24.3 The Warning

Good thing Phoenix worked in the evenings. Mary was a grown woman and could do whatever she pleased, but there was something mildly shameful and embarrassing about coming home the next day in the same clothes. After a nice, long, hot bath, and fresh clothes, Mary hurried to the Pruett’s house. Her exhilarating weekend with Reed created many memories. Unfortunately, one of them was that dreadful Hawthorne family and their sentiment toward her dear friends. She was in no position to have any authority over Kori’s life, but the least she could do was warn her about their son before they saw each other in school again.

“Come in,” Asia yelled.

Mary went inside with haste and gave the couple a quick, half-hearted greeting. Jared was engrossed in a game and probably didn’t realize someone new entered the room.

Asia intercepted Mary’s agenda with her own. “You’re looking mighty fancy, Mary. Hot date tonight?”

She peered down at her dress confused but flattered. “This old thing?”

“Mm hmm. I hope you’ve come to tell me about your weekend then.”

“Some other time. I have a more pressing matter.”

“Good heavens, Mary! What in the world is it? You’re way too serious for a Sunday evening.”

She knew her friend was just trying to lighten the mood, but this was no laughing matter. “I know this is highly irregular, but I need to speak to Kori.”

Asia’s eyes shot open. “Kori? Well, of course you may speak to my daughter, but good heavens! What in the world is this about? You’re scaring me.”

Mary cleared her throat. “I have information about a boy she may be after.”

The click of the TV powering down lead to silence. Jared joined them almost as quickly as the TV turned off. “What’s this about a boy? Is it Victor?”

“I don’t know. His family name is Hawthorne. I’m sorry I–“

“That’s him,” he said. “Is this information good?”

Jared had a commanding presence. He was kind and gentle yet carried a spirit of authority. She liked him a great deal, but he sure did intimidate her sometimes. “I’m afraid not.”

“Hmm.” His face softened. “Are you going to recommend she stop seeing him?”

“I will do my best do convey that message, yes.”

He nodded. “Good luck then. You’ll need it.” He went back to watching the game.

Asia giggled quietly while his back was turned. “You heard him. Good luck.” She saluted her in an exaggerated manner.

Mary resisted the urge to laugh and ran upstairs to see the young lady of the house.

“Go away,” Kori shouted when Mary knocked.

Oh dear. Maybe she did need that luck. “Kori? It’s Mary from next door.”

“Come in,” she said quietly a few moments later. “Sorry. I thought you were Kaleb.”

Mary smiled. “It’s quite all right. May I sit with you?”

The girl looked confused. “Uhh, I guess? Did Mom send you?”

“No, darling. I came on my own accord.”

“Look, if you’re going to lecture me about what I said–“

Mary put her hands up and sat next to her. “I don’t know anything about what you said. I promise. I only want to talk about Victor.”

The girl gasped. “How do you know about him?”

Mary sighed. “I didn’t. I just happened to meet his parents this weekend, and …” She cleared her throat. “Well, I didn’t appreciate how they spoke about this family.”

How did she even begin to have that conversation with her? It’s not like they were close. If she learned anything from raising Susie, however, she knew having rapport would be important. She didn’t have much with Kori, but perhaps she could quickly fabricate some. “I have not shared what I heard with your parents, so trust me when I say that I am telling you this as a friend and not as another adult lecturing you.”

Kori’s demeanor softened slightly.

“You are a brilliant, beautiful young woman, and I don’t believe this Victor is someone worthy of your time.”

Kori’s shoulders fell along with her countenance, and all the air came rushing out of her lungs. “I know. I don’t want to see him anymore either.”

Mary exhaled all the tension she brought with her. “Would you like to talk about it?”

Kori eyed her suspiciously.

Mary placed her hand on top of Kori’s. “Whatever you say will not leave this room. I won’t repeat a word of it to your parents.” She held up crossed fingers.

“Promise?”

“Promise!”

She looked so relieved to get whatever it was off her chest. “He’s not a nice person.”

Mary gasped and clutched at her scarf.

“No! Not like that. It’s just … I got all dressed up for nothing.”

The girl’s head fell into her chest. Mary had never experienced that kind of rejection before. Her heart went out to her.

“We got there, and he spoke to his friends all night. I think he might be controlling. Like, the only reason he asked me was so no one else could.”

“Oh, Kori. I’m so sorry.”

“And then, my friend Chelsea ignored me the whole time. I was by myself the whole night, and it was so embarrassing! I just hate how people treat me differently because of my last name and who they think I am!”

Ah. The existential crisis. Mary knew all about that. “What if I told you I know exactly how you’re feeling right now.”

Kori’s eyes widened. “You do?”

“Oh yes. I come from an important family too. Everyone expected me to be a certain way. My own father made me behave exactly how people thought I should. But, it wasn’t who I was really.”

She gasped. “Your dad?”

Mary nodded. “I don’t wish to bore you with all those details, but I will tell you a few things. My family was well known for the wrong reasons. Your family may not be perfect either, but the Pruetts are good people from what I can see. That’s something you should be proud of.”

She continued. “I spent most of my life concerned about what everyone thought of me, and it’s exhausting. When we moved here, most people didn’t know me. I could be myself, but I didn’t know who I was without the mask.”

Kori’s lip quivered a little as if to empathize with her.

“Don’t lose who you are by getting lost in the hearsay. People will always gossip. That will never change. So, instead of getting upset over what they say about you, continue being the wonderful young lady you are. Show them they got it wrong. Maybe they’ll stop talking, maybe they won’t. But, please don’t lose your head over this. I don’t want your life to turn out like mine.”

Kori sighed. “I hear what you’re saying, Miss Jones. I love my family. I just feel like I can’t trust people anymore. I don’t know if my friends are really my friends or if they hang out with me to boost their own status.”

Mary nodded. “That part is tough. Sadly, it never gets any easier. Trust is difficult because it’s one of those things you have to give first to get in return, unfortunately.”

The girl’s face crumpled like a balled up sheet of paper. “I don’t like the sounds of this.”

Mary sighed. “I know. It is no easy feat. Trust is one of the hardest things for me as well.”

Kori looked surprised.

“In the beginning of my friendship with your mother, I didn’t know if I could trust her. I didn’t trust anyone. But, I needed a friend. I was going through a rough time, and she came over just to check on me. My first thought was that she was just trying to butter me up to get information to spread around the neighborhood.”

The girl gasped. “Mom would never do that!”

Mary giggled. “Of course, I know that now, but like I said, I didn’t know if I could trust her then. I sent her away, but to my surprise, she left. She didn’t press me or even insult me. She accepted my dismissal and left. I felt like she could have been genuine. Everyone else in the neighborhood seemed to respect and trust her, so maybe I could too.”

“So, what did you do?”

“I called her back and told her what I was dealing with which just happened to be my darkest secret.”

Kori’s jaw dropped.

“I know. It was very hard, but you know your mother. After a while, it got easier. And now I’d say she is my best friend.”

“So, I have to tell people personal things to trust them?”

“Not exactly. You don’t have to tell them your whole life story like I did, but giving away a little piece of yourself shows vulnerability. It sets people at ease because it makes them see that you’re more a peer and less an icon. Open up just a little and see what they do with what you’ve given them. Do that over and over until you have an idea of what a person is like. But, not only that because charlatans are very good at what they do. You also need to evaluate the relationship. Is it one sided? Does the other person enrich you like you enrich them?”

Kori nodded. “Thanks for telling me this, Miss Jones. I wish my parents were easy to talk to like you.”

Mary laughed. “I’m sure my children would say the same thing.”

“Really?”

“Oh, of course. I don’t think I’ve ever had a conversation like this with any of them. We’re too close, parents and children. I think sometimes the matter is too emotional to be rational. That’s why it’s good to talk to people outside of the family sometimes. A fresh perspective can do some good.”

“Would you mind if I talk to you sometimes?”

Mary’s heart warmed so fast she thought it would explode. “Of course, darling! You may talk to me any time you need.”