Free A New Kind of Bliss by Bettye Griffin

on one of the lamps in the living room. In spite of the dark apartment, I knew Mom was home; I’d seen her car outside. I decided it would be best to warn her Aaron was here so she wouldn’t come stumbling out to the bathroom in her rollers and nightgown.
    She sat propped up in bed, dozing, an open book across her lap and the TV turned to a movie on the Lifetime network. One look at her and I knew that if it weren’t for me she would have put the book away and turned out the light. Like she said, I was her baby. It didn’t matter that I was forty-two years old.
    “Mom, I’m home,” I said softly.
    Her body jerked. She looked like she’d been caught doing something illegal. I half expected her to hold her hands up, like a criminal who’d been suddenly apprehended.
    “Emmie, hi,” she said sleepily after recognizing me. How’d the date go?”
    “It went fine. Aaron came in with me. I just wanted to let you know I invited him in, but I don’t expect him to stay long.”
    “Doggone it. If I didn’t have my hair set for church tomorrow I’d put on my clothes and come out and meet him.”
    “Another time. I’ll see you in the morning. I don’t want Aaron to think I forgot about him.”
    “Come back and tell me when he leaves. I’d like to get a peek at him, at least.”
    A thought occurred to me. “Mom…you haven’t told your friends that I went out with Aaron, have you?”
    “Of course I did. How often does my daughter date doctors?”
    I sighed. What was it about my mother’s generation, where so many of them thought doctors and lawyers walk on water?
    “You should have seen the look on Mavis’s face.”
    I couldn’t help smiling at that. “I’ll be back,” I said as I closed her bedroom door behind me.
    Aaron sat poised on the edge of the couch. He rose as I approached. How gallant, I thought.
    “Is your mother okay?” he asked.
    “She’s fine. She was waiting up for me. Isn’t that cute?”
    “Very cute,” he said, and from the way his eyes roamed over me I knew he wasn’t thinking about my mother. My, he had sexy eyes. I loved the way they drooped downward slightly at the outer corners. His woodsy cologne fused with his skin and gave off an intoxicating personal scent. I knew the time had come for a good-night kiss. He took a step toward me and dipped his chin, and I raised mine. It was the quickest of kisses, feather soft…and a little bit disappointing. I should have known Aaron wasn’t the type to French kiss on the first date. Any other dude would be teasing my tonsils by now.
    Still, I thought of those healing hands of his, and I knew…Aaron Merritt would eventually become my lover.

Chapter 7
    R osalind called the next morning to grill me about my date with Aaron, just as I was being grilled by Mom.
    “All right,” I said firmly, looking at Mom while holding the telephone receiver against my ear. “In the absence of a speakerphone, I’m going to talk to both of you at the same time so I won’t have to repeat myself.”
    I cleared my throat and spoke slowly and clearly. “Aaron arrived on time. I wore a black dress, and he wore a navy suit.” In hindsight, we both looked like we could have been going to a funeral. “His car rides like a dream. It’s a Jaguar,” I said to Mom, who stood gesturing for more information like her life depended on her winning a game of charades.
    “Ooh,” she said excitedly, sounding like she was all of eight years old.
    I named the restaurant we went to. “It’s in Dobbs Ferry. We had a table with a wonderful view of the river and the Palisades.”
    “I’ll bet he tipped the maitre d’ to get it,” Rosalind said.
    “What’d she say?” Mom asked.
    I repeated Rosalind’s statement for Mom’s benefit.
    “What’s a maitre d’?” she wanted to know. “Is it like a hostess?”
    Mom, bless her heart, was a woman best described as having simple tastes.
    “Sort of, except it’s a man,” I explained. “Anyway, it was