down next to her. Linda just stood and started at Randy as he sat down on the other side of Sam.

"I can't believe this. You two are actually listening to this boy," Linda exclaimed, she was looking from Sam to James and back again.

"What the hell do you mean by that?" Randy exploded; he had never been questioned in such a way by someone outside of his parents or the principle of his school.

"You're too young to know what we should be doing." Linda stated flatly staring at Randy as if he was a bug to squash.

"And what do you purpose we do when it comes to arguing, start beating each other until someone finally gives in?" Randy said harshly.

"No, I just don't understand why you think you know everything!" Linda said hotly.

"I don't. I just happen to be using good sense and judgment!" Randy answered.

"Will you both stop it right now?" James exploded. "We are all civilized people, so let's act like it." Sam pulled Randy closer to her, giving her mom a cold look before looking back at Randy. Who saw it and was startled as well as amazed. But he refrained from saying anything; instead put it aside for the moment. Sam went and got a legal pad and pen to stat writing things down so they wouldn't forget anything that they agreed on.

When 9:30 rolled around James decided that it was late and that it was time for him to go home and to bed. After Sam walked him to the door and got him to promise he'd be back tomorrow to work on more stuff. Linda looked at her and smiled at how innocent she seemed after all she had been through. Linda finally stood up and started for her bedroom in order to get ready for bed. Sam turned to her and called out to stop her. "Mom?"

Linda stopped and looked at her waiting for her to speak. "Why did you come?" Sam asked softly.

"Because you asked me to and I would still do anything for you, all of you. Even if you all don't believe that of me. Maybe one day we can all work this out so that we aren't fighting any more." Linda answered with a little smile before heading upstairs. Sam turned to Randy with a small smile.

"I think your mother is starting to get the idea that something is wrong and needs to be fixed." Randy stated as he got up and went over and enveloped her in a hug. Sam looked up at him with her arms around his waist.

"I just wish that she had learned this awhile ago when we were all younger and could have really used her help the most," Sam said, then laid her head on his chest.

"Don't forget that she loves you and is trying to rectify it while she thinks she still has a chance. Before you and the rest of your family go away and never come back again," Randy said still hugging her. Finally he pulled apart from her and then took her hand he lead her upstairs and to bed.