The next day was spent quietly, me mostly watching TV while Emily cooked for the pack, who came in and out intermittently. I didn't talk much, other than to say thank you to Emily for the food. I knew my mom would be home that night, so I asked Sam to drive me home around noon, which he obliged.
I came home to an empty house, my mom wasn't home yet. Today would probably be her only day off, so I decided to do something nice for her. We hadn't spent much time together lately, so I figured a mother-daughter movie night was the way to go.
I picked out our favorite Disney movies and chick flicks, lined up on the coffee table ready to go when she got home. Then, I opened the freezer, happy to find the stockpile of finger foods we kept, my mom being too busy to cook lately. I laid out chicken nuggets, mozzarella sticks, curly fries, and mini corn dogs and put them in the oven. I may not be able to cook, but I know how to heat up food.
Once the food was in the oven, I grabbed some fluffy blankets from the hallway closet and pillows from my bed. I set up a little nest for us to sit in, and as soon as I stepped back to observe my masterpiece, I heard the familiar car pull into the driveway. The oven timer went off just as my mom walked in, suitcase in hand.
"What are you making?" my mom asked curiously. "Finger foods." I replied, taking the baking sheets out of the oven, "I was thinking, we haven't had any time together, just us, in a while. Soooo I set up a little movie night for us!" I beamed at my mother waiting for a response. A smile broke across her face and she put down her suitcase and walked towards me, pulling me into a hug.
"You have no idea how much I needed this." she sighed. I smiled, laying my chin on her shoulder, "Me too." She pulled away after a couple seconds, staring into my eyes.
"Did you make mozzarella sticks?" she questioned with a perked eyebrow. "Well, duh!" I answered, moving to reveal the food I made. She pinched my cheek, "Good girl." I giggled before pulling her hand away and rubbing my cheek.
We both filled our plates with food, grabbed a soda, and settled into the couch. I hit play on the remote and the first movie on our list started- Mary Poppins. We ate in silence as we watched the cheery nanny discipline the misbehaving children in her own way.
About halfway through the movie, both me and my mom had finished our food and drinks. I was cuddled up against her, my head on her shoulder. She was playing with my hair, like she always did when I was a kid.
"You know," I started, "you always reminded me of Mary Poppins. You still do." I felt her look down at me before turning her attention back to the screen. "Really?" she asked as if she didn't believe it."
"Mhm." I hummed, "You're always so cheerful and fun. And you're always gentle when you know I'm going through a rough time, but strict when I need you to be. I just hope you know how much I appreciate you."
At the last sentence, my mom gave me a giant bear hug. I giggled as she gave me a bunch of kisses on the top of my head. "Y/N/N, you just made everything I do worth it." she stated. I smiled and we both went back to watching our movie.
Once Mary Poppins ended I got up and put in Legally Blonde. About 45 minutes into the movie, I heard my mom snoring. I let out a little laugh but didn't move. Soon after I joined her in sleep.