Secrets and Shadows

Epilogue

"Meghan, I can't believe how much you've changed!" My grandmother wrapped her arms around me. Two months after my last party, I had reached out to find out what had really happened to my mother. Gram told me that she had been visited by Mom when she had walked out. It turns out that my mom left for New York City and had been sending money each month. She had sent letters, but they had gotten lost in the mail. My grandmother, though, had managed to find my mother's number and had it written down for me. I spent the rest of the afternoon catching up with Gram, talking about school, work, and life.

At about six o'clock, I took my leave. I kissed my grandmother goodbye and headed home in the white Camry. With music playing, I took the opportunity to think through everything. Today marked exactly two months since the last time I woke up in someone else's bedroom. It was a great feeling, knowing that I had conquered my own self. In my head I knew I was far from finished, but I also knew that I was far beyond the start. With each passing day without a relapse, I was growing more and more confident in my ability to overcome the obstacles I faced.

When I got home, I parked the car and headed inside to the home phone. I pulled out the Post-It note from my pocket and dialed the number. "Hello! You've reached the home of Maria Robins! I can't get to the phone right now but leave a message and I'll get back to you as soon as I can!"

I hesitated and then heard the beep. "Umm, hi, Mom. It's Meghan. I know it's been a while, but Gram got me this number and I just wanted to talk. Okay, bye." My voice shook the whole time but when I pressed the phone back into the charger pad, I couldn't explain the amount of relief I had. After so long, I knew where she was and that she was still alive. The fear of the worst was gone and now I could rest in peace. That night, I invited Alice over to celebrate.

Since I stopped my old ways, I had finally realized I needed help in this crazy world. Alice was the only person I ever remembered having a close relationship with so I turned to her first. She could tell I was leery of opening up, but stuck with me. After I told her about my mom and what I had been doing, Alice vowed to spend every Friday night with me and hadn't broken that. I finally saw what it was like to really have people who love you in your life, which is a fantastic feeling.

That night, we had hot chocolate and ice cream. The two of us stayed up until two in the morning watching chick flicks and ended up using the pullout couch as our bed. Before we turned out the lights and settled down, Alice looked at me and smiled. "Meghan, I know this is cheesy and all, but I'm really glad things are looking up and changing for you. I always knew somehow that you would become this great person but lost faith when you shut yourself out. To see you come so far in such a short time, it makes me happy. And at risk of sounding creepy, I love you. Like a sister, of course."

I hugged Alice tight. "I'm really glad you've been here for me and I love you like a sister, too."

When we woke up the next morning, I saw a silver car in my driveway. I'd never seen it before and immediately I began to worry. I went into the armoire and grabbed an old bat of mine and set it by the door. Then I saw that there was a woman outside at the door. She shivered in the cold, but stood there, waiting. She knocked politely then peered towards the side, attempting to see in. I opened the door and instantly began to cry.

"Mom!"

"Meghan!"

We embraced, both our faces covered in tears. I buried my head in her neck and hers in mine. After eight months of missing the one person I'd always had in my life, I finally felt whole again. We stood there, wrapped around each other for a solid five minutes in the cold. Finally, I invited her into the house and poured her a cup of coffee.

"Meghan, so much had changed, yet the house doesn't look a day older. And you! Look at you! I'm gone for what, a year? You've grown up so much!"

We sat at the counter, reminiscing about everything for about an hour. At some point, Alice snuck out and headed home. I didn't notice until I tried to reintroduce her and my mother. Finally, the clock struck eleven, and I realized how long we'd been talking.

"Mom, I'd love to keep chatting but I have work and stuff. You're back for good, right?"

My mother smiled at me. "Of course, baby girl. There's a new agency in town that I got a referral from my last one in New York. I've got to talk to them, but until then, I'm home." We hugged and kissed goodbye after I changed, then I headed to my car. When I slid into the front seat and put my music on, I realized I was grinning ear to ear. Life was finally where it should be and I really and truly could not ask for anything more.