Free Switched by Jessica Wollman

lining.
    But feeling depressed at the sight of her own apartment only made her feel worse; guilty and mean-spirited. Besides, her mother looked ultracheerful, so Laura tried to perk up.
    Her mother continued, a little breathless, “We were in the kitchen.” She stepped aside importantly. “Laura, this is Dr. Pool.”
    Tan man stepped forward. “Happy birthday, Laura,” he said, handing her a bouquet of daisies. His bronze cheeks were tinged with pink. “Your mother told me you liked these.”
    “Thanks.” Laura could feel her own cheeks coloring. She stared into the arrangement and forced herself to rise above her own discomfort. It was a sweet gesture. It was a little sad that her mom’s boyfriend was the first guy to give her flowers, but that wasn’t his fault.
    Dr. Pool grabbed her mother’s hand. “Your mother’s an amazing woman,” he said as the object of his affection looked on, blushing like a love-struck teenager.
    Laura stood there, feeling completely lame.
How do you respond to something like that?
    But her mother and Dr. Pool were staring, so she managed to squeak out another “Thanks.” That seemed to do the trick.
    Dr. Pool’s real name was Benji. For some weird reason, Laura’s mother refused to call her new love by his first name. Instead she called him Dr. Pool—as if the guy truly held some sort of advanced degree in pool maintenance and chlorine administration.
    “Isn’t he just like one of those ER doctors you see on TV?” her mother whispered to her when Benji stepped out of the room to return an emergency call.
    Laura stared at her.
    Her mother leaned forward. “So, what do you think?”
    Laura considered Dr. Pool’s full effect. Her mother’s eyes were wide and happy, her voice playful. She was glowing. Her mother was actually
glowing
.
    Laura had heard about this sort of thing happening. Actually, she’d seen it happen, kind of—to women on soap operas and terrible made-for-TV movies—the type of stuff she watched when she was sick and housebound. But she’d never actually thought a person could turn into a human flashlight in
real life.
And she certainly hadn’t thought anything like that could ever happen to her mother—simply because she’d met a too tan man with a beeper and work boots.
That
was completely bizarre.
    Laura stifled a groan. She should be supportive. That was the mature thing to do. What was wrong with her?
    “Honey?”
    Guilt hit Laura from all sides. Okay, so maybe it was kind of uncomfortable to watch, but Benji really did seem to love her mom. Laura remembered her mother sitting alone, all those years, watching Powerball. She’d never complained once—not about anything. Her husband had walked out on her, leaving her alone with a three-year-old daughter. And all she’d ever wanted was to make Laura happy, to provide for the two of them. Now she was asking Laura for just a little approval. It seemed like such a small thing.
    Laura’s throat felt tight. “Benji seems like a great guy,” she said. “I’m so happy for you.”
    Laura’s mom laughed. “It was so important to me that you like him—you know, that you approve. At my age, sweetie, you just know when you’ve won the Lotto.” She took Laura’s hand. “You know, Benji and I have been talking. It’s only been six weeks and nothing’s definite yet, but I don’t want you to be shocked . . .”
    Laura closed her eyes. She couldn’t deal with any more news. “Mom, it’s fine. Let’s just have a good time tonight.”
    Her mother squeezed her hand.
    “Sorry about that,” Benji said, snapping his cell closed as he stepped back into the hallway. “False alarm. And Angie called on the other line. She’s on her way up.”
    Laura’s mother brightened. “Wonderful!” She turned to Laura. “Angie is Dr. Pool’s daughter.”
    Laura jerked her head up. “Oh! Uh, great! How old is she?”
    “That’s the lucky part!” her mother chirped. “You’re only about two years