Sheila's Plight

Sheila’s Plight

“Moooooooooom,” Sheila exaggerated as she lay out in the sun of her mother’s back yard. “Tell me what to doooooooooooooo.” She rolled on her side to look at her mother, tending to a small garden underneath a window.

“Have you talked to him, dear? You’ve known him since you were children, you of all people should know how approachable he is.” Her mother looked up from her trimming. Sheila had a habit of reporting all of her problems to her mother whenever she was home from her travels. Today, as it is most first days of return, Sheila was going on about her appointed charge: Xentros.

“You know I can’t talk to him about this. He’s nobility. He’s one of,” she mumbles “is,” and continues “the most handsome people,” “person” “in all of Illiu. And, on top of everything else, he’s my BEST friend. What if he thinks I’m joking? What if he actually has someone already, and I missed my chance? What if he’s promised to someone else, and that’s why he hasn’t dated anyone?” Sheila took a breath, as she said all of that without breathing. Her next question was barely a whisper, but her mother heard it none-the-less. “What if he just doesn’t like me?” She had sat up at the start of her tantrum and hung her head low at the resolution of it.

Her mother tilted Sheila’s head up and took her hands. “Darling, you left out the most important one. ‘What if he does like you?’ You know King Vexus wouldn’t force Xentros to do anything he didn’t want to. You know he wouldn’t do anything to intentionally hurt your feelings. You two share practically everything together, you and I both know he would have told you if there was someone in his life. Honey, nothing bad will come out of you talking to him. You’re both adults now, no matter how childish you can act.” She brought Sheila in for a hug, and after a few seconds of being limp, she finally returned the embrace.

“Thank you, mom. I needed that.” Sheila pulled back and looked at her mom. She couldn’t help but think something about this situation was cliche, but she left the thought alone. “I still don’t know if I could actually go through with it, though.” She paused for a few seconds. “I’ve never dated anyone either. I don’t know what to say, or how to say it.”

The 36-year-old woman smirked at her daughter.