The Cookie Lady [Complete]

73

| Lunch n Brunch Cafe |

Fatima grabbed her keys exiting the vehicle to meet her mother, Olivia was finally ready to tell Fatima everything she had gone through since her abrupt departure almost 16 years ago. She stood in the front of the cafe, her eyes scanning for her mother. Her eyes finally landed on her, though it was hard, she was wearing dark clothing along with sunglasses and a hat. 

"Hey momma." Fatima spoke embracing into the hug before taking a seat. "Have you already ordered?" She grabbed the menu, she wasn't really hungry, with how her throat is so sensitive, but she would be stupid to turn down a meal. "No. They brought water out but I wanted to wait for you, how have you been?" 

She shrugged, "Today is one of the good days I guess, kinda hate how my body is fighting with my mind, but I think that is normal...at least that is what every new mom reddit post says along with my therapist." 

"What does that mean?" Her mother asked taking a sip of the water. She let out a dramatic deep breath, "I don't know... I think I'm tryna box myself into being a perfect mother as a means for my childhood. But I also struggle to realize, I could be doing more harm than good because I am so focused on being the perfect mother and wife that I overlook the small things."

She continued, "I also have questions about my childhood that nobody seems to wanna answer so I am trying to force myself to remember them but my therapist tells me that is really dangerous." Her mother made a face, "Why didn't you just ask me? I would've answered all your questions, at least that is why we are here today, right?" She asked genuinely confused, Fatima nodded her head. "And when I told you certain things were triggering, I was referring to all those years undercover with the CIA. The stuff we go through for the sake of national security is..." Her body shook as if she got the chills. "It's just not something you tell your daughter the first month you reunite with them after 16 years." 

"Makes sense." Fatima nodded her head, she would admit she was asking her mother a lot of questions and wasn't really thinking about how triggering bringing up memories could be. Although her mother let her down softly, she would understand if someone came to her asking about her three year horror life with Ian. 

"You mentioned something about your memories being dangerous? What does that mean?" Her mother asked with a look of worry, "My therapist believes that my memories are suppressed because I forced them to be, we ran a million and 5 tests and she concluded that when I left home to be with Ian, I forced myself to forget about the negative trauma I lived in my childhood."

Olivia scrunched her face up hearing this, they have spoken about this but barely at that. Olivia had questions but she didn't wanna ask the wrong thing and it be taken offensively so she kept her questions to herself. "I'm still not understanding how getting your memories back is dangerous though, isn't that what you want?" 

"Of course. However, she believes I would force myself to remember things that may not have even happened, she states, when you lie about something for so long, a part of you starts to believe it as the truth. She thinks if I force my memory back then parts will be a lie because I now know who my parents are and that can alter my memories into my own opinion." 

"Makes sense." A waiter came up to them, they ordered some food before Fatima checked her phone, sending a quick text to Zac. Even though her body still aches and she still has a nasty cough, she wants to do something special for Zac. She just has this feeling that she hasn't been the best fiancée to him and it tears her up some nights, so she is gonna put something together for him. 

She was definitely guilty of getting caught up in working and her own personal life to see the many sacrifices Zac made for her and their family. It was time for some reciprocity from her.