Where They Go

Chapter Thirty-Two: Stay For A Minute

A few days later, a little while after Carol had gotten home from work, Erin went out into the kitchen to get a glass of water.

"When did you get that sweatshirt? I've never seen it." Carol commented from the couch.

Erin turned on the faucet.
"It's not mine. Zoey left it here." She answered flatly, looking over at Carol for a second.

At the mentioning of Zoey, Carol looked rather annoyed.
"Why are you wearing it?"
Erin turned off the faucet and took a drink of water.
"I don't know." She said, shrugging her shoulders a bit.

"Well, it isn't yours. It has to be returned." Carol stated.
"I'll take it to her." Erin offered a little too eagerly.
"I'm not stupid, Erin. I'll take it to her." Carol said, pulling out her hand.

Erin hesitantly gave the hoodie to her mother.
She hated having to give it up.
It had been comforting to have something that reminded her of Zoey around.

"I'll be back in a minute." She said, then walked out the front door.

She knocked on her neighbor's front door.
Sharron opened the door a moment later.
"Hi, Carol. What brings you here?"
"Your daughter left her sweatshirt at my house." Carol said, giving her the hoodie.

"Oh, thank you. Zoey will be happy to have this back." Sharron smiled. "On that note, I wanted to talk to you about that, about Zoey's recent visit to your house. She said there was... an issue between you and Erin while she was over there. Do you know what she's talking about?"

"I think I should go." Carol said quickly.
"I think you should stay for a minute. I'd just like to talk, that's all." Sharron said, her voice was gentle and kind, even if she didn't like Carol all that much.
"Alright, fine. I'll stay."

Carol took a seat across from Sharron at the small table that was on the porch.
"So, you think Zoey is a bad influence, or something?" Sharron started.
"Yes, she's terrible for my daughter." Carol answered bluntly. "I don't want them talking anymore."

Sharron looked offended. She hated hearing someone say something so harsh about her daughter.
"What do you mean she's, 'Terrible for for your daughter'?"
"My daughter was perfectly fine before they met. Now, she thinks she's in love with your daughter. Isn't that ridiculous?" Carol said, laughing slightly.

Sharron took a minute to think of what to say next.
"Carol, did you ever consider that Erin might actually love Zoey, because that's what she really feels in her heart?" She asked.
"No. She never had any... thoughts about anyone until Zoey showed up."
"Say that again for me, please."

Carol repeated it in confusion.
"She never had any thoughts about anyone until Zoey showed up. What does saying it again do? What are you getting at?" She questioned impatiently.
"You just said that Erin's never liked anyone until Zoey showed up. Carol, Zoey is Erin's first crush, do you not get that?"

Carol sighed frustratedly.
"But why? Why does she have to like a girl? That isn't normal."

Sharron sat with that response for a second.
It was insane and made no sense.

"She likes Zoey, who just happens to be a girl. I don't know the exact why, only Erin knows that, but the heart wants what it wants." She said. "But it is wrong for you to say that it isn't normal. What she is going through is completely normal for a girl her age."

"As her mother, I don't want her to be gay. I don't want her live that wrong and difficult lifestyle."
"It isn't a lifestyle and it isn't wrong, but it can be difficult. Zoey was picked on for liking girls at her old school." Sharron said. "When she came out to me, I tried denying it. I didn't want her life to be hard, but denying it and not accepting her didn't do any good. The best thing you can do is to listen to Erin and accept her."

Carol sighed frustratedly.
"I can't accept it, Sharron. This phase will pass and she'll forget about what happened the other day."

For now, Sharron didn't say anything about the first part of what Carol said.
"What did happen the other day? Zoey told me bits and pieces of it."

"I was working on dinner and I called Erin and Zoey into the kitchen to make a plate. They didn't come to the kitchen so I went into Erin's room to get them and they were kissing."
"Did you knock?" Sharron asked.
"No, I've never knocked."
"That's a problem right there. You should knock, not just... barge into her room."

"Why? What's the point?"
"The point is that your daughter deserves privacy." Sharron stated. "I, personally, think things could work out better between you and Erin if you started respecting her and her privacy more."

Carol looked at Sharron.
"Alright. I'll... try to respect her privacy more."
Sharron looked satisfied with that answer.

A bit later, she managed to circle back to Carol's comment about this all being a phase of Erin's.

"Can I ask, why do you think it's a phase?"
Carol thought over her answer for a minute.
"It's a phase, because it'll end soon enough. Phases come and they go. This... crush that my daughter has on your daughter will end eventually and she'll be over it."
"But what if it doesn't?" Sharron retorted.

Carol looked at her, confused.
"What do you mean?"
"What if Erin doesn't 'get over' her feelings for Zoey? Then what will you do? You can't keep them separated forever."

"Why not?"
Sharron sighed heavily.
"Because if you do, Erin will rebel, she'll... sneak out of the house just to be happy."
"Don't be dramatic. She's perfectly fine without Zoey. She's better off without her!"
"Are you sure?" Sharron asked skeptically.

Carol glared at her.
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"Erin comes to my house a lot. She's spent most of her summer at my house with Zoey."
"I know." Carol stated bitterly.
"But you should see her, she's always smiling and laughing when she's with Zoey. Zoey makes her happy. It's cruel for you to take that away from her."

Carol didn't say anything after that.
She was stuck in her mind, thinking their conversation over.

Sharron looked at her watch.
"I'd love to talk more, but I've got to get dinner started, I'm sure you do, too."
Carol silently stood up.

After a second of thought, she cleared her throat.
"That was... a good talk we had, Sharron."
"Yes it was."
Sharron waved her off, then headed inside the house.

Carol had a lot to think about that night.