DISCLAIMER: All characters and situations to belong to a bunch of different people and companies who are not me. Also I'm making no money off this.
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
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Y is for Yoghurt
By Jaina
"Oh, Mom, I think somebody put this in your cart by accident," Ashlee said, plucking out the offending item and sticking it back on the shelf in the dairy section.
Doris winced when she glanced up and saw what Ashlee was holding. "Uh, no, honey. I meant to grab that. You can just..."
Ashlee blinked. "But, Doris, you hate yogurt."
"Well, you know," Doris said as casually as possible. "People can change, Ashlee."
"Mo-om," Ashley protested. "You wouldn't even let me keep frozen yogurt in the house when I was trying to diet in case you mistook it for ice cream. You hate it that much and now you're buying it?"
"Ashlee," Doris said with just as much exasperation as her daughter had managed. "You're causing a scene."
"Because I have no idea what's going on," Ashlee said as if it should be the most obvious thing in the world.
Doris gave a long-suffering sigh. "Fine, if you must know...it's not for me."
"So what you're saying..." Ashlee said slowly. "Is that you're buying the yogurt for someone?"
Doris held her breath for a moment waiting. Then Ashlee's face lit up with the brightest grin imaginable.
"It must someone pretty special, if you're going to all this trouble," Ashlee noted.
To her surprise, Doris was the one to light up this time. "She is. Very special."
Ashlee was trying to restrain herself, but she was fairly bouncing with excitement. Doris had never been this serious about someone for her whole life and knowing that Doris was willing to share that with her - well it was new, exciting and amazing.
"Is it anyone I know?" Ashlee asked, taking the yogurt back off the shelf and putting it back in the cart, noting that Doris had sprung for real the stuff, not the cheap grocery store brand.
"Maybe," Doris said. "Yes, actually. We started spending more time together after you left for Berkley. We never meant for anything to happen. I never thought she would be interested, but..." She smiled. "You never know, do you?"
"And you're happy, Mom?" Ashlee asked, but she already knew the answer.
"I am, honey. So happy."
"So who is it?" Ashlee asked, barely able to contain her enthusiasm.
"Blake."
Ashlee blinked, not sure she'd heard Doris right. "What?"
"You heard me," Doris said a little defensively. "I said it's Blake."
"But I thought she was with Frank Cooper."
"Well, she was for a little while. And then they broke up. Now we're together."
"And you're buying her yogurt."
"I am."
Ashlee smiled. "I'm so proud of you, Mom."
Doris flushed a little and looked down, unable to hold Ashlee's gaze. She had never imagined that they would end up like this - or that it could feel so good. If a little bit of yogurt was the price to pay for her happiness, well then Doris would be more than happy to pay it.
The End