LOVING MY BEAST

REGRETS AND REPERCUSSIONS 2

I sigh and leave his door. I take some water from the fridge when I hear someone enter. I go to check and it’s my mom.

I hug her and help her with her bags. She takes her seat and I can’t help but notice the grin she had since I opened the door. “May I know what put you on a mission to tear the corners of your lips.” “Oh my God! Claire, you would believe what happened to me. So Gina forced me on this blind date and we hit it off immediately. We had a long conversion and stuff about my bakery came out. He was genuinely interested so he asked to try some of my recipes. I gave him a few to taste and he loved them. He introduced me to a broadcasting network and they loved it plus they saw the cooking website you created for me so much they decided to give me my own cooking show.”

She covered her mouth with both hands, trying to cover the smile. His eyes had a sparkling one that I hadn’t seen in a long time. I am really happy for her. “That so awesome.” “I know right.” She said in a high pitched voice. “Can’t believe I’m gonna be the daughter of a celebrity.” I flicked her with a high and mighty look. My mom flicked my forehead. “Ow!”

I’m so happy for her. It’s the least she deserves after what she has been through all these years. “So~?” I wiggle my eyebrows and directed a smirk towards her. “What?” She gave me a look of confusion.  

“Was he hot? I need details.” “That’s not something kids should be talking about.” “What?! I’ll have you know I’m twenty –five and a half!” With an eyebrow raised she tilted her head and looked at me. “Not with that cry baby attitude you’re not.” I faked an offended gasped. “You take that back.” “Heh.” She gives me an amused look and leaves for her room.

I swear this woman still treats me like a teenager. I sigh and realized I’m all alone in the living room. The deafening silence gives way for a range of thoughts to flood in. Mom's words proved Max right. I have been so absorbed in my own problem I didn’t see anyone around me. I really need to do better. It hits me when I realized my mom never asked me why I came back home. Maybe she knows something is wrong but is just waiting for me to get comfortable enough to tell her.

My thoughts are interrupted by my phone’s constant buzzing. It’s from the company I work for. I have been chosen as a co-executive producer for a movie based on my book. This gets me pumped excitement but when I see the cast I get a bit nervous. A list of celebrities and moderately famous ones too. I’m really gonna be busy for a while that for sure.

Five days later I come back from a meeting to discuss more the book. The person I see was the last person I thought to find on my living room couch. “Mrs. White?”

She gets up and walks over to me. She places her hands on my arms and asked how I was doing. I gave her a positive response and she nods. “Can we talk somewhere private?” I nod and she drives me to an apartment she owned two blocks away.

The place was about the same size as aunt Gina’s but more refined. She offers me a seat and begins. “Well, you probably have an idea why I called you here.” I looked down at my lap not answering.

When Alexander was fourteen. She and her husband parted ways awaiting a divorce. As the youngest Alexander was the most affected. He would often go between his parents. I was an alcoholic and would often take out my frustration on him because I thought my husband was cheating and Alexander looked just like his father. One time I took it too far I lied to Alexander that I was going get back with his father and we would be a happy family. It was a lie. I sold him to an illegal brothel located on an island. The madam took a liking to Alexander” 

I covered my mouth in shock while she continued. “That began his days of torture. Turns out her husband was secretly gay and that worsened Alexander’s situation. There were three other boys with him. They soon managed to escape. They were in a single boat wondering the ocean, stranded. Luckily Alexander’s father was desperately looking for him and found clues of his where about on the island and took a rescue helicopter to save them.”

 “The look of betrayal in the fourteen-year old’s eyes as I, his mother sold him like a discarded piece of jewelry still hunts me to this day. After Alexander was found I was put into rehab and intense therapy. After I got out I begged for forgiveness from him and he did but I know for sure that he never truly did forgive me.” Tears trickled down both our eyes and I was too shocked to offer neither her nor myself a tissue.