Motherhood

“You make motherhood look so easy, Ms. Annette,” Candace said admiringly as she dipped her chip in the volcano-flavored salsa at her favorite Mexican Restaurant, La Casa de Guacemole. The restaurant was known for its 35 flavors of salsa and its freshly prepared, savory guacamole.

“Girl, please. Easy is not a word I would use to describe my motherhood journey.” She took a swig of ice water to lessen the fiery effect of the salsa. “It’s been the hardest, but most fulfilling role of my life, though, hands down.”

“Well, if I can be half the mother you are, I’ll consider myself a success. I’m so worried I’m going to make a mistake.”

“Oh, Honey,” Annette said sympathetically. She set the meat lover’s burrito she now held on her plate, grabbed her napkin, wiped her hands, leaned forward, and placed her hand on top of Candace’s, declaring, “Let me put your mind at ease right now. You will make a mistake. In fact, you will make thousands of them. There is no such thing as a perfect parent. They just don’t exist. You trust God and do the best you can with what you have.”

“I know. I just don’t want to damage my baby the way my mother damaged us.”

“You’re not your mother. You’re your own sane, kind, intelligent, beautiful person. Your mother had issues and was not in her right mind to raise anybody, not even herself. Your baby is blessed to have you as a mama as much as you’re blessed to have him as a son. Have you and Jay decided on a name yet?”

“Jay likes ‘Christopher.’”

“Aww, Little Chris.”

“It means ‘Christ bearer’ or ‘Carrier of Christ.’”

“Ooh, powerful. I like it even more.”

“I like it too, buttt” she replied, dragging out the word ‘but’ as if she were Ed McMahon about to announce, ‘Here’s Johnny.’ I love the name Edward.”

“Edward?” Annette jerked her head from side to side like someone was pulling it on a string. “That’s mighty formal. I never would have thought you would lean towards such a traditional name.” Wanting to be sure she didn’t come off as condescending or unsupportive, she added softly, “Not that there’s anything wrong with Edward, though. We can call him Eddie. Aww, Little Eddie.” She squeezed her fists and placed them on her mouth, showing affection for the name and encouragement for her younger friend.

“Edward was my grandfather’s name. He raised me and my sis after my mom skipped out on us. It’s my way of honoring him.”

“Precious.” Annette placed her manicured hands over her heart.

“Buttt,” Candace said, dragging another ‘but.’

“What is it with you and these ‘buttts’ today?” Annette asked, taking a small bite of her bulging burrito.

“My mother-in-law wants us to name him after her father, Isaiah.”

“I didn’t know Ms. Velma had a vote. This is you and Jay’s baby, right?”

“I know. But he’s so close to his mother,” she shook her head, swiped her mouth with a napkin,  placed her elbows on the table, and leaned in. “She has so much influence over him sometimes. Now, he’s moving in her direction for our baby’s name, and it’s caused some tension between us.”

“Candy Baby, you work full-time, take part-time online courses, and you’re pregnant. You don’t need any unnecessary stress!”

She swirled her hands in the air. “Trust me, nobody understands that better than I do. I just don’t know how to approach the subject with Jay.” Raising her shoulders, then dropping them, she added, “He’s so sensitive when it comes to his mother.”

“Definitely pray before you approach. Jay needs to ‘cleave.’

“What?”

“He needs to cleave. The Bible says, “A man shall leave his father and mother and cleave unto his wife.” This is cleaving time. As a mama who is close to her son, there are times when I have to remind myself of my place. It’s not always easy, but I want my son’s marriage to work more than I want my opinion to be heard.”

“That’s deep, Ms. Annette.”

“That’s real, Candace. Remind Jay about your grandfather’s role in your life and how meaningful it would be to honor him that way. I think he’ll understand and respect that.”

“I hope so.”

“And remind him that you don’t need any more stress! Then he needs to have a conversation with his over-involved mama. In fact, let’s pray now.” Grabbing hands, they prayed fervently.  

Two Weeks Later

“Hey, Ms. Annette,” Candace spoke into the cellphone.

“Hi, Lovely. How’s it going? Did you talk to Jay yet?”

“Yes, we talked. It turned out to be a productive conversation.”

“I’m so happy to hear that. Hold on one second, Girl. This cat is working me today. Tango, stop clawing my curtains. Get over here. Now!”

“Sorry. I’m back. So, what’s the verdict?”

Candace swiveled in her work chair and, with a sweet, peaceful smile on her face, announced, “Edward Christopher Robinson.”

“I love it.”

“Me too. Would you pray about being his godmother?”

Annette screamed, and her joyful shriek sent Tango scampering.

Giggling, Candace asked, “Is that a ‘yes’?”

“That’s a definite ‘yes’!” she yelled into the phone.

The End

 I’d LOVE to hear what you gleaned from this story. Please share with us in the Comment section!

 © 2025 Felicia Harris-Russell. All rights reserved.