Work Text:
He stares at his phone.
It shouldn’t be this difficult right?
It’s just a phone call.
How hard could a phone call be?
Except this is not just a phone call. It’s the call he has been dreading to make all day.
Tim has only just started talking to his mom more regularly. He’d be lying if he said it hasn’t felt a little . . . relieving. After all of these years, there’s something a little comforting about being able to open up to her again.
It had honestly been a little exhausting. Filtering himself so much when talking to her every other weekend. Sanding down the rougher edges of his life until the version he offers her is something she can comfortably tolerate. It became something he slowly began to resent.
Finally opening up. Talking to her without worrying about slipping up. It has been freeing.
That is until this conversation.
He knew letting his mom in would open the proverbial floodgates, but he hadn’t expected it to drift in between him and Lucy.
He probably should have expected it given Lucy’s instinctively empathetic nature, and his well . . . more rigid nature.
He knows his mom won’t stop unless he says something. But, he also knows that he hasn’t seen her this happy in a long time. Openly communicating with him and now Lucy.
He just doesn’t have it in him to upset her, even though he seems to have already done so this morning by asking her to stop texting Lucy.
Honestly, he just feels out of practice. He is still navigating this whole open communication thing with Lucy, and now his mom has been thrown in the mix. It shouldn’t be this complicated. It’s not a hostage situation. It’s his mother.
But regardless of that, Lucy has been on him all day to call his mom and fix this. Whatever this is. He knows at this point, both of the women are frustrated with him and he frankly doesn’t know if he can handle Lucy’s frustration with him again. Not after she finally let go of her residual aggravation from last week's miscommunications.
He takes a deep breath, steadying himself as he finally hits the call button. The familiar ringing only amplifies his nerves.
It rings twice before he hears the familiar, yet slightly endearing (though he would never admit this) –
“Hi- Timmy.”
“Hi mom.”
He can practically hear his mom smiling into the phone as she greets him.
“How are you doing-” She cuts herself off.
“I know we don’t normally talk that often, but after our conversation we said we were going to communicate more often, then all of the sudden you are not responding to my texts in the group and telling me to stop texting Lucy. I just-” she inhales. “Is everything okay?”
“Yes mom-” he hesitates for just a second before continuing. “Everything is okay.”
“Are you sure? Did I do something?” she asks softly.
Tim feels a pang of guilt in his chest as he picks up on the anxiety in his mother’s tone.
“No mom, you didn’t do anything. I promise. If anything, I’m the one who did something wrong.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m sorry I asked you to stop texting Lucy. She didn’t ask me to do that. She actually was a little upset with me because of it. I just-” he takes a deep breath. His heart rate kicks up a few notches.
“Lucy loves that you reach out to her. So do I. It’s just . . . I think we maybe need to establish some boundaries.”
He hears his mom take a breath on the other end of the phone.
“I’m sorry –”
“No no no, mom. There is no reason to be sorry. Really– I . . .” he cuts her off, slipping into damage control mode.
“I know you just get excited to talk to her . . . and to me. We are excited to talk to you too. It’s just that we are really busy sometimes, especially at work, and Lucy never wants to disappoint you by ignoring your messages or anything so she always goes out of her way to respond, even when she can’t. Like I said, she loves when you text her but when it’s constant it’s maybe just a little . . . overwhelming.”
He braces for impact.
“Oh, Timmy. You’re right.”
Oh?
“I didn’t even think about her feeling obligated to respond, even at work. I figured she would just get back to me when she could, like you and Genny do. I can understand how the constant messages would be overwhelming. For both of you. I just am SO excited to know her. To know you,” she says fondly.
He exhales a breath he hadn’t even realized had been trapped in his chest.
This is going better than he thought it would go.
“You know,” she starts again. “I’ve never really been a big texter in the first place, but since Lucy made that group chat it has just been so fun to send stuff. I am just so thrilled that I get to communicate with you guys, I can acknowledge that I am maybe a little over eager at times. I will do better to make sure to only text you guys when you aren’t at work. And maybe not all at once.”
“Thank you mom,” he says with a small smile. “I really am sorry.”
“About what? Like you said, there is nothing to be sorry about. It’s not your fault. Technology is just too fun to experience alone.”
He lets out a small chuckle.
“Yeah,” he says. “You could say that.”
She hums contently on the other side of the line.
“So,” she starts. “Tell me about work. I know you said you got a promotion, but we weren’t really able to talk about it much before I left last week. If . . . if you aren’t too busy.”
“No, I’m not too busy. I want to talk to you.”
He hears her small gasp on the other end. It encourages him to keep going.
“Yeah, I got promoted to watch commander. Lieutenant Gray joined this FBI task force and he recommended me when the position opened up. I started a couple of months ago. It’s . . . different, but I think I’m starting to find my groove.”
“I’m sure you are doing great. It’s a very difficult job so I’m sure there has been an adjustment period.”
His mom’s pride is obvious, even through the phone.
He chuckles.
“That’s what Lucy says. That it’s natural that there will be rough patches. It’s definitely not what I’m used to but it’s good.”
“She sounds smart.”
“She is,” he says confidently. “She really is.”
“What about you?” he asks after a moment. “How have things been since you got back home?”
“I’ve been good,” she says enthusiastically. He can tell she is excited he asked, even if she’d never admit it.
“I’ve been trying to stay busy,” she continues. “I’ve been slowly working on redoing the sunroom. It’s never been touched and I would really like to get some use out of it. You guys should come check it out when it’s done.”
He realizes he hasn’t gone to visit his mom in . . . gosh he doesn’t even know how long. Not since he was married to Isabel.
“Yeah, we will. I’m sure Lucy would love that.”
“That sounds wonderful. I have also picked up pilates. Timmy – have you ever tried it? I swear it might be the best thing ever.”
He chuckles again.
“No mom, I cannot say I have ever tried pilates.”
“Well you should. It’s life changing.”
He grins, shaking his head. He is honestly not surprised Lucy and his mom get along so well. She sounds just like Lucy right now. Trying to convince him to try something he never would unless asked by her. Hell, if Lucy asked him to go to pilates with her big brown eyes he probably would cave.
“I’ll keep that in mind . . .” he trails off. They both know he will not be keeping this in mind.
“What else have you been up to?” he asks her.
He knows she’s always been a busybody. She has always stayed busy with tasks around the house and trying new hobbies for as long as he can remember.
“Oh! I’ve been going to the farmer’s market every week,” she says animatedly. “There is this new vendor who sells all natural body products and they have this magnesium lotion that works wonders on joint pain. I have to send you guys some.”
He would generally tell her not to worry about it, but he knows it will make his mom happy to do something small for him like this. Plus, he thinks Lucy might actually like it if it works as well as his mom insists it does.
“They have also had this stand that sells gluten free baked goods. They have all kinds of sourdough things. I don’t even know what half of it is, but it is so good. If we get there early she usually has quite the assortment still.”
“Who’s we? Who do you go with?” he asks with genuine interest.
“OH TIM. Let me tell you. I usually go with my friend Linda, but I cannot stand her right now. Do you remember Linda? She has a son, Andrew, who is your age,” Joy says. Her voice tight.
“Yeah, I remember Linda. She lived off of Rosedale right?”
“Yes, that’s the one,” she confirms. “Anyways, she has been acting like a shrewd bitch with a stick shoved so far up her ass, I am honestly surprised she hasn’t choked on it.”
“MOM,” he gasps, shocked at her sudden outburst.
“No, Tim. I’m being serious. She has been on this wellness kick ever since she had this very minor health scare and it's been insufferable. She was so confrontational with everybody at the market. A couple weeks ago she got in a screaming match with one of the vendors because she was sure they were lying about their produce being organic and she accused them of trying to poison her. She also didn’t talk to me for days because she thought I was trying to sabotage her by taking the better tomatoes. What does that even mean? Can you believe that?”
“That is a little . . . extreme,” he agrees.
“That’s not even all of it. She printed out these handouts that she has been giving to all of the other vendors, and even other shoppers, that talk about how pesticides are ruining our immune systems. It’s honestly embarrassing to be seen with her. I’ve started going without her and that has really made her mad. She says I’m ‘one of them now.’ Frankly it’s ridiculous,” she scoffs.
“Yeah, that is intense,” he says. He knows he needs to change the subject before his mom goes on another rant about Linda. “Do you remember when you used to take Genny and me to the farmer’s market after our tee ball games?”
She makes an affectionate sound.
“Of course I do. You would be so excited to get the free honey sticks from Mr. Nicholson,” she recalls fondly.
“Yeah, that was the best part. Then you would let us play on the playground so we would crash after all the sugar.”
He takes a moment, reminiscing on the memories from his childhood that were sweet. That made him feel like a normal kid.
“I remember you always would make us try one new thing every time we went,” he adds.
“That’s how you discover what you like,” she says.
“That’s how you forced me to eat plums when I was six.”
She laughs. “I did not force you. Anyways, you loved them.”
“I spit them out and cried.”
“And then you ate four on the way home,” she counters. “You were very dramatic.”
He chuckles dryly.
“You sound like Lucy.”
She pauses for a moment.
“It sounds like she knows you very well. I picked up on it during my visit too.”
“Too well,” he replies quickly.
“You know Tim, I never got to know any of your partners very well, but . . . you never talked about them the way you talk about Lucy. Not even Isabel. She’s good for you.”
“She is. She is the best thing that has ever happened to me,” he says without hesitation.
“So when are you marrying her?” she asks like it is the most logical follow up question to what he just told her.
Maybe it is.
He pauses.
“Hopefully soon, assuming she says yes,” he tells her quietly.
“Oh my God, Timmy. Are you going to ask her?” his mom practically squeals.
He doesn’t think he has ever heard his mom squeal before.
“Obviously I am going to ask her,” he scoffs light-heartedly. “I’m not just going to wake up and take her to the courthouse one morning and force her hand.”
He can practically hear his mom roll her eyes over the phone.
“You know that is not what I mean,” she levels.
“Yes mom, I’m going to ask her to marry me,” he gives in.
“When?” she asks excitedly.
“Sooner than you know.”
“Okay, I’m counting on it,” she replies. “You better tell me everything.”
“Of course,” he tells her.
And this time, he will.
“Okay well, as exciting as this conversation is, your mom is getting tired and you have a soon-to-be fiance to go take care of.”
He chuckles slightly.
“How are you so sure she will say yes?”
“Because, Timmy. Moms just know these things,” she says, totally convinced.
“Is that right?,” he asks with a smirk.
“For sure.”
His chest flutters at her certainty. Her excitement about Lucy warms his heart more than he ever could have imagined. He regrets not being open with her about this part of his life from the get go. It makes the future feel a little fuller.
He pushes off the bed and starts making his way out to their living room where Lucy is waiting for him.
“Okay Timmy. Well, you have a good night. Don’t stay up too late.”
“Alright mom,” he says. “Bye.”
He smiles as he hangs up the phone.
That didn’t just go better than expected. . . that was good.
He knows they can’t get back the years they lost due to his distance. But maybe they don’t need to.
What matters is that they are here now.
He approaches the couch to settle in next to a grinning Lucy.
“I did it,” he tells her. “It is handled.”
And for the first time in a while, it feels true.