Fated

Chapter 4

I slowly opened the door to my mother's bedroom. My mother was sitting on the edge of her bed, head in her hands. I wheeled myself into the room, stopping right in front of her. My mother raised her head to look at me. I could tell she had been crying. Her eyes were red and swollen.

"Mom are you okay?" I asked her again.

She looked at me, forcing a smile. "Everything is fine, my love."

"Who were you just talking to?"

"Oh, I was just speaking to my boss. I asked for some FMLA while you are going to be home healing."

I can tell when my mother isn't telling the truth, as her forehead wrinkles up every time. I gave my mom a quizzical look, but ultimately decided to just drop the subject for now. She already has so much on her plate, that the last thing she needs is to be questioned by me. She grabbed my hand into hers, caressing her thumb over mine.

"What would you like for breakfast?"

"Hmmm...Pancakes!"

"Pancakes it is!" she said as she stood up and wheeled me out of the room and into the living room. She handed me the TV remote.

"Go ahead and watch something while I get breakfast ready."

I nodded in response, flipping through the channels, ultimately settling on watching old episodes of Charmed. About a half hour later, my mom came into the room, setting up a tray of pancakes with eggs, toast and a cup of orange juice. We sat and watched TV, neither of us saying anything as we finished up breakfast. After everything was cleaned up and put away from breakfast, my mom rejoined me on the couch. We both sat in silence staring at the television, but not really watching it. I turned the TV off and turned to look at my mother, taking in her features. Her eyes were a cloudy gray today. Her long red hair was tied into a ponytail with loose strands falling around her face. Her white skin looked almost as if it were glowing against the sunlight pouring in through the windows. If it weren't for the creases on her forehead or the crows' feet forming in the corners of her eyes, you wouldn't be able to tell she was an older woman, let alone a mother. Well, correction she isn't old by any means, only being forty-five, but you get what I mean.

She was the one to break the silence first.

"Would you be up for going out today?" She asked, turning to meet my gaze.

I looked at her surprised, not thinking she would ask me something like that.

"What do you have to go out for?"

"It's okay if you aren't up for it. I just didn't want to leave you home alone. I just had a few errands to run, and a friend I have been meaning to visit for some time now. What do you say?"

"Sure."

"Okay good! Let me get ready really quick and then I'll help you out."

I nodded in agreement. She stood from the couch, walking down the hallway into her bedroom. I could hear the shower turning on. I spent time waiting for my mother, scrolling through my phone, when I received a message notification on my phone from my best friend Anya. I opened up the message.

Hey, I heard about what happened at school yesterday. How are you holding up?

I'm okay...

Are you sure? Don't lie to me. Do you need anything?

My mom is staying home while I recover, so everything is fine. No need to go out of your way for me. :)

Okay...but listen...there's something I have to tell/show you.

Okay?

I stared at the screen of my phone watching the typing bubble appear and disappear. Finally, after what seemed like forever, a video attachment popped up on the screen, followed by Anya's next message.

I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you yesterday. I'm not sure who recorded this video, but it's been circulating around the whole school.

I stared at my phone in complete horror as I watched a video play back of what Kimberly had done to me. Apparently, someone watched and recorded in the bathroom entrance while Kimberly beat the s**t out of me. I stared at my phone with tears running down my face. I threw my phone to the side, ignoring the notification sound pinging on my phone. I held my face in my (good) hand, sobbing uncontrollably, so that I didn't hear my mom coming out of her bedroom.

"Maya, what happened?!"

I heard my mom running down the hall grabbing my face in her hands so that I could look at her.

"Maya, what is wrong? You have to stop crying and tell me what happened!"

Through tears, I could see the panicked look on my mother's face. She pulled my face close to her chest, rubbing my head as I cried. It felt like an eternity before my sobs just turned into slight sniffles. My mother looked down at me, wiping the few tears I had running down my face. She grabbed a tissue from the coffee table and handed it to me. I blew my nose and dried my eyes.

"Now, can you tell me what happened?"

I stood staring down at my legs, not wanting to look up at her. All I did was point at my phone.

"Is there something on your phone I should see?"

I nodded.

She reached over and grabbed my phone off the couch where I had tossed it. I looked up as she unlocked my phone and played the video that was sent to me. I stared at my mom as she watched the video play in front of her eyes. She gripped my phone so hard, that the knuckles on her hand turned white. I watched as complete anger, no scratch, complete rage washed over her face. She took a deep breath, silence filling the room. She looked at me with sadness filling her eyes.

"Has anyone else seen this?"

I nodded. "Anya sent it to me saying that it has been circulating around the school."

"Okay. Let's get you ready to head out."

I looked at her with a questioning look on my face. I don't understand how a moment ago she was filled with such rage, and now she was calm like a cucumber, still wanting to run errands. I yelled in disbelief.

"Mom, how can you still want to run errands after that?!"

She shot me a gaze that if looks could kill, I would have dropped dead at that very moment.

"Don't question me right now! I said we are going to get ready and head out to run errands!"

I just nodded in agreement, not wanting to be yelled at again.

After an embarrassing sponge bath, and difficulties with getting dressed, we were in the car headed into town. We drove in silence for the twenty minutes it took to reach town. I waited in the car as my mother headed to the post office, picking up some packages and running some errands here and there at different stores. When everything was done, we stopped at the local diner for some lunch. We picked a booth in the back corner of the diner. After we settled in, a waitress came over to take our orders.

"I'll have a chicken Caesar wrap with fries and an Oreo shake and my daughter will have the cheeseburger deluxe, no tomato or pickle with cheese fries and a vanilla shake."

The waitress finished taking our orders and headed off to the kitchen. A few minutes later, she returned with our orders. My mother watched as I started stuffing my face with food. A smile came across her face.

"Why are you smiling at me?" I said in between mouthfuls of cheese fries. My mom giggled, grabbing a napkin and reaching over to wipe my face.

"Mom, I'm not a kid. I can clean my own face!!!."

She raised her hands in surrender, just watching me. After a while, she began to eat her food. We chatted for a while, talking and laughing. Remembering old stories from when I was kid. Time flew by as we finished up our meals. My mother paid the bill and helped me into my chair.

"Just two more stops, love, and we can head home, okay?"

"Okay mom."

With that, we headed out the diner and to the car. Once we were in the car, my mom sat for a while just staring out the window.

"Are you okay?"

She turned to look at me. There was a look in her ey that I couldn't quite make out.

"I can't imagine what you have been through in the last day, but I want you to know that I am here for you no matter what is okay."

"Okay?"

"I know you have a long road to recovery, and I support you in whatever decision you make, but I really think you should press charges on this girl. I have known for a while that this...person, has been the one responsible for all the injuries you have been sustaining this year. It has to stop. She almost killed you this time."

I sat in silence as she went on. After she was done, I thought a while before making a decision.

"Okay."

With just that, she pulled off, not stopping until we were in front of the police station.