Chapter 49. A help
Jackson Johnson
Johnson Mansion
I rang the doorbell. Impatiently, I waited. When the door opened, the maid stood there.
"Mr. Johnson? Excuse me, welcome, Mr. Johnson." She opened the door wider, and I stepped in, stopping in the foyer. Then my mother appeared. I could see genuine surprise in her eyes.
"Jackson! Why didn't you tell me you were coming? I would have prepared something for dinner..." She approached to hug me and then kissed one of my cheeks.
"No need to do anything, I just came by for a moment." She took my cheeks and caressed them.
"I love seeing you at home." She lowered her hands and guided me to the living room. "Do you want some coffee?" I nodded and thanked her, and she told the maid to cut some pieces of cherry pie. We took our seats.
"Are you alone?" I asked, and she nodded.
"It's poker night. Your father never misses it."
"Oh, that's good. I thought he had stopped seeing his old friends."
"Only on Thursdays, but tell me, what's the reason for this miracle of your presence?" I leaned back on the couch and crossed one leg over the other.
"I just wanted to see how you were doing." She raised her eyebrows.
"How we were doing?"
"Yes."
"But we talked yesterday."
"And today I came to see you. So, I just want to know how you are." She got up and sat on the couch next to mine.
"What happened?" Her tone was anxious.
"Nothing happened, I just..." That's what you get for not visiting her more often. I rolled my eyes for a brief moment. "I think I'll just go," I said, and she quickly stopped me.
"Don't be like that, it's just that it's strange for you to come to me when almost all your life I had to go to you." Her words, filled with emotion, moved me.
"Am I...such a bad son?" I asked in a low tone.
"No, of course not. Not at all, it's just that..." She sighed. "When you're a parent, and I hope to see that, you'll understand your parents."
We stayed silent for a few minutes while my mother caressed my arm. The maid entered and left a rather large silver tray with coffee cups, sugar, and pieces of pie on small individual plates.
"And what did you do today?" I asked to break the silence between us.
"I had lunch with Maxine." She paused at the edge of her cup and looked at me as if she didn't know they had been lunching together lately.
"I know, but the strangest thing about that..." I began to say, "is that you two are like oil and water. You yourself said it years ago."
"I know what I said, but I'm human and can change my mind." She took a sip and then ate a piece of pie.
"I'm human too and...I can change my mind." She raised an eyebrow, and then her eyes gradually widened.
"Is it what I think it is?" I could hear the excitement in her voice.
"I'll just say this," I cleared my throat, "it's my private life. I've decided to change my mind about several things, especially the one I've emphasized all these years." Her eyes welled up. "And I want your help with my first real date." My mother's jubilant scream was extremely disconcerting. She kept murmuring thanks to God, that it was about time, and other things I didn't understand. "Calm down, or I'll take back what I came to tell you," I said, and she stopped abruptly, running her fingers over her mouth as if zipping it shut. "Okay, I won't tell you her name, but it's a woman. She..." I finally said it out loud, "She really catches my attention...a lot. Maybe I can even say...I like her."
"And what do you have planned? What does she like? What does she like to eat? You need to prepare. The first date marks the beginning of a relationship, Jackson."
"Relationship? Wait, wait, Mom. It's a real date, not one of those typical introduction dates you used to set up. She..." I paused. "She loves to eat; she has a good appetite." I could see more excitement in her eyes. "Meat. She loves meat. Juicy steaks. She can drink four glasses of champagne," I started recounting the moments I had spent with Lilly. Then I realized I knew little about her, but aren't dates for that? To get to know each other?
"Don't get stuck. How about I prepare a romantic dinner on the top floor of your father's building? It's very private, and the view of the city from there is beautiful, nothing compared to London..." Then she gasped. I let out a loud snort.
"So you know it's Lilly?" She smiled, caught.
"Yes. But there's nothing wrong with me knowing."
"How do you know it's her?"
"The way you looked at her during lunch the other day. You were very attentive to her, even your father was surprised to see you so relaxed with a woman. You talk about steaks, and I remembered she had steak at your restaurant, plus, I saw you on my birthday." She raised an eyebrow. "You sat with her and stopped her from drinking more. Very unusual for you, since when does Jackson Johnson care about what someone else drinks or does besides himself or his family? Then," she cleared her throat, "I was informed about Georgina Vans, I checked the cameras and saw..." She nervously ran a hand over her neck, her cheeks flushed, and I closed my eyes, understanding what she meant by "I checked the cameras." When I opened my eyes, she was smiling broadly.
"You saw us," I confirmed, and she nodded.
"I swear, Jackson, I didn't imagine it was you carrying Lilly to prevent her from lunging at Georgina. Lilly is a force to be reckoned with, I like her, I like her."
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean for you to see that scene of us...on the second floor..."
"Are you blushing?" I turned my gaze to the fireplace.
"It's the heat from the fire."
"You lie so well, Jackson," her tone was sarcastic. When I looked back at her, she winked. "Well, let's get to the most important thing: Your real date."