At First Glance

After forgetting to close the drapes last night, the sun made it to Carol and started to warm up the air enough for the blonde woman to feel her shirt beginning to damp.

Carol woke up irritated, feeling the sticky sweat all over her body. She slowly opened her eyes, squinting at the harsh light directed at her face.

The blonde could hardly pull herself off the bed, she looked at her bedside table to see what time it was already.

9:30 am

I slept longer than expected. I better get ready, Rindy will be here any minute.

With a heavy sigh, Carol forced herself out of the bed and got her breakfast ready.

Stepping out of her room, the blonde was grateful that she had tastefully designed her industrial kitchen with stainless steel island and appliances. It maintained that classic big-city loft vibe she had always wanted; it made her feel less alone in such a huge space.

With just a loose tank top and underwear, the woman started cooking her meal. She went through her fridge and noticed she was nearly out of food. I better do some grocery shopping with Rindy later.

While she was preparing her breakfast, the blonde couldn’t help but think about Therese.

Would it be too early to call? What if she gave her number just because she pities me?

Shaking the thoughts away from her, Carol focused on her task and got ready for the day.

She took her bland cereal and coffee with her to the living room and watched some mindless television.

While she was watching, the blonde couldn’t help but think of Therese. She barely knew the woman, yet she had her wrapped around her tiny finger. Her dimples, auburn hair, lithe body, contagious smile, and her alluring voice; it was all flashing in Carol’s mind. She felt like a prisoner to her own addiction and the brunette was her drug. Seeing Audrey Hepburn on her screen surely didn’t make it all easy for her, it made her miss the young woman even more. Is she thinking of me, too? Is she waiting for my call?

After finishing her meal, Carol went to the bathroom and took a quick shower, not just to clean her body but her thoughts as well. She didn’t have extra time to think about someone else, this day was solely for Rindy. She decided she’d call Therese after her bonding with her daughter. After her short steamy session, the blonde headed to dry her hair. Going through her closet, she opted for a white polo shirt tucked in olive square pants. This will do.

While she was in the middle of fixing her mascara, Carol heard the doorbell ring, indicating that her daughter was already outside waiting for her.

She hastily finished her make-up and went to open the door. With just a few quick steps, the blonde was already facing a young woman who looked just like her. Behind her daughter was a taller man with neat hair and a suitcase with him.

“Mom! I missed you so bad,” Rindy hugged her mother tightly.

Carol was fast to reciprocate her tenderness, “Oh, sweety, I missed you even more. Now that you’re here, we can do whatever you want. How does that sound?”

 The blonde cupped her face and waited for her daughter’s response. “I’d love that!”

“I better get going, Carol. I still have a meeting I can’t miss. I’ll get her in two weeks,” Harge, Carol’s ex-husband, interrupted their moment.

“Of course, don’t worry, Harge, we’ll be just fine” the blonde smiled at him reassuringly.

“Alright, kiddo. Enjoy your time with your mom, I’ll miss you,” the auburn man kissed his daughter’s cheek.

“Bye, dad! Good luck with your meeting.”

After closing the door, Carol turned to Rindy and asked, “What do you want to do today? I’m on a day off, so we can go wherever you want!”

“Really?! I want to go to LACMA and see the levitated mass!” her daughter enthusiastically answered.

“We’re getting artsy, are we? Sure, we can go there but after that, we need to do some shopping, we’re nearly out of food.”

The young blonde just nodded and then went to her room to fix her things.

Carol followed her and asked, “Do you want to watch some TV first? It’s too hot outside, maybe we’ll go out after lunch. Besides, the cleaning lady will be here by that time, it’s better to not interrupt her while she does her work, right?”

“Sure, mom. No need to worry, but we can order some pizza. I’m starving.”

Moments later, the two were sitting on the couch with their pizza and watching the series Rindy gushed about. Carol laughed at the way her daughter described Glee. Haven’t watched the series herself, the blonde agreed to have it played.

A few episodes later, the older woman realized that Santana was attracted to women. This discovery made the blonde think about another brunette. Carol couldn’t pinpoint what she was feeling but she knew that she was attracted to Therese. She smiled knowing there was a possibility of being more than just friends with the young woman and she couldn’t wait for the day to end to finally call her.

A knock on the door interrupted Carol’s musings. She went to the door and saw a middle-aged woman dressed in casual slacks and polo.

“Hi, Florence, come in. Rindy and I will be out the whole afternoon and might be back before dinner. Just tidy up the place and make sure to have Rindy’s room all fixed. Help yourself with anything in the fridge.”

The woman just simply nodded her head, taking in what the man of the house just said. Carol then called out for her daughter, “Rindy, have your bag prepared already. Florence’s here and we’ll leave in a minute.”

The blonde heard the TV shut off and saw her daughter excitedly running towards her. The next thing she knew, the young woman was already by her side, ready to leave.

“Bye, Flo! I’ll see you later,” Rindy cheerfully said.

“Bye, Rin. Have fun with your mom,” their helper waved with a sweet smile.

Carol was glad to be able to spend time with her only child. She realized how mature her daughter was for her age. She hadn’t realized how knowledgeable Rindy was when it came to arts.

Entering LACMA, the two were instantly in awe of the building’s ambiance and aesthetics. It was designed with seven semi-transparent structures at the ground, that would support an elevated, transparent main exhibition level with a floor-to-ceiling glass façade. They roamed around the space and appreciated every piece exhibited in the museum. When they finally went out, the sun was almost setting. Carol was grateful that it was even more refreshing outside because of the outdoor landscaped plazas, educational spaces, and sculpture gardens.

There, they went to see the Levitated Mass Rindy was talking about earlier. It was a 456-foot-long concrete slot constructed on LACMA’s campus. As visitors walked into the slot, it gradually descended to fifteen feet in depth, running underneath the boulder into an open central chamber before ascending back up.

Sometime later, Carol was feeling her feet getting tired. With all the walking they had done that day, her body was slowly surrendering in defeat. As much as she wanted to stay out with her daughter, she was feeling awfully worn out already.

“Baby, it’s getting late. Do you want to go home already? We still have to do some grocery shopping.”

“Sure, mom. No worries”

On the other side of town, Abby was out with her wife and kids for some family bonding. Ever since she and Julie had kids, she decided to dedicate her weekends to her loved ones. They were all laid in the grass, enjoying the warm sun. Hearing her daughter talk gibberish made her heart smile. The auburn never thought she’d be a mother one day, but here she was, being a doting and loving parent to her two precious babies.

Their peaceful moment was interrupted when a woman approached their space.

“Abby, is that you?”

Startled by the intrusion, Abby squinted her eyes to take a good look at their intruder. Her furrowed brows turned into a welcoming one.

“Genevieve! It’s been so long, how are you doing?”

“I’m great, I’m doing great. I manage a gallery now.” The redhead took a few steps closer and checked who was the auburn woman with. “Oh, God! Is that Maverick and Gene already? They grow up so fast, the next thing you know they’re taking someone on a date already,” the woman laughed at her own joke.

“Thankfully, we still have a few years before that happens. Hi, Gen. We missed you, it’s been a while since the last time we hung out.” Julie smiled at her.

“Sorry, just been so busy at Momenatre d’Art. Speaking of art, we’ll be having an exhibit this coming May. You guys should come, it’s an open invitation. I think you’ll be fond of the pieces that’ll be exhibited,” the young woman offered.

“We’ll have to check our schedule, but we’ll do our best to come. When is it, exactly?” Abby asked with sincere curiosity.

“It's the second week of May. You can check our website for more information. Just give me a call if you decide to come to the opening night, so I can add you to the VIP list.”

“I better get going. I don’t want to bother you guys anymore. Have a great day!”

“You, too, Gen. It’s great to see you again,” Julie took Maverick’s tiny hand and waved goodbye to her godmother.

With grocery bags in hand, the mother and daughter entered their penthouse satisfied yet exhausted. It had been a long day and they were able to make the most of it. She noticed that Florence was already gone and looked for a note the woman probably left behind. The two went to the kitchen and fixed their purchases. On the dining table, she saw Florence’s short letter:

I’m sorry, I couldn’t wait for both of you. There’s been a family emergency I must attend to. Although, I already tidied up the space and cleaned Rindy’s room just like you asked. I also fixed up your room for you.  I hope you had a wonderful day, Mrs. Aird. Feel free to give me a call if you have any concerns.

Good night,

Florence               

Carol smiled at the gesture and made a mental note to give the woman a raise.

While fixing the items they bought, Rindy shattered the silence with an unexpected question, “When are you going to date again, mom?”

Baffled by her daughter’s inquiry, the blonde wasn’t able to answer quickly and dropped some canned goods.

While picking up the items, instead of answering the child, she asked her a question instead, “Why do you want to know? Do you want to know if there’s someone?”

“Well, you seem spaced out today and daddy was like that when he first met Sarah. I don’t mind you having anyone, really.”

Ahh, Sarah. Harge’s newest conquest. “Look at you, speaking all adult-y! I promise to tell you when there’s someone, okay? Right now I’m just so happy to be with my baby,” Carol enveloped her only child with a bear hug and smoldered her with kisses.

The young blonde laughed at her mother’s attack and pleaded with her to stop, “Mom, stop. My tummy hurts already.”

Letting go of her daughter, the older woman proceeded to kiss the top of her head and smiled. Maybe it won’t be too difficult to see a possibility with Therese.

“Rin, I’ll just change my clothes then we can have dinner. Can you finish stacking up the pantry for me, honey?”

“Don’t worry, mom. I’ve got this.”

On the way to her room, the blonde couldn’t help but get excited knowing she’d finally reach out to Therese. With her daughter’s blessing, there was no roadblock in her way. The woman directly headed to her bedside table, where she had left the brunette’s business card. To her surprise, it wasn’t there. She tried to look at her office desk but with no luck, she still couldn’t find the paper. She even tried to look under the covers to see if she just misplaced the number, but it just wasn’t there. Carol looked and looked for the card, and she was starting to get frustrated with herself. Where is that goddamn paper? I swear to God if Rindy went to my room…

“Mom, are you done yet? I’m hungry already,” her daughter shouted at the other side of the apartment.

“Just wait a minute!”

When she couldn’t find the calling card anywhere, Carol resigned in defeat. She’d just look for it later after dinner, although she knew deep inside that the paper was gone already.