Trust Your Gut

“Mom! Where are you?” I swung around the kitchen corner, skidding to a stop just before I crashed into her. 

“Careful!” She stood frozen mid-step with a steaming pot in one hand. 

I leaned against the wall, going from sixty to zero in an instant. “Sorry. I finished weeding out front. We now have the nicest flower beds in the entire county. Well, not really, but. . . .” I trailed off with a shrug. 

“Thank you. I’m sure they look lovely.”

“Also Megan and I are supposed to talk right now, but she asked if we could push it back to four. Will it mess with your schedule if we push back our date to Barnes and Noble a little?”

“I have things I need to do. Megan is going to have to make it work.” She scraped chopped onions from the cutting board into the soup. I frowned. Mom was usually flexible to make sure I stayed in contact with my best friend. She must be really stressed. I didn’t realize she had so much on her plate if she can’t rearrange. 

“Okay.” I pulled out my phone. 

“How is she liking Arizona?” Mom asked. 

“Loves it.” I glanced down at the text lighting up my screen. “She’s calling. I have to go.” 

We chatted for an hour before Mom knocked, popping her head around my door. 

“I’m ready when you are.”

I nodded. “Ok. Megan, I have to go. Mom and I have a date planned.” 

Oh, have fun! And happy belated birthday! I’m sorry I didn’t text.” 

“Thanks! No worries.” I hung up and slipped my sneakers on, hurriedly tying the laces. Better hurry so Mom can get back to whatever she needs to do.

“It’s been too long since we’ve been on a date,” I said once we were on our way. “Especially Barnes and Noble. I can’t believe it’s just around the corner and we never go.”

“I was thinking the other day that we needed to hang out. This seemed like a good option.”

“That’s where this came from!” I said, bracing against the turn into the parking lot. “It seemed like it came out of the blue, but that makes sense.”

Mom didn’t reply. I glanced at her, but she was focused on pulling in between two cars. A cool fall breeze played across my face as I climbed out 

Inside, the warm air carried the scent of coffee and cookies. I’d missed this.

I breathed deeply. “Let’s find some books and then get a coffee.”

“Sounds good.” Mom drifted towards the cookbook section while I searched for the fiction. Ten minutes later, I carried the stack of books I’d found to the cafe, plunking them onto an empty table. Mom stood nearby, still in the cooking section, so I walked over to check on her.

“Find anything good? Maybe an insightful tale of chili drama?” I joked. 

She glanced up with a laugh. “Not exactly. Though this does have a thrilling introduction.

“Right,” I said, smirking. “Well, I found some books and a table so I’m going to order my coffee. Do you want anything yet?” 

“Yes, please. A drip coffee with cream.”

“Alright.” I joined the line, which thankfully only had two people. All kinds of cookies and scones caught my eye from behind the glass. My mind flashed to when we used to come here years ago. Couldn’t you get a free cookie for your birthday? Granted, mine had been three days ago, but still.

“What can I help you with today?” the barista greeted me with a cheery smile.

“Hi, can I get a pumpkin spice latte with oat milk and a drip coffee with cream, please?”

“Of course! Anything else?”

“Um, do you guys still give a free cookie if it’s your birthday?” I asked.

Her cheerful smile dimmed to an apologetic one. “Unfortunately, we don’t anymore.”

“Oh, that’s ok. I just thought I’d check.” 

“Happy birthday though!”

“Thank you.” I tapped my card on the screen and waited for it to clear.

“Alright, you’re good to go. We’ll have that right out for you.”

“Thanks,” I said again. I returned to my table and stack of books. Mom had brought her own stack and settled in.

“You finally decided on some?” I asked as I slid into my seat.

“Yes.” Her eyes skimmed over my books. “What did you find?”

“Some books on travel, sailing. Onne on woodcarving and a fiction novel Megan told me about.”

“Sounds like fun. You’re all set to read until next Tuesday.”

I chuckled. “I might do that.”

“Unfortunately, we have things to do.”

“Like what?”

She paused. “Oh, things. I can’t think what right now.” 

Through the noise of the coffee shop, I heard my name. Pushing to my feet, I made my way to the counter where both our coffees waited. I grinned when I saw mine. Carrying them back to our table, I set Mom’s in front of her.

“Check this out,” I said, turning my cup so that she could see.

She smiled as she took in the words ‘Happy Birthday!’with balloons scrawled on the side. 

“That’s so fun.”

“Yep.” I flipped open one of the travel books on Iceland and drew in a breath. “This is beautiful. I have to go to Iceland someday.” 

“If you do, take me with you. I’d love to see scenery like that.”

“We could have another mom-daughter date,” I teased with a grin. 

She laughed. “Yes, we could.”

We read in silence for an hour. I exhausted my pile and went in search of more. When I got back, Mom was checking her phone. 

“What is it?” I asked, settling into my seat once again. 

“Dad texted. The Jacksons are asking about having a picnic at the park.”

I studied her expression. She seemed excited about it. And our friends were always doing spur-of-the-moment activities. 

“That sounds great. We don’t have anything else tonight, right?”

“No.” Mom paused in thought. “Alright, I’ll tell Dad that’s fine. Let’s get going. The boys are already on their way so we’ll just head straight there.”

“Sounds good. I hope somebody brings a soccer ball.”

The drive passed quickly. Mom pulled into the parking lot and I scanned the park. Knowing the Jackson’s love of soccer, I’d guessed they would set up the picnic by the soccer field. But the field was empty. I climbed out of the car, scanned the rest of the park. A couple of little kids playing on the playground and a large group of people on the far side of the park under a gazebo. A volleyball net was set up nearby. Suspicion wormed through my gut.

“Did the Jackson’s say anything about it being a church picnic?” I asked Mom as we headed toward the group. “That has to be them, but I am not in the mood to deal with a bunch of strangers.” The Jackson’s went to a very small church that did a lot of activities together. And introvert that I am, interacting with strangers was definitely not the perfect way to end my Saturday. 

Then I paused, focusing on a girl playing volleyball with some younger kids. “What’s Briana doing here?” One of my best friends, Briana didn’t know the Jacksons and had no reason to be at their church picnic. I didn’t wait to hear Mom’s response. My feet moved faster without me even thinking about it. My mind raced to come up with an explanation. This didn’t feel right. 

Briana glanced up. The next moment, she was sprinting towards me, energy in every step.

“Happy Birthday!” burst out as she gave me an enthusiastic hug.

“What?” It’s a surprise party. For me. The thoughts pieced together instantly, but I couldn’t decide how to react. Excited? Overwhelmed? 

I heard my mom’s footsteps behind me. She put her arm around my shoulders and pushed me toward the gazebo. “Are you surprised?”

“Yes.” I scanned over the faces, a small group of my closest friends. The knot of dread in my stomach loosened. “I cannot believe I didn’t see this coming! The day felt off, but I couldn’t tell why.”

“I wasn’t sure if you’d be ok with a surprise party. We had to be gone at four so that the boys could bring the stuff over here to set up. It wasn’t hard to keep you occupied once we got to the bookstore,” Mom said.

Realization spread over my face. “That’s what the text was for. To find some reason to come over here.”

Mom squeezed my shoulder. “So, is this ok?” she asked seriously. She’s worried this is too much at once for me. I have to make sure she knows I appreciate all the hard work everyone’s put in.

I looked around at my friends who had made time and put in the effort to surprise me — all so they could celebrate with me. “It’s wonderful. Thank you. But,” I paused, grinning. “I’m never ignoring my instincts again.”