Sunday Snippet: A Very Awkward Evening

January kind of flew by for me and I'm not quite ready for February yet. That said, I did establish a few new habits or routines and I'm a little thrilled I kept them up for the entire month.

Had a very solid week of television viewing. I kind of let the housework slide to stay caught up on work projects and had a chance to cycle through a bunch of shows.

Ended up getting in three episodes of Chicago Med. I'm almost finished with the third season and I'm still thoroughly enjoying this show so much.

Watched three episodes of Snoopy in Space: The Search for Life. These little shorts are fun and quick to get through. Nice to have something that works as a timed break when it's needed.

Finished up The Madame Blanc bonus episodes and eagerly await another season of this super engaging mysteries series.

Ended up catching three episodes of Silent Witness. The "Fear" two-parter ended up being really terrific and I don't remember watching it before. Looking forward to the next two-part episode.

Enjoyed the final two episodes of the Classic Who arc with Two and Six. Kind of fun to revisit the former doctor, especially since many of Two's episodes are lost to time.

Got two more episodes of The Alaska Triangle in. One focused on a lost flight and the thunderbird legend and the other about Mount Hope and a possible secret base, which had remote viewing involved and that subject fascinates me.

Watched two more episodes of The Muppets. I'm still finding my way with this show. It's entertaining but really lacks the charm of the original.

Finished up Fosse Verdon. Even though I knew how things ended, I still felt like someone punched me in the gut when the final moments aired. Hat tip to the cast of this terrific limited series.

Caught the final episode of Peak Practice season six and started season seven. Sad to see Erica no longer with the practice but looking forward to some new interactions with whoever takes over for her.

Watched two more lessons of MasterClass with Bill Nye. I have a bonus episode to watch then I'll start a new class. No idea what I'll pick up next but look forward to diving in.

Enjoyed a couple of extras for The Witcher. Started out with the making of season two and then caught the characters of the continent special. This week I'll probably dive into the beasts and monsters they deal with.

Caught a couple episodes of Classic Rugrats. Season two ranks as probably my favorite overall. That might change as I get further along, but right now, I'm remembering how many of my faves are in the second season.

Watched another episode of The Brokenwood Mysteries. I like the new guy even if he's not quite as quirky as Breen. As always, it's fun to see recurring characters pop up in the course of the investigations.

Star Trek: Discovery continues to amaze me. I'm enjoying the red angel saga and how intertwined everything is. Nice to have Hugh back even if he's not quite himself. Should be fun to see how that plays out.

Started the second season of Queens of Mystery. I'm rather disappointed that Matilda and Daniel aren't anywhere close to being together. Miscommunication can be a blessing or a curse and I'm hoping it ends up being a blessing. We'll see how the season goes.

That's pretty much it for the television update this week. Tonight's post is from A Very Awkward Evening, a novella that mixes rock and roll with academia with interesting and hilarious results.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Vi Palona's rock star mom wants a sit down meeting with Garwin Noth's academic parents, which Vi keeps putting off because her mother, Mina, has no edit button. When Mina crashes a birthday dinner, Vi figures her mom can't do much damage … but five minutes into the evening she learns how wrong she is.

And a snippety peek…

Well, hell. The dinner conversation definitely took a turn to the bizarre. And I obviously fucked up.

Mina went to get up, placing her napkin on the table.

Gar stopped her. "No, trust me. You don't want to be anywhere near her when sharp objects are within grabbing range. Not right now." Hell, he'd be lucky to avoid losing his balls.

Mina went contrite. "Oh, dear, I'm afraid she gets that from me. Apparently she inherited some of my not so good traits." Sitting back down, she apologized. "I'm sorry. I've ruined the evening and I swore I'd be on my best behavior. My daughter's not wrong when she says I let the rock star thing hang out all over the place."

Garwin excused himself and made his way into the kitchen. Vi stood, staring out the window, tears leaking from her eyes.

Yep. Fucked up for sure. Mina stressed Vi out on a good day. And today didn't count as good—not when she all but begged him to help referee and he'd refused.

Then again, Mina's in rare form tonight. More so than usual.

He wanted to wrap Vi in his arms but refrained. She'd needed him and he'd failed her. She wouldn't welcome him right now.

Instead of hauling her close, he pulled out a tissue and handed it to her. "I'm sorry, Vi. I got so caught up in watching Mom and Dad react to Mina's antics, I didn't pay attention to how much she stressed you out."

Vi dabbed at her face. "It's not just that, Gar. I completely sank to her depths and pulled my own diva act. I never wanted to do that in front of your parents." She crumpled the tissue. "They've been so good to me and I love them like they're my own." Grabbing another Kleenex, she blew her nose.

Gar understood. The greener grass on the other side of the fence and all that. Hadn't he felt the same about Mina's crazy-wild approach to life?

He finally wrapped his arms around Vi. "I get it. They're completely different from Mina. Why do you think I enjoy her so much? She's nothing like my mom and dad." But his enjoyment shouldn't trump Vi's trauma.

And she had a lot with her mom. Not the physical kind or even mental. No, Vi's issues were internal. Living with a larger than life personality—even one that cared about and obviously loved Vi—left a lasting impression. And not always the good kind. Vi retreated when she got around Mina. Withdrew a little, almost as if to not dim her mom's light.

He pressed a kiss to her head. "Take as much time as you need. I'll go referee." He eased away.

A voice spoke from the doorway.

"You won't have to." Mina pushed away from the jamb and moved into the kitchen, placing a beringed hand on his forearm. "You're so good for her. Don't you ever do anything to bring her pain." With a nod toward the dining area, she indicated he should make his exit.

He met Vi's gaze and she lifted her chin. He squeezed her hand and headed out, leaving the women to work through their issues.

Hopefully without sharp objects.

 

I'm having so much fun writing this one. Vi and Mina have a complicated relationship and exploring it on the page is a joy.

 

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin