Highest Bidder(25)

“Bye,” they both shouted.





Freya





When I arrived home, my mother was waiting for me in our small living room, settled on the couch in front of the television. “You’re back early,” she said, and started to rise. “Why didn’t you tell me? I would have made you something?”

“I’m fine, I ate at the restaurant.”

“Oh, you had a shift this evening. How come you’re back so early, then?”

“I was fired.”

Only after the words left my mouth did I realize how I sounded.

It took her a few more moments to process what I had just said. “They fired you? Why?”

“I’m a lousy waitress, Mom,” I replied as I headed into the kitchen and pulled the refrigerator open. I pulled out a can of Coke. “How's the store?”

“We’re doing great,” she thrilled. “We had a huge sale yesterday, and I’m pretty certain I’ll be able to handle the mortgage arrears. Sorry for making you worry the other day.”

I didn’t believe a word of her report.

She looked nervous. As she leaned over the couch to get a good view of me, her smile slipped and her eyes were shifty.

I took a sip of cold Coke and made my voice sound light and casual. “I am searching for internships for my third year. I will make sure to get a paid one so that I can help out a little more.”

She frowned at the piece of news. “An internship? Have you done interviews?”

“Not yet,” I responded and turned towards the sink so she couldn’t see my face. I couldn’t remember the last time I lied to her. It didn’t feel good, but I was doing it for her.

She went quiet for so long it made me think she knew I was lying. Then she spoke and her voice was trembling and I knew she had been too choked to speak. “I’ll get all of our problems sorted out,” she promised. “Don’t worry about it.”

“I trust you, Mom,” I said softly, and was pleased at the smile it gave her.

She shifted on the couch. “Oh, Freya, do you remember the charity fundraiser that’s usually held at Eaton every winter? I took you along to one a few years back.”

“I do,” I responded. “Terribly dull.”

“Oh,” she uttered softly.

Then my suspicion was confirmed. “Are you going to attend it this year?” I asked.

“Yes, I think I will.”

“Oh, Mom, you can’t do that.”

“I was able to get myself an invite. I need to attend for the sake of the business. I want that crowd’s patronage, so I need to socialize with them and win some of them over.”

I was so taken aback. “Mom, that was your circle a year ago, but it’s not anymore. They will all be there, all those people who turned their backs on us, and they all remember.”

“I don’t care,” she said. “I did nothing wrong.” She repositioned herself on the couch.

I left the kitchen and came over to her. “Most of the women that will be there you were acquainted with for years. Will you be okay, trying to get them to buy clothes from you?”

“I’m not asking for handouts, Freya, I’m promoting my business, and there’s nothing to be ashamed of. Don’t worry, I’ll be immaculately dressed and no one will look down on me. They're going to ask me where my outfit is from, and I'll use that to draw them in. I’ve been opened half a year now and not gone very far, so I’m going to do whatever it takes to move ahead, for the both of us. Making business acquaintances are what these events are truly for. And that’s what I’m going to do.”

“That usually applies to their husbands, Mom. They get introduced to Dukes and oil magnates, while their women stand pretty on their arms and talk about their latest diamond purchase.”

My mother pressed her lips together. “Freya, you don’t have to come with me.”

“It’s not about that!” My voice rose. “I don’t want anyone to look down on you, in any way. I won’t take it.”

She sighed then. “My mind is made up, Freya. I need to, at least try, for myself.”

“Oh, Mom,” I whispered, truly sad for her that she could not see what her friends were all about.





Freya





THREE WEEKS LATER





The fundraiser was just as I remembered it.

Extravagant, highfalutin, and the last place on earth I wanted to be. No doubt, a handful of the attendees had some interest in the cause the event was promoting, and what they would eventually be donating to. The rest of the room however was filled with millionaire and billionaire hyenas looking to either show off their ill-gotten gains, or secure access to new territories.

The women were dressed in elaborate gowns and the men in tailored tuxedos. None however, could in my eyes, compare to the sheer elegance of my mother.

The velvet cobalt blue wrap dress was especially made for her, I was sure. Flipped thickly over her neck line in a perfect V, showing just a bit of cleavage and hanging off the shoulders, covering the tops of her long creamy arms. The electric fabric hugged her hips and extended to the floor in a soft, beautiful, train. Her hair was bobbed perfectly away from her face and matching sapphire stone earrings dangled from her lobes.