This is the third part in a series, so if you have not already done so, you might want to read Part I and Part II before continuing.
“Oh, hey, Mrs. …”
Emoni stopped herself just in time. At first glance, she had thought she was watching Meghan’s mom walk up to the outdoor table where Emoni was waiting for Meghan to meet her for lunch. For a split second, she hadn’t even questioned it before remembering she had already attended the funeral for Meghan’s mom.
As soon as Emoni remembered this, she recognized the woman approaching as Meghan herself. Meghan had always looked a lot like her mom, but this was … uncanny. She was wearing a loose fitting, flowered shirt of the exact kind her mom used to wear, and she was wearing her hair down and parted down the middle just like her mom, even though Meghan usually preferred to keep her hair tied back in a ponytail or braided. She was even wearing sensible low heels like her mom used to wear!
“I thought you were your mom,” Emoni said without thinking.
“Aw, thanks! That’s the nicest thing anyone could say.”
OK, so it hadn’t been a misstep. Good to know.
“Are you … is that your mom’s shirt?”
“Yeah, some of her stuff actually fit me, so I’ve been taking them home and adding them to my wardrobe. Pretty cute, huh?”
If you’re stuck in the ‘90s. Instead she said, “Yeah. It looks great on you.”
“Thanks. You wouldn’t believe the stuff we’ve found in that house. She had been hanging onto jewelry she must have had since the ‘80s. I don’t even remember seeing her wear most of it, but check out these earrings.” She turned her head to one side so Emoni could admire the massive gold earrings shaped like bows. They were almost old enough to be fashionable again.
“Very cute,” Emoni said, because it was the only thing she could say under the circumstances. “And the hair?”
“What about it?” Meghan felt the top of her head as though afraid she would find some feral animal had crawled onto it.
“You hate wearing your hair down.”
“Oh! Yeah, well, I just felt like it was time to give it another go. You know, it really does save so much time in the morning when all you have to do is brush out your hair and go.”
“I didn’t realize ponytails could take so long.”
“They don’t. But you know how there are always those mornings where every second counts?”
Emoni knew she had seen Meghan braiding her hair into perfect pigtails while walking down stairs, but she just said, “Sure,” more to get away from the weirdness that was this conversation than out of any actual understanding for whatever was happening to her best friend right now. “So, I’ve had some time to look at the menu. What do you feel like?”
“Do they have Sea Breeze’s here?”
Emoni’s jaw dropped. She kept waiting for Meghan to say she was just kidding, but after a few minutes had passed without Meghan making any attempt at taking back what she had just said, Emoni said, “You’re joking, right?”
“What? No. Why?”
“I thought you were just drinking them on your first night out to commemorate your mom even though you have always hated the taste of grapefruit. Do you suddenly not hate grapefruit anymore?”
Meghan shrugged. “You get used to it. Oh, look, and they have crab cakes!”
Crab cakes were another favorite of Meghan’s mom and at this point, Emoni was too weirded out to try to pursue to the conversation any further.
To be continued…
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