There is no easy way in navigating his mother flirting with someone.

Roman didn’t think he would ever be faced with this. It just appeared to be an eternal push and pull between his parents.

If this were his dad, he could totally see it. Carl is much more….free. Not in a bad way. Just that he is more open. His mom, Madge, dealt with a lot in the divorce.

Of course, it was a bitter end to their once loving relationship. The custody arrangement took the longest which doesn’t give Roman a complex at all. Totally doesn’t.

But they finally settled on half and half. Though his mom fought for full. She thought Cal wasn’t ready to be a full time parent. As far as Roman knew, it was because his father had never really had to take care of him alone.

He always had someone supervising, whether that be Madge or a grandparent.

Without a solid justification, the court couldn’t grant her the full custody. Roman knows that weighs a lot on his mom.

That experienced jaded her. Especially with men.

Roman once heard his mom say on the phone to his grandmother that she felt that Cal dragged it out solely to anger her. Not because he actually wanted equal custody.

So safe to say, his mom never dated.

“So…how was it meeting the other parents?” He asks. His mom glances at him with a raised eyebrow but quickly averts her gaze back on the road, ever the responsible driver.

“It was fine. As fine as it can be when your children are all involved in theft,” she answers, her stone sharp but not mean.

She took his and his friends’ crimes well all things considered. Her anger grew from the dampening bracelets and what it was doing to her child.

So Roman is lucky that she wasn’t mad at him.

“And I’ve met a couple of them before,” she reminds him.

Even though her powers has to do with technology, she is able to read him like a book. She knows he’s fishing for something.

“Yeah, but not all,” Roman adds. Her eyes never leaves the road, and yet he can feel her gaze him on. “You can ask me whatever you want to ask me, Roman.”

While he could dance around it a bit more, it wouldn’t work that well with Madge. So he decides it’s best to just lay his cards out. “Bell’s biological dad, Arlo. It seems like you two were getting along.”

He actually feels the car swerve the very slightest to the right side of the road. Maybe it wasn’t the best idea to bring this up on the car ride home.

Well, they’re almost home anyway. So hopefully he doesn’t shock his mother further.

“We had a conversation. It was just a nice talk between two single adults,” she says after she composed herself.

She’s nervous. Roman can tell because of her white knuckles frost are grasping the steering wheel very tightly.

But even though this is very awkward, Roman feels like he has to keep going. She deserves to be happy. “Are you sure? Because if there was something, I want you to know that I’m ok.”

Roman has read horror stories of kids of divorced parents trying to date other people and not considering their kids. He wants her to know that he knows she wouldn’t do that.

A smile does grace her lips this time. “I appreciate that, sweetheart, but I’m ok with my life exactly how it is.”

“You don’t ever see yourself with someone else?” He asks, genuinely curious.

Everyone talks about soulmates but they never talk about what happens if that doesn’t work out. There is no “after” explanation.

She sighs, turning the car into their driveway. When the car is securely parked and she turns the key to turn the engine off, she turns her body towards him to look him directly in the eye. “It’s more complicated than that. In this messed up society, it’s almost like it isn’t allowed to imagine your life with someone that isn’t your soulmate. If that makes sense? I never held space in my head for another person that wasn’t your father.”

Her hand unconsciously plays with a necklace that Roman remembers helping his dad pick out for Mothers Day when he was little.

It has a heart shaped pendant that’s a locket. On the front is a lily, his mom’s favorite flower. Inside is a picture of Roman when he was five and a picture of her parents on the other side. “It’s more accepted now, of course but not in my time. Obviously it’s ok. I always wanted you to know it was ok to be anyone you wanted. To be with anyone you wanted.”

“You didn’t want me stuck in a box,” he finishes for her. He always appreciated that, though sometimes it felt like a push too much in the opposite direction of society.

Like he couldn’t win. Society emphasizes soulmates. His mom despised soulmates. It felt like walking on eggshells.

“Yes, but I love Jeremiah. I see how good he is for you. I’m just worry of what I’ve experienced. Perhaps I’ve put that on you.”

It is a relief to hear that. There has always been the worry in the back of his mind about his mom’s opinion on his soulmate.

Madge normally, with the exception of his father, is a peacemaker. She is a quiet soul that doesn’t speak against people unless they really rile her up.

If the option is to confront or listen, she would rather listen.

So he never could quite grasp what she thought.

Jeremiah makes everyone smile and laugh just by being near him within the first five minutes, but his mom remained seemingly indifferent.

“To answer your question, maybe someday I could, but I’m not ready,” Madge confesses.

Roman smiles. He hopes she can be happy with someone in the way he is with Jeremiah someday. He never really understood the comfort of romantic love until him. Now it is the thing he hopes for everyone. “I get that. Do you think you need more separation from Dad?”

She cocks her head, startled at his suggestion. “Pardon?”

It’s something that has been in his head for a while now. They only see each because of him. Now that he’s older and can drive, he can lessen their interactions. “You see Dad really often with dropping me off and picking me up. You constantly have to talk with him about stuff with me. Maybe you could get some distant from him. Start to heal.”

He can see her eyes become glassy. There have only been few times that he can recall her crying in front of him.

It’s a reminder of how she’s felt like she has to be put together for him. But she doesn’t have to anymore.

His mom suddenly wraps him up in a hug. He buries his head in her shoulder, feeling the warmth you could only get from your parent. Her breaths are shaky but certain, “I don’t regret how I lived my life. I would do it all over again, Roman. Because I have what most people strive their whole lives for. My love for my child.”

Pulling away enough to look at her, he grins and replies, “And you raised me right. So I’m here to tell you that it’s ok to strive for something different. Maybe not now, but someday.”

“Someday,” she agrees.

———

(I hope this came off natural. I personally have never had divorced parents or having a parent consider dating. For most of my life, I grew up with a single mom who never was interested in dating. So I tried my best to capture both sides of what this would be like.

Also, this is the last post that was done just sitting in my drafts. Now I’ll be back to posting every 3-4ish days!)