Sheila Hatoshi has been a client of mine for years. After winning the silver medal in freestyle swimming during the Seoul Olympics, she had thanked me personally for taking care of her during those years leading up to that fateful day.

Which is why I was surprised to receive a phone call from another doctor's office asking for an x-ray transfer. I called her, asking if she was happy with my service, and her husband simply stated they had decided to go elsewhere to begin a new route of treatment.

Dr. Granville had already transferred several large accounts of mine to other doctors at the clinic, and now I had someone like Sheila, a loyal patient, who decided to go to another doctor I had never heard of? This confirmed it. Something was definitely going on behind my back.

Later that night, not wanting to make issue of it with Drew, I simply stated that I had had a rough day as I grabbed a beer from the fridge. I don't know if he could tell I was hiding something but it didn't really matter. Why? Because I knew HE was hiding something from me.

"So what's up?"I asked.

Drew fuddled with delivery menus from the kitchen drawer. "I don't feel like cooking. Is that a problem?"

"I wasn't talking about cooking, Drew." That confirmed it. He was definitely hiding something because he seemed awfully defensive. "So are you going to tell me or am I going to have to go fishing."

"Fishing?"He asked.

"Yes, Drew, fishing--- do I have to send out a hook and reel you in, hoping I'll be able to catch an explanation as to why you're 5000 miles away?" I sounded snide, and I didn't mean to.

"Just...your mom is an amazing woman."

"What did she do?"

"She knows how to talk to people, that's all. How to get them to open up."

"Like who?"

Drew suddenly paused. Until with my stare, he finally responded.

********

I pounded on my mother's hotel room door, hearing the television volume suddenly drop as her footsteps moved to the door. I could tell she was staring me down through the peephole so I quickly covered it with my hand.

"Who is it?" she asked.

I wanted to announce "your son, the serial killer," but I held back.

She opened the door.

"What is wrong with you, mother! I told you, DO NOT get the church involved."

She motioned for me to be quiet, inviting me inside.

"Mom," I continued. "It's very important for Drew and I to get married, but you don't understand that when I tell you I don't want you to do something, I mean it."

"What happened?" she said, calmly staring me down. I froze, and in that moment we both knew there was another reason as to why I came all the way to the Beverly Hilton to yell at her.

"Nevermind! Just stay out of my life! It's mine, not yours!"I screamed, crossing to the door and SLAMMING it behind me.

As I took the elevator downstairs, I felt better. But even so, I knew I had just declared war with my mother and should now be prepared for her thermonuclear attack.