#anywhere

For Chloe, she and her mom, well, her mortal mom, have not always understood each other, well, okay, almost never. Yet with father on a low banality diet, it's best to try Mrs. DuBois first

She calls first before making the trip to the estate. "Will you be home for a bit? I have something I'd like to talk with you about."

"About two hours tops, if that's enough? I'm hosting an efficiency comittee for that charity."

"Perfect. I'll be right there." And whether by Uber or Delores, she is.

She asks a maid where her mother might be at the moment.

She is lead to her mother's room. Her mom used to struggle to look half her age. Botox, plastic surgery, trendy diets, and clothing choices that were 'new'. Now, Mrs. DuBois is looking a bit more haggard, and only about 8 years younger than her age tops. But oddly, the 'cold immersion therapy' has helped her shed some of her nightmares and feeling she had to be younger than she is, and while busier, and less fashionable, Chloe notices her mother seems more centered, and maybe even happier.

"Hello, Dear" Her mom looks up from her glasses as she was reading. Glasses? She's actually wearing them instead of pretending she never needs them?

"Hello." She smiles, and goes to give her a kiss on the cheek. "You're looking well. And busy." She nods at the papers (or book) that she was reading.

"Oh? I feel like I look a mess, I had to have my hair touched up twice in a month" She smiles though "But thank you. Your mother still enjoys flattery. And yes, very busy but I think I can spare time for a daughter I didn't always..." A sigh "Well, that's in the past." She kisses her daughter on the cheek in return, "You look lovely as always honey" Looks like the papers are related to finding ways to stream line the charity so the money gets to those that need it most.

"Yes, don't worry about the past. And thank you." A glance at the papers again. "I don't think I've ever asked...what kind of charity is it, exactly? I mean, who is it designed to help?"

"The poor , urban, rural, the probablem is what works in one area falls apart in the other, because the infrastructure is different. It's tedious stuff."

A moment's pause, then, "Could you use some help?"

"Oh honey, you've helped your father and I plenty" A blush, "I ...we were both in bad places after that home invasion"

"I know. And I'm so glad you're both doing so much better. But...well, I wasn't really asking if I could help. I mean, I wouldn't know where to start with something like that," she gestures at the papers. "I was actually wondering whether there might be something that August could do with your charity? It's absolutely the sort of work he's into, and...well, he's got a summer job, but it's not the sort of thing that would help him towards his future. He's trying to figure out what he wants to do in life, and I guess I just think that if he had exposure to something like what you do, it could help him decide if he likes it or not."

"Oh, mmm" A pause, "Honey, I know you two are serious, but you're both still very young. There's time. What is he considering?"

"There's time...but he's trying to figure out which way to go with his studies. He worries a lot. And he's considered a lot of things. You know he was planning to be a priest before...well, before we met, and that kind of turned his world upside down." A not-so-guilty grin. "I know he's thought about philosophy, and literature, and being a librarian, and he's organized a theater in the past and enjoyed that, and most recently he was talking about law school."

"Law school? mmm well at least that sounds profitable, depending on what area- though student loans for those places are killers"

"Yes, he's very worried about that. But...Mama, profit isn't going to be the deciding factor for him. It can't be. He wants to help people. And...I was wondering if there's a way you might help him to do that."

"Well, I'm in now position to turn away help," She says "We do have a program to help the poor with legal advice. He'd be under a retired lawyer and a paralegal, so he'd probably be fetching coffee and grabbing files more than actually doing the legal stuff himself- but maybe?"

"Maybe," she agrees. "Especially if there's a chance he'd be able to learn something from the lawyer?"

"Or the paralegal, for that matter."

"Paralegals are in big demand" She says "Their hours are horrible mind you, but less school required. " SHe says "mm yes, I'll suggest it. You sure August won't mind you helping him out like this? The male ego can be a fragile thing"

"Well, we've already talked about it a bit, and he knew I was going to talk more with you or Papa. But...don't go arranging anything for sure, yet. You should really hear what he wants from his mouth first, I think." A pause. "Would it pay, though? This job?"

"Truth to tell? They'll probably try to do an intern thing. Honey, is he hurting for money?"

"It's...complicated. I don't think 'hurting' is the right word, but between college costs and paying for the house...I think he feels the pressure to choose one right way to move forward, and having so many interests kind of makes that difficult."

"He maybe spreading himself thin," She ponders, "Mmm, in a way it's good to hear though. You are too smart and too pretty to have to take on some guy who wants a sugar mama"

"He has never asked me for a dime," she confirms.

"I...I'd like to help him more, though. At least a bit."

A pleased look, "How about this, he interns for a month, free. Then, they see if they want to keep him on. If they keep him on, he gets paid, though it may not be much it will at least be minimum wage, AND... I make sure he gets to learn the legal ropes and not just how to make coffee?"

She smiles. "Well, I like the sound of that...but it's really up to August. Look, I know you have this thing to get to...when might you be around for both of us to stop over?"

"Mmm later tonight after 8:30?"

"That sounds good to me. I'll text you to let you know if we can both make it. Will Papa be here?"

"I'm sure he would be if I asked him. Did you want him to be?"

"Hmm...well, I don't want him to feel excluded, but it's okay if he isn't, too. Whatever you think works best." She gets up and gives her another kiss on the cheek. "I should let you finish getting ready."

A smile, "Thank you, honey" A pause, "Chloe. I know you're crazy about this guy, and if he's the one he's the one, but it's okay to be unsure of where you're going at this stage. You know that right? If I had realized my options, well, I'd still have had you, but probably later on."

A tilt of her head, and she takes one of her hands. "It's okay. I get it. It's okay for me to be unsure, now...and it's okay for you to figure things out now, too. But Mama...he's the one." A quiet certainty. "We may not be sure of where we're going, but we're going to make it work."

A nod and a smile from her mom, a soft squeeze of the hand "Ok. I suppose the the practical thing would be to tell you we have to live in the real world, the supportive thing is to tell you to follow your dreams. But honestly? The only life lesson I am sure of is this: don't let anyone else tell you what your dreams ARE." A nudge, "See you tonight"

That gets a bright smile. "That...is an excellent lesson to have learned. See you tonight." And she heads out, reflecting on how much less irritating Mrs. Dubois is these days.

(End Scene)