No ‘Moore’ Mess- Chapter Eleven (Serial Version)
Chapter Eleven- Nancy (Moore) Kobayashi Brings Home A Man
The unexpected happy reconciliation of Mary and Helen was broken up by the sight of a red and white car pulling in Helen’s driveway. It was Helen’s daughter, Nancy. She was bringing home her latest guy for her parents to meet.
This was not the first time Nancy brought a man to her parents’ house. Nancy had a habit of going through men like bubble gum. She chewed them up and spit them out.
Helen was used to the routine. Nancy called her excited about some new man in her life. The calls were always the same.
“Mother this is the one. I know it. I would love for you to meet him.”
Helen would clean the house and prepare a delicious lunch for the new man. Everyone would have a terrific time together. Like clockwork, three weeks later, Nancy would call her mother again. This time she was in tears.
“We’re finished. He and I are through.”
Helen would ask the reason for the break up. Nancy always gave the same answer. Helen waited on the phone every time for the reason to be different. It was the usual story.
“He tried to tell me what to do. And no man is controlling me. You know what I mean, mother?”
“I do.”
Nancy’s aggressive attitude with men impressed Helen. Well, it did at first. Soon, it was apparent Nancy ruled the men who came in her life. Helen thought it was not the best way to find a companion.
“You realize men prefer a woman who is more passive, right?”
“Passive? Mother that is code for subservient. No way am I going to roll over for a man.”
It was clear why Nancy was single at her age. Helen left the discussion alone most of the time. Nancy was her mother’s daughter. She knew better than to push Nancy hard.
Helen extended a mother’s love to her complicated daughter. And she left it at that. Helen tried not to emulate her mother, Roberta, when dealing with Nancy.
“As long as you are happy that’s all that matters to me.”
From the window, Helen saw Nancy and her new man having a spirited discussion in the car. Mary peeked out the window at the potential lovers turned enemies. It was an ugly scene.
“That’s not the best first impression, is it?”
“It happens every single time.”
“Should we go out and stop her from trying to kill the poor boy?”
“It’s best not to get in the way when Nancy gets all riled up. She’s got that ‘Moore’ anger inside her, you know?”
“Uh-huh.”
Helen and Mary looked and nodded. They knew about the ‘Moore’ anger. Nancy and her new man exited the car, but not before Nancy got in one good blow to the poor man’s right cheek. They walked to the front door and came inside the house.
“Mother, we’re here, are you home?”
Helen came to greet them. She saw the man rubbing his face. There was an odd minute of silence. Nancy broke it with a high school girl-like introduction of her latest man.
“Hello mother, this is Richard Presser.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Dr. Kobayashi. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“Nice to meet you too. I wish I could say the same about you.”
The awkward introduction was broken up by Mary’s failed attempt to slip away from the growing spectacle and the house undetected. Mary was never the most graceful of people. She had no future as a jewel thief.
“Aunt Mary, is that you?”
“Yes, it is.”
“Wow, it’s been a long time.”
“Too long. Far too long.”
Nancy rushed over to Mary. The pair hugged, and Nancy gave Mary a peck on the cheek. Nancy loved Mary.
“You are staying for lunch, right? She can stay. Okay, mother?”
Helen nodded. Erica got off the couch. She grabbed her cane, and she came to Richard. Nancy gave Erica a quick hug, and she held her good arm to keep her from falling.
“This is my mother.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Ms. Kobayashi.”
“Dr. Kobayashi. My mother has a doctorate. I told you. What a moron!”
“Sorry, Ms. Kobayashi”
“Ms — ?”
Nancy glared at her new man. Richard’s shoulders slumped, and he held his breath. Richard corrected his unintentional error. It placated Nancy for a moment.
“Sorry, Dr. Kobayashi.”
“That’s better.”
It didn’t bother Erica. She walked to Richard, and she rubbed the young man on the back with her good hand. Erica was limited in vocabulary but not in heart. She was a big woman who loved food.
“Eat?”
“Sure! I’m starved.”
Everyone made their way into the dining room. Helen made a superb feast. While her mother Roberta was a mess in the kitchen, Helen had no trouble. She made it a point to take cooking classes in college. Richard went out of his way to commend Helen’s culinary skills.
“This is marvelous. Absolutely marvelous. You’re a lucky woman, Ms. Kobayashi.”
Nancy put down her fork. She scowled at Richard, and she coughed. Richard apologized.
“Sorry, Dr. Kobayashi.”
“Don’t freaking do that again!”
“Yes, honey.”
“Honey?”
“Sorry, Nancy.”
There was an uncomfortable silence between everybody. Richard wanted to run away. Mary changed the topic.
“What exactly do you do, Richard?”
“I’m a missionary.”
“Really?”
“Yes, he’s a Christian missionary. And he makes peanuts from it.”
“Nancy, now let’s be civil. Richard is a guest in my home.”
“I thought you should know. He’s a pauper. God doesn’t keep his lights on. He borrowed money from me last month.”
“Nancy!”
“Don’t worry. He realizes he isn’t getting into my pants until he gets a lot more green in his wallet.”
Richard closed his eyes as he muttered. This didn’t please Nancy. She took no disrespect from anybody. Her various road rage stories were the stuff of legend at the yearly Moore family reunions held every August at the local community center.
“What was that? I didn’t quite get that, Richard.”
“Nothing.”
Once more there was an unpleasant silence in the room. This time it was Erica who came to Richard’s rescue. She knew when it was time to escape the Moore women.
“TV. Game show.”
“Sounds great Ms — Sorry, Dr. Kobayashi.”
The two excused themselves to the living room to watch the quiz show. Richard was not a huge fan of TV. He loved comic books. Richard appreciated the liberation from the lion’s den of Moore women.
“Thanks, Dr. Kobayashi, it was getting hot in there.”
Erica gave Richard a knowing look. She had been married to Helen a long time, and she witnessed first-hand the ‘Moore’ anger in Helen and other members of her family over the years. She pointed to herself and grinned at Richard.
“Erica. Me. Erica.”
Richard took the hint it was okay for him to call her by her first name when Nancy was not around them.
“Thanks again, Erica.”
While the pair watched the game, Helen, Mary, and Nancy cleaned up the kitchen. Richard was a popular subject of conversation. Mary took an instant liking to the young man.
“Richard looks like a good young man. Don’t you think, Helen?”
“Yes he seems very — ”
“Boring. Is that the word you are looking for, mother?”
“Actually no, I was going to say stable. Richard appears to be a fine young man. You are a lucky girl.”
“Yes, Nancy, I thought the same. He has a good head on his shoulders. It looks like he cares a great deal about you. That’s an uncommon thing for most women. Trust me.”
“He’s a bit plain for my tastes.”
“Why are you with him?”
Helen’s mother addressed the elephant in the room. Nancy shuffled and squirmed. Her shoulders sank as she admitted the truth.
“It’s better. Well, better than — ”
“Being alone?”
Nancy’s shoulders sank even lower, and she looked down at her pretty, red sparkly shoes.
“It’s better than being alone.”
Nancy tossed her dirty, yellow dishcloth on the countertop. Tears dropped from her face.
“It’s better to leave them before they leave me. Or something bad happens.”
Nancy got quiet. Helen realized what she was pondering and who she was thinking about at the moment. It was a painful subject between them for years.
“Like what happened to Erica?”
“I’m no nurse. That’s for sure.”
“Welcome to real life, Nancy. It happens. Your mother has done the best she could, all things considered.”
“Thanks, Mary. You know, Nancy, life is full of challenges, especially for women. It’s up to you whether you face those problems or waste your life running from them. They tend to catch up with you either way. Trust me.”
“But people leave. They cheat. Or worse, right? I mean look at the both of you.”
The sisters got quiet. This time it was Nancy who wanted to talk about the real problem in the room. Mary grabbed a handful of crispy BBQ-flavored chips from a bag, and she shoved them in her mouth. Crumbs flew from her mouth as she spoke.
“Folks have left me over the years. And your mother too. There’s no denying that.”
Helen nodded. She gave Mary a knowing nudge too. The women earned the right to speak about relationships not working out.
“Your mother and I have always stuck by each other. There were some dark times. I could have run. And at times, I wanted to escape. But I didn’t.”
“You should have. Life would be simpler without people in it. That’s for sure.”
Mary and Helen laughed out loud. They could not disagree with Nancy’s keen observation, harsh though it was.
“I can’t say all people, but there are a few in this world I would not miss at all. Right, Mary?”
“True. But if you find a good one. You hold on to them for as long as you possibly can, Nancy.”
“You think?”
“I know. I can tell you that the young man watching TV in that living room is a good one.”
“I’d be careful about losing him, sweetheart.”
Nancy wiped tears from her eyes. The women made hot, black coffee and fresh chocolate chip cookies. Helen gave her daughter a final nudge in the romance department.
“Nancy why don’t you take this into the living room for your mother and your — ”
“Boyfriend. He’s my boyfriend.”
“That’s an excellent start, Nancy.”
“Thanks, Aunt Mary.”
Everyone spent the afternoon enjoying the end of a great ballgame and better conversation. Richard and Erica were stunned by Nancy’s radical transformation in behavior.
“How’s my boyfriend?”
“Boyfriend?”
“If that’s okay with you.”
Richard’s shoulders raised, and he smiled. The pair held hands for the rest of the evening and in the car when they left an hour later.
“Absolutely, that would be fantastic.”
Mary put on her coat. She knew it was time for her to go. Mary kept her promise to Georgia.
“Helen, thank you for a great afternoon.”
“You too, Mary. What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to head on back to my hotel.”
“I mean with your life. What are you going to do with your life?”
In the bliss of what was a perfect day, Mary’s uncertain future hung over her head. She looked at her old, brown shoes. Her shoulders sank, and she let out a long sigh.
“Don’t know. I don’t know. I’ll have to find work, I guess.”
“Gotta keep the lights on.”
“And I have to move forward with my life. I’m done looking backward. There’s no future in that.”
“Sounds like a good idea. Moving forward.”
The women embraced for the second time, but this time they did as friends. The taxi pulled up, and honked the horn. It was time for Mary to go.
“My ride’s here. I gotta go. Be seeing you around.”
