~CAKE~
My mother is awake when I check on her, which means it has been a bad night.
She is propped against the headboard, coughing into a handkerchief that has seen better days. Her breathing sounds wrong. Like every inhale is something she has to bargain for.
“You took your meds?” I ask.
She nods. “An hour ago.”
I cross the room and straighten the blanket she keeps kicking down. She hates feeling trapped. I hate that she is trapped anyway.
“You should still be asleep,” I tell her.
She gives me a look. “Says the girl who came in at five this morning.”
Fair.
“Get a decent job baby, how do you get hurt for money? Break your ribs, cut your lips, bruise your eyes? They’re decent jobs, baby.”
“But mama I like this one, you know I do.” I sigh. And I heard a knock at the door. “I’ll get
