Afterglow (BWWM)

Chapter 23

"Mom?"

Seeing the woman on my doorstep scared me more than if a serial killer had been standing before me with a knife poised above my head ready to murder me. Actually, dying wouldn't be so bad. Anything would have been preferable to dealing with my mother.

She stood, towering over me by a few inches, her brown skin, smooth, and her shoulder length hair reflected light and every hair hair laid perfectly in place. Discontent was written all over her sculpted face. She was walking statuesque perfection. Her beauty attracted attention until you realized there wasn't a beating heart beneath the facade. An ice queen in the flesh.

"What are you doing here?" I said to the woman who looked more like my sister than my mother.

She eyed me from head to toe.

"Did you sleep in the clothes you wore last night?"

Don't say anything to start a fight. She just got here, I thought. I tamped down on my annoyance and reached into the recesses of my mind to find something to say that'd keep us on neutral ground.

"I wasn't expecting you," I said.

Her eyes narrowed as I attempted to discreetly glance behind her see if Drew was still in the hall. I exhaled in relief when there was no sign of him.

"Expecting someone else?"

I laughed awkwardly. "No! Of course I wasn't. Why would you think that?"

She rolled her eyes and gave an exaggerated sigh. "Are you going to invite me in or should I stand in the hall all day?"

I stepped aside to let her come in and noticed her bags. As in more than one. How long was she staying? She stepped inside and looked around.

"Where's Lindsay?" she asked.

"I haven't seen her since last night."

She made a face. "She didn't sleep here?" she said. It was clear she didn't approve.

"You haven't told me what you're doing here, Mom."

She watched me closely. "Can't I drop in to see my daughter?"

I tried hard to hide my eye roll. My mother never dropped in to see me do anything. I'd lost count of how many events she'd missed. Parent-teacher conferences, dance recitals, debate team competitions. Work always came first. I found it hard to believe that had changed.

"You could have told me you were coming," I said.

She answered with a shrug, "You're probably right,"

I almost fell over. Those weren't words I'd heard her say very often. "Our last conversation left me concerned, Allison. You didn't sound like yourself."

I knew what made her say that. I always did what she wanted. Always. The second I went against her wishes, she figured something must be wrong with me. Another eye roll.

"I'm realizing that I've lost touch with you since you've been gone. It's as if I don't know you anymore. I mean, look at you." She ran her fingers through my straightened strands. "I barely recognize you."

"I'm who I've always been."

"And who is that exactly?"

Good question. I was struggling to discover the answer to that for myself.

***

I suggested my mother get settled and I called Lindsay. She and I made plans to meet for lunch. An hour later, she and I entered the bustling campus food court together. The shock of my mother's surprise appearance was still fresh in my mind.