Misery Loves Company

Epilogue

Misery Loves Company

By: theinkslingerr

Epilogue

"Wow, their house is so...normal," my mom said, turning off the car and getting out.

I laughed and climbed out to pluck the bowl of potato salad off the backseat as she took in the two-story cobblestone house with burgundy shutters. "What were you expecting?" I asked. "A crazy mansion with a gold-paved driveway?"

"Maybe."

"Rocco's grandparents are regular people. Even his apartment's pretty modest."

She made a noncommittal noise and we both started walking toward the house. The big bowl of potato salad was a little slippery, so I made sure to keep a good grip on it. My mom was an OK cook, but her potato salad was legendary. I loved that she didn't cut the chunks too small, and left sliced-up pieces of eggs with paprika on top.

I looked up at the cloudless blue sky and smiled to myself. It was a beautiful day in August, and the weatherman hadn't been lying when he said it felt more like spring. It was one of those rare days in the blistering heat of late summer where you could actually go outside without dying of heat stroke, and Giuliana wanted to take advantage of it and Soren's good mood by barbecuing.

It was kind of last minute, but almost everyone she'd invited said they could make it.

Since our first meeting and impromptu lunch at Rocco's apartment, Giuliana and I had gotten close. The three of us had dinner sometimes, and I'd come over to visit her and Soren without Rocco twice! Sometimes Soren remembered me and sometimes he didn't, but this was the first time either of them were meeting my mom.

I pushed back their wooden fence and walked into the backyard, my mom close behind. Rocco was firing up the grill while Giuliana and Soren arranged paper plates and utensils on some folding tables.

"Hey guys," I greeted, stopping at the closest folding table.

Rocco looked up, a huge smile spreading across his face once he saw me. "Hey, babe." He walked over and relieved me of the bowl of potato salad, then bent down for a hello kiss he quickly abandoned as soon as he glanced at my mom.

I giggled when he cleared his throat and murmured, "Hi, Ms. Hayes."

Over the past few months, my mom's views on Rocco had improved. Especially after witnessing how often he made time for me despite having a new album to promote. He drove down to Beechmill or I caught the train to New York. When we weren't hanging out, we FaceTimed or texted.

I'm sure it also helped that he wasn't actually the father of a two-year-old.

So, my mom was warming up to him, but she was still a little wary and sometimes it showed; which made Rocco twitch, because he possessed an innate need to be liked by parents—  especially moms.

That meant he was always on his best behavior and tried not to touch me around her.

I found it hilarious, and only felt a little bad for thinking so.

Right now my mom was giving him her signature look; polite yet assessing. "Hello, Rocco," she said back.

"Glad you could make it." With a wave of his free arm, he ushered Giuliana and Soren to the forefront. "These are my grandparents."

"So nice to finally meet you," Giuliana crooned, kissing her on each cheek. "I'm Giuliana, and this is my husband Soren."

It was obvious the Italian way of greeting had thrown my mom off, but she recovered quickly. "I'm Irene. Thanks for having us. I hope the potato salad's OK."