and so it goes

Kip couldn't really believe it was happening. Of course, he couldn't get Liz to come up for his Mom's birthday or even Mother's day. Those days came and went. There was a time he thought he'd pretty much managed to create a figment of his imagination with Liz. But then she said, "OK."

"But you did this to me last time." He had no faith in her anymore. Sort of. So the phone calls were nice. Time of Skype every Sunday afternoon was great. These were the moments he had. Not exactly a marriage. But still he'd managed.

He'd remained silent with Syd after his irate phone call. He thought it best not to even try to apologize. After all, he didn't even have her cell number, anymore. Sometimes, he felt he'd made great strides to change, and yet it felt like nothing.

So there she was. Liz. Just like he remembered. Slightly sullen, but doing her best to fake a smile.

"Are you sorry that you came?" He wondered. His apartment wasn't that much bigger than hers. It was old. Two bedrooms. The ceilings were high and it was...well, the city. You either loved it or you hated it.

"No. No. Of course, not." She just didn't like the meeting people part.

"Why can't you meet my mother?" It felt good to hold her hand again. Just to be close. She was the one person he wanted his mother to meet.

"I dunno." She put on her silly, giddy act. Even when they were thousands of miles away from each other, he'd picked up on her nervousness.

"Maybe we should you know-" Start things the way she liked to do. A little pot. OK, a lot of it. "It just helps me relax." She stammered about, looking at his books.

Just as he thought, they couldn't be a couple without a little partaking of some sort. Drugs. Alcohol. Something to spice it up, he supposed.

"I can't." He'd decided this would be the weekend to make them or break them. "We're having dinner with my Mom and then I thought we'd do something normal."

"Normal?" She cringed.

"I dunno. Maybe a train ride to the coutry. Go to Vermont." He shrugged.

She tried to give him a smile. He knew it was hard for her.

"It'll be OK. You'll see." Kip smiled. He kissed her then as if this might be an adventure instead of the weekend from hell.