Chapter 14

It was really no big surprise to Danni where they went first. Danni might have been driving but, her mother was pointing the way and the woman clearly remembered where all the streets were. They wound up at the Temple Zeus On High and Tammy wasted no time going in and lighting a candle for her departed husband. Danni patiently waited by the door and wondered what kind of boring day she was in for. Her mother had kept Danni in Saturday School for most of her early years. Danni was only too sure her mother had something similar in mind now.

Then Tammy came hurriedly by and walked right out of the temple doors. She did not even bother to acknowledge Danni as she did it. Danni even had to break into a slight run to catch back up with her mother as they headed for the car. As Danni fell into pace she had to ask, “what? No sticking around for sermons? Burning incense? All that stuff?”

Tammy rolled her eyes, “heavens no child. Why in the world would I want to do any of that?”

“Um,” Danny shrugged as she stopped at her car, “gee Mom, I don’t know. Maybe because you used to make me do it all the time? I thought you liked all that stuff.”

Tammy looked befuddled and then laughed it off, “your father was the religious one. I haven’t been in a temple since you left home.”

“What!” Danni blew her stack. “Why did you put me through all of that crap when I was growing up!”

Tammy put her hands on her hips and looked across the car at her daughter when she said, “when you’re a mother you’ll understand certain things.” Tammy’s eyes wandered like she could actually see all of her daughter’s wardrobe, “of course the way you’re dressed, that might actually be sometime.”

Then Tammy got back to her original thought, “the point of it is. You have to teach your children things. You have to instill in them some values.”

Danni threw her hands up, “you mean by grinding up funky leaves and then setting them on fire in a brass bowl? What exactly does that teach Mom?”

Tammy held her chin high, “having you do so much of that taught you exactly what I wanted it too.”

Danni gave up, “which was?”

Tammy’s eyes narrowed and just before sliding in the car she said, “to be sick of all that crap so you wouldn’t waste your life on it.”

Even if her mother was in the car and ready to go, Danni just stood there for a second or two longer. She shook her head in disbelief and said, “good thing I’m unarmed. I’d shoot myself.”

When Danni did finally start up her car she did not even have to ask her mother where to go next. The woman volunteered it first, “now, SHOPPING!”

Danni grunted, “Mom, I am not dressing like you!” Danni did not want to add that her mother looked like a prostitute.

Then Tammy corrected her daughter by saying, “not for you. I have to get out of these temple clothes. I look like a prostitute.” Then Tammy reexamined her Daughter’s attire, for about the twentieth time, “although you could use some jeans that you haven’t ripped up.”

“They come like this!” Danni huffed and then added, “they cost me fifty, not colonial dollars but, straight Deutschmarks. The guy that was selling them wouldn’t take anything else.”

Tammy patted her daughter on the shoulder, “you’ll learn one day darling. Don’t you worry, I’ll show you how to shop.”

Despite the constant suggestions, Danni held her ground as she followed her mother through the clothing section of Wally’s Merchandise and Delivery, the only place they could find open today. Tammy was not happy with it but, she had no choice in the matter. She complained about it as much as she did her daughters clothing.

“Discount stores,” Tammy told her daughter as she quickly shifted through a rack, “they’re the same on every planet.”

Danni was leaning up against the changing booth with her arms crossed and a half frown, “you’ve only ever been to two.” That did bring a question to Danni’s mind, “speaking of which. When are you going back?”

The answer could not be a good one. Danni was afraid it might be years. Then her mother replied with, “oh, um, never.” She turned around and showed her daughter the shirt. Then Tammy’s smiled dropped when she saw her daughters expression. Tammy shrugged and went back to looking as she said, “ok definitely not that one.”

Danni was still stumbling over her words, “nu.. nu.. You.. What do you mean never? You hate it here.”

Tammy stopped looking and then faced her daughter, “of course I do. I’m starting over though,” Tammy announced with pride. “I had to sell everything I owned just to get a ticket on that starship Danni. I couldn’t afford to go back even if I wanted too. So, here I am, for better or worse. I’m going to make a new life here.”

Danni crossed her arms and her eyes narrowed, “you got dumped by that rich jerk you were seeing, didn’t you?

“He wasn’t rich,” Tammy said with a sour looking expression and then went back to shopping.

They went back to shopping in silence or, at least, Tammy shopped and Danni watched. Then the daughter finally asked, or more like she was hoping that her mother would see reason, “how are you going to make a living?”

“I’ll figure something out,” the woman replied only half interested, “I do still have all that money from your father’s pension sitting in a bank here.”

“Ah,” Danni said as if a light turned on, “that’s the real reason you came back.”

That snapped her mother around and she waved a finger at the daughter, “I broke up with Ted over a year ago. I came back here because my daughter, you, were shot. Because she absolutely insists on running around pretending to be her father just like she’s still six. Because I think she needs me.”

“Mom,” Danni replied, “I was doing just… No, I am doing just fine.”

“If you call having a bullet in your chest doing fine,” Tammy shot back.

“Would you stop bringing that up already,” Danni complained.

Tammy thrust a shirt out and held it up in front of her daughter, “there, what do you think of that?”

Danni looked down and winced, “we’re not going back to temple are we?”

Her mother smiled, “then it’s settled. It’s perfect for you.”

Danni just shook her head in panic, “oh hell no.”

Her mother ignored her and just said, “don’t worry young lady. We’re going to go have some fun today.”